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jewish-privilege · 4 years ago

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[December 12, 2020] - For this year’s Hanukkah, Amir is lighting menorah candles and reciting blessings to celebrate the holiday’s eight nights, as many Jews are around the world.

But he does so in secret, worried that Chinese officials will come around – as they often do on religious occasions – to enforce a ban against Judaism, pressuring him to renounce his faith. Sometimes, he’s even called in for interrogations.

(...)

Since 2015, Chinese leader Xi Jinping has waged a harsh campaign against foreign influence and unapproved religion, part of a push to ‘Sinicise’ faith – ripping down church crosses and mosque onion domes, and detaining more than a million Muslims in the western Xinjiang region.

As well as Christians and Muslims, Mr Xi’s suppression has hit China’s tiny congregation of Jews, whose ancestors settled more than a millennium ago along the Yellow River in Kaifeng, then the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty.

That such a small group can attract the Communist Party’s ire shows how far the crackdown has spread. Only about 1,000 people in Kaifeng claim Jewish heritage, and of those, only around 100 or are practising Jews, experts say – barely a splash in China’s sea of 1.4 billion. Even at its peak in the 1500s, the community only numbered around 5,000.

“It’s government policy – China doesn’t want to recognise us as Jews,” one man, who dreams of training as a rabbi in Israel, told the Telegraph. “Their goal is to make sure the next generation doesn’t have any Jewish identity.”

At home, he teaches everything he knows to his child, just as his forebears – most likely merchants from Persia – did for generations.

In that way, Kaifeng’s Jewish heritage survived dynasties, wars, natural disasters and the Cultural Revolution, when many destroyed genealogical records to hide their lineage. It has also helped them manage without a rabbi for more than 150 years.

They are fighting to keep their history alive, even though “asserting their desires to be connected with their Jewish heritage falls afoul of the official [Chinese] position on unauthorised religions,” said Anson Laytner, a retired rabbi and president of the Sino-Judaic Institute.

(...)

Chinese authorities are also concerned about undue foreign influence if the Kaifeng Jewish community is allowed to build links with Jews abroad.

“In terms of numbers, it’s so insignificant, but in terms of potential attention, it’s much, much bigger,” said Noam Urbach, an Israeli academic who has studied the Kaifeng Jews. Their existence can “raise a lot of attention among the international Jewish community.”

In Kaifeng, stones engraved as far back as 1489 with the community’s beliefs and ancestry that used to mark a 12th-century synagogue have disappeared from a public exhibit.

An ancient well, believed to be the synagogue’s last ruins, has likewise vanished under a cloak of cement. The authorities have also torn down the city’s few Hebrew signs that once marked the Teaching Torah Lane.

In that same lane, a spot where a few dozen Jews – some of whom were government officials – used to meet for services is now plastered in propaganda about China’s “management of religious affairs.” They include reminders that Judaism is prohibited. A security camera is directed at the entrance.

(...)

The crackdown is so intense that Kaifeng residents are afraid to dine together in public. “It’s a small place,” one Jewish man said. “Restaurant managers know that we are the Jews, and they will report us to the authorities.”

Across the city, the remaining trace of Jewish heritage appears to be two tombstones with the star of David and epitaphs in Chinese and Hebrew – but even this, they fear, will soon be gone.

Yet the Jews in Kaifeng are remarkably resilient, and have found ways to keep their faith alive underground.

Each week, meetings are held in secret to celebrate Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest. Many don’t eat pork, though keeping fully kosher is risky and expensive. But for holidays, they pool money for kosher meat and wine procured through a network of friendly intermediaries.

At home, residents decorate with photos of Israel, stars of David and traditional Passover seder plates, and serve guests tea in jars that used to hold yahrzeit candles lit in memory of the dead.

(...)

Groups like Mr Laytner’s Sino-Judaic Institute and Shavei Israel had previously set up centres to teach Hebrew and Jewish history and traditions, and helped some to emigrate. But both groups were expelled a few years ago, among the first targets of the government crackdown.

Mr Laytner does not consider the suppression to be specifically anti-Semitic – a sentiment experts say is unusual in China. The country sheltered thousands of European Jews fleeing the Nazis, and today, many Chinese view Jews favourably, typecasting them as an affluent bunch in influential positions – bankers, politicians, lawyers, doctors, film directors.

“In fact, the history works in their favour, because Jews were treated like garbage all over the world, but the Chinese accepted them,” said Moshe Yehuda Bernstein, a researcher in Australia who has written on the Kaifeng Jews.

“It’s something the Chinese could be proud of, yet recently in this clampdown on unofficial religions, they’ve taken away all historical evidence of a Jewish presence in Kaifeng, which is absurd.”

China’s ministry of foreign affairs denied the “so-called suppression,” instead highlighting that it had once welcomed Jewish refugees in a written response to the Telegraph.

Kaifeng Jews hope Israel will support them, though they aren't considered Jews under Israeli law – after generations of inter-marriage, Judaism has not been consistently passed down the maternal line. Mr Laytner also doubts that Israel wants to jeopardise Sino-Israeli relations “for the sake of a couple of thousand people."

Indeed Israel has deepened trade ties with China over recent years. The Israeli embassy didn't respond to multiple requests for comment.

But while those in Kaifeng insist they’re proud to be Chinese and only want to preserve their history and traditions, the crackdown has been very painful.

“We love our country; we’re not criminals; we just don’t eat pork,” said Amir, blinking away tears. “Why do we have to practice our faith in secret, and live floating on the fringes of society? It’s really hard to bear.”

#antisemitism #china #kaifeng jews #religious suppression

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southeastasianists · 4 years ago

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Editor’s note: The following is a guest piece authored by LGBT+ advocacy group Heckin Unicorn on so-called conversion therapy in Singapore. It was not produced by Coconuts Singapore.

Sam embarked on a journey of self-discovery in his 20s. He had been through many abusive relationships, and for reasons he couldn’t quite grasp, he’d always felt that something was missing in his life. Sam wanted to get in tune with his emotions. He wanted to heal.

At 26, Sam flew to Japan to attend a spiritual workshop. The workshop’s exercise was simple, but intense: attendees were paired up, and for 3 hours, each pair had to stare meditatively into each other’s eyes. The poetic beauty in this exercise wasn’t lost to him: staring into the windows of another’s soul would help him get in touch with his own.

Yet for hours, nothing happened.

Then his sensei came over and gently touched his chest, or what spiritual practitioners called the “heart space”. And in a single stroke, Sam’s inner soul broke loose with an explosive force. He started shrieking — so uncontrollably, in fact, that he had to be restrained by several workshop attendees. Anguish, anger, and confusion raced through his mind. It was an excruciating 30 minutes of raw physical reaction, as if years of emotions ripped through his body. Yet it was nothing compared to what was about to hit him in the months to come.

Because in that moment, something clicked into place. Sam suddenly recalled that he was a victim of “conversion therapy” over a decade ago. He finally understood why he’d always felt that something was missing, and why he felt so strongly that he had to heal himself. Deeply repressed and harrowing memories came rushing back like an avalanche.

Sam fought to stay alive over the next 3 months. He suffered from hallucinations, and would cry inconsolably for days on end. He would vomit uncontrollably. His body burned in pain. He wanted to end the suffering. He wanted to end his life. But in between the painful outbreaks, Sam found the strength to fight for his survival. He knew that to live, he had to find out more about what had happened to him. He began researching extensively about “conversion therapy”, and the more he researched, the more he recalled the lost years of his adolescence.

Slowly, his memories fell into place.

Sam went through a lot at a young age. He learnt that he was gay while going through puberty. And through interactions with his closest family members, he learned that it was something he needed to get rid of.

When he came out to his mum at 13, she told him that she expects a grand funeral when she dies. It was her cold, indirect way of telling him that she expects him to bear children and grandchildren for her. When Sam turned to his aunt, she called him derogatory names and told him that people will not accept him if he continues to be gay. The message from his family was clear: turn straight, or else.

So at 15, Sam scoured the internet for answers about his sexuality. In the age of dial-up internet, genuine LGBTQ+ content was hard to come by. The information that he found about STDs scared him — HIV was still called the “gay virus” back then. Sam started getting desperate. He needed to find a way to turn straight.

And then he found a solution — or so he thought.

Sam began attending a “conversion therapy” programme offered by a local church when he was 15. It marketed itself as a counselling service that could help people who were “struggling with unwanted same-sex attraction”, and sounded exactly like what Sam was looking for. Even though he only signed up for their counselling services, he felt compelled to attend their church services as the years went by. His family never knew that he was participating in “conversion therapy” sessions; they were more concerned that he was converting from Taoism to Christianity.

Perhaps the scariest part about the “conversion therapy” programme was how, to 15-year-old Sam, it just felt right. Sam’s 1-on-1 sessions with his counsellor felt like normal counselling sessions. Sure, scripture was quoted a lot in their hour-long sessions, but to Sam — and anyone who desperately wanted to turn straight, for that matter — everything seemed to make sense. Because in a world full of rejection, the programme claimed to provide all the answers.

Sam’s memories about his counselling sessions are hazy, but their core message remains clear in his mind: you’ll go to hell if you’re gay. It was a powerful and terrifying message, and it fueled Sam’s desire to continue with the programme. He didn’t know back then that his sexual desires were innate and perfectly normal, so he confided his feelings with his counsellor and followed everything he was instructed to do. For a long time, everything he heard in his counselling sessions made him feel like turning straight was a real possibility.

Celibacy was a strong mandate of the “conversion therapy” programme. Sam’s counsellor told him many times that he would go to hell unless he stopped masturbating. He told Sam that it was wrong and sinful to have sexual desires. And as an impressionable teenager going through the peak of puberty, Sam absorbed and believed everything his counsellor told him.

Throughout his 4 years in the programme, Sam suppressed his desires and took things to the extreme. He would hold tightly onto his bed frame every night before going to bed to prevent himself from touching his body. It was a physically and mentally exhausting exercise, but Sam managed to push through every night for 6 consecutive months before he succumbed to his desires. He wouldn’t know this until years later, but this extreme psychological conditioning left him with a debilitating inability to touch himself.

In one church session, the pastor discouraged churchgoers from listening to secular music. Only Christian music should be allowed in their lives, the pastor declared. The next week, Sam brought his entire music CD collection to church, and watched it being burnt and destroyed. Sam was so enthralled by the programme’s promises that no physical coercion was required to get him to engage in such extreme activities. To him, listening to everything they say was the only way to not end up in hell.

There were a few reasons that ultimately made Sam leave the programme after 4 years. First of all, nothing worked. Sam knew that he was still gay, and that all he managed to do was to suppress his innate desires and convince himself that he isn’t worthy of love. He was also harassed by a cell group leader, but nothing seemed to be done about it after he raised this up to the church leadership. And in an attempt to negotiate some joy back into his life, Sam asked a church friend if God would accept him if he were to be in a loving gay relationship, but abstained from sex for life. The answer: an unequivocal no.

When Sam left the programme at 19, he wasn’t a changed man — he was broken. He left not because he realised that their teachings harmed his mental health, but because after 4 years of trying, he has resigned to his fate of going to hell.

Sam turns 38 this year. And in the last decade or so, he’s been to hell and back.

After spending thousands of dollars in medical scans, Sam was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. In simple terms, he experiences chronic physical pain induced by his extreme psychological trauma (side note: psychological trauma isn’t the only factor that could induce symptoms of fibromyalgia). These painful outbreaks aren’t just unpredictable, but also incurable. His chest would tighten and he would gasp for air; his face would twitch suddenly and uncontrollably; he would suffer from the inability to speak; he is often fatigued and would suffer from migraines.

Sam also faced considerable financial challenges over the last couple of decades. There were months when Sam was unable to get out of bed. His inner demons would take control, and he would find himself once again fighting for his life. Because of this, Sam had been in and out of jobs. This, coupled with his expensive medical treatment and therapies, set his finances back considerably.

It would be nice if we could end Sam’s story on a positive note. But the truth is that even though Sam is a fierce survivor, his experience with “conversion therapy” still affects him decades after the sessions have ended. Sam isn’t ready to date yet, because he thinks that he carries too much emotional baggage for any relationship to work. He continues to face difficulties fully accepting his sexuality, even though he understands that there’s nothing wrong with being gay. And he continues to sleep with his arms wide apart, because physical contact still makes his body burn in pain.

Let this be clear: “conversion therapy” practices exist in Singapore. Many of these programmes continue to showcase “success” cases without acknowledging, or perhaps understanding, how “conversion therapy” can irreparably damage a person’s psychological and physical wellbeing.

According to the United Nations, any attempt to change or suppress someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity is a form of “conversion therapy”. Many international psychiatric organisations have condemned “conversion therapy” practices because the medical consensus agrees that they not only don’t work, but could cause mental harm to participants (page 115). Taiwan has fully banned “conversion therapy” practices, while Germany has done so for minors. Other countries such as Canada, Israel, New Zealand, and the UK are considering legislation that would make them illegal.

Yet “conversion therapy” remains legal in Singapore. Many teenagers like Sam will continue to enrol in programmes that psychologically condition them to suppress their innate sexuality. Most of them would emerge from the programmes with their sexuality unchanged, but mental health deeply affected. Some of them will kill themselves.

#Southeast Asia #Singapore #Conversion Therapy #LGBTQIA Issues #LGBTQIA Rights #Christianity

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archtroop · 5 years ago

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So for you. What other fandoms are you in? When, how and why wincest?😁😍😎

Oh my, gird your loins, this is gonna be a long confession.

LIFE:

I little background (This is all very relevant, because it had direct affect on whatever choices I would make, stuff I might like and my own personal evolution as a human, leading me to where I am today - including my on-the-side fandom life, which are a huge part of me).

Female, only child - I was born in 1990 in Soviet Russia/Russia (it’s a murky year for definitions) in the farthest eastern piece of land on the globe that still constitutes as Asia, a place where they learn Japanese as a second language instead of English. I’m Jewish on my mother’s side, my father is not. Our small family migrated to Israel in 1996. I was enrolled in a religious school, for the first two years of my education. Religious orthodox little girls are bitches. I suffered. I was 6, and a 100% language barrier. Then I was enrolled in a state-religious school for 4 years. Made my first 2-3 friends. One of them is my forever best like-a-sister-to-me friend since then. Still, it screwed with my head just enough - having a secular background and family and religious preaching at school fucks you up real good. By this time I had an actual artificially ensued phobia of males. Boy, man, horse. If it had a dick I was opting out in the opposite direction. It was also a very violent time, hits and punches, teeth and nails. Got suspended once, this other girl in my class broke a guy’s teeth, ended in a juvenile institute for girls.

The next 6 years (12-18 years old) I spent in a secular boarding school, which, in Israel, are inherently patriotic in nature. These years were my most definitive and had the greatest influence on my preferences. Had my real-life heterosexual-life partner thing going for me, and the plan wast to graduate and move together. Never panned out. 18-20 - served my two mandatory 2 years (as a phlebotomist, of all things). This was when I eventually snapped and began actually maturing. By that time I still had zero interest i the opposite sex (or the same sex for the matter). At 19.6 y/o met my future husband and the future father of our now 2.6 y/o girl, began my B.Arch (took me almost a decade to finish because of pregnancy and financials). As of now, I am an Architect in practice, I work in a small but a very affluent in work firm/office. Waiting for my diploma to be issued.

So, I am trilingual (Russian. Hebrew, English), married+1, architect, artist on a hiatus, I have zero fear of needles and blood, love to read, love to interpret, love to translate. I also failed the Kinsey Scale Test twice. Until very recently in my life I couldn’t pick up on sexual innuendo at all, couldn’t identify if I was hit on, too. Today I like sex just fine, but it’s not a prime need of mine, which lead to me and my (very sexual in nature) significant other to agree on an open relationship. 100/100 would recommend.

FANDOM:

TV was a friend. I was 7-8 y/o when Pokemon hit the little screen in Israel. For technical reasons, I couldn’t watch the first episode. So I refused to watch the next ones too, until I’ll catch the first one on the saturday reruns. This marks my first exhibit of obsessiveness towards a franchise/media. But Pokemon was for cool kids, and for boys, so I can’t enjoy it (unfortunately this is going to be a recurring theme). I absorbed Hebrew quickly, and found myself spending time in the library. TV, library, pencils and paper were all I cared for. I was about 10 when girls at school, who had access (early 2000′) were giggling about something called Sailor Moon. But they were the very cool kids. Can’t have that at all. I read Interview With a Vampire when I was 11-12. I then flipped the book and realized there was apparently a movie, too. It will be years until I’ll have the chance to watch it. I switched from teen books to adults fantasy and horror at that time. I remembering giggling through R.L. Stein’s stuff. It was like candy to me. I would read whatever I could find. I didn’t listen to music. Music is for the cool kids, and I am not allowed. There was no music at home, too.

About that time, I found Flowers In The Attic and drank it up. The things that lurk in school libraries. I was engrossed in the darkness, the horror. The pain and angst and the, well, horror. It was beautiful. Then came Dragon Lance, and I fell for the Caramon & Raistlin story. Fantasy, dragons, and two brothers against ll odds, the warrior and the mage, who are forever bound, and when they die, they join each other in the river of souls. I loved it to bits. I couldn’t survive through Tolkien. loved The Hobbit, but 30 pages into the third book and he was still describing a forest - so I ditched it. Harry Potter was huge to me, I drank it up. But Harry Potter was for cool kids, so I couldn’t really talk about it. And then when I was 13-14 y/o a friend introduced me to manga. It was 2003-04, the Internet was becoming prominent feature of life. My first manga was Gravitation. Of all things. But manga and anime is for really cool girls, I can’t have that. But now I had Internet access.

That’s when I encountered Angel Sanctuary, and Kaori Yuki’s work. Gothic Lolita, Visual Kei. I’v found my niche. No one of the cool kids had any idea about those pretty things, I could hold them and have them for myself. It became one of my greatest inspirations. I read tons of manga online, combing the web for scanlation groups. Anime, too. I became very good at finding stuff. Like, real good. I even have two Angel Sanctuary fanart pieces.

Did you notice a theme already? I haven’t until very recently.

In 2005-6 (I can’t recall for sure) Israeli AXN release a promo of Supernatural. I recognized that “very good actor whose character(s) I really liked from Dark Angel”. It as all true but also I was THAT aloof about physical human beauty and attraction. But I was interrupted watching the Pilot and begrudgingly decided to follow upon it on a saturday rerun, Guess what, I got interrupted again. And it was ON, TV be damned. I hit the Google, and piracy was it. I watched Supernatural with reverence. It was entirely MINE. I opened an account on fan-wikia Supernatural site, which I lost and forgot about that was my first ever fandom-related interaction. By that time I also had a DeviantART page, which I kinda left as a storage unit as life took its course. Basically, in August 2020 I will hit 30, which would mean Supernatural officially was by my side half of my life.

I had no idea what shipping was, though. Until Teen Wolf, funny enough. Teen Wolf was my first ship experience. I didn’t read fanfic until then. Sterek somehow managed to pull me in that world. It’s that palpable on screen. So I joined tumblr. It took me time to get accustomed to all this, because even fandom is for cool kids but OH I AM ANONYMOUS.

And I gradually became more aware. Of pretty much everything. With Supernatural keeping me alive through my degree studies, prompting my sexuality to emerge (it is still a fucked up sexuality. But it’s a start.). Worked through issues with Supernatural on my back-burner all the time.

Then Supernatural hit 10 seasons. And I had to celebrate, and it was my first and only (so far) Supernatural fanart. I began reading fanfic. But so much of it wasn’t what I was looking for. So after some contemplation, I decided to try and write my own (EasyRush). And that was it for me, I essentially drowned in it, the wincest. Now that is had a name. As of today, it has become this thing that I can dig into to find me some solace after a hard day.

I can’t even say that there was a specific scene. Or a why. It’s just IS. Like the John-finds-out fics: A gradual dawning realization. Looking back, it’s all the elements of whatever I consumed merged and acted out by very talented and compelling actors.

It has the setting of Flowers In The Attic, the mythology of Angel Sanctuary and the charm of Dragon Lance, turned up to eleven. It’s Gothic Urban Fantasy, gritty and beautiful (I miss classic Supernatural aesthetic BADLY) and is a survivor.

On retrospect I begin to pinpoint moments that have subconsciously lead me to it. There was never any other option.

Wincest is never for the cool kids. It’s for people like me.

P.S.: I think there might be a part two. I need to go. This was a great walk down memory lane, it’s not even half of it.

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pope-francis-quotes · 5 years ago

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5th September >> (@RomeReports) #Pope Francis #PopeFrancis speech to priests and religious in #Maputo's cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

Pope Francis' speech to priests and religious in Maputo's cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

Dear Brother Bishops, Priests, Men and Women Religious, Seminarians, Catechists and Pastoral Workers in Christian communities, Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good Afternoon!

I thank Dom Hilário for his words of welcome in your name, and I greet all of you with affection and much gratitude. I know that you have made a great effort to be here. Together we want to renew our response to the call that once set our hearts on fire and that Holy Mother Church helped us to discern and confirm with a mission. Thank you for your testimonies, which spoke of the difficult times and serious challenges that you faced, conscious of your own limitations and weaknesses, yet also marvelling at God’s mercy. I was pleased by something one of the catechists said: “We are a Church that is part of a heroic people” that has experienced suffering yet keeps hope alive. With this holy pride that you take in your people, a pride that invites a renewal of faith and hope, all of us want to renew our “yes”. How happy is Holy Mother Church to hear you manifest your love for the Lord and for the mission that he has given you! How she rejoices to see your desire to keep returning to your “first love” (Rev 2:4)! I pray that the Holy Spirit will always grant you the wisdom to call things by their name, the courage to seek forgiveness and to learn to hear whatever he wants to tell us.

Dear brothers and sisters, whether we like it or not, we are called to face reality as it is. Times change and we need to realize that often we do not know how to find our place in new scenarios: we keep dreaming about the “leeks of Egypt” (Num 11:5), forgetting that the promised land is before us, not behind us, and in our lament for times past, we are turning to stone. Instead of proclaiming Good News, we announce a dreary message that attracts no one and sets no one’s heart afire.

We are gathered in this Cathedral dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary to share, as a family, what is happening in our lives. Like a family born in the “yes” that Mary spoke to the angel. Not even for a moment did she look backwards. We hear about this first chapter of the mystery of the incarnation from the evangelist Luke. From his account, we may perhaps find an answer to the questions you asked today, and the incentive needed to respond with the same generosity and concern as Mary.

Saint Luke draws a parallel between events in the lives of Saint John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. By contrasting them, he wants to make us see how God’s acting and our way of relating to him in the Old Testament is yielding to the new way brought to us by the Son of God made man.

Obviously, in the two Annunciations there is the appearance of an angel. The first takes place in the most important city of Judea – Jerusalem – not just anywhere but in the Temple and, within it, the Holy of Holies, and the announcement is made to a man and a priest. On the other hand, the announcement of the incarnation is made in Galilee, in a remote and conflict-ridden region and a little town – Nazareth. It takes place in a house, not a synagogue or a religious place, and is made to a layperson and a woman. What has changed? Everything. And in this change, we find our deepest identity.

You asked what to do about the crisis of priestly identity, how to counteract it? In this regard, what I want to say specifically to priests is something that all of us (bishops, catechists, consecrated persons, seminarians) are called to cultivate and foster.

In a crisis of priestly identity, sometimes we need to step away from important and solemn places, and return to the places from which we were called, where it was clear that the initiative and the power was from God. At times, without wanting it, and with no moral fault, we get used to identifying our daily activity as priests with certain rituals, with meetings and conversations, where our presence in those meetings, at the table or in the hall is “hierarchical”. Then we are more like Zechariah than like Mary. Yet, “I do not think it is an exaggeration to say that the priest is very little indeed: the incomparable grandeur of the gift granted us for the ministry sets us among the least of men. The priest is the poorest of men unless Jesus enriches him by his poverty, the most useless of servants unless Jesus calls him his friend, the most ignorant of men unless Jesus patiently teaches him as he did Peter, the frailest of Christians unless the Good Shepherd strengthens him in the midst of the flock. No one is more ‘little’ than a priest left to his own devices; and so our prayer of protection against every snare of the Evil One is the prayer of our Mother: I am a priest because the Lord has regarded my littleness (cf. Lk 1:48)” (Homily at Chrism Mass, 17 April 2014). Returning to Nazareth can be the way of facing a crisis of identity and being renewed as shepherds, disciples and missionaries. You yourselves spoke of a certain exaggerated concern with managing resources or caring for our personal well-being. We then take “circuitous routes” that frequently end up giving priority to activities with a guaranteed recompense, and these make us resist devoting our lives to everyday pastoral care. The image of that simple young woman in her home, as opposed to all the activities of the Temple and the city of Jerusalem, can be a mirror in which we see the complications and concerns that dim and dissipate the generosity of our “yes”.

Zechariah’s doubts and his need for explanations contrast with the “yes” of Mary, who asks only to know how everything spoken to her was to come about. Zechariah could not overcome his desire to control everything; he could not abandon the mindset of someone needing to be responsible for making things happen. Mary did not hesitate or think about herself: instead, she surrendered herself; she trusted. It is a constant struggle to experience our relationship with God like Zechariah, like a doctor of the law: always complying, always judging whether the recompense is proportionate to the work done, whether it is my due if God blesses me, whether the Church is bound to recognize my virtues and my hard work. We should not be running for our own benefit; rather, our weariness should be related to our “ability to show compassion; our hearts are to be ‘moved’ and fully engaged in carrying them out. We are to rejoice with couples who marry; we are to laugh with the children brought to the baptismal font; we are to accompany young fiancés and families; we are to suffer with those who receive the anointing of the sick in their hospital beds; we are to mourn with those burying a loved one” (Homily at Chrism Mass, 2 April 2015). We often spend hours and days accompanying a mother with AIDS, an orphaned child, a grandmother taking care of many grandchildren, or a young person who came to the city and is desperate because he or she cannot find a job... “All these emotions can exhaust the heart of a pastor. For us priests, what happens in the lives of our people is not like a news bulletin: we know our people, we sense what is going on in their hearts. Our own heart, sharing in their suffering, feels ‘com-passion’, is exhausted, broken into a thousand pieces, moved and even ‘consumed’ by the people. Take this, eat this... These are the words the priest of Jesus whispers repeatedly while caring for his faithful people: Take this, eat this; take this, drink this... In this way our priestly life is given over in service, in closeness to the People of God... and this always leaves us weary” (ibid.). Renewing our vocation often entails discerning if our weariness and worries are the result of a certain “spiritual worldliness” imposed by “the allure of a thousand distracting commercial advertisements in order to walk ahead, freely, along paths that lead us to love of our brothers and sisters, to the Lord’s flock, to the sheep who wait for the voice of their shepherds” (Homily at Chrism Mass, 24 March 2016). Renewing our call has to do with choosing to say yes and to let our weariness come from things that bear fruit in God’s eyes, things that make present and incarnate his son Jesus. Would that we might find, in such salutary weariness, the wellspring of our identity and happiness!

Would too that our young people might see that we allow ourselves to be “eaten and drunk”, and be inspired themselves to follow Jesus and, radiant with the joy of a daily commitment, not imposed but fostered and chosen in silence and prayer, desire to say their own “yes”. You who are still asking, or you who are already on the path to definitive consecration, should never forget that “the stress and quick pace of the world constantly bombarding us with stimuli can leave no room for that interior silence in which we can perceive Jesus’ gaze and hear his call. In the meantime, many attractively packaged offers will come your way. They may seem appealing and exciting, although in time they will only leave you feeling empty, weary and alone. Don’t let this happen to you, because the maelstrom of this world can drive you to take a route without real meaning, without direction, without clear goals, and thus thwart many of your efforts. It is better to seek out that calm and quiet that enable you to reflect, pray, look more clearly at the world around you, and then, with Jesus, come to recognize the vocation that is yours in this world” (Christus Vivit, 277).

The study in contrasts presented to us by the evangelist Luke culminates in the encounter between two women: Elizabeth and Mary. The Blessed Virgin visits her elderly cousin and everything is one great celebration of praise. There is a part of Israel that grasped the profound and dizzying change in God’s plan, and allowed itself to be visited. As a result, the child leaps in the womb. For a moment, in a patriarchal society, the world of men steps back and is silent, like Zechariah. Today too, we need catechists, Mozambican women who remind you that nothing should make you lose your enthusiasm for evangelizing, for carrying out your baptismal mission. In them, we can see all those others who go forth to encounter their brothers and sisters: those who, like Mary, visit others, and those who allow themselves to be visited, who allow others to change their lives by sharing with them their culture, their ways of living and expressing the faith.

The concern you expressed shows us that inculturation will always be a challenge, shuttling back and forth, as it were, between those two women who were both changed by encounter, dialogue and service. “Particular Churches should actively promote at least preliminary forms of inculturation. The ultimate aim should be that the Gospel, as preached in categories proper to each culture, will create a new synthesis with that particular culture. This is always a slow process and at times we can be overly fearful. But if we allow doubts and fears to dampen our courage, instead of being creative, we will remain comfortable and make no progress whatsoever. In this case, we will not take an active part in historical processes, but become mere onlookers as the Church gradually stagnates” (Evangelii Gaudium, 129).

The “distance” between Nazareth and Jerusalem is shortened and disappears with that “yes” spoken by Mary. Because distance, provincialism and party spirit, the constant building of walls, undermine the dynamic of the incarnation, which has broken down the wall that separated us (cf. Eph 2:14). You, at least the older ones among you, witnessed how division and conflict ended in war. You must always be ready to “visit”, to shorten distances. The Church in Mozambique is invited to be the Church of the Visitation; it cannot be part of the problem of rivalry, disrespect and division that pits some against others, but instead a door to solutions, a space where respect, interchange and dialogue are possible. The question raised about how to react to interreligious marriages challenges this persistent tendency of ours for fragmentation, for separating rather than uniting. The same is true of relations between nationalities and races, between North and South, between communities, priests and bishops. It represents a challenge because developing “a peaceful and multifaceted culture of encounter” requires “an ongoing process in which every new generation must take part: a slow and arduous effort calling for a desire for integration and willingness to achieve this”. This is the necessary condition for “progress in building a people in peace, justice and fraternity”, for “the development of life in society and the building of a people where differences are harmonized within a shared pursuit” (Evangelii Gaudium, 220, 221). Just as Mary journeyed to the house of Elizabeth, we too, as a Church, have to find the road to take in the face of new problems, taking care not to remain paralyzed by the mindset of opposition, division and condemnation. Set out on that path, and seek answers to these challenges by imploring the unfailing help of the Holy Spirit. For he is the Teacher who can show us new paths to follow.

Let us, then, revive our vocation and calling in this magnificent temple dedicated to Mary. May our committed “yes” proclaim the greatness of the Lord and make the spirit of our people rejoice in God our Saviour (cf. Lk 1:46-47). May it fill with hope, peace and reconciliation this, your country, our beloved Mozambique!

I ask you please to pray for me, and to invite others to do the same. May the Lord bless you and the most holy Virgin watch over you. Thank you.

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dfroza · 4 years ago

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every person on earth

originates from the genesis spark of egg and sperm that fertilizes it to become a son or a daughter to a mother and a father. this originated with God our Creator who Authored the sacred Union of sex that joins 2 bodies as “One”

which is why, since sex is a sacred bond, that it is only permissible when shared in a marital relationship, although many people stray from this because of natural attraction and the fact that sex feels good. but no matter how people act, the spiritual truth of sex still stands. we either obey its rules, or not.

and in Today’s reading of the Scriptures we see a unique miracle of a birth through Mary since she supernaturally conceived a man who was and is “God with us” who is our King, the King of all earthly kings, and who is Lord, Christ. His name in Hebrew: Yeshua (Jesus) to whom all people will bow and confess as Lord, even those who pass away from this world into the eternal realm yet refuse to believe while here. everything will be seen clear on the opposite side of time. and it matters what we choose to believe while here in a physical body.

and Today we begin at the start of the New Testament once again with the first chapter of the book of Matthew that has been written to conserve the seed of eternal life revealed in grace:

This is the family history, the genealogy, of Jesus the Anointed, the coming King. You will see in this history that Jesus is descended from King David, and that He is also descended from Abraham.

Abraham was the father of Isaac; Isaac was the father of Jacob; Jacob was the father of Judah and of Judah’s 11 brothers; Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (and Perez and Zerah’s mother was Tamar);

Perez was the father of Hezron; Hezron was the father of Ram; Ram was the father of Amminadab; Amminadab was the father of Nahshon; Nahshon was the father of Salmon; Salmon was the father of Boaz (and Boaz’s mother was Rahab);

Boaz was the father of Obed (his mother was Ruth, a Moabite woman who converted to the Hebrew faith); Obed was the father of Jesse; and Jesse was the father of David, who was the king of the nation of Israel. David was the father of Solomon (his mother was Bathsheba, and she was married to a man named Uriah);

Solomon was the father of Rehoboam; Rehoboam was the father of Abijah; Abijah was the father of Asa; Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat; Jehoshaphat was the father of Joram; Joram was the father of Uzziah; Uzziah was the father of Jotham; Jotham was the father of Ahaz; Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah; Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh; Manasseh was the father of Amon; Amon was the father of Josiah; Josiah was the father of Jeconiah and his brothers, and Josiah’s family lived at the time when God’s chosen people of Israel were deported from the promised land to Babylon.

After the deportation to Babylon, Jeconiah had a son, Shealtiel. Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel; Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud; Abiud was the father of Eliakim; Eliakim was the father of Azor; Azor was the father of Zadok; Zadok was the father of Achim; Achim was the father of Eliud; Eliud was the father of Eleazar; Eleazar was the father of Matthan; Matthan was the father of Jacob; Jacob was the father of Joseph, who married a woman named Mary. It was Mary who gave birth to Jesus, and it is Jesus who is the Savior, the Anointed One.

Abraham and David were linked with 14 generations, 14 generations link David to the Babylonian exile, and 14 more take us from the exile to the birth of the Anointed.

So here, finally, is the story of the birth of Jesus the Anointed (it is quite a remarkable story):

Mary was engaged to marry Joseph, son of David. They hadn’t married. And yet, some time well before their wedding date, Mary learned that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Joseph, because he was kind and upstanding and honorable, wanted to spare Mary shame. He did not wish to cause her more embarrassment than necessary.

Now when Joseph had decided to act on his instincts, a messenger of the Lord came to him in a dream.

Messenger of the Lord: Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to wed Mary and bring her into your home and family as your wife. She did not sneak off and sleep with someone else—rather, she conceived the baby she now carries through the miraculous wonderworking of the Holy Spirit. She will have a son, and you will name Him Jesus, which means “the Lord saves,” because this Jesus is the person who will save all of His people from sin.

Years and years ago, Isaiah, a prophet of Israel, foretold the story of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus:

A virgin will conceive and bear a Son,

and His name will be Immanuel

(which is a Hebrew name that means “God with us”).

Joseph woke up from his dream and did exactly what the messenger had told him to do: he married Mary and brought her into his home as his wife (though he did not consummate their marriage until after her son was born). And when the baby was born, Joseph named Him Jesus, Savior.

The Book of Matthew, Chapter 1 (The Voice)

Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments with the beginning chapter of Matthew is Numbers 24 where Balaam refused to curse Israel as Balak requested which made Balak very angry:

Meanwhile, it was obvious to Balaam that the Eternal One was quite happy to bless Israel, so he didn’t go through the trouble of looking for omens of God’s intent. Instead, Balaam contemplated the wilderness stretched out before him. Seeing the Israelites camping there, in their orderly arrangement by tribes, he was suddenly overcome by God’s Spirit. He recited God’s words.

Balaam: This is an oracle of Balaam (Beor’s son),

a man whose eyes have been opened,

Whose ears hear God-given words,

and whose eyes see visions from the God of the Mountains.

I fall down with eyes opened.

“O, the lovely tents of Jacob,

even the dwelling places of Israel.

Like date trees spread out as a garden along the river,

as aloe trees planted by the Eternal,

Like cedar trees along the waters.

I can see overflowing water, its seed in many waters

and its king lifted higher than Agag,

even its kingdom lifted up.

God leads them from Egypt like the splendor of a wild bull.

He will devour the nations, even his adversaries,

And he will crush their bones and strike them through with his arrows.

He lies low and crouches down as a lion or lioness.

Who would dare rouse him?

Blessed are those who bless you and cursed those who curse you.”

He was absolutely furious with Balaam, smacking his hands together with anger.

Balak (confronting Balaam): I can’t believe this! I brought you all this way and asked you to curse my enemies, but instead you actually blessed them. And you did that not just once, mind you, or twice, but three times. Now get out of here! Get out of my sight—go back to that miserable place you call home. Yeah, sure, I said I’d greatly honor you, but the Eternal has withheld the honor that I had planned for you.

Balaam (to Balak): Remember the first time that you sent messengers to get me? Even then I told them I don’t care how much silver and gold you have or what all you’d give to me; I cannot alter what God would have me say. Whatever the Eternal One puts into my mouth is what will come out, whether good or evil words. So, yes, I’m heading home. But before I go, I will tell you what those people will do to your nation when your time is up.

He recited God’s words.

Balaam: This is an oracle of Balaam (Beor’s son),

a man whose eye has been opened,

Whose ears hear God-given words,

who understands the very thoughts of the Most High God,

And whose eyes see visions from the God of the Mountains.

I fall down with eyes opened.

I see him, but at a later time, I’ll recognize him, even though he is far away.

A star will come out of Jacob,

A scepter shall rise out of Israel.

It will break Moab and tear down the people of Seth.

Edom will be its possession, even Seir will belong to its enemies,

but Israel will have power.

One from Jacob will rule,

and he’ll destroy whatever remains of the city.

Then Balaam turned toward the land of the Amalekites and spoke his prophecy.

Balaam: Amalek was first among the nations,

but its end is destruction.

Then Balaam turned toward the land of the Kenites and spoke his prophecy.

Balaam: Your dwelling is lasting,

and your nest is set on a rock;

Yet Kain will be burned up.

“Until when?” When Asshur takes you away as captives.

Balaam took up his answers:

Balaam: I ask, “Woe, for who will remain alive when God does this?

Who will survive?”

Ships will come from Kittim and will afflict Asshur and Eber,

who is also set for destruction.

Then Balaam went his way to his country, and Balak went his way toward his country.

The Book of Numbers, Chapter 24 (The Voice)

my personal reading of the Scriptures for Tuesday, june 16 of 2020 with a paired chapter from each Testament along with Today’s Psalms and Proverbs

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annie-rereads · 5 years ago

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Annie Rereads Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan

Immortal Beloved Chapter 3

I have read this book mulitple times and the two that follow. The main character, Nas, and her journey of growth throughout the story is something that I admire. This tale of self-discovery, love, and healing is something that I haven’t found in many other books and I find that its a realistic take on the journey to change.

I watched him in the rearview mirror as he walked down the road. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and the way his jeans hugged his butt was a rare treat.

Oh lol, okay Nas. SO our first impression of the man we just met, Reyn, was rather neutral last chapter, but this chapter spares no time showing us what Nas thinks of him. He’s attractive to her, and I like how the author did not avoid more mature lines of thought or dialogue. These lines are the things Nas is really thinking and she’s an adult. She’s lived a long life. It makes sense that she’d think stuff like this and it provides humor for the reader. We also learn more about Nas’s appearance. She’s also realized through the power of Hot Man that she looks rather unhealthy. Her lifestyle would lead to an unhealthy physical appearance and these first chapters are doing well in setting the groundwork for Nas’s future changes. She undergoes many physical, mental, and social changes throughout the story.

On the plane coming over, I’d realized that besides Incy crippling the cabbie, despite my disgust at my lack of action, despite my paranoia about Incy’s seeing my scar, it had been a hundred, a thousand other things leading up to that, chipping away at my insides until I felt like a shell aith nothing alive left in me.

Like most big changes to the self, it’s not just the inciting incident that leads to the want to change. It’s the memories of all the other things that made you feel a little bad in the past, even if those things were small and brushed off. Nas has hit a point where she can’t forgive herself for her actions and she’s rightfully horrified, but that doesn’t mean that there weren’t things before this. It would be unrealistic for her record to be spotless except for this one incident with the cabbie.

If I were a regular person, I’d be tempted to kill myself. Being me, I had almost collapsed with hysterical laughter when I realized that even if I managed to cut off my own head, I wouldn’t be able to make sure it was far enough away from my body for long enough to actually kill me.

Nas considers her options before getting out of the car and walking up to the house. She could attempt suicide, but it wouldn’t work. Chances are she’d just have to live with the aftermath of trying to chop her own head off and she’s right to be concerned and uncomfortable with the idea of that regrowth stunt. She also considers hiding in the car for forever, but that’s also not an option. She’s immortal and cannot die unless killed.

But she was watching me, and it was clear that intended for me to make the first move.

Our first scene with River, this one althought many quickly follow, is that she’s waiting. I like that River waits on Nas to make the decision to get out of the car. It’s important that Nas makes this decision for herself and sees in through all the way herself.

“It used to be a Quaker meetinghouse,” River explained, heading upstairs.

Our first conversation with River is one that is very welcoming, almost motherly. River takes no care in hiding her age, which is very old, born in 718 in Genoa, Italy. She introduces us to the setting we will spend most of our time, a home for wayward immortals. It’s a farm too, there’s no lying to the local community, but the residents are entirely immortal. It is also a school as River says there are 4 teachers and 8 students.

“... But just to be clear, this isn’t a spa or a hotel. It’s sort of a combination kibbutz and rehab. There’s work to be done, and we all do it. There’s stuff, hard and painful, that you’ll have to learn. Over the years we’ve come up with systems that work for us, and we’re not interested in someone coming her and insisting our rules don’t apply.”

River here may bring forth the memory of strict schools that made no exceptions for their students even when one was needed, but only at first. River is right to say this because it’s important lay boundries even in a place that’s similar to rehab. A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture, according to a quick Google search, so River is also retelling Nas that this is also a farm and she’s expected to help work the crops. River may be setting boundries here, but I think fondly on the fact that she genuinely does want to help Nas, is happy that she’s here, and does her best to help. River is a very genuine person with a lot of history and that makes her a very good person to help others.

“Four hundred,” I said. “Four hundred and fifty-nine.”

Nas is old, very old. Born in 1551, if she were alive today, she’d be 169. That also means this book takes place in 2010. River on the other hand, born 718, would be over 1,000 years of age. Jesus, they’re old!

The chapter ends with Nas settling into her room, one more conversation with Reyn that is just as unimformative as the first (although he comes off as unwelcoming especially compared to River), and with Nas committing to stay for a while until a plan 2 appears in her mind.

#reread #immortal beloved #cate tiernan

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smokedanced · 2 years ago

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gentlepyrate.

𝐂 𝐋 𝐎 𝐒 𝐄 𝐃 𝐒 𝐓 𝐀 𝐑 𝐓 𝐄 𝐑 for @smokedanced // 𝐈𝐒𝐑𝐀𝐄𝐋

Stede would have loved to spar with Edward. He’s not blind to the homoerotic tension that could be had rolling around on the ground, the bluster of a challenge with racing heartbeats and touching bodies. It’s a euphemism without even trying to be. Tragically, Edward’s knee is in no shape to be tussling, at least not without proper cause.

And therefore he ends up matched with Izzy.

The funny thing is, he’s not blind to their homoerotic tension either, unless by choice, which he does choose to do, on occasion, if Israel is being particularly annoying. But today, he’s feeling honest, which means he has no problem admitting to himself that their very first meeting - Israel shredding his shirt with his sword - had been one of the most attractive things ever to happen to him, and nearly every interaction ever since had brought just a little bit too much of a racing heart with his frustration.

Truly, this moment has potential.

They’ve dueled twice - both times Stede has won due to being underestimated by his opponent, for his guile and wit is had been strong enough confuse and distract. He’s not confident he’ll be able to get away with a third time. And yet.

It’s very easily done, honestly. Israel may be better trained by far, but Stede is larger, and much stronger than he looks. He shoots Izzy a compliment - a genuine one - and it throws the first mate off enough that he doesn’t slip away this time, out of Stede’s grasp the way he has been all this time, quick and agile as he is, and Stede overpowers him through blunt force alone, pushing forward, with a foot placed behind his leg to send him sprawling backwards. Stede hurrying to pin him - his knees pressed into Izzy’s thighs, giving Stede a bit more control that in if he were to simply straddle the man, his arms pinning Izzy’s wrists to the deck with a surprising amount of force.

The position brings their faces terrifyingly close together. Stede pants with exertion, his hair mussed and his skin covered in a fine sheen of sweat, his teeth bared in a confident grin. He’s high on his win, and in the euphoria of it, he blindly thinks that it was a wonderful idea to take his shirt off prior to the fight - he’s having an excellent time flustering Mr. Hands as much as possible, and something warm and content and fluttering appears in his belly with his bare chest pressed down against Izzy’s. Consider it a gift - he’d clearly wanted to see, tearing Stede’s shirt to shred like that, the very first day they’ met.

“ How’s that for a win, eh? ” He’s happy, he won, and Hands out to be proud of him as his tutor, but he doesn’t expect him to be - none of his tutors ever were - he is happy anyway, and will be no matter what sort of insult is given. He won.

“ Two out of three? ”

Stupid fucking Stede Bonnet, is what he has the time to think as he’s being toppled over.

Izzy tells himself he simply tolerates Stede for Edward’s benefit. Because Edward clearly adores this odd man. Because Izzy’s had to fucking witness what it does to Ed when Stede isn’t around. Having Blackbeard back had been a high for about 48 hours before it had started to dawn on him how much work it was just to keep Edward fucking alive. All in all, not that he will fucking admit it, Stede’s return had been a relief.

Right now, that’s difficult to remember.

Much as he grumbles about it, he doesn’t, in theory, mind helping out make a proper pirate out of Stede yet (if it matters to Edward that much that Stede stays alive then fine, it matters to Izzy too); he tries to cooperate a little better, because as the co-captains had pointed out, it’d probably make things easier if the entire crew didn’t want to murder him in his sleep. But also fuck all of that and fuck all of them if they get on his nerves too much.

Still, at least he is trying, if reluctantly. Whatever makes Edward happy.

He just hadn’t counted on losing to this little fucker for the third time. It’s fucking humiliating is what it is.

Izzy makes a few attempts at using his body to toss Stede off of him, but the little shit is stronger than he looks, and also⸺ it is⸺ not helping, that he’s topless and so very close. He’s kind of starting to look like a pirate, too, with his stupid little beard and his stupid little piercing, and... Izzy’s neck burns. He decides he’d rather yield than keep fucking grinding their bodies together in an attempt to throw Stede off of him.

❝ How’s that for a⸺ ❞ he repeats, incredulous. ❝ You don’t fight by ⸺ throwing your opponent off by fuckin’ flirting with them! That’s not how it works! ❞

Except that it did work on him. He glares, his face flushed (from the physical exertion, that is all) (that is not all and he fucking hates himself for it). ❝ Doesn’t count. You can’t just. Would you please just be a normal fuckin’ person for once in your life and punch me instead of whatever the fuck...?! ❞

Before, if he’d been put in this situation, Izzy would simply have headbutted Stede, hard. But he’s trying, now. That wouldn’t be very cooperative, when sparring. Fuck me, he thinks to himself, not-that-stupid-after-all fucking Stede Bonnet’s stupidly cheerful face right the fuck there, the way Izzy can feel his bare chest against himself through his clothes every time he breathes, the way Stede is apparenlty just able to ⸺ keep him pinned. Fuck me. Fuck Stede Bonnet. Fuck everything.

❝ For fuck’s sake ⸺ fine. Two out of three. Now get off me. ❞

#gentlepyrate #my new favourite pasttime is making izzy's life as difficult as possible #i fucking love it skskssk #stede you are fucking VALID #; izzy hands ❪ muse. ❫#; gentlepyrate / stede & izzy / 001

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loudlytransparenttrash · 7 years ago

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The Truth About Islam

I hated history when I was a little girl but today I appreciate it. Now I understand why they say those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it. In order to understand why the Islamic world is entirely different and in many ways incompatible with Western civilizations, at least until they are ready to reform as all other religions have done, you need to understand the history of Islam. By understanding its history, you will better understand the current crisis and events happening in the world today.

When Muhammad supposedly revealed his revelation from the angel Gabriel that he was supposed to be the last of the Prophets in the early six hundreds, he started preaching his claim in his own city of Mecca, he tried to recruit friends and followers so they could help spread his newly formed religion. He tried for 12 years and failed. After 12 years he was only able to recruit his immediate family and friends, so he decided to go to Medina, which was the Jewish hub of Arabia. He figured if he went there and preached his religion to them, they would accept him and that would buy him respect and stature and his religion would be accepted too.

In order for his religion to interest the Jews, Muhammad started borrowing a lot from the Old Testament to make his religion more palatable to them. This is why you see a lot of similarities between Judaism and Islam. For example, Jews don’t eat pigs so Muslims don’t eat pigs, Jews practice Kosher so Muslims practice Halal, Jews pray several times a day so Muslims pray several times a day, Jews fast on Yom Kippur so Muslims fast on Ramadan. He made things up as he went to attract the Jews.

This is also why there are a lot of good scriptures at the beginning of the Quran, when Muhammad was saying all the good things about the people of the book and talking about how similar they are, he was trying to recruit the Jews and make it easy for them to convert. Except the Jews still refused to accept him and follow him so this is when he turned against them, he started killing them and started expelling them. This is the moment Islam went from a spiritual movement to a political movement disguised as a religion, this transition into vengeful, violent jihadism is clear as the Quran goes on.

Muhammad quickly became a military warlord and declared war on the Jews that refused to accept him. Jews and Christians became Dhimmi, second class citizens, and they were only allowed to be kept alive by paying the Jizya, a tax paid to Muslims. So Jews and Christians had a choice: convert to Islam, pay to be kept alive or be killed. Jews and Christians weren’t allowed to blow the Shofar or ring church bells, they could not pray publicly or too loudly, they could not gather together or build new churches or new temples. They were humiliated, often having rocks thrown at them by children and to pay their Jizya they would be forced to kneel during ceremonies and hand over their goods to the Mullah.

In many areas, Jews and Christians were given necklaces to wear as a receipt for their Jizya. They were considered Najis under Islam, equivalent to bodily fluid or garbage, something so dirty and disposable. If a Jew walked on the same side of the street as a Muslim, the Jew had to cross to the other side so the Muslim would not feel dirty by the filth of the Jew. Today it continues, none of us infidels can step foot in Mecca because as far as they're concerned, we are still Najis under Islam, equivalent to dirt or garbage. It’s also why sixteen Muslim countries ban Jews from entering their borders (but hey let’s all close our eyes again and call Donald Trump a bigot and antisemite.)

As Islam continued to grow, the more Jews and Christians were forced to submit and become Dhimmi. Jews and Christians were given identifiable clothing to wear, the yellow star which most people think is a German invention was actually an Islamic invention in the ninth century, it marked Jews and Christians with a badge of shame. Furthermore, the infidels each were forced to hang a piece of lead around their neck with the word Dhimmi on it and the infidel women were forced to wear one red and one black shoe and wear a bell around their necks like cows.

Islam continued to grow as more people became fearful they too would suffer if they did not submit to Muhammad and convert. The Muslims went all the way to Jerusalem, they conquered it and claimed it as their own, either killing, converting or enslaving the local Christians. The Pope in Rome asked his men how they could they sit idly by and allow their brethren to suffer in the Holy Land. He pleaded for them to go liberate the Christians, to go save the Christians, that's why the Crusaders were launched. The Crusaders were able to liberate Jerusalem before Saladin took it back and Jerusalem remained under Islamic control until 1967 when it was freed by the State of Israel.

The Crusaders continued fighting Islam and for 300 years they tried and failed. By the 1300s the Crusaders disappeared because they could not win against Islam, leaving Islam to continue their expansion. They went all the way to Central Europe, they went all the way to China, they went to India, they conquered Spain and as they conquered more nations, more people were forced to pay the Jizya and were forced into slavery. This is how the Islamic Empire became so dominant. They were preparing to overtake the rest of the nations and wipe out Christianity altogether until they were stopped at the gates of Vienna and they were pushed out in defeat.

By the 1600s, Islam had covered more of the Earth's surface than the Roman Empire did at its peak. Between the 1600s and the 1800s, the Europeans were experiencing their industrial revolution where they were able to invent products on factory lines and they were able to sell products which gave them the money to build a strong army in order to fight the Muslims. That's the only way they were able to stop them in Vienna. The Europeans started the pushback against Islam, they pushed them out of Europe and pushed them all the way to the Middle East and North Africa. By 1924 the Islamic Empire ended.

It ended in Turkey by President Ataturk who was a secularist. He ended the Islamic Empire and he gave women a right to an education, the right to work, a right to choose a husband, he stopped making women wear the hijab and Muslims hated him so much that they considered him a Jewish agent. By the time the Islamic Empire or the Islamic State had ended in 1924, they had existed for fourteen hundred years and it ended less than 100 years ago. This is why Islam still appears to linger in the stone ages by modern Western standards, the world’s biggest and most brutal empire driven by this ideology has only just ended when put into perspective. We look back in history and condemn every single empire or supremacy movement but the moment we reach Islam, we close our eyes and convince ourselves that none of that really happened, Islam is the religion of peace.

We have failed to educate our students about history, we have failed to educate our population about history. Take any 17 or 18 year old kid and ask them about World War II and most won’t be able to tell you what happened while we still have over half a million of our American World War II veterans walking around, and it’s these same kids who demand with such conviction for us to believe that Islam is the religion of peace, that there is no link or history of violence, death, supremacy or oppression? They wonder why they are called gullible idiots.

When the Islamic Caliphate ended in 1924, the people thought the Caliphate will never be resurrected, it will never come back. But two things happened in the Middle East in the last century that made the Islamists be able to resurrect it. The first was the discovery of oil in Saudi Arabia and the second was Ayatollah Khomeini coming to power in 1979. This gave the Islamists the money and also the spiritual covering in order to explode back onto the world stage. This is where we welcome modern day terrorists, better known as Islamic traditionalists. These modern terror groups are not a different sect of Islam, they haven’t perverted the scriptures, they follow the authentic preachings of Muhammad, exactly the way Muhammad lived and practiced his religion. They brought back the Islamic State long before the West went to war after 9/11.

ISIS is not a new invention. All they have done is simply resurrected the Caliphate that ended less than a hundred years ago and they are trying to finish what Muhammad and the Islamic Empire started and almost finished. Except we are too naive and scared to offend to understand why the Islamic State are doing what they are doing and why they are succeeding. We are quick to ask the question, “What would drive someone to do this?” but then the very answer is shot down and dismissed and we instead choose to just sing John Lennon covers in blissful ignorance. The concerted efforts to dismiss it as “just a few random nutjobs that have nothing to do with Islam” is exactly why we remain as weak, naive and vulnerable to Islamic terrorism as we are today.

There are two things you need to understand about Islam and the principles of war in Islam. One is the law of Taqiyya, which means lying and deception is allowed to gain the trust of non-believers. A Muslim man can lay his hand on the Quran and swear that he is telling the truth, knowing that he is lying but also knowing that the Quran will forgive him because he is advancing the cause of Islam.

The second is the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, which is an Islamic principle of war and a model on how to deceive the enemy when you call for peace. It is based on when Muhammad was attacking the Meccans. He attacked them, he robbed them and spread the goodies among his men, this is how he was able to recruit. Though he realized he didn’t have enough men yet to defeat the Meccans so he signed a ten-year peace treaty with them. He said he will not attack them, he will have peace with them, he will not declare war on them. Muhammad used this treaty for two years to silently build his military, to strengthen his army and when he realized he was strong enough to attack his enemies, he waged war when they least expected, they thought they had a peace treaty with him and Mecca fell within 24 hours.

This became a principle of war in Islam that has continued on through the ages. Iran is a perfect example of how it’s been practiced in recent times. Yasser Arafat met with the Israelis and signed the Oslo Accords in 1993, it was all over the news, the handshaking on the lawn of the White House, Bill Clinton proudly congratulating, Arafat was even handed the Noble Peace Prize.

When the Egyptian press would interview Yasser Arafat and asked him how could he sign a peace treaty with the devil, how could he sign a peace treaty with the Jews, Arafat would tell them to remember Hudaybiyyah. That's all he would have to say and of course the whole Muslim world knew exactly what that meant but everyone in the West and all the Jews in Israel, it went over their heads, nobody understood what he was referring to. The peace treaty was used to make Israel give him his territory, to finance his military, to train his police and give his police the weapons. Like Muhammad, they later broke the peace treaty once they had the power and declared the Second Intifada in 2000. This is the type of deception that we are dealing with still today. They are using us as useful idiots.

Everything terrorists are doing today, is no different to what Muhammad and the Islamic Empire did for over a thousand years. Tell me one thing that terrorists do today that is unIslamic or isn’t in Islamic scriptures. In the Quran, it promises paradise to those Muslims who kill for Allah and condemns those Muslims who do not engage in fighting (4:95) and (9:38-39) It calls for you to kill even if you don’t like it as it’s what Allah has prescribed to Muslims and he knows what’s best for them (2:216) It calls to “cast terror into the hearts of non-believers” (3:151) - sound familiar? Those who reject their faith will be punished with terrible agony (3:56) It tells to cut the hands and the feet off anyone who attacks Allah (5:33)

It calls to behead and cut the fingers and toes off non-believers (8:12) and another call to tie up and behead non-believers, though you must first try get ransom money from them or convert them to Islam to avoid hell (47:3-4) - sound familiar? And calls for his followers to never stop fighting the non-believers until everyone worships Allah - sound familar? It warns that Islam will be offered to people in towns they wish to destroy, if they refuse then there will be “utter destruction.” (17:16) - sound familiar? Remember when Osama Bin Laden sent a letter to America offering them to submit to his demands or face total destruction just before 9/11? He didn’t just come up with this out of nowhere. It also demands to cut the hands off thieves (5:38) and to lash a man or woman one hundred times if they commit wrongful sexual intercourse (24:2)

Muhammad permits children and women being exposed to terrorism as they are the children of the enemy (52:256) Muhammad says, “O Muslim! There is a Jew hiding behind me, so kill him" (52:177) Mummamad gloats, “I have been made victorious with terror!” (52:220) Muhammad says: “I have been commanded to fight against people till they testify that there is no god but Allah, that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah” (1:33) Muhammad says, “I have been ordered to fight the people till they say: “None has the right to be worshipped but Allah.” (8:387)

Ibn Ishaq/Hisham 990 decalres “Cutting off someone’s head while shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ is a tradition of Islam that began with Muhammad.” Ibn Ishaq/Hisham 992 says Muhammad would instruct his military to "Fight everyone in the way of Allah and kill those who disbelieve in Allah” before each one of their raids. Tabari 7:97 talks about Muhammad declaring to,“Kill any Jew who falls under your power.” He instructs to strike a disobedient wife (4:34), he took a 6 year old little girl away from her family to marry her and use her for sex (8:3309), he speaks of it being mostly women in hell as they are disobedient, they are worth only half that of a man, that they are unintelligent and they cannot be efficiently religious as they have periods and their presence makes a prayer invalid (6:301) and he passes around captured female slaves to his men (Tabari VIII:117). Where did we get the idea that this is a man of peace and a religion of peace? Oh I know, to say otherwise is blasphemy and you can be killed or arrested. This is how Islam worked then and it’s how it works today.

The problem we have is deliberately keeping ourselves ignorant to what is happening, to what today’s Islamist groups are trying to do, they are reviving Muhammad’s Caliphate and are hellbent on finishing off his plan. They tell us this over and over, they make it clear attack after attack, yet we still close our eyes and pretend like it has nothing to do with Islam. It’s authentic Islam and it’s not just 0.0001% of Muslims who share their views.

Only 57% of Muslims worldwide disapprove of al-Qaeda. Only 51% disapprove of the Taliban. 81% of Muslims on Al Jazeera approved of regional conquests by ISIS. 2 in 3 Muslims in Britain would not report a terror plot to police. 40% of British Muslims want British law replaced with Sharia law. 1 in 4 British Muslims say 7/7 bombings were justified, 12% of young Muslims in Britain believe that suicide attacks against civilians in Britain can be justified. 1 in 4 support suicide attacks against British troops. 36% of young British Muslims believe that those converting to another religion should be executed.

78% of British Muslims support punishing the publishers of Muhammad cartoons, 24% of Muslim-Americans say that violence is justified against those who "offend Islam", extreme Islamists comprise 9% of Britain's Muslim population, another 29% would "aggressively defend" Islam. 11% of British Muslims find violence for religious or political ends acceptable. 51% of mosques in the U.S. have texts on site rated as severely advocating violence, 80% of young Dutch Muslims see nothing wrong with Holy War against non-believers. Most verbalized support for pro-Islamic State fighters. 28% of British Muslims want Britain to be an Islamic state, 68% of British Muslims support the arrest and prosecution of anyone who insults Islam, 62% of Muslims want Sharia in Canada (15% say make it mandatory).

82% of Egyptian Muslims favor stoning adulterers, 70% of Jordanian Muslims favor stoning adulterers, 77% of Egyptian Muslims favor floggings and amputation, 82% of Pakistanis favor floggings and amputation, 78% of Pakistanis support killing apostates, 81% of South Asian Muslims and 57% of Egyptians suport amputating limbs for theft. 65% of Muslims in Europe say Sharia is more important than the law of the country they live in, 43% of Islamic teachers in Austria openly advocate Sharia law over democracy. 33% of Muslim-Americans say that Sharia should be supreme to the US Constitution. 21% of British Muslims decline to condemn stoning adulterers and more than half want gays to be outlawed. 23% of Turks living in Germany say that a Muslim should not shake the hand of the opposite sex. 33% say that a woman should wear the veil. 73% say that books and movies which offend their religion should be banned. 29% of French Muslims believe Sharia is "more important than the laws of France." Muslims comprise less than 1% of the population in the United States but 9% of prison inmates. Muslims in France comprise 12% of the population, but 70% of prisoners, Muslims in the Netherlands comprise 4% of the population but 20% of prisoners and Muslims comprise 5% of population in Britain but are over half of the highest security inmates.

1 in 3 British strongly agree that a wife should be forced to obey her husband's bidding. 1 in 10 British Muslims support killing a family member over "dishonor". 91% of honor killings are committed by Muslims worldwide. 95% of honor killings in the West are perpetrated by Muslim fathers and brothers or their proxies. 90% of child sex abuse by gangs in Britain are committed by Muslims. 1 in 5 young British Muslims agree that 'honor' violence is acceptable. Honor killing the woman for sex outside of marriage is favored over honor killing the man in almost every Islamic country. 51% of British Muslims believe a woman cannot marry a non-Muslim and only 51% believe a Muslim woman may marry without a guardian's consent, 62% of British Muslims do not believe in the protection of free speech. Only 6% of Muslim men and 2% of Muslim women would "have no problem" marrying someone from a different religion. 60% of men in Morocco say that if a woman is raped, she should marry her rapist. Just take a moment to think what the reaction would be if this were white Christian American men saying or believing any of these horrific things. Yet we don’t bat an eyelid because it’s coming from Muslims. These are just our average moderate Muslims by the way. Remember that. Let’s continue.

81% of British Muslims refer to themselves only as Muslim, not British. 49% of Muslim Americans say they are Muslim, not American. 74% of young Muslims prefer women wear the veil. 46% of Muslims in Germany want there to be more Muslims than Christians in Germany. Muslim-Americans are four times more likely to say that women should not work outside the home. 26% of Muslim-Americans refuse to assimilate. 26% of young Muslims in America believe suicide bombings are justified, 35% of young Muslims in Britain, 42% of young Muslims in France, 22% of young Muslims in Germany and 29% of young Muslims in Spain believe suicide bombings are justified. Muslim-Americans who identify more strongly with their religion are three times more likely to feel that suicide bombings are justified. 19% of Muslim-Americans say that violence is justified in order to make Sharia the law in the United States. 38% of Muslim-Americans say Islamic State beliefs are Islamic or correct. 25% of Muslim-Americans say that violence against Americans in the United States is justified as part of the "global Jihad”.

45% of British Muslims agree that clerics preaching violence against the West represent "mainstream Islam". We have British mosques literally beating Muhammad’s teachings into Muslim children, teaching them “the disbelievers are the worst creatures,“ “they face torture in the afterlife if they adopt western customs” and to “never trust a person who has less than a fistful of beard.” British Islamic private schools are teaching pupils that British customs are anti-Muslim, intent on “poisoning the thinking and minds“ of Muslims and calls on their students to “expend even life to create a world organized according to Allah’s just order.” We have police who have become too scared to investigate Muslim human trafficking and child rape rings, they have become too afraid to make public the mass sexual, violent attacks and the details of massacres committed by Muslims across Europe, they have even become afraid to report their fellow officers who express radical Muslim beliefs. Teachers are afraid to alert authorities when their Muslim students show warning signs of becoming radicalized.

The problem we have today in the West is being forced to believe that terrorism or even extremism has nothing to do with Islam, that extremists are only 0.00001% of the Muslim population, that this is a religion of peace and it has no links to violence or jihad, all of history on Islam and Muhammad and the Islamic Empire, none of that’s real, none of that happened and anyone who says otherwise is a racist islamophobic bigot who wants to kill and expel all Muslims. Could we be any more naive? Any more stupid? Could we make ourselves any more weak and vulnerable? Nobody is blaming all Muslims, we just want there to be a glimmer of honesty for once and identify what is actually happening in the world, be truthful about what it is that the Islamic State want and what their end goal is. Remember, their Islamic Empire only ceased less than 100 years ago, Islam is only learning to walk in terms of progressiveness, human rights, equality and assimilation and many followers just aren’t ready to give up on Muhammad’s dream of Islamic domination. Not all, but many.

We have slowly began to have the courage to discuss it more openly and it’s been met with a lot of resistance from Muslims and apologetic activists, such as the introduction of Canada’s blasphemy bill, the ban against Britain’s only prevention strategy, Britain’s latest hate crime policy where it’s easier to be arrested for saying a mean thing about Islam online than it is if you’ve been fighting for ISIS overseas or planning a terror plot. Still, people are slowly waking up. The British Prime Minister recently said we're going to have to start having more embarrassing conversations about what is really going on, but there’s really nothing embarrassing about being honest. We should have been having these conversations for many years now. If there is only one good thing that can come from each of these endless attacks and that is learning from them, yet we are refusing to even do that.

We should have far more faith in the people than we currently do to talk about this honestly with each other without resorting to violence. We are told that we cannot talk about Islam because if we do, then it will incite masses of hate crimes against innocent Muslims, it will make moderate Muslims turn to terrorism and when they kill us it will be our own fault for talking about Islam. Really? Is this not the greatest example in modern history of blatant fear mongering drivel to protect the only ideology in the world which you can die for simply criticizing? Well I don't think that we are a lynch mob in waiting, I certainly don't think we are a rabble who have to be lied to, who can't hear the truth or can't handle facts, that’s not who we are, we are not them. We are reasonable, civilized, liberal people who have a right to be very worried, we have a right to feel frustrated about being deceived and silenced, we have a right to expect honesty and action to be taken against the greatest threat of our time.

We are kidding ourselves if we believe that by changing nothing and moving on with our lives will stop the threat or will stop the attacks on us. We have to stop seeing terrorism as just a few nutjobs who we can defeat only if we hold hands and show them that killing our children and loved ones doesn’t effect us. Thank god the Viennese didn’t take this approach when the Islamic State came to their door. We know that today’s Islamic State is the minority of Muslims, obviously, but to tackle them we also have to tackled the far larger number of people who are basically providing the mood music for the extremists and opening the door wide open for them, these are the moderate Muslims who I’ve mentioned above, the sympathetic social justice activists who would rather die than be seen as problematic and the politicians of all parties who think that they can condemn an attack and then spend all their efforts trying to stop their country from having any effective counterterrorism policy and it’s about time these people were called out. Their biggest concern has become taking action against those who are pointing to the problem rather than the problem itself.

These are people who are actively trying to undermine everything in our country to stop the terror from getting any worse than it already is. We are told to just live with it. It’s part of our lives now. What? That’s it? We just accept being killed? At least if we don’t fight Islamic extremism that will spare our Muslim neighbor’s feelings I suppose. In a recent interview with former police chief and Britain’s most prominent Muslim lawyer, he told of many British Islamic community groups who are undermining the fight against terrorism by peddling myths about the government’s key anti-radicalization policy. Mr Afzal condemned the self-appointed community leaders, who he says have an agenda of presenting Muslims “as victims and not as those who are potentially becoming radicals”. He also hit out at the Muslim Council of Britain, saying he was staggered that its agenda for last year’s annual general meeting including “absolutely nothing about radicalization and nothing about the threat of people going to Syria”. “We all have a responsibility to stand up for British values and the rule of law. When they do decide to come to the party, it’s always reluctantly, rather than routinely doing so because it’s the right thing.” Afzal said. These community groups and these Islamic leaders have to be called out as well. Groups such as the Muslim Council of Britain and the Council on American-Islamic Relations have to be held accountable for their fear mongering and the stigma they have forced on anyone talking honestly about the problem.

We have to put the pressure on all of us to understand the reasons and history of Islamic terrorism, to identify what their end goal is and we have to put the pressure on these Islamic groups and leaders to admit this is just as much their problem and they have to sort it out. The message has to be made so clear to stop playing the victim, stop pretending the greatest threat is coming from people telling the truth and let’s start doing all that we can humanly do to fight this very real threat from finishing the job that Muhammad began 1,400 years ago. We have to remove the fear of reporting, police have to stop being afraid to investigate and the media have to stop being afraid of being honest and transparent. The more time we put into protecting ourselves and the less time we spend creating phobias and illnesses to describe the people who identify the problem, the sooner we can all solve it.

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focusontheeasternlightning-blog · 5 years ago

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True Spiritual Life Can’t Be Bound by Religious Rituals

By Jane, Philippines

I was born in a Catholic family. Since I was little, I observed all the religious rituals of Catholicism.

From as early as I could remember, I began to pray with my parents. Apart from praying the Angelus at 6 a.m., 12 a.m., and 6 p.m. every day, we prayed the Chaplet at 3 p.m. and the Rosary at night. This was the ritual we had to keep every day. We also carried rosary beads and a prayer bracelet all day long so that we could pray at any time. When praying, we usually repeated the prayer over and over again. As for the length of the prayer, it depended on what kind of sins we had committed. The bigger the sin, the longer the prayer. If we just committed some small sins like telling lies, we didn’t need to pray for a long time.

Every October, my whole family and our neighbors would gather together to pray to the statue of the Blessed Mother. We carried the statue to a room, prayed, and then moved to another room and repeated the process. This ritual usually lasted for a month, but didn’t bring me any enjoyment; all I felt was exhaustion. Because we had to kneel on the ground for a long time during the prayers, my legs trembled after I stood up, and sometimes I even lost my voice. So, I couldn’t help but complain and doubt, thinking things like, “Does God really approve of such practices?” But every time I thought like this, I felt regret, fearing that I might offend God. So I still observed these religious rituals. As I grew older, my life became increasingly busy, and thus the long prayers turned into a burden for me. Every day, I just galloped through the prayers so that I could have more time to do other things. Because of this, I felt very worried, and thought, “Praying this way is not drawing close to God. Will my prayers be accepted by God?”

Every December, we needed to attend Mass for 9 days in a row, which started at 3:30 a.m. or 4 a.m. every morning. The priest told us, “If you can attend every Mass in these nine days, the Lord will grant all your pleas this year and forgive your sins.” Thus, during that time there were always large crowds of people going to church. Even though typhoons and floods frequently occurred in December, we still persisted in attending Mass. But because we got up very early to see the Mass, most people dozed off when listening to the sermons. Seeing this, I thought, “Since most of the believers sleep through Mass, what’s the meaning of this practice?” However, no one doubted whether the practice was right or not.

Apart from these, we also had to keep many other rituals, such as praying to spiritual figures, taking the communion in Mass, confessing to the priests, performing religious ceremonies, visiting seven churches, and so on. We thought that if we failed to observe these rituals, we wouldn’t be able to enter the kingdom of heaven because of having committed too many sins. There were at least four feast days a month. Every day, I was excessively attentive to these dates for fear that I would forget to prepare candles and “holy” water for feast days. Because there were many things we needed to prepare, I often relied on my mother to remind me. If I missed something, I would feel distressed and guilty, thinking that I wasn’t religious enough. Besides, the regular prayers made it hard for me to focus on my work because when the time came I had to stop the work in hand to pray. If I forgot to do the prayer, I would be worried about being rejected by God and then would immediately pray to God for His forgiveness. Living like this, I felt more and more depressed. I asked myself, “Is this life normal? I observe these rituals scrupulously, but I don’t feel the presence of the Holy Spirit; neither do I have any satisfaction nor gain any growth in my life. Do I really gain the approval of God by acting this way? Is there another path of following God and worshiping God?” But whenever I thought like this, I would condemn myself by thinking, “Am I qualified to make complaints? I’m just a sinner. I should observe these rituals.”

However, as time passed by, I started to grow weary of these religious rituals. I prayed to God earnestly, “O God! I can’t feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps there is another way by which I can draw near to You, but I don’t know how to find it. May You lead me.” Later, I inputted the keywords “group for Christ” to search for relevant information on the Internet in the hope of finding God.

One day when I was browsing Facebook, a sister’s post attracted my attention. I liked her post and added her as my friend. After that, we often talked about our belief in the Lord together. Soon after, the sister invited me to attend one of their meetings, where the brothers and sisters fellowshiped the truth about the work of God’s six-thousand-year management plan, the three ages of God’s work (the Age of Law, the Age of Grace, and the Age of Kingdom), and the true story and essence of God’s work in every age. They fellowshiped this with me, “Though we have accepted the Lord’s salvation and have been forgiven of our sins, our sinful nature still exists. Only when we accept God’s work of judging and cleansing mankind in the last days can we completely break free from the bondage of the sin and return before God.” Their fellowship surprised me and brought me spiritual satisfaction. More unexpectedly, they told me that God has returned and has carried out new work, and that the words we fellowshiped together in the meeting are God’s personal utterances. Hearing this news, I was both surprised and pleased. Little did I dream that I could be with God face-to-face. At that time, I couldn’t say enough to describe my excitement. Afterward, the brothers and sisters from The Church of Almighty God fellowshiped many other truths with me. I had never heard such practical fellowship before and felt it was exactly what my spirit needed, so I decided to investigate the work of Almighty God in the last days.

One day, I asked Sister Lily, “So is it the Age of Kingdom now? Then what should we do to satisfy God’s will?”

She answered, “In the Age of Kingdom, God does the work of judging and cleansing people through His words. He has expressed all the truth we need. His intention and His requirements are all in His words. As long as we read and experience His words, we will come to know Him and understand His will. Meanwhile, through experiencing the judgment of God’s words, we will gain an understanding of the truth of our being corrupted by Satan, as well as our nature and essence of resisting and opposing God. Then we will become determined to hate ourselves and betray our flesh. When we practice truths and live by God’s words, our disposition will become transformed. So, as long as we accept truths and practice truths, our corrupt disposition will be cleansed and we will have the likeness of real human beings, and in the end be saved by God.” Hearing the sister, I felt confused. I thought, “Is it this simple to obtain God’s salvation? Is it true that I no longer need to observe the religious rituals?”

Then I asked Sister Lily, “Does this mean that we don’t need to go to Mass, say the rosary, recite the prayers, or kneel and worship the spiritual figures anymore?”

Lily answered me with a smile, “Yes.”

Then I said to her, “Your fellowship is really practical, but I still feel some confusion. The religious rituals such as fasting and partaking of Holy Communion are what the Lord Jesus required us to keep, and we have observed them for generations. Is it really the case that we no longer need to observe any of them?”

Sister Lily continued to fellowship with me, “It is true that fasting and partaking of Holy Communion were the Lord’s demands for believers in the Age of Grace. But God’s demands for mankind are not immutable but change according to the age and the stage of His work. Just as Matthew 9:16-17 says: ‘No man puts a piece of new cloth to an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up takes from the garment, and the rent is made worse. Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runs out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.’ And Matthew 26:29 says: ‘But I say to you, I will not drink from now on of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.’ The truth about this issue has also been clearly expressed in the words of Almighty God, so let’s read a few passages of His words: ‘What is asked of man this day is unlike that in the past and even more unlike that asked of man in the Age of Law. And what was asked of man under the law when work was done in Israel? They were asked for no more than to keep the Sabbath and the laws of Jehovah. None were to work on the Sabbath or transgress the laws of Jehovah. But it is not so now. On the Sabbath, man works, gathers and prays as usual, and no restrictions are imposed. Those in the Age of Grace had to be baptized; not only that, they were asked to fast, break bread, drink wine, cover their heads and wash their feet. Now, these rules have been abolished and greater demands are made of man, for the work of God continuously deepens and the entry of man reaches ever higher. … for the age has changed. The Holy Spirit works in accordance with the age, not just at will or according to set rules. The age has changed, and a new age must bring with it new work. This is true of every stage of work, and so His work is never repeated.’ ‘God’s intention has always been for His work to be new and alive, not old and dead, and that which He makes man hold firm to varies with the age and period, and is not everlasting and immutable. That is because He is a God who causes man to live and be new, rather than a devil who causes man to die and be old. Do you still not understand this?’”

Sister Lily fellowshiped more, “From the Lord Jesus’ words and Almighty God’s words, we can see that God’s work is new and alive, and that He makes different demands of people according to the age and the stage of His work. When God does new work, if we still cling to the old work and old ways of doing things, our entry into life will stagnate. The Holy Spirit works along with God’s new work. When the new age comes, the old age passes, and the old ways of doing things become outdated. For example, in the Age of Law, Jehovah God asked man to keep the Sabbath; those who did not observe the Sabbath would be stoned to death. However, when the Lord Jesus came to work, He asked men to baptize, fast, break bread, drink wine, cover their heads and wash their feet. If the believers who followed the Lord Jesus didn’t act according to His new demands for mankind, but still held onto the old ways in the Age of Law, they would not gain God’s approval and could even be condemned by the Lord Jesus. God is the truth, the way, and the life; what He brings to mankind is total freedom and liberation, while rules and rituals are actually Satan’s tricks and the ties it uses to bind us. If we understand God’s will and grasp the principles of God’s work, we will not be bound by rules and rituals and can live with freedom and be released from confusion before God.”

Through God’s words and the sister’s fellowship, I came to understand that God’s work is always new and never old, and that when God carries out new work, He also brings us new practices. God has different requirements for mankind in different ages, and He never asks mankind to hold to the old things. Satan, however, always uses rituals and rules to control mankind. No wonder that the more I observed the religious rituals, the drier and darker I felt in my spirit. It was all because God has done new work and made new requirements of us. I must stop clinging to the outdated practices and follow God’s new work and act in accordance with His present requirements. Only then can I gain His approval. Thank God! After listening to God’s words and the sister’s fellowship, I felt especially released from confusion and free in my heart. I am so blessed! This was exactly the way I’d been looking for.

In the following days, I hungrily read God’s words every day and gained real nourishment in my spirit. At the same time, I gradually put aside my old religious rules and practices and only occasionally went with my mother to church for Mass. One day, I read these words of God: “As of today, God will formally perfect those who have no religious notions, who are ready to set aside their old selves, and who obey God in a simple-hearted way, and He will perfect those who long for the word of God. … If you really want to be made perfect, then you must resolve to completely abandon everything from before. Even if what was done before was right, even if it was God’s work, you must still be able to put it aside and stop clinging to it. Even if it was clearly the work of the Holy Spirit, done directly by the Holy Spirit, today you must put it aside. You must not hold onto it. This is what God requires. Everything must be renewed. In God’s work and God’s word, He makes no reference to the old things that went before, and He does not dig into old history. God is a God who is always new and never old. He does not cling even to His own words from the past, from which it is clear that God does not follow any rules. In this case, as a human being, if you always cling to the things of the past, refusing to let them go, and rigidly apply them in a formulaic manner, while God is no longer working in the ways He did before, then are not your words and actions disruptive? Have you not become an enemy of God? Are you willing to let your entire life go to wrack and ruin over these old things? These old things will make you into a person who obstructs God’s work. Is that the kind of person you want to be? If you truly do not want that, then quickly stop what you are doing and turn around; start all over again. God does not remember your past service.”

From God’s words, I understood His will: God requires that we believers in Him should not cling to the old things and define His new work randomly, which contains His disposition. In the past, I held the belief that adhering to religious rituals and serving in the religious way represented my loyalty to God and was after His heart. Not until I read God’s words did I realize that those old rituals were actually what God hated and loathed. Every time God does a stage of work He brings us a new path of practice, and what we should do is accept, obey and follow, for God likes those who long for and love the truth and obey His work in a simple-hearted way. I should no longer follow and listen to the priests blindly because they all serve God based on their own conceptions and imaginations, which is exactly against God’s will. Look at the Pharisees in the Age of Law: Not knowing the principles of the Holy Spirit’s work, they judged and condemned the work of the Lord Jesus with old rules and rituals and were eliminated by the work of the Holy Spirit in the end. The disciples of the Lord, however, walked away from the laws and rules and lived face-to-face with the Lord. So if I keep holding on to God’s previous work, I will become a modern Pharisee who resists God’s work. Having understood this, I determined to put aside all religious rules and rituals.

Later I read another passage of God’s words: “A normal spiritual life is not limited to prayer, song, church life, eating and drinking the words of God, and other such practices, but it means to live a spiritual life that is fresh and lively. It’s not about the method, but the result. Most people think that in order to have a normal spiritual life one must pray, sing, eat and drink the words of God, or try to figure out the words of God. No matter whether there is any result, or whether there is a true understanding, these people just focus on going through the motions on the outside, and do not focus on the result—they are people living within the rituals of religion, and are not people living within the church, and even less are they people of the kingdom. This kind of person’s prayers, songs, and eating and drinking of the words of God are all abiding by the rules, they are compelled to do them, and they are done in keeping with trends; they are not done willingly or done from the heart. No matter how much these people pray or sing, there will be no result at all, because all they practice are religious rules and rituals, and they are not practicing the word of God. By only focusing on the method, and taking the words of God as rules to keep, this kind of person is not practicing the word of God, but is satisfying the flesh, and is doing things to show off to others. This kind of religious ritual and rule comes from man, not from God. God does not keep rules, does not abide by any laws; He does new things every day and He does practical work. Like the people in the Three-Self Church who are limited to daily morning watch, evening prayers, giving thanks before meals, expressing thanks in everything, and other such practices, no matter how much these people do, or how long they practice, they will not have the work of the Holy Spirit. If people live within rules, with their hearts poured into practice, then the Holy Spirit has no way to work, because people’s hearts are taken up with rules, are taken up with human conceptions; therefore God has no way to do work; people will just always be living under control of the law, and this type of person will never be able to receive the praise of God.”

The words of Almighty God not only revealed the deviation in my practice but also told me how to lead a true spiritual life. From God’s words, I understood: Whether we have a true spiritual life is not judged by our external formalities and actions, but by effectiveness. Whether we pray to God, or read His words or live the church life, it is for us to get close to God, understand His will and then practice in accordance with His requirements. Thinking of those religious rituals I had kept—praying at a fixed time every day, attending morning Mass, fasting and partaking of Holy Communion—I found that I only focused on the external actions but didn’t draw close to God with my heart. As a result, even after keeping those rituals for many years I neither had more knowledge of God nor had broken free of the bondage of sin, but only felt more pressured and burdened. With only my own hard work and none of the work of the Holy Spirit, even though I kept those rituals perfectly well, I still couldn’t gain God’s praise. Then what was the meaning of it?

In the past, prayer was really a torture to me: I needed to kneel before God, repeating my prayers for a long time. Even if sometimes I couldn’t concentrate, I still had to keep on until the prayer was finished. Now, after accepting God’s work of the last days, I no longer recite those long prayers when I pray to God, but practice speaking my heart to God, telling Him about my difficulties and thoughts. Having broken free from the binds of religious rituals and rules, I feel really liberated.

Now every week I attend meetings, fellowship and share God’s words with my brothers and sisters and often listen to the sermons and fellowship, gaining a lot of spiritual sustenance. Moreover, God’s words have resolved many practical difficulties in my daily life. How new and practical the way is! Through fellowshiping with my brothers and sisters at gatherings for some time, I have gained some knowledge of many truths that I didn’t obtain through my thirty-five years of faith in Catholicism, such as the truth of God’s work of judgment in the last days, the mystery of the incarnation, and the inside story and substance of the Bible. What’s more, in God’s words I have found the practical way to draw near to Him and seek His will, and no longer need to seek priests’ advice about all matters. God’s words have revealed all the truths and mysteries I don’t know, so as long as I read His words and seek the truth in them I will find the way to practice. Now I have a normal spiritual life and can feel the presence of God, living under His blessings and guidance. I have also preached the gospel to my family and we now follow God’s new work together. Our new life has begun. All the glory be to God! Amen!

#Christian Testimonies #Return to God

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mychristopherstokes66world · 5 years ago

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I am just now grasping the sheer size of the push of the left (((media))) to make pedophilia acceptable. For how long has this been going on? And more importantly: HOW CAN WE STOP THIS DEGENERACY AND PROTECT OUR WEAKEST AND MOST VULNERABLE? Is there any coordinated effort for stopping this happening from our side?

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/06/opinion/pedophilia-a-disorder-not-a-crime.html

https://gawker.com/5941037/born-this-way-sympathy-and-science-for-those-who--want-to-have-sex-with-children

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/video-shows-toddlers-understand-consent

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/this-is-how-you-teach-kids-about-consent_b_10360296

https://thedevilman666.blogspot.com/https://www.facebook.com/groups/qanonreports https://twitter.com/CIACLOWN1 https://www.bitchute.com/channel/ciaclown16661/ TLDR: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9274Q8jv_wM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33cijzHhPow Wiki: * Operation Cathedral: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Cathedral * Rotherham: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotherham_child_sexual_exploitation_scandal * The Dutroux Case: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Dutroux * Peter Scully: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Scully * The Franklin Scandal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_child_prostitution_ring_allegations * Johnny Gosch: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Johnny_Gosch Documentaries/Videos: * Jeffrey Epstein: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHCWLtRv4Qo [Embed] [Embed] * Human Trafficking Survivor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QECKth6fws [Embed] [Embed] * Paul_Bonacci (relative to Jonny Gosch's case): https://youtu.be/W1qnZwgQCB0?t=1304 [Embed] [Embed] * Conspiracy of Silence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBSIDQt5Dwc [Embed] [Embed] * Bulic Forsythe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfCorg_S-Qg [Embed] [Embed] * Satanic Pedophile Cabal’s Iron Grip of Evil: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bezVbPCK5Q8 [Embed] [Embed] * Karolis Venckus 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FonxzaMKjZI [Embed] [Embed] * Karolis Venckus 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dU_SIEyB7AI [Embed] [Embed] * Fiona Barnett: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLVuu5AbII4 [Embed] [Embed] * Teresa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tm3VPJOf9c [Embed] [Embed] Articles/Papers (because theres isn't a wiki on it): * Ted Gunderson (Head of FBI, 1987) Finders document 1: http://tedgunderson.info/index_htm_files/Finders.pdf * Ted Gunderson (Head of FBI, 1987) Finders document 2: http://tedgunderson.info/index_htm_files/US%20Customs%20Service%20Report%20of%20Investigation%20FINDERS.pdf * Who killed Jill Dando: https://www.theweek.co.uk/94727/who-killed-jill-dando-six-theories-behind-her-murder * The Hampstead Cult Case: https://www.spiked-online.com/2015/03/23/the-hampstead-cult-that-wasnt-the-satanic-panic-revisited/ * Court document on the Hampstead Cult Case: https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/gareeva-dearman-2015.pdf * Youtube with tapes on the Hampstead Cult Case: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUq86oZS4csaEHiL3hrUinA/videos * Jerry Sandusky: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Sandusky * Jozef Wesołowski: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/jozef-wesolowski-former-catholic-archbishop-found-dead-ahead-of-child-sexual-abuse-trial-10476195.htm >https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUq86oZS4csaEHiL3hrUinA/videos holy fuck this shit makes my blood boiling! >>

Progressives will always find a next victim to normalize.

There is not such thing as born this way, or a gay gene or pedo gene. Those genes would have been eliminated through generations of normal people out breeding them, or them simply taking themselves out of the genepool through choice.

The same way that people felt about homosexuals 60 years ago is the same way they are gonna try to make people feel about pedophiles.

Its a long process of normalization and victim hood parading.

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites ... And they warred against the Midianites, as the LORD commanded Moses; and they slew all the males ... And the children of Israel took all the women of Midian captives, and their little ones ... And Moses was wroth with the officers ... And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive? ... Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves. Numbers 31:1-18

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIRaMsgHJqw

https://youtu.be/esKnWAIgpLY

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jersey_child_abuse_investigation_2008

Reminder - LGBT endgame is and always was the acceptance and normalization of pedophilia.

In 1989 two Harvard faggots developed a blueprint to brainwash America into accepting homosexuality (and subsequently, all of the other RSTLNE sexual debauchery). This book is their blueprint.

This is taken from After The Ball - How America Will Conquer Its Fear & Hatred Of Gays In The 90s.

https://archive.org/details/AfterTheBallHowAmericaWillConquerItsFearHatredOfGaysInThe90s

Since the Jews convinced everyone that accepting homosexuality surely won’t lead to acceptance of pedophilia and and sodomy and sexual degeneracy as a whole. Also...the Jews need their pedophilia legalized. Because more are learning about metzitzah b peh(oral suction of the blood of a newly circumcised penis of an infant..yes,that has led to STD transferral and YES that is totally legal due to separation of church and state). Also,the Jew needs it legal for their good goy mudslimes and other shit skins. Meanwhile they will continue to peddle the narrative that priests are all pedophiles and that white male christians are the real dangerous pedos and incest nuts. (Meanwhile jews are more prone to schizophrenia due to all the inbreeding they do to keep their “bloodlines pure”). Almost like the Talmud tells them to accuse their enemies of what they themselves are guilty of.

couple months ago the was a 2 week surge of MSM articles. They all were about the dangers of you and me reporting pedos. Saying you ruin someones life with false accusations,be sued for slander, and such i wish i had compiled the article .the agenda was clearly to discourage folks from reporting pedos. The OP montage reminded me of this.

HOW CAN WE STOP THIS DEGENERACY AND PROTECT OUR WEAKEST AND MOST VULNERABLE? Tell normies so that there is a backlash. Archive everything >Is there any coordinated effort for stopping this happening from our side? I've noticed that paedophilia has started to creep into normie publications in a more subtle way. For example, in the article that buzzfeed hack wrote about soph, he accused the right of having a "byzantine fear of paedophilia". Apparently the buzzfeed jews support this sort of stuff a well.

Let's get to basics. Why pedophilia is bad? Because legal sex requires consent, otherwise it's rape or abuse. A child, especially if the puberty hasn't started yet, cannot consent, because a child does not fully understand what exactly is going on and they generally tend to do what adults tell them. So, having sex with a child is basically making sure that when a child grows up the realization of what really happened will hit and it may lead to all kinds of psychological issues. Being sexually attracted to children, on the other hand, is not something bad if this does not manifest in real actions. Fapping in the privacy on your home to loli hentai is ok. Watching child porn where real children are involved, producing that kind of porn or just having sex with children - not ok and should be punished.

#CIA CLOWN #RED PILL #REDPILL #ANON #HONKHONK

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whittlebaggett8 · 6 years ago

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The top 25 places to travel around the world in 2019, Defence Online

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Hurghada, Egypt, boasts crystal-clear waters.

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Wikimedia Commons/Ibrahim El-Mezayen

Travel website TripAdvisor polled millions of its users to come up with its 2019 list of favorite world destinations.

Whether you love doing outdoor activities, strolling, exploring, or nightlife, there’s something for you.

Unique architecture, art, food, culture, and history are all features of each of the 25 destinations on this list.

From sandy beaches to luminous lagoons, there’s something for everyone.

TripAdvisor just released its 2019 Travelers’ Choice awards – and millions of visitors voted for their favorite destinations around the world.

Whether you’re looking for a sandy beach or a bustling city, there’s likely a destination fit for you. Here are the top 25 best places to travel around the world in 2019.

#25: Tel Aviv, Israel, features a quarter called “the White City” because of the over 4,000 buildings within that feature Bauhaus architecture.

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Tel Aviv, Israel

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By eFesenko/Shutterstock

It’s the largest collection of Bauhaus architecture in the world, and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003.

From a bustling nightlife to cyclists and weekly Monday night meet-ups of the Tel Aviv Rollers, there’s truly something for everyone in Tel Aviv. Fantastic beaches, museums, markets, and food are just a few of the things you must check out in this underrated Mediterranean gem.

#24: Sydney, Australia, is more than just the world-famous Sydney Opera House.

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Sydney, Australia

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iPhoto-Thailand/Shutterstock

Created by architect Jørn Utzon, the staggeringly unique Sydney Opera House became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2007 – and is just one of two cultural sites to be named as such while the architect was still alive.

There’s plenty to do outside in Sydney. From visiting Bondi Beach to crossing the Sydney Harbour Bridge or visiting the Blue Mountains and Jenolan Caves, just be sure to bring your favorite sunglasses and plenty of sunscreen.

#23: Cusco, Peru, is the home of Machu Picchu and so much more.

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Cusco, Peru

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alessandro pinto/Shutterstock

There’s certainly plenty of hiking to do in Cusco – and the views can’t be beat. Definitely allow yourself time to wander the cobblestone streets, perusing food and the most local of coffee shops in between your outdoor expeditions.

Those interested in archaeological ruins will find plenty to admire in and around Cusco – and anyone who wants to see llamas and alpacas up close will also have plenty of opportunities, even in the middle of the city.

#22: Hong Kong, China, features a one-of-a-kind skyline and nightlife.

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Hong Kong, China

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iStock

Fans of modern architecture might want to visit I.M. Pei’s famous Bank of China Tower – or Zaha Hadid’s Jockey Club Innovation Tower. There’s something for fans of architecture in many eras as well, which is part of what makes Hong Kong so unique.

Of course, there’s also plenty of food and drink to delight all your senses at any time of the day or night.

#21: Hurghada, Egypt, is a prime destination for diving and snorkeling fans around the world.

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Hurghada, Egypt

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Wikimedia Commons/Ibrahim El-Mezayen

Coral reefs and turquoise waters on Egypt’s Red Sea Coast can make almost all your photos look like perfect postcards if you visit. Windsurfing is also a popular pastime.

If you fancy staying on land, there are plenty of desert safari tours on Jeeps or quad bikes to whet your appetite for exploration.

#20: Jaipur, India, is home to some of the world’s most mesmerizing architecture — including the astounding Jantar Mantar.

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Jaipur, India

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Olena Tur/Shutterstock

Built in the early 18th century, the Jantar Mantar is an astronomical observation site that became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010.

Of course, you must make time to visit the Hawa Mahal, also called the Palace of Breeze – which was built in 1799 out of red and pink sandstone. There’s also plenty of delicious food and shopping in and around the area, including in local bazaars.

#19: Kathmandu, Nepal, is steeped in history.

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Kathmandu, Nepal

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miroslav_1/iStock

The capital of Nepal attracts backpackers and fans of outdoor activities from all over the world – whether by foot or by motorcycle, or even on safari in Chitwan – there’s a lot to do.

From visiting the Boudhanath and Pashupatinath temples to doing a scenic flight tour around Mount Everest, there’s plenty to explore for whatever length of time you’ll be staying.

#18: Lisbon, Portugal, is known as a center of art and culture — and also features the Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belém.

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Lisbon, Portugal

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TTstudio/Shutterstock

Known collectively as the Complex of Belém, this UNESCO World Heritage Site was built in the 16th century to commemorate Vasco da Gama’s expedition.

There’s plenty of beautiful and unique stone architecture to see on one of the city’s many walking tours – or you can lose yourself in seafaring lore at the Maritime Museum. Your trip won’t be complete without a visit to the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos – which was built over 500 years ago.

#17: Playa del Carmen, Mexico, is a place you need to visit if you love diving.

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Playa del Carmen, Mexico

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posztos / Shutterstock

Vibrant sea life and the Rio Secreto underwater cave system are just two of the reasons you might rarely go indoors if you visit Playa del Carmen. If you love spider monkeys, you must visit the nearby Jungle Place spider monkey conservancy.

If Mayan ruins are your thing, the Coba Mayan village is a must-visit.

#16: Tokyo, Japan, can satisfy your appetite for both tradition and ultra-modernity at the same time.

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Tokyo, Japan

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Phattana Stock/Shutterstock

Food fans already know there’s plenty to keep you busy here – but even if you can’t take fresh fish home with you, a purely observational visit to the world-famous Tsukiji Fish Market is a must. From temples to karaoke bars to capsule hotels, about the only reason not to go is if you don’t like crowds – it’s a bustling city with plenty to do during every waking minute.

Check out Tokyo Tower and visit the Meiji Shrine and the Imperial Palace to get a sense of history, and check out Odaiba to get a sense of how Japan envisions the future.

#15: Hanoi, Vietnam, is full of beautiful sights and enticing food whether you travel on foot, by bike, or in vintage vehicles.

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Hanoi, Vietnam

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DrimaFilm/Shutterstock

From the Halong Bay Islands to the Hoa Lo prison, there are incomparable destinations and plenty of sights to see along the way. Check out the Temple of Literature, a Confucian temple built in 1070 to see a gorgeous example of traditional Vietnamese architecture.

Hoan Kiem Lake, also known as the Lake of the Restored Sword, is home to both a rare breed of turtle and unbelievable views.

#14: Jamaica is the place for lovers of warm tropical beaches, delicious food, and reggae and dancehall music.

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Jamaica

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Lucky-photographer/Shutterstock

With its warm, tropical climate, chances are excellent you’ll be spending a lot of time outside – even if you don’t decide to go rafting down the Martha Brae river. There are plenty of beautiful beaches to choose from – but if you’d rather be under the water exploring, there’s plenty of snorkeling and scuba diving to keep you busy, including in the famous Blue Lagoon.

For a truly unique experience, be sure to visit the Luminous Lagoon – microscopic organisms in the water make it appear to be glowing. You can even swim in the water and see the beautiful, natural glow firsthand if you like.

#13: New York City, New York, USA, is a one-of-a-kind city — with unrivaled art, architecture, and culture of all kinds.

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New York City, New York

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Drew Angerer/Getty Images

From the Statue of Liberty to the Empire State Building to Broadway, there’s so much to see and do in this world-class city. Take a stroll through the world-famous Central Park, or experience great exhibits at the Metropolitan Museum of Art or the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Guggenheim Museum.

Also, don’t forget to check out the High Line – especially if you love to walk or jog around outdoors in a bustling city.

#12: Siem Reap, Cambodia, is home to both Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom — and also the Angkor Night Market.

Angkor Wat is the reason everyone goes to Siem Reap – but the 12th century Angkor Thom village is also a beautiful place to explore. There are plenty of temples to see, including Ta Prohm, Beng Mealea, and Banteay Srei. Great ways to get around including by foot, renting a bicycle, or by tuk-tuk.

#11: Prague, Czech Republic, features some of the most iconic buildings in the world, including Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral.

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Prague, Czech Republic

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punjulnugraha/Shutterstock

Prague Castle – also known as Prazsky hrad – dates back to the 9th century, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s considered one of the most important Czech cultural monuments. Be aware that even though it’s considered the largest coherent castle complex in the world, drones are not allowed on the premises – you’ll have to take photos and videos in designated areas in person.

You can also visit the Charles Bridge, which was commissioned by Holy Roman Emperor and Czech king Charles IV in the 14th century.

#10: Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is a city unlike anywhere else on the planet.

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Dubai, United Arab Emirates

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Ashraf Jandali/Shutterstock

With a uniquely diverse population, Dubai features stunning architecture, the man-made palm-shaped island that is Palm Jumeirah, and the Burj Khalifa – currently the tallest building in the world. If you love shopping, there’s a souk for all of your shopping needs – especially gold and spices.

If you thought there couldn’t be a beautiful garden in the middle of a desert, you’ll need to visit the Dubai Miracle Garden to see it for yourself.

#9: Marrakech, Morocco, is full of historic mosques, gardens, palaces, and markets to dazzle your senses.

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Marrakech, Morocco

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Ekaterina Pokrovsky/Shutterstock

Known by some as the Red City due to all the red sandstone used in its unique architecture, the city is comprised of two parts: the Old Medina and the more modern area, the Ville Nouvelle.

Be sure to visit the Bahia Palace, and take a little time to explore the gorgeous Islamic architecture inside Le Jardin Secret. You’re also just a day-trip away from the Ouzoud Waterfalls if you need a quiet break from the hustle and bustle of the city.

#8: Istanbul, Turkey, is full of breathtaking architecture, bazaars, and traditional Turkish baths.

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Istanbul, Turkey

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Seqoya/Shutterstock

Hagia Sophia has lived many lives – first as a church, then as a mosque, and now as a museum. From Basilica Cistern to Sultanahmet Square, there’s plenty of glorious architectural wonder to experience in Istanbul.

You must also check out at least one of the city’s legendary bazaars.

#7: Barcelona, Spain, is another must-visit for fans of architectural history — you can’t leave without checking out Gaudí’s Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família.

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Barcelona, Spain

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JeniFoto/Shutterstock

Although it has amazingly been under construction for over 136 years, the site was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. According to Artsy, it is scheduled for completion in 2026 – but is well worth visiting even before that time.

There’s plenty of other Gaudí architecture to enjoy – including Casa Batlló and Park Güell – but more outdoor-minded people might like to visit the mountains of Tibidabo or Montjuïc. You might also visit the Gran Teatre del Liceu – Barcelona’s opera house, which was built in 1847.

#6: Phuket, Thailand, is beloved by beach lovers and divers alike around the world.

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Phuket, Thailand

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VODIN VASILII/Shutterstock

Go diving off the Similan Islands, visit Wat Chalong, or even see the Big Buddha in Phuket. Of course, there are numerous beaches to explore and find your favorite – and you can easily visit the island of Phi Phi, the filming site of the movie “The Beach.”

There are plenty of night markets around as well – so don’t think your fun needs to end just because the sun has gone down.

#5: Bali, Indonesia, is home to beautiful temples, beaches, an active volcano, and a monkey sanctuary — there’s something for everyone here.

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Bali, Indonesia

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Thomas Depenbusch (Depi) / Flickr

From Lempuyang Temple – also known as the Gate of Heaven – to the very active volcano Mount Agung, you’ll find yourself surrounded by wonders both natural and man-made when you visit Bali.

If you want to spend more time in nature, you can visit the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary. Or, for a truly unforgettable experience, go snorkeling or scuba diving with manta rays at Manta Point.

#4: Crete, Greece, is full of history both mythological and archaeological.

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Crete, Greece

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arturasker/Shutterstock

If you read about the minotaur in school, you’ll want to see the ruins where legend has it that the beast once roamed – and the ruins at the Palace of Knossos is the place.

For a beautiful beach experience that is unique to Crete, check out Elafonissi. Those with an interest in archaeology will want to check out the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, which contains artifacts spanning 5,500 years of the island’s history.

#3: Rome, Italy, has so many things to see, eat, and do — from the Sistine Chapel to the Colosseum — and there’s plenty of delicious food to keep you delighted all day and night.

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Rome, Italy

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Opened in A.D. 80, parts of the Colosseum still stand to delight tourists from around the world to this day. If you’ve only ever seen photos of the beautiful frescoes that adorn the Sistine Chapel, your visit to Rome is the perfect opportunity to witness the real thing in person.

For a glimpse of a different side of Roman history, you could also take one of the many Roman catacombs tours on offer.

#2: Paris, France, is home to some of the best food in the world — and also the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Notre Dame, and of course the Moulin Rouge.

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Paris, France

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Whether you’re visiting the big landmarks, the Louvre, or the Musee d’Orsay, be sure to take time to visit the Seine and walk along its banks. Of course, there’s incomparable food and shopping to be had as well, if that’s your thing – and don’t forget to eat some of the best pastries on the planet.

#1: London, England, features a heady mix of history and modernity, from Buckingham Palace to the Tate Modern.

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London, England

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History fans will no doubt flock to the Tower of London, where you can also see the Crown Jewels. You could also take a day trip to Stonehenge, or visit Abbey Road or even the Sherlock Holmes Museum.

For a taste of some of the best the city has to offer, be sure to check out one of London’s many food halls.

The post The top 25 places to travel around the world in 2019, Defence Online appeared first on Defence Online.

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wisdomrays · 8 years ago

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Killing an Innocent

Killing an InnocentGod Almighty declares that killing an innocent person unjustly is like killing all of mankind and saving a person's life is like saving all of mankind. Could you please explain this? A: Before the relevant verse [1] (Maida 5:32), God Almighty commands the Prophet "Narrate to them (O Messenger) in truth the exemplary experience of the two sons of Adam " and draws attention to the first murder committed on the earth. The First Murder and the Master of Murderers Most Qur'anic interpreters say that the two sons of Adam are Cain and Abel and they give detailed information about the lives of these two brothers. Actually, their names are not mentioned in the Qur'an; but in the ancient scriptures and narrations the names of Adam's sons are mentioned as Cain and Abel. It is for this reason that Muslim scholars have not found anything wrong in referring to the characters involved in the event by these names. At the same time, some have interpreted the "two sons of Adam" to be just two men from the Children of Israel. In truth, one doesn't have to know their names in order to learn a lesson from the parable. What matters is the fact that this event did happen and the expression "in truth" mentioned in the verse shows that this is not a myth, but a true story. As narrated in the Qur'an, they both offered a sacrifice to God; but only one of these was accepted. The brother whose sacrifice was not accepted told the other "I will surely kill you." Despite the fact that killing a person, particularly killing one's own brother, is a great transgression, the murderer, who had lost control due to jealousy, shed the blood of his innocent brother; this brother did not even attempt to struggle against his brother, and he was only a good-intentioned companion. The first murderer of the earth whose unfortunate end is told in the verse (Maida 5:30) "His carnal, evil-commanding soul prompted him to kill his brother, and he killed him, thus becoming among the losers" became the trailblazer on a horrible path which leads to Eternal Fire; he virtually breached a dam that was to be followed by a great flood. For this reason, when God's Messenger narrated this sad event he said: "The son of Adam has a share (of sin) from the blood of anyone unjustly killed; for he was the one who started killing the first time." After relating this tragic event and reminding us of the first murder, God Almighty sets the relative principle, He commands the following to show what a great sin murder is and how great the importance of human life is: "It is because of this that We ordained for (all mankind, but particularly for) the Children of Israel: He who kills a soul unless it be (in legal punishment) for murder or for causing disorder and corruption on the earth will be as if he had killed all mankind; and he who saves a life will be as if he had saved the lives of all humankind." Killing Unjustly and Retaliation The murder stated in the verse as equal to killing all of mankind is limited to "killing an innocent person who did not cause disorder or corruption on the earth." This means that if a person sheds the blood of innocent people, there can be retaliation and that killer can face a penalty similar to his own crime. If such a person causes disorder on the earth and therefore causes people to die, if the killings follow one upon another without the killer thinking why they had taken a life and if the victims do not know why they are being killed-as is happening in some parts of the world today-the criminal or the group of criminals who cause such anarchy can be executed. The people who start wars against God and His Messenger, who cause disorder on the earth, who habitually transgress against people's lives, properties, and chastity, thereby disturbing the order of society, corrupting the generation, should be executed or sent into exile in accordance with the gravity of their crime. However, even if they have committed such crimes, if the transgressors are truly repentant then none of these punishments is to be carried out; rather the case becomes one of a violation of personal rights. That is to say, the people whose relatives have been killed or whose property has been damaged can forgive the perpetrators, or they can ask for retaliation and compensation for the damage if they wish. To express this in modern legal terms, a complaint can be made or it can be withdrawn. In other words, the punishment of intentional murder in this world is retaliation. The heirs of the deceased can withdraw the demand of execution and ask for compensation, or they can forgo this financial penalty as well. However-given that the killer does not repent after the murder and is not granted divine mercy-the punishment of such a great crime in the Hereafter is eternal hellfire. Eternal torment because of committing murder might seem to be too great a punishment. In fact, the sin committed is also great; for to kill a person who does not cause disorder on the earth, who does not unjustly shed blood, and who does not cause corruption to necessitate their own execution is like killing all of humanity. This is because such a murderer has violated the right to live that is granted by God Almighty alone; the prohibition of shedding the blood of innocent people has been violated, an ugly deed has been initiated, and thereby the way for others to do the same has been paved and encouragement has been provided. In addition, even if a murderer kills one innocent person, this murder reveals their personality; it shows that they are inclined to shed blood and commit murder. Someone who has committed one murder in practice has a personality that may potentially kill all people and now their identity in general is that of killer and murderer. Therefore, once having committed that fatal sin, killing another person will not be more difficult for them than the first time; in particular after a few murders, killing will become something ordinary and everyday to them. It is from this perspective that a person who has murdered an innocent soul can be viewed as a murderer of all mankind. Saving a Life Whoever saves a person's life by changing their mind about a murder, by forgiving, or by withdrawing the right of retaliation, or by saving someone from danger, for example, from drowning or being burnt alive, or helping another to survive, is like one who has saved the lives of all people and one who has done that favor for all of mankind. The life-saving mentioned in the verse incorporates forgoing retaliation, not killing, or saving someone from disaster; for the one and only Owner of Life is God, He is the Giver of Life. No one has the power to kill or save in the real sense except for God. Human beings can only become a means for someone to live; they cannot be the true cause. In the Qur'an, Nimrod says: "I give life and make to die," this is expressed with the word ihya (giving life), but his giving of life means only that he refrains from killing and murder. Now, in this sense, a person who saves another's life is-if they can-inclined and willing to save the lives of all mankind. In other words, wherever such a person witnesses injustice, they will immediately try to prevent it. True, in the verse spiritual salvation is not mentioned literally; but if a believer who has faith in God, His Messenger, and the Hereafter speaks about God, His Messenger, and teaches about the faith, this act can in a way be considered to be ihya. Likewise in verses such as: "O you who believe! Respond to God and to the Messenger when the Messenger calls you (in the Name of God) to that which gives you life " (Anfal 8:24) God Almighty uses the word ihya, in order to express human beings leaving behind the animal life and ascending to the level of spiritual life. Therefore, if a believing man helps a person who is slave to their carnal desires to ascend from a merely material life to a spiritual life, they can be considered to have brought the latter to life. In this respect, a believer who strives to inspire others to embrace the faith and tries to become a means for their salvation, in terms of their potential aim, can be considered as one who is ready to save all of mankind. The Most Horrible Kind of Backbiting On the other hand, we know that God made some things hidden among others: the Greatest Names (Ithm al-Azam) are hidden among the beautiful divine names, the acceptance of prayers (Waqt al-Ijaba) is hidden among Fridays, saints among ordinary people, the Night of Qadr among the last ten days of Ramadan, Doomsday within the life of the universe, and the moment of death within a person's lifetime. Likewise, there are such transgressions hidden among sins and evil that they can suddenly topple one over and lead to disaster. As a result of this secrecy, which serves to make believers constantly alert, to watch their step, and to seek refuge in God, there are such types or degrees of sins in the same category that attract divine wrath which will strike like a poisonous snake. As you know, talking about a person behind their back and uttering words that will not please them if they were to hear them is known as backbiting (ghiyba). If what has been said is true, then it is backbiting; if what has been said is a lie, then it is both backbiting and slander; this is several times a greater sin. Together with this, there are also different levels of backbiting (like stairs descending), worse and worse as they go downwards. Those close to God consider even an evil thought to be in the same category, calling it "backbiting of the heart." Indicating somebody by pointing with your finger or making fun of them with facial gestures is also a form of backbiting. Saying such simple things as somebody is short, or their jacket does not suit them is clearly backbiting. Each of these types of backbiting is a sin; they spoil the goodness of this life and they cause trouble beyond the grave. However, there is type of backbiting that is an incomparably dangerous and destructive sin. It is so great a sin that in a hadith it is stated that this kind of backbiting is a sin that is twenty times greater than fornication. For example saying things about a person who represents a group, movement, or a community is a sin of this kind, for the fate of that person is united with the community they represent. Therefore, saying bad things about such a person is saying bad things about an entire community. Moreover, if such backbiting is committed not about an ordinary person but, let's say, about a man of God like Sheikh al-Jilani, or for example, not about a movement or an ordinary community, but a community like the Naqshbandi order and, to make matters worse, if what started as a simple event of saying bad things becomes widespread through the mass media, if this then becomes a great slander campaign, this is such a horrible sin that it might lead to the loss of faith; there are ways in every sin that lead to unbelief. It is such a deadly crime that, if you were to speak against Sheikh Naqshbandi, you would slander the golden chain of saints of the Naqshbandi order. These people, with the light they received from their Sheikh, have enlightened the world since the time they lived up until our time. They have always been spiritual guides for people. Think how evil it is to destroy this light. And if the transgressor makes the act even worse by labeling the people they are slandering with names that end in -ist Then it would be very hard for the slanderer to enter Paradise without asking forgiveness from each member of that community; God's Messenger said "Do not backbite, for backbiting is worse than fornication. If a person fornicates and repents (promising never to do it again) God Almighty accepts his repentance; but the sin of the backbiter will not be forgiven until he is forgiven by the person he has backbitten." But it is possible that the All-Merciful Lord can grant extra blessings, allowing the transgressors to face the people they backbit and He may say "grant forgiveness to this servant of mine." But such a fortunate event depends on a surprise blessing; servanthood is not built on extra blessings. It is for this reason that believers should try to keep away from all kinds of backbiting, so that they will not face such a terrible end. They should free their tongues from such ugly words and purify their minds from evil thoughts and feelings. For the sake of avoiding a disaster worse than fornication, they should avoid even the most trivial negative utterance, saving themselves from committing the greatest of sins without being aware. To avoid having a share of the zaqqum tree in Hell, they should constantly seek refuge in God and be alert against all kinds of disasters of the tongue. Such a Degree of Fitna The same can be said about fitna, which is closely related to our topic. Actually the word fitna has meanings like "deviation, confusion of the mind, differing, falling for something, sinning, unbelief, dazzling beauty, property and children, testing someone, torture, misfortune, or trouble." In nearly sixty verses of the Qur'an, either this word or another word derived from the same root can be found. While even a disagreement between two people can be called fitna, acts aiming to spread unbelief, turning people from God's path, and causing terror in society are also categorized as fitna. Making two people dislike each other is fitna and it is an ugly sin; but fitna also has a type so bad that it invokes divine wrath; it cannot be regarded as equal to other types of fitna, for it can instantly make someone fall into a pitfall of Hell and finish their happiness in both worlds. Therefore, in order not to face such a terrible end, we need to keep away from even the pettiest kind of fitna and eliminate the words and actions that may lead to fitna at the very beginning before they become great crimes. The Qur'an states "fitna is worse than killing " (Baqara 2:191). That is to say, even if all kinds of fitna are not like killing, there is a type of fitna that is even worse than murder. For instance, trying to spread unbelief through brute force, alienating Muslims from their own values, and making younger generations strangers to their own spiritual values, thereby throwing them into a terrible torment in both worlds are all such grave offenses that they are far more dangerous than murdering an innocent person. In some murders, there is fitna and murder intermingled. For example, somebody assassinates an important figure and disappears. Then an innocent person or a group is blamed for that murder. Therefore, the situation becomes a blood feud. Both the supporters of the victim and the slandered group suffer. Thus, the murder is not limited to a single event; it is followed by mutual accusations and it becomes a great fitna. Finally, an unstoppable chain of fitnas has been started, and results in a condition of anarchy where thousands of murders are committed. Unfortunately this kind of fitnas has taken place in the history of Islam and such acts have yielded far worse results than a single murder. For instance, the assassination of the second Caliph, Umar ibn al-Khattab, was not just a simple murder; even more so since, as Hudayfa al-Yamani reported, Umar was a locked door against fitna. After his martyrdom, that door was opened; more correctly, it was broken down. Here we will examine this event in a bit more detail. One day Umar ibn al-Khattab asked Huzayfa about the words of God's Messenger describing fitna that surges like the waves in the sea. Huzayfa answered "O the chief of believers, there is no harm to you from this fitna; for there is a locked door between it and you." When Umar asked "Is that door going to open or be broken down?" Hudayfa answered "It is going to be broken down." Umar said "Then it will not be locked again until the end of the world." When one of his friends asked about that door, Hudayfa's answer was "that door is Umar himself." In this respect, the assassination of Umar cannot be taken as an ordinary murder; it was the breaking down of the door that blocked against fitna, and the opening of way for fitnas to continue until the end of the world. The Qur'anic statement concerned with the murderer of an innocent person, stating that they will stay in Hell forever, must be concerned with murderers like Umar's assassin. What a terrible end! Ibn Abbas and some of the imams from the generation following the Companions of the Prophet inferred from the following verse that somebody who committed murder will suffer eternal punishment in Hell: "Whoever kills a believer intentionally, his recompense (in the Hereafter) is Hell, therein to abide; and God has utterly condemned him, excluded him from His mercy, and prepared for him a tremendous punishment." (Nisa 4:93) Some interpreters of the Qur'an have made a different comment: In the same way that a murderer deserves to be executed in return for the crime they have committed, the same punishment must be given to one who has killed all of mankind. There is no greater punishment to be given. Likewise, as the punishment of the murderer of a single person is eternal Hell, the punishment of one who has murdered all of mankind must be the same. Therefore, a person who has murdered a single person is like one who has murdered all of mankind. The divine statement "Assuredly God does not forgive that partners be associated with Him; less than that He forgives to whomever He wills" (Nisa 4:48) limits the meaning of the verse we mentioned above. However, when we look at the issue on the whole, we will see that even if it is not true that every murderer will stay in Hell forever, there is such a type of murder that the one who commits it will suffer eternal torment. To sum up, as there are degrees of sins, like backbiting and fitna, murder too has different degrees as an offense, depending on the identity and status of the victim, and the results it will bring about. Whoever the victim is, a murder is a grave crime, but assassinating the commander of an army or the head of a state is not the same as killing an ordinary citizen in terms of the chain of events that follow. Again, a murder committed in the Sacred Mosque in Mecca where it is even forbidden to kill an insect or pick tree leaves will not be equal to a murder committed somewhere else. It is for this reason that Ibn Abbas considers killing a Prophet or a leader of believers as equal to killing all mankind. Therefore, those who execute a person whose fate is united with a nation's fate will have issued an execution decree for an entire nation. Those who poison a man of action who devoted himself to the salvation of all of mankind can be considered to have poisoned an entire nation; we can even say that they have poisoned Prophet Muhammad and his Companions. This is such great an atrocity that even if those who commit it are believers, they can never find their way to Paradise unless they are forgiven by all of mankind. So, in order not to commit such a great crime, one should keep away from any type of murder. Similar dangers and the same principle still exist for today's people. When Hasan al-Basri was asked, "is the same principle still valid for us?" he replied: "I swear by God Almighty apart from Whom there are no gods that yes, it is; for the blood of the Children of Israel is not more valuable than our blood." In conclusion, all kinds of unjust murders are great sins; but we can talk about different degrees, depending on the time, place, the identity of the victim, and his status.

#Savingoflife #quran #holybook #revert help team

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faithfacts-blog1 · 5 years ago

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Principal Causes of Backsliding

I know that there are many causes of backsliding, but in this chapter, I will try to give you the predominant causes, as the Lord has shown me.

Shallowness

... and these have NO ROOT, which for a while believe...

Luke 8:13

The parable of the sower gives various reasons why some of the seeds could not grow. Some seeds could not grow because they fell on rocky soil.

Jesus explained that these are the ones who receive the Word of God with joy, and even believe for a while. But in the time of testing, they fall away because they have no root.

Everyone Will Be Tested

A time of testing will surely come for every Christian. If you are shallow, in the time of testing, you will fall. Through experience I have noticed that many Christians do not have deep roots. They do not know God for themselves. They cannot even explain why they do the things they do. They don't know why they belong to a particular church. They do not know why they speak in tongues. They do not even know why they give offerings. When they face a little criticism, they get confused and have no defense.

Having no personal experience with God, these are the people who can never say, "God spoke to me." They have no convictions of their own.

A close friend who brought me up in the Lord deviated from Christianity, and became a member of a cult. But I did not follow him into that cult because I had my own deep-rooted convictions.

I know why I am serving the Lord, and so my father, mother or closest friend cannot change my mind. Many Christians who are not rooted in sound biblical doctrine can easily be persuaded to follow fables. Some born-again believers fall away because they do not know the difference between the true gospel, and the beliefs of sects like the Jehovah Witnesses.

I Witnessed to the Jehovah's Witness

Once, I was standing at the Thomas Sankara Circle in the city of Accra when a Jehovah's Witness came up to me to try to convert me to his faith.

He asked, "Do you believe in the Holy Spirit?"

I replied, "I certainly do!"

Then I asked him, "Have you heard of 'speaking in tongues'?"

He said, "Yes. But I don't believe in it."

So I asked him, "What is this...?"

Then I released a string of tongues in the direction of this sincere (but sincerely wrong) gentleman.

This ended our conversation. He fled! If I were not convinced that speaking in tongues is an ability which comes with the Holy Spirit, he could have confused me. But I knew my Bible, and I knew (as I still do today) that the Holy Spirit is from God, and speaking in tongues is one of his gifts.

Don't just speak in tongues because others are speaking in tongues. You must know why tongues sound like a monotonous and repetitive language. It is because the Bible says, "with a stammering tongue will I speak to you". Tongues are described as a stammering tongue. It is not just an ordinary language. It is a heavenly language that comes out in a stammering fashion.

Will You Fall at the Next Crisis?

You may be in a church, but if you are not “deep” you will fall away at the next shaking and crisis. Next time there is a problem in the church, your membership and commitment will be shaken. Only a “shallow” Christian would fall away when a great man of God gets into some scandalous sin. What have the sins of that man of God got to do with your own salvation? Why on earth would you think of leaving Christ because of your pastor's mistakes? Christians behave in this way because they themselves are shallow!

Don't Follow Me, If I Don't Follow Christ

I am the pastor of a very large church. I know many people would do anything I tell them to. But I always tell my church members not to follow me if I do not follow Christ. After all, I am also a man, and can make mistakes. I tell them, "If I tell you to do something that is not biblical, do not do it. Only do things which can be supported by the Bible."

If you are not sure about anything your pastor is saying, just ask him, "Please Sir, what is the scriptural basis for this new revelation?"

Not abiding by this principle is the reason why some so-called pastors can bathe their members in the nude (what they call 'holy' baths). Some so-called ministers are also able to dupe people out of all their earthly possessions.

This is because the pastors know that they are dealing with shallow people.

Paul said, "Follow me as long as I follow Christ". He was a man subject to like passions, so whatever he did had to be scrutinized by the book of books: The Bible!

Did you know that Aaron led the people of Israel to build a golden calf after God had delivered them from Egypt? These people were saved all right, but were shallow in their experience with God. When Moses was held up on the mountain, the Israelites in their shallow faith, turned shortly to idols and declared, "These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt."

Don't be shallow and light, blown about by every wind of doctrine! Don't just follow the crowd! It is shallow people who just follow the crowd.

Following the Crowd Can Be Dangerous

Many became calf worshippers in the days of Aaron because they followed the crowd.

Many murmured and were destroyed in the days of Moses and the ten spies because they followed the crowd.

Many got involved in the killing of Jesus, the Son of God because they followed the crowd.

Following the crowd can be dangerous!

Don't be a shallow Christian. Be deep. Don't be a believer for just a while.

Let your roots grow deep. As the songwriter says, "Draw me deeper, Lord!"

Emptiness

... I am no better than ECHOING bronze...

1 Corinthians 13:1 (Ronald Knox Translation)

The word “echo” in this Scripture comes from the emptiness I am talking about in this section of the book. There are many Christians who are empty. There is nothing in them. I call them “airy Christians”. They have little or no Word in them, neither are they full of the Holy Spirit or of love. They may speak in tongues, but the Bible says whenever they do so, they are just making a lot of noise.

I think the Ronald Knox Translation of 1 Corinthians 13:1, which I have quoted above, really brings out the concept of spiritual emptiness. If I have no love "I am no better than echoing bronze or the clash of cymbals." I say once again, the echo and the clash are a result of the emptiness within.

Empty Christians Are Targets

Emptiness will attract other things to fill that empty space. A spiritual vacuum will be filled with spiritual things, either positively or negatively. Nature abhors a vacuum, and every space will be filled.

And when he [an evil spirit] cometh, he findeth it UNOCCUPIED...

Luke 11:25 (Goodspeed Translation)

Empty Christians are targets for the enemy. The devil will try to fill you with evil and backsliding tendencies because of the emptiness within you.

...and they chose Stephen, a man FULL of faith and of the Holy Ghost ...

Acts 6:5

As you can see, Stephen was full of something positive. That is why he did not backslide, but went on to become a great evangelist.

There is the saying that empty barrels make the most noise. These are the echoes 1 Corinthians 13 is talking about. This same principle definitely applies in Christianity. Empty Christians are loud and noticeable but not substantial. There is the need for every Christian to be filled with the Spirit, with love and with the Word.

What are you filling your spirit with? Fill your spirit with the Word of God, with faith, with good Christian music. (By the way don't mess around with non-Christian music; it will fill your mind with junk!) Fill your time with church activities. If you don't fill your life with these good things something else will fill it. Drive away the emptiness from your spiritual life. This is a fundamental key to staying power for the Christian race.

Lust

For Demas hath forsaken me, having LOVED this present world...

2 Timothy 4:10

Demas loved the world. That is why he deserted Paul. If you love somebody, you will eventually gravitate towards that person. This explains why young ladies will leave their loving parents and marry virtual strangers. Love or lust is one of the reasons for that gravitational pull.

If you love the world- its money, its women, its men, its glitter - you will find yourself gravitating towards these things. It is therefore important that the Christian should not have any strange love in his heart.

I have one “love” for my Lord, and a second “love” for my wife. I cannot allow any other “love” to exist in my heart.

Strong Desires Are Dangerous!

There are many Christian ladies who have such strong desires to marry that they will sacrifice all principles and all the rules in order to get married. To lust after something is to have a strong, excessive desire for something. Usually it is an uncontrollable, sometimes obsessive desire for a particular thing. One dictionary calls 'lust' an animal desire. Be wary of all forms of lust, whether it's financial lust, sexual lust or power lust. Lust corrupts. Remember the Scripture:

… having escaped the CORRUPTION that is in the world THROUGH LUST.

2 Peter 1:4

The prodigal son had a strong desire for the world. He wanted to leave home so he could have the pleasures of the world. He was deceived and wanted something else. But there was nothing else! He soon found out that the situation out there was not as good as it was at home.

Often Christians feel they are missing out on something in the world. Sometimes they feel they are losing out on money, sex, glamour and so on. Apart from the love of Christ, if you have any other love in you, you need to be careful of it. If you have any strange lusts in you, you must kill them now, or they will grow up and take over your life.

I Killed It!

I once saw a baby snake in my garden. It looked very much like an ordinary worm but it was definitely a snake. So I said to myself, "If I don't kill it now, one day it could kill me." I thought, "It is too dangerous to leave this thing alive. Let me kill it now," I decided.

That is how we must deal with some of those desires lurking within us. Deal with them like I dealt with that snake. Kill them now, when they are small and harmless. If you allow them to grow and to develop, they will destroy you one day.

Bitterness

... lest any root of BITTERNESS springing up TROUBLE you ...

Hebrews 12:15

Many people who walk out of a church are offended Christians who became bitter. They were probably genuinely offended, but their wounds never healed.

When my wife was pregnant with our second son, Joshua, I sometimes went with her to the antenatal clinic. To while away the time I engaged in conversation with one of the doctors. One morning as I chatted with this doctor, I noticed that one of his toes was missing.

He Had a Missing Toe

So I asked, "What happened to your toe?"

He answered, "I am a diabetic patient, and I once had an injury to that toe. (You know, the wounds of some diabetic patients don't easily heal)."

He continued, "I hit my toe on an object, but after some time the wound did not heal. This wound deteriorated until it affected my whole leg."

He lamented about how the doctors had even considered amputating his whole leg. However, in the end they decided to cut off only the toe in question."It was a very traumatic experience for me. That's how I ended up without a toe," he concluded.

As I mused over the story of this missing toe, the Spirit of God spoke to me and said, "This is what happens to Christians who get hurt and never fully recover from their hurts."

The Holy Spirit showed me how many Christians and pastors allow their hurts to degenerate into unhealed, gangrenous wounds of the heart. He continued, "They separate themselves from other Christians in the name of being cautious and not wanting to be hurt all over again. This separation eventually leads to total isolation from the body of Christ - and backsliding."

Sometimes I think of all the hurts I've experienced in this ministry, and how they have tended to isolate me. I can remember when my former pastor offended me, and refused to support me when I started out in ministry!

None of Them Came to My Wedding

I invited all the pastors I knew to my wedding. But none of them attended. When it was time to take group pictures, the Master of Ceremonies called out for all pastors to come forward. But there was no one. I was totally rejected by the other ministers in the city.

A close family friend and neighbour once called me the leader of a cult! I have had trusted pastors betray me and turn against me. I have experienced mid-stream desertion in ministry by trusted people. I have had faithful church members I invested a lot in, fight against me!

I even decided at a point to stay away from interactions with many people. But, as I thought about this man's toe, I realized what was gradually happening to me. I was being cut off from the rest of the church in Ghana, just like this man's toe. And it was all because of unhealed wounds and hurts. I decided then to allow the wounds in me to heal.

I have noticed that there are many seniors in the ministry who have become disappointed, disillusioned, and unforgiving. I have watched as great ministers who once affected the whole nation, become isolated and cut off themselves from the rest of the body of Christ.

He Could Not Hide His Wounds from Me

One time I was in the office counselling, when a young man came to me.

He boldly stated, "I have decided to be in your church because I believe this is where God wants me to be."

I queried, "Why did you leave your former church?"

He replied, "I was led by the Spirit to come here."

I asked, "Apart from the Spirit's leading did anything else happen to make you decide to leave that church?"

He hesitated, "Well… there was a slight problem…" And he went on and on about problems that had arisen in his previous church.

I immediately knew that what I suspected was true. This man was hurt, and his unresolved hurts had caused him to be cut off from his church. This is one of the commonest reasons for people backsliding and leaving churches.

Backsliding Love!

Married couples also backslide in their relationships towards each other. They start out with hot, strong and fiery love, which is often blind and unseeing. However, many couples after several years of marriage either just co-exist or even hate each other.

How did they backslide from love to hatred? Often the hurts and offences of marriage were never fully resolved until they were virtually cut off from each other. This is one of the favorite tricks of the devil.

If he can isolate you through hurts, he will have the opportunity to speak to you and make you backslide. You see, you are more vulnerable when you are isolated. The book of Hebrews warns us that bitterness can trouble us greatly.

… lest any root of BITTERNESS springing up TROUBLE you…

Hebrews 12:15

Sinfulness

My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.

Proverbs 1:10

Many of the Christians who walk out of church and backslide have often been living in sin.

Although they were in church, some of them used to commit fornication, adultery, stealing, and other sins. These are the church members who easily become annoyed with their pastors for preaching about their evil deeds. They do not want certain portions of the Scriptures to be referred to. They feel uncomfortable when certain subjects are preached in church.

They Don't Like Hot Sermons

They also hate hard-hitting, Holy Ghost inspired messages that lay bare the realities of righteous living.

One morning, a friend of mine was chatting with her colleague in the office.

She asked him, "How was your week-end?"

"Oh, it was fine! I went to church on Sunday," he replied.

"How was church?" she asked.

He answered, "I'm not impressed with my church anymore. I don't think I'll go back there again."

She was surprised and wondered, "What's wrong with your church? You've been going there for sometime now."

He answered, "The pastor's sermons are not uplifting. I tell you, we are not blessed!"

He went on, "If he wants to preach, he should just preach. But all this going on about fornication, and people having girlfriends isn't necessary."

You see, this married man was having an affair with a young lady in the office and he didn't like his sin being exposed. I tell you, there was nothing wrong with that pastor's preaching. Fornication is a subject in the Bible which must be addressed.

Such Christians can easily leave church to avoid the confrontations of God's Word, instead of admitting their sins and repenting.

When a believer sins and acknowledges his mistake, he is on his way to being healed.

Address the sin in your life. Correct the mistakes. Deal with every evil thought and habit. This will keep you in the Lord. Sin is definitely a primary cause of backsliding.

My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.

Proverbs 1:10

Without Truth

My parents taught me never to tell lies. My mother kept telling me throughout my childhood that my father didn't tell lies, so I was not supposed to tell lies. As I grew up I found it difficult to tell lies.

These six things doth the Lord hate…a proud look, A LYING TONGUE, and hands that shed innocent blood.

Proverbs 6:16, 17

Liars are compared to wicked people who shed innocent blood. There are born again Christians who habitually lie through their teeth. They lie to God and to man without batting an eyelid.

Stand your ground then, with TRUTH for your belt…

Ephesians 6:14 (Twentieth Century New Testament)

This belt of truth holds the whole armour together. Truth, honesty and sincerity are things that hold your entire Christian life together. Without sincerity your Christian life will disintegrate, and you will backslide.

I remember being in a service once with some other brethren. There was a young lady who had been prophesying and holding up the whole service for periods of time.

The Demon-Possessed Girl

She would stand up whilst the leader was preaching, and interrupt the service with very long prophecies. She would command the priest to stop the administration of communion. This young girl would prophesy and make the entire congregation kneel down and stand up at will.

Many of the leaders were inexperienced, and didn't know what to do. So they would stand back as this young lady dominated the entire service. I had been told about this young lady who had been controlling the meetings, but had never seen her myself.

That day, I realized that I was seeing the manifestation of an evil spirit “live”. This young lady stood up and began to take over the service with her prophecies just as had been described to me. So I got out of my seat, took a couple of brothers with me, and escorted her into the basement of the building. I knew that an evil spirit was controlling this young lady. As soon as we got into the basement, this young lady's eyes widened and blazed.

She looked straight at me and said, "Do not quench the Spirit!"

I could virtually see the demons dancing in her eyes. This almost unsettled me as I wondered, “Was I quenching the Holy Spirit?” Then I said, “You foul spirit, in the name of Jesus. I command you to stop your activities and come out of this girl.”

She immediately went into all sorts of writhing movements. The spirit began to manifest, spoke to us using the girl's voice and said many things. I cannot give all the details of this deliverance episode in this book. However, there was one thing that struck me, which I want to highlight here.

I asked the demon spirit, "How did you come into this lady?"

That spirit said, "The belt of truth was loose."

The demons had gained access to this young girl's life because the protective armour of truth, sincerity and honesty was deficient in one way or the other.

I cannot tell you how exactly this girl's belt of truth was loosed. That is not important to you. What is important is your belt of truth.

Lying Opens the Gate to Evil Spirits

Are you honest? Are you sincere? When you make a mistake do you admit it easily? Are you truthful to yourself and to God? I tell you, there are many people who lie to themselves continually and tell themselves, "I am okay", when they know they are not.

Do not deceive yourself! Be honest and sincere! Be straightforward! Jesus said, "You will know the truth and the truth will make you free." Don't be angry when you hear the truth. It is the truth that you need.

Rebellion

There is one sin which is compared to witchcraft in the Bible. That is the sin of rebellion.

For REBELLION is as [like] the sin of WITCHCRAFT...

1 Samuel 15:23

Rebellion is the fight against all authority. Rebellion often camouflages itself as the fight for independence. Many so-called freedom and independence fighters are actually downright rebels.

Africa, for instance, has had its fair share of rebels. There have been rebellions and uprisings against governments all over Africa.

There are also many rebellious elements in the church. There are rebellious pastors who break out of their rightful positions as branch pastors, assistant pastors and so on. There are rebellious church members who break out of their God-given places within churches. (I assure you that rebels usually have very spiritual reasons for the things they do!)

Rebellion stems from the heart. And every rebellious child of God has rejected legitimate authority in his life. The result therefore is backsliding. I have known Christians who do not want anything, be it human or divine, to instruct them concerning their lives. Rebellion is a cardinal factor in the backsliding phenomenon.

It was rebellion against his father's authority that led the prodigal son to leave home. The rebellion in the prodigal son's heart led him to eat with pigs. I am sure you don't want to end up eating with pigs. Don't be a rebel. All rebels are destined to end in one way. Ask the prodigal son, ask Judas, ask Absalom, ask Adonijah, ask Ahithophel, ask Shimei, and ask Lucifer to tell you what happened to them when they rebelled.

All rebels are headed for one judgement - EXECUTION!!

Foolishness

He that trusteth in his own heart is a FOOL...

Proverbs 28:26

Many Christians do foolish things. They venture into places only fools would dare. There are some situations, and some people who will lead you into trouble. Some young unmarried Christian couples court disaster when they engage in certain things.

Sometimes during courtship, some Christians can be found in 'unhealthy' situations after midnight. Then when you become pregnant before your wedding, you get surprised that you fell into sin! Why should you be surprised?

What Is a Business Lunch?

There are some ladies whose specialty is to wine and dine with married men. And their excuse is that they work with these men. "Oh, It's just a business lunch," they say. But I tell you, they are playing with fire.

I have seen Christian brothers and sisters live in the same flat, and even in the same room, all in the name of saving money. The next thing that happened was they fell in 'love'. Then before you could say, "Jack Robinson" they had a baby. Foolishness has a price.

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient...

1 Corinthians 10:23

Some types of behaviour are straightforward foolishness. You should never overestimate your spiritual strength.

God has continually drummed it into me that being a pastor does not make me immune or special. The Lord has made it clear that he will treat me as he treats everyone else. So no matter whom you are, if you walk in foolishness and absurdity you will backslide. It is as simple as that!

Fools make a mock at sin...

Proverbs 14:9

by Dag Heward-Mills

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comebeforegod · 5 years ago

Text

Is Religious Rituals True Spiritual Life?

By Jane, Philippines

I was born in a Catholic family. Since I was little, I observed all the religious rituals of Catholicism. From as early as I could remember, I began to pray with my parents.

Apart from praying the Angelus at 6 a.m., 12 a.m., and 6 p.m. every day, we prayed the Chaplet at 3 p.m. and the Rosary at night. This was the ritual we had to keep every day. We also carried rosary beads and a prayer bracelet all day long so that we could pray at any time. When praying, we usually repeated the prayer over and over again. As for the length of the prayer, it depended on what kind of sins we had committed. The bigger the sin, the longer the prayer. If we just committed some small sins like telling lies, we didn’t need to pray for a long time.

One day, I asked Sister Lily, “So is it the Age of Kingdom now? Then what should we do to satisfy God’s will?”

Then I asked Sister Lily, “Does this mean that we don’t need to go to Mass, say the rosary, recite the prayers, or kneel and worship the spiritual figures anymore?”

Lily answered me with a smile, “Yes.”

#Devotionals #Spiritual Life #Crucial Questions #Cause of Church’s Desolation #what is the true church

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