#alexander hislop

[creature-wizard]

"Easter derives from Ishtar and eggs and bunnies were totally her symbols" comes from a guy who claimed the Tower of Babel literally happened and the Greek and Roman gods were secretly based on an incestuous family that founded the city Babylon.

Hey paganblr and witchblr, can we please stop spreading Alexander Hislop's pseudohistorical slop around?

[creature-wizard]

The guy who came up with the "Easter comes from Ishtar!!!" crap was this Protestant dude named Alexander Hislop, who was just grabbing at straws to "prove" that the Catholic Church was actually the continuation of an ancient Babylonian mystery cult and therefore Totally Evil. It's literally just a conspiracy theory!

Saw a friend post a meme about Eoster being the source of Easter and CORRECTING it to say that the source was ACTUALLY Ishtar, and I want you to know that the noise I made was inhuman, darlings.

[1-800-crystalball]

victoria coren mitchell really out here teaching us how to respond to misogynists

Have I Got News For You - s41.ep04

[esotericfaery]

Asteroids Specifically About Astrology

~~~

[8958] Stargazer [24626] Astrowizard [1154] Astronomia [30] Urania [25000] Astrometria [6465] Zvedotchet (Russian for "Astrologer") [4090] Risehvezd (Czech for "realm of stars") [420356] Praamzius (Excellent sense and understanding of cycles and timing)

~

These tips from my chart can be helpful whether you enjoy Astrology as a casual hobby, in-depth hobby, or you're a student like me. I hope you find something here which is similar enough in your birth charts to help you along in your spiritual journey, or just historically interesting.

You can find your own asteroids for free at astro dot com, under extended charts, at the bottom of the page. This site works best with ipad / tablet & other computers as it's not optimized for mobile devices.

~

[8490] Companion - 28° 19' 56" [89580 Stargazer - 28° 44' 47" [584] Semiramis - 28° 55' 52" Libra, 7th house

Semiramis was a legendary queen regent of the Assyrian empire. She was a legendary warrior and commanded territory from Asia Minor to modern-day Iran. I command territory within Astrology, with authority and yet also with an air of companionability towards others; people give me valuable gifts when they tell me that my aura is calming and yet strong.

Scottish minister Alexander Hislop was known to say that together, Semiramis & husband Nimrod created a polytheistic religious system focused on the stars to lure "God’s chosen people" away from "true worship". This is yet another indication for why people sometimes misunderstand me as one of those stuck-up, flaky new-age types who annoy me too with their pretentions. I'm aware that I may sometimes come across as pretentious, though when people are patient, they discover that I'm just a happy-go-lucky nerd :) .

I gaze upon the stars, who are my companions. (You can't be surprised that I said that, as a Pisces rising ;) ).

As that all essentially involves the anaretic degree (29°), this is an area of the chart which asks for careful inspection, as it indicates particular importance & difficulty regarding crisis, the need for urgent decision-making, karma, fate, and necessary endings.

Everything must be brought into the justice of proper balance as regards shadow work.

square Venus in Leo - 2° 21' 32" 5th

Tension related to the above must become obvious enough to not be ignored, so that other methods are found for resolution. Finding and keeping a young-at-heart attitude is important for effectiveness in this area.

~

[24626] Astrowizard - 11° 40' 55" Arabic Lot Harmony - 12° 3' 12" Aries, 1st house

Driven to find and create harmony within the magic of Astrology.

square Ceres in Cancer - 12° 7' 44" 4th

Tense, painful emotions as regards my abilities as an Astrologer.

trine Vesta in Leo - 7° 5' 32" 5th

Harmony of desire to put aside personal wishes be of service to others for the sake of it and not for personal gain, through Astrology. All related to being an Astrologer: The discipline of sexual purity and celibacy, ritual spiritual transformation, singularly focused and dedicated to hard work, passion for maintaining focus, where ones inner flame burns and how it must be tended, difficulties focusing and keeping the light, sense of being inadequate & divorced from lifes mission, avoidance of marriage and children.

~

[1154] Astronomia - 12° 34' Critical ° [244] Sita - 12° 52' 29" Critical ° Pisces, 12th house

Cosmic dedication, self-sacrifice, purity, fertility, growth, feminine nobility, intelligence; highly virtuous Goddess energy involved.

trine Ceres in Cancer - 12° 7' 44" 4th

Harmony and / or laziness regarding the above, in the areas of "mother / daughter" dynamics & / or anything that grows or "grows". Sometimes involves powerfully harmonic, selfless cosmic nurturing.

~

[30] Urania - 14° 55' 20" [128523] Johnmuir - 15° 18' 46" [88] Thisbe - 15° 20' 12" [275] Sapienta - 15° 44' 24" [9395] Saint Michel - 15° 48' 32"

Libra, 7th house

Urania, known as "patron saint of Astrologers", is the ability to apply theory, principals or abstract knowledge to an immediate situation; Astrology & other systems which require applied knowledge of patterns.

Refined skills of discernment within Astrology and psychism, particularly in the area of tragic or forbidden romance. Includes Archangel Michael type energies of protection, judgement & defence of faith. Also involves themes of environmental philosophy & naturalism.

~

[62] Erato - 7° 6' 50" [13618] Haumea - 7° 12' 36" [25000] Astrometria - 7° 34' 36"

Cosmic, self-aware "measurements" involved in romantic writing, firm inner knowing, & regenerative creativity. I have strong inner confidence about my poetry, as writing has always been an instinctive form of release for me.

~

[6465] Zvedotchet - (critical) 3° 33' Gemini, 2nd house sextile Venus in Leo - 2° 21' 32" 4th

Playfulness in success as an Astrologer, with little effort.

trine Saturn in Virgo - 28° 35' 2" 6th Mercury in Virgo - 29° 50' 32" 6th Vertex in Virgo - 29° 47' 9" 6th Descendant in Virgo - 29° 27' 15" 6th

Creative, responsible, thoughtful, childlike, fated play.

~

[80] Sappho - 15° 12' 52" [4090] Risehvezd - 15° 15' 12" Cancer, 4th house

Shared interests & values lead to finding common, nurturing ground with others, related to Astrology.

sextile Chiron in Taurus - 18° 06' 50" 2nd [315] Constantia - 16° 45' 22" 6th [1198] Atlantis - 17° 7' 34" 6th Sun - 17° 25' 26" 6th [390] Alma - 17° 37' 10" 6th [91] Aegina - 17° 56' 40" 6th Arabic Lot Merchandise I - 17° 25’ 6th

Harmony with only a bit of work, related to the above, and: Deeply spiritual inner knowingness along with balanced ego power, as regards ancient civilization, ET's, new age groups, psychic abilities, abuse of tech., interest in Astrology, occult knowledge, etc. Prosperity in mediation. Highly protected from things like scammy sales within the new age.

This is a big one for me as it involves my Virgo sun, and is in my 6th house of overall health and everyday routines. I tend to easily see through new age scams and cults, and without letting my ego get in the way, I'm able to help others heal from their harmful belief systems.

Ease within healing from core wounds, particularly as relates to the desire, need, and ability to bond with others.

~

[420356] Praamzius - 29° 26' 35" Imum Coeli / Lower Heavens - 29° 44' 34" Arabic Lot Cancer & Malignancy - 29° 21’ [2847] Parvati - 29° 54' 16" Gemini, 3rd house

Malignancy, eccentricity, solution orientation, strong sense of fate, comfortable with leadership & sense of past with present and future, within the most personal parts of life foundations and family. Parvati - magic / occult & romantic / sexual relationship energies to help resolve this critical degrees collection of difficulties.

[arcenciel-par-une-larme]

That's it. We have officially moved way past the point of blaming everything on Constantine. This is terrifying.

People will really point out beliefs that 90% of Christian denominations don’t believe in and was pronounced a heresy by the Catholic Church in like 1045 AD and then will be like “why is Christianity like this 🤣”

[rainydayscore]

I think the funniest possible outcome for christianity would be for Alexander Hislop to be proven right, in that Jesus was never actually crucified

can you fucking imagine?

[biblenewsprophecy]

Rome used to condemn the use of Christmas trees by Protestants, then embraced them

COGwriter

The Wall Street Journal ran an article before that contained the following:

The Stranger in the House

Christmas trees arrived in England and America only in the mid-19th century…

The Tannenbaum (which simply means “fir tree”) came to be associated, apocryphally or not, with Martin Luther. Because of that, many Catholics in Germany once disdained it. The “aversion of many Catholics went so far,” Mr. Brunner writes, “that at the end of the nineteenth century many simply called Protestantism the ‘Tannenbaum religion.’ ” As late as the 1930s, the Vatican was recommending manger scenes instead of Christmas trees as a more theologically sound sort of decoration. But the church today no longer sees a conflict—Christmas Eve at the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Square now features both a life-size Nativity and a towering Christmas tree.

It wasn’t until the middle of the 19th century that the tradition began to spread outside Germany. Christmas trees were a novelty in England by 1850, thanks to a royal example set by the German-born Prince Albert…In the mid-19th century, the Christmas tree made inroads in America, too…

It has often been suggested that the Christmas tree is a pagan custom co-opted long ago by pragmatic Christian evangelists … Yes, candlelight featured in pre-Christian solstice festivals. And no doubt one can find some misty antecedents involving tree worship. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324894104578115160059099842.html

There are a lot of non-Christian symbols associated with the celebration of what is now called Christmas. Tannenbaum literally means “fir tree” and is the German term for Christmas tree. Although Roman Catholics once derided Protestants for the practice, the times I have been in Vatican City near Christmas, I have seen Tannenbaums prominently displayed there.

In his book Two Babylons, Alexander Hislop reported:

The wassailling bowl of Christmas had its precise counterpart in the “Drunken festival” of Babylon; and many of the other observances still kept up among ourselves at Christmas came from the very same quarter. The candles, in some parts of England, lighted on Christmas-eve, and used so long as the festive season lasts, were equally lighted by the Pagans on the eve of the festival of the Babylonian god, to do honour to him: for it was one of the distinguishing peculiarities of his worship to have lighted wax-candles on his altars. The Christmas tree, now so common among us, was equally common in Pagan Rome and Pagan Egypt. In Egypt that tree was the palm-tree; in Rome it was the fir; the palm-tree denoting the Pagan Messiah, as Baal-Tamar, the fir referring to him as Baal-Berith. The mother of Adonis, the Sun-God and great mediatorial divinity, was mystically said to have been changed into a tree, and when in that state to have brought forth her divine son. If the mother was a tree, the son must have been recognised as the “Man the branch.” And this entirely accounts for the putting of the Yule Log into the fire on Christmas-eve, and the appearance of the Christmas-tree the next morning. As Zero-Ashta, “The seed of the woman,” which name also signified Ignigena, or “born of the fire,” he has to enter the fire on “Mother-night,” that he may be born the next day out of it, as the “Branch of God,” or the Tree that brings all divine gifts to men. But why, it may be asked, does he enter the fire under the symbol of a Log? To understand this, it must be remembered that the divine child born at the winter solstice was born as a new incarnation of the great god (after that god had been cut in pieces), on purpose to revenge his death upon his murderers. Now the great god, cut off in the midst of his power and glory, was symbolised as a huge tree, stripped of all its branches, and cut down almost to the ground. But the great serpent, the symbol of the life restoring Aesculapius, twists itself around the dead stock, and lo, at its side up sprouts a young tree��a tree of an entirely different kind, that is destined never to be cut down by hostile power–even the palm-tree, the well-known symbol of victory. The Christmas-tree, as has been stated, was generally at Rome a different tree, even the fir; but the very same idea as was implied in the palm-tree was implied in the Christmas-fir; for that covertly symbolised the new-born God as Baal-berith, * “Lord of the Covenant,” and thus shadowed forth the perpetuity and everlasting nature of his power, not that after having fallen before his enemies, he had risen triumphant over them all.

Therefore, the 25th of December, the day that was observed at Rome as the day when the victorious god reappeared on earth, was held at the Natalis invicti solis, “The birth-day of the unconquered Sun.” Now the Yule Log is the dead stock of Nimrod, deified as the sun-god, but cut down by his enemies; the Christmas-tree is Nimrod redivivus–the slain god come to life again. In the light reflected by the above statement on customs that still linger among us, the origin of which has been lost in the midst of hoar antiquity, let the reader look at the singular practice still kept up in the South on Christmas-eve, of kissing under the mistletoe bough. That mistletoe bough in the Druidic superstition, which, as we have seen, was derived from Babylon, was a representation of the Messiah, “The man the branch.” The mistletoe was regarded as a divine branch *–a branch that came from heaven, and grew upon a tree that sprung out of the earth.

A professing Roman Catholic writer put out the following in 2023:

December 5, 2023

I would also like to anticipate those predictable Grinches who every year insist that some of the old German Catholic Christmas customs date back to Martin Luther, and thus should be avoided like the plague.

Bah humbug!

I don’t doubt that Luther was moved by the old Christmas customs of his childhood, but let’s not fall for the old revisionist Black Legend that the man invented them, which he certainly did not. And neither did Queen Victoria “invent” the Christmas tree, though the custom was certainly popularized worldwide during her reign.

The actual roots of many of these Christmas customs date back to the pre-Christian period, and it’s no secret that many of them were simply Christianized after a given nation was baptized.

King Arthur and his knights, for example, would have held magnificent “Christ Masse” feasts, to include the Yule Log which each year was lit from a spark preserved from the previous year’s log according to the pre-Christian tradition.

The Christmas Tree hearkens back to the old Norse belief, which included worship of the Fir Tree. But with the arrival of Christianity, that belief was transformed into the Weihnachten or Christmas tree, used in the celebration of the Birth of Christ Who conquered paganism.

They would have cut Mistletoe, as well, just as the Druids did, only this time for the purpose of celebrating the Birth of Christ with everything from Mistletoe to Wassail to Christmas pudding and the spicy concoctions of fruit and ceremony that went back a thousand years into Norman, Saxon, Viking and ancient British origin.

So, no, Luther did not “invent” the Christmas Tree. In fact, the story of St. Boniface famously cutting down Thor’s Oak Tree, worshipped by Germanic pagans, more or less proves this. But Boniface took the wood of that tree and used it to build a church on the same spot, dedicated to Saint Peter.

In other words, he Christianized the pagan tree.

The Christmas Tree hearkens back to the old Norse belief, which included worship of the Fir Tree. But with the arrival of Christianity, that belief was transformed into the Weihnachten or Christmas tree, used in the celebration of the Birth of Christ Who conquered paganism. In Germany it was the “Tannenbaum”, and it became a Catholic custom long before a constipated Martin Luther was pondering the meaning of life from the seat of his famous toilet. https://remnantnewspaper.com/web/index.php/articles/item/6270-reclaiming-our-holy-days-putting-christ-back-in-christmas

Yes, Christmas trees are pagan.

Most who have looked into the subject of Christmas trees are familiar with the passages in Jeremiah 10 that clearly condemn pagan tree practices:

2″Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the sky, though the nations are terrified by them. 3 For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. 4 They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter. 5 Like a scarecrow in a melon patch, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good.” (Jeremiah 10:2-5, NIV).

While the trees themselves cannot harm us, God says that they cannot do any good.

Even though there is nothing in the Bible to encourage putting a tree in one’s house to honor Jesus or the Father, both Catholics and Protestants believe that they have a legitimate reason to.

Even though they condemned the fir trees when once calling Protestantism the “Tannebaum religion,” Roman Catholics claim a prior use. In the 7-8th century, their St. Boniface chopped down an oak dedicated to Thor and a fir tree grew at the same place. After that happened Boniface was said to have stated, “Its leaves remain evergreen in the darkest days: let Christ be your constant light” (Christmas Tree. Wikipedia, 12/22/07). But the truth is that the evergreen tree had long been a pagan religious symbol in northern Europe.

According to the Historic Trinity Lutheran Church of Detroit:

Dr. Martin Luther is credited with originating the use of lighted pine trees in the home for Christmas (http://www.historictrinity.org/advent.html).

Here is one account of how the Roman Catholics and Protestants got the tree:

Why do we have a decorated Christmas Tree? In the 7th century a monk from Crediton, Devonshire, went to Germany to teach the Word of God. He did many good works there, and spent much time in Thuringia, an area which was to become the cradle of the Christmas Decoration Industry.

Legend has it that he used the triangular shape of the Fir Tree to describe the Holy Trinity of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The converted people began to revere the Fir tree as God’s Tree, as they had previously revered the Oak. By the 12th century it was being hung, upside-down, from ceilings at Christmastime in Central Europe, as a symbol of Christianity.

The first decorated tree was at Riga in Latvia, in 1510. In the early 16th century, Martin Luther is said to have decorated a small Christmas Tree with candles, to show his children how the stars twinkled through the dark night (The Chronological History of the Christmas Tree Copyright © 1998-2007 Maria Hubert von Staufer. http://www.christmasarchives.com/trees.html viewed 12/22/07).

Of course, that once again is one of the problems of Christmas, it substitutes pagan symbols for that of the true God.

And if you are asking yourself ‘doesn’t the trinity represent God?’ you may wish to study more into the Bible and the History of Christianity and also read the article Did the True Church Ever Teach a Trinity? Another aspect of history is that the early Church condemned winter celebrations like modern Christmas–Christmas was not observed by the early true church. This is documented in the article What Does the Roman Catholic Church Teach About Christmas and the Holy Days?

Now, getting back to the accusation of Roman Catholics about Protestants being the “Tannenbaum religion,” basically the Protestants condemned the Church of Rome for many practices, including idolatry. The Roman Catholics considered that having a decorated fir tree in one’s house, which of course is not a symbol associated with the birth of Jesus in the Bible, during the Christmas season was a form of idolatry.

However, over time, as the use of trees gained more universal acceptance, those of the Roman Catholic faith decided to no longer decry their use, but instead found a legend in their own history to suggest that they had the idea originally.

All of this may seem to be bizarre, but a lot of the doctrinal history of the Roman Catholics and Protestants is.

And although many Roman Catholics now have Christmas trees, notice something a while back from the Vatican:

Rome, Dec. 22: Sant Claus, and Christmas trees, have been condemned in an editorial in the Vatican weekly newspaper, “L’Osservatore della Domenica.” The editorial describes Santa Claus as a “monstrous substitute” for the Christ Child, and says that the idea of Santa “is offensive to the faith” and “will not and must not be accepted or tolerated by Christians.” The use of Christmas trees — which have only recently become a part of the Italian Christmas — is condemned as “an attempt to substitute the Crib ….. with a certain feeling of naturalism and paganism.” (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/dc50/vatican-paper-disfavours-santa-claus-684)

No one should be using Christmas trees, Santa Claus, etc. And even some in the Vatican have told people that.

As far as the trees go, although Roman Catholics sometimes have condemned Protestantism as the “Tannenbaum religion,” Vatican City now puts up a large Christmas tree each year–and my wife Joyce and I have seen it at least twice–so, the Church of Rome itself pushes Christmas trees.

The Bible, Church of God sources, and Roman Catholic sources have warned about the use of objects like Christmas trees. Since the use of them most certainly does not come from the Bible, no Christian should wish to have one. For more information, here is a link to the sermon: Fake News, Jesus, and His Birth.

Original Christians did not have nor condone Christmas trees and we in the Continuing Church of God still do not use or approve of them today.

Related Items:

Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God Differs from Protestantism The CCOG is NOT Protestant. This free online book explains how the real Church of God differs from mainstream/traditional Protestants. Several sermons related to the free book are also available: Protestant, Baptist, and CCOG History; The First Protestant, God’s Command, Grace, & Character; The New Testament, Martin Luther, and the Canon; Eucharist, Passover, and Easter; Views of Jews, Lost Tribes, Warfare, & Baptism; Scripture vs. Tradition, Sabbath vs. Sunday; Church Services, Sunday, Heaven, and God’s Plan; Seventh Day Baptists/Adventists/Messianics: Protestant or COG?; Millennial Kingdom of God and God’s Plan of Salvation; Crosses, Trees, Tithes, and Unclean Meats; The Godhead and the Trinity; Fleeing or Rapture?; and Ecumenism, Rome, and CCOG Differences.

Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church: Could a remnant group have continuing apostolic succession? Did the original “catholic church” have doctrines held by the Continuing Church of God? Did Church of God leaders uses the term “catholic church” to ever describe the church they were part of? Here are links to related sermons: Original Catholic Church of God?, Original Catholic Doctrine: Creed, Liturgy, Baptism, Passover, What Type of Catholic was Polycarp of Smyrna?, Tradition, Holy Days, Salvation, Dress, & Celibacy, Early Heresies and Heretics, Doctrines: 3 Days, Abortion, Ecumenism, Meats, Tithes, Crosses, Destiny, and more, Saturday or Sunday?, The Godhead, Apostolic Laying on of Hands Succession, Church in the Wilderness Apostolic Succession List, Holy Mother Church and Heresies, and Lying Wonders and Original Beliefs. Here is a link to that book in the Spanish language: Creencias de la iglesia Católica original.

Should You Observe God’s Holy Days or Demonic Holidays? This is a free pdf booklet explaining what the Bible and history shows about God’s Holy Days and popular holidays.

Beware: Protestants Going Towards Ecumenical Destruction! What is going on in the Protestant world? Are Protestants turning back to their ‘mother church’ in Rome? Does the Bible warn about this? What are Catholic plans and prophecies related to this? Is Protestantism doomed? See also World Council of Churches Peace Plan.

SECOND COMMANDMENT: What Did the Early Church Teach About Idols and Icons? Did the early Church use icons? What was the position of Christians about such things? A related sermon is available: The Second Commandment, Idols, and Icons.

The Similarities and Dissimilarities between Martin Luther and Herbert W. Armstrong This article clearly shows some of the doctrinal differences between in the two. At this time of doctrinal variety and a tendency by many to accept certain aspects of Protestantism, the article should help clarify why the genuine Church of God is NOT Protestant. Do you really know what the Protestant Reformer Martin Luther taught and should you follow his doctrinal example? Here is a related sermon video: Martin Luther and Herbert Armstrong: Reformers with Differences.

Which Is Faithful: The Roman Catholic Church or the Continuing Church of God? Do you know that both groups shared a lot of the earliest teachings? Do you know which church changed? Do you know which group is most faithful to the teachings of the apostolic church? Which group best represents true Christianity? This documented article answers those questions. [Português: Qual é fiel: A igreja católica romana ou a igreja do deus?]

Why Should American Catholics Fear Unity with the Orthodox? Are the current ecumenical meetings a good thing or will they result in disaster? Is doctrinal compromise good? Here is a link to a related video Should you be concerned about the ecumenical movement?

Will the Interfaith Movement Lead to Peace or Sudden Destruction? Is the interfaith movement going to lead to lasting peace or is it warned against? A video sermon of related interest is: Will the Interfaith Movement lead to World War III? and a video sermon is also available: Do You Know That Babylon is Forming?

What Did the Early Church Teach About Idols and Icons? Did the early Church use icons? What was the position of Christians about such things? A related sermon is available: The Second Commandment, Idols, and Icons.

What is the Origin of the Cross as a ‘Christian’ Symbol? Was the cross used as a venerated symbol by the early Church? Two related YouTube videos would be Beware of the ‘Ecumenical Cross’ and Origin of the Cross.

Did the True Church Ever Teach a Trinity? Most act like this is so, but is it? Here is an old, by somewhat related, article in the Spanish language LA DOCTRINA DE LA TRINIDAD. A related sermon is available: Trinity: Fundamental to Christianity or Something Else? A brief video is also available: Three trinitarian scriptures?

Do You Practice Mithraism? Many practices and doctrines that mainstream so-called Christian groups have are the same or similar to those of the sun-god Mithras. December 25th was celebrated as his birthday. Do you follow Mithraism combined with the Bible or original Christianity? A sermon video from Vatican City is titled Church of Rome, Mithras, and Isis?

Hanukkah: Jewish Christmas and Hidden Key to Prophecy? Originally a Jewish national holiday, has Hanukkah morphed into a Jewish Christmas? Does it hold hidden secrets to prophecy? Here is a related video: Hanukkah, Tradition, and Prophecy.

Canadian & Philadelphian Mummers Parades: Another tie to Saturnalia In Canada there is a ’12 days of Christmas’ celebration involving Mummers. In Philadelphia, a parade is held on New Years. Does this come from the Bible or where?

Was Jesus Born in the Grotto of the Nativity? Was Jesus born in a below ground cave? Was Jesus born below the “Church of the Nativity”? Were the wise men there?

How did December 25th become Christmas? Was Jesus born then? If not, why December 25? Here is the article translated into Mandarin Chinese 12g25eågTf/`NHˆ«‹¸YWúwcv„OáNð€‘Ç~³v„.

Is Keeping Christmas a Sin? Is keeping Christmas acceptable for true Christians? What are some scriptures to consider?

What Does the Roman Catholic Church Teach About Christmas and the Holy Days? Do you know what the Catholic Church says were the original Christian holy days? Was Christmas among them? Is December 25th Jesus’ birthday or that of the sun god? Here is a link to a related sermon: What do Catholic and other scholars teach about Christmas?

Did Early Christians Celebrate Birthdays? Did biblical era Jews celebrate birthdays? Who originally celebrated birthdays? When did many that profess Christ begin birthday celebrations? A related sermon video is available and is titled: Birthdays, Christians, and December 25th. French language: Où est la vraie Église Chrétienne aujourd’hui?

Where is the True Christian Church Today? This free online pdf booklet answers that question and includes 18 proofs, clues, and signs to identify the true vs. false Christian church. Plus 7 proofs, clues, and signs to help identify Laodicean churches. A related sermon is also available: Where is the True Christian Church? Here is a link to the booklet in the Spanish language: ¿Dónde está la verdadera Iglesia cristiana de hoy? Here is a link in the German language: WO IST DIE WAHRE CHRISTLICHE KIRCHE HEUTE? Here is a link in the French language: Où est la vraie Église Chrétienne aujourd’hui? Here is a link to a short animation: Which Church would Jesus Choose?

Continuing History of the Church of God This pdf booklet is a historical overview of the true Church of God and some of its main opponents from Acts 2 to the 21st century. Related sermon links include Continuing History of the Church of God: c. 31 to c. 300 A.D. and Continuing History of the Church of God: 4th-16th Centuries and Continuing History of the Church of God: 17th-20th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, French: L Histoire Continue de l Église de Dieu and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.

The History of Early Christianity Are you aware that what most people believe is not what truly happened to the true Christian church? Do you know where the early church was based? Do you know what were the doctrines of the early church? Is your faith really based upon the truth or compromise?

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[movienized-com]

Dreaming Whilst Black

Dreaming Whilst Black (Serie 2023) #AdjaniSalmon #DaniMoseley #RachelAdedeji #BabiryeBukilwa #DemmyLadipo #JoMartin Mehr auf:

Serie Jahr: 2023- Genre: Comedy / Drama Hauptrollen: Adjani Salmon, Dani Moseley, Rachel Adedeji, Babirye Bukilwa, Demmy Ladipo, Jo Martin, Roger Griffiths, Martina Laird, Alexander Owen, Muna Otaru, Will Hislop, Kemi Lofinmakin, Akemnji Ndifornyen, Isy Suttie, Tomi Ogunjobi … Serienbeschreibung: Kwabena (Adjani Salmon) ist ein aufstrebender Filmemacher, der in seinem Recruiting-Job gefangen…

[creature-wizard]

Yeah so, Alexander Hislop's methodology here is to claim that if something in another culture resembles his own Protestant beliefs, then it proves that at one time they knew the truth of God and Jesus; whereas if it seems to resemble anything Catholic, then it proves the Babylonian mystery cult came in and meddled with local belief.

So basically, if it seems to resemble the Trinity? Well, that means that they know (or at least knew) the truth of the Triune God!

But if it seems to resemble Mary veneration - IE, any depictions or myths of goddesses with young sons? Then it proves the Babylonian mystery cult was here!

For Hislop, the only deciding factor in whether any culture's beliefs originated from Good Hebrew Traditions or Evil Babylonian Influences is whether or not they agree with his own beliefs.

This arrogant dipshit is the reason modern conspiracy theorists keep talking about a Babylonian mystery cult behind everything, y'all. This arrogant dipshit.

[bond-servant-of-christ-jesus]

LENT

The Pagan Origins of Lent, Ash Wednesday.

This ritual “imposition of the ashes” is purportedly in imitation of the repentant act of covering oneself in dust and ashes. The marking of believers on Ash Wednesday is done in combination of another non-biblical routine called “Lent.” Despite Christ’s command to his followers to abstain from the practice of disfiguring their faces during fasting, it has become a regular practice. He also told us to wash our faces during a fast.

The practice of putting ashes on one’s forehead has been known from ancient times. In the Nordic pagan religion, placing ashes above one’s brow was believed to ensure the protection of the Norse god, Odin. This practice spread to Europe during the Vikings conquests. This laying on of ashes was done on Wednesday, the day named for Odin, Odin’s Day. Interestingly enough, according to Wikipedia, one of Odin’s names is Ygg. The same is Norse for the World Ash. This name Ygg, closely resembles the Vedic name Agni in pronunciation.

The Norse practice which has become known as Ash Wednesday was itself, drawn from the Vedic Indian religion. Ashes were believed to be the seed Agni , the Indian fire god. It is from this name that the Latins used for fire, ignis. It is from this root word that the English language got the words, ignite, igneous and ignition. Agni was said to have the authority to forgive sins. Ashes were also believed to be symbolic for the purifying blood of the Vedic god Shiva, which it is said had the power to cleanse sins.

Lent:

Lent is a period of 40 days preceding the observance of Easter, where the observers are expected to fast or cease from having the use of some other “luxury.” These catholic rituals can be traced to heathen practices.

In his book The Two Babylons, Alexander Hislop observed:

"..Let any one only read the atrocities that were commemorated during the ‘sacred fast’ or Pagan Lent, as described by Arnobius and Clemens Alexandrinus, and surely he must blush for the Christianity of those who, with the full knowledge of all these abominations, ‘went down to Egypt for help’ to stir up the languid devotion of the degenerate church, and who could find no more excellent way to ‘revive’ it, than by borrowing from so polluted a source; the absurdities and abominations connected with which the early Christian writers had held up to scorn. That Christians should ever think of introducing the Pagan abstinence of Lent was a sign of evil; it showed how low they had sunk, and it was also a cause of evil; it inevitably led to deeper degradation. Originally, even in Rome, Lent, with the preceding revelries of the carnival, was entirely unknown…."

In the early 19th century, German explorer Alexander von Humboldt noted the practice among the pagans in Mexico, being held in the spring. His account states:

Three days after the vernal equinox…began a solemn fast of forty days in honour of the sun.

A Lent of forty days was also commemorated in Egypt. According to by English scholar John Landseer, in his Sabean Researches (1823), an Egyptian Lent of forty days was held in honor of Osiris.

There is a spiritual signature which bears witness to the spirit of these traditions. It is called Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. It is the custom of living it up to get our fill of all the enjoyment the world has to offer before setting off to “Church” in mock repentance on Ash Wednesday. Such celebrations are an indication of the spirit behind the facade.

Christ made it plain in John 4:23-24:

But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Mark 7:7

Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

The Bible tells us in chapter 9 of the book of Hebrews, that we are made clean by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. No amount of ritual or work of the hand of man can accomplish this.

1st Peter 1:13-16 tells us:

Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

The word holy means set apart, different from the rest. If we keep traditions which are not of God, how can we be holy? From what then are we different if we do as they do?

Matthew 6:16-18

16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;

18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

[apilgrimpassingby]

Or by Alexander Hislop in the 1850s.

a concerning amount of witchblr will be like "um actually new years was stolen by europeans from the ancient god scroobus mcdoobus" and then you actually try to research scroobus mcdoobus and it turns out he was invented in the 1940s by a conspiracy theorist who powdered every meal with ketamine and thinks that queer people are reincarnated fish

[sparatus]

WIP Masterlist

... because at this point I have enough running projects I should probably make a proper list instead of just the one post for ExDiff, huh?

Hiiiii!! It's-a me, NoisyNoiverns, your friendly neighborhood niche Mass Effect author, most famous as "that one dude who built the entire Desolas/Abrudas tag from the ground up" and the turian councilor's defense attorney who made up an OC for his wife and... also the entire clan, and then accidentally convinced some people she's canon, oops? I've got multiple longfics and series going now, so I figured I should put together a proper list, lol.

Current Longfics

In the Land of Giants: Fic 3 of 10 in Exponential Differentiation, "ItLoG" for short. With Hislop dead and Terra Nova safe, Shepard and Nihlus continue the hunt for Cerberus. A friend's disappearance and a clue from a mysterious message both point them towards Omega, where they encounter a surprising new ally... who seems to know more than she's letting on. [AO3]

The Weight of Memory: Companion novella to ItLoG. While Shepard and Nihlus gallivant off to Terminus, Saren returns home to Palaven to rest, recover, and get used to his new leg as he adjusts to retirement. But the galaxy isn't done with the Arterius clan, and their problems are getting too big to hide from... [AO3]

Make Less the Depth of Grief: After the fall of the Destiny Ascension in the Battle of the Citadel, the galaxy is in shambles, and the hunt is on for Alexander Shepard. In order to find him, Ashley Williams consents to be interviewed about her time on the Normandy. But the more she talks, the less sure of her answers she feels... [AO3]

In Retrograde: When a rescue mission goes horribly awry, turian soldier Axilus Madelivio and quarian Pilgrim Thie'Haasn nar Olyna are thrown together, their fates inexorably intertwined by the biotic explosion Thie set off to save their lives. Now Axilus's latent biotics have been activated, and Thie's Pilgrimage has been thrown wildly off track. In order to escape Axilus's impending transfer to the Cabals and earn Thie's place in quarian society, the two of them are going to have to work together - for better or for worse. [AO3]

Sentiment and Reason: Fic 2 of the Dead Parents Club Murder Mysteries. A visit to an old friend of the Arterius brothers goes awry when the friend in question is found dead in his own home, and Special Tactics are asked to investigate. The problem? Saren is too recognizable, and the late general's neighbors aren't talking. It's up to Avitus Rix and Macen Barro, posing as newlyweds, to infiltrate the neighborhood and find the killer - while coming to terms with their own old rivalry and new feelings. [AO3]

Overarching Series

Exponential Differentiation: No-Reapers AU, DMAB nonbinary Shepard. "ExDiff" for short. After a mysterious all-human team attack Eden Prime and destroy the Prothean beacon found there, Shepard sets out on a grand adventure to hunt them down - and gets in so much deeper than they ever thought possible, uncovering a massive terrorist organization and facing impending war with the Hegemony. Nihlus and Saren join the crew, as well as several OCs including additional Normandy crew, new Spectres, and the batarian Resistance. Also a lot of worldbuilding for alien cultures, especially turians and batarians. Primary ships are Kryterius, Desabrudas, Garrus/OC, and Shepard/Jack.

Series on AO3

Detailed masterpost

Completed: Broken Mirror [x], Blood in the Water [x], Where the Wind Rests [x]

Currently In Progress: In the Land of Giants [x], The Weight of Memory [x]

Upcoming: Belly of the Beast, Straight On Til Morning, Towards Peace, The Distance Between Us, A Most Dangerous Game, Entwined, Jack Harper Must Die, Once and For All

Uneasy Lies the Head: Also referred to as "Bad End" for short. Canon divergent, male Shepard, past mShenko. The Destiny Ascension was left to die, and now the rest of the galaxy is paying the price. While Shepard is hunted down for high treason and terrorism, everyone else has to pick up the pieces he left behind and try to move on. The Normandy crew and the Alliance are insisting it was a necessary sacrifice, but was it really? Examines the consequences of Shepard's actions, both for himself and for the galaxy at large.

Series on AO3

Currently In Progress: Make Less the Depth of Grief [x]

Upcoming: Come What Come May, But a Walking Shadow, A Necessary End

Dead Parents Club Murder Mysteries: Exactly what it says on the tin. Series of mission fics featuring Saren, Nihlus, and Avitus, with occasional guest Macen, and other friends such as primarchs, Councilor Sparatus and his wife Aediteia, and various canon characters loosely associated with the trio (say hi, Benezia and Hannah!). Main pairings are Kryterius and Barrix. No-Reapers AU for ease of timeline sorting and not having to factor in indoctrination or Andromeda, because I don't want to.

Series on AO3

Completed: To Catch a Rabbit [x]

Currently In Progress: Sentiment and Reason [x]

Upcoming: Through the Bars, An Immodest Silence, The Greatest Vulnerability

Celestial Interference: OC-centric series following Axilus Madelivio and Thie'Haasn nar Olyna as their lives are thrown wildly off-course and inexorably twined together. Mostly against their wills. Axilus wanted to be a historian, dammit. Co-written with xMidnightSun. Rewrite of the "Rise & Reign" series, ten years of writing skill improvement and so much character development later.

Currently In Progress: In Retrograde [x]

Upcoming: Slingshot Trajectory, Extraorbital, Perigee/Apogee

[anyeot]

Is Being Catholic A Pagan Idea

In 1853, the Scottish Presbyterian theologian Alexander Hislop published a pamphlet entitled The Two Babylons: Romanism and its Origins that was expanded into a book released after his death in 1903. Most of Hislop’s arguments relied on supposed parallels showing that Catholicism was just an ancient Babylonian religion dressed up with Christian language. Fundamentalist authors in the late…

[arcenciel-par-une-larme]

What some of y'all's theological discourse sounds like.

[apilgrimpassingby]

Short version: the "Easter-Ishtar" rubbish would only fool an English speaker, and possibly a German (the German word for Easter is "Ostern"). In other languages:

Dutch: Pasen

Spanish: Pascua

Russian: Paskha

French: Pâques

Swedish: Påsk

Bulgarian: Pasha

And so on. These in term come from the Greek pascha, (giving name to paschal candles used by Catholic and many Anglican, Lutheran and Methodist Churches, and the paschal trikirion used by the Orthodox churches) a Hellenization of Pesach, a.ka. Passover, a.k.a the Jewish festival with links to Easter (Jesus' last meal with His disciples was at Passover) that falls at a similar time.

The whole "Easter-Ishtar" claim comes from Alexander Hislop, a 19th century Scottish fundie trying to argue that Catholicism was actually disguised Babylonian paganism. It thus makes me annoyed and very amused to see his "work" being deployed by pagans and atheists.

I'm gonna punch anybody that posts the pagan origins of easter this year