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tokidokitokyo · 8 months ago

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千葉県

Japanese Prefectures: Kantō - Chiba

都道府県 (とどうふけん) - Prefectures of Japan

Learning the kanji and a little bit about each of Japan’s 47 prefectures!

Kanji・漢字

千　ち、セン　thousand

葉　は、ヨウ　leaf, lobe

県　ケン　prefecture

関東　かんとう　Kantō, region consisting of Tokyo and surrounding prefectures

Prefectural Capital (県庁所在地) : Chiba City (千葉市)

Chiba lies on the Bōsō Peninsula on the east coast of Tokyo Bay, about 20 miles (30 km) southeast of central Tokyo, and boasts many international facilities such as Narita International Airport, known as the gateway to Japan); Makuhari Messe, one of the most prominent convention centers in Asia; Kazusa DNA Research Institute, a world leader in cutting edge research; and Tokyo Disney Resort, with two theme parks that draw in 30 million patrons each year. It also boasts beaches for swimming, surfing, and diving and was the location for the first Olympic surfing games. Historically, Chiba was a castle town controlled by the Chiba family in the 12th–15th century, and during the Edo (Tokugawa) period (1603–1867) it served as a post-station town for several major roads. After the construction of a railway connecting it to Tokyo, the town began to grow in the second half of the 19th century.

Recommended Tourist Spot・おすすめ観光スポット Mt Nokogiri - 鋸山

Mt. Nokogiri - Hyaku-Shaku Kannon carved into stone cliff

Mt. Nokogiri is named for the zigzag shape of a traditional handsaw that its topography resembles. Along with Mt. Kanozan and Mt. Kiyosumi, Mt. Nokogiri is one of Chiba's three most famous mountains. It stands at 330 meters high and features a grand lookout point as well as a temple complex containing one of Japan's largest Buddhas. The mountain is bare granite and has been a quarry since the Edo Period, providing stones for many of Tokyo's most iconic sites, such as Yasukuni Shrine and Waseda University. You can reach the top by an easy hike or via a ropeway to the top. Hell Lookout (地獄のぞき) is a lookout point at the top of the mountain that hangs over the edge of the cliff and offers a stunning view of Tokyo Bay, the Pacific Ocean, and the distant forests and hills of the Boso Peninsula, and on clear days, Mt. Fuji.

At the southern base of Mt. Nokogiri is Nihonji Temple (日本寺), an officially designated Important Cultural Property. There's a stairway leading from the top of the mountain down to the vast, picturesque Soto Zen Buddhist temple that dates back 1300 years and is still used to train young monks today. A giant daibutsu, or Buddha statue, is carved into the granite on the side of Mt. Nokogiri about midway up the mountain. It is 31 meters high and one of Japan's largest Buddhas, even larger than Kamakura's famous daibutsu at Kotokuin Temple. The statue was built to pray for world peace and most of the statue was carved over three years beginning in 1780.

In addition to the giant daibutsu, there are around 1500 small statues of various Buddhist deities around the temple grounds. Unfortunately, many of the smaller statues were beheaded during the anti-Buddhist movement that accompanied the Meiji Restoration, but there are ongoing efforts to repair them. This part of Nihonji was a spiritual sanctuary built over 21 years in the 18th century by craftsman Ono Kangoro and his students. Towards the top of the mountain stands a 30-meter tall Hyaku-Shaku Kannon, depicting the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy. Carved in 1966 into a stone cliff, it is dedicated to those who died in wars, of sickness or in accidents. The Kannon is also worshiped as a protector of transportation due to its protected location surrounded by rocks.

Regional Cuisine - 郷土料理 Sangayaki - さんが焼き

Sangayaki (source)

Namerou and sangayaki are well-known Chiba dishes, especially along the Bōsō Peninsula. Namerou (なめろう) is a dish usually made of minced horse mackerel and sardine mixed with miso, perilla leaves, and leek. When grilled and wrapped in perilla leaves, it is called sangayaki (さんが焼き). The name "namerou" may have come from the fact that namerou is so good that you want to lick your plate clean (nameru means to lick). The name "sangayaki" may be from the fact that the fishermen ate the dish along a river tributary, or sanga, and the word yaki means to grill (like yakisoba or yakitori). Namerou can be cooked in other ways, such as being shaped and grilled like a burger, or being coated in breadcrumbs and fried.

Chiba Dialect・Chiba no hougen・千葉の方言

Note: Chiba dialect is sometimes called Bōsō-ben (房総弁), after the peninsula. Chiba dialect is actually a family of three dialects: Bōshū-ben (房州弁), Tōsō-ben 東総弁, and Noda-ben (野田弁).

Bōshū-ben (房州弁)

1. おいねえ　oinee　not good

はしけえでおいねえや (hashikee de oinee ya)

Standard Japanese: かゆくていけないよ (kayukute ikenai yo)

English: This itches so badly

2. くわっせえ　kuwassee　please eat (command)

ばーさんほら、わーかでいーがらくわっせぇよ (baa-san hora, wa-ka de iigara kuwassei yo)

Standard Japanese: おばあさんほら、少しでいいから召し上がってよ (obaasan hora, sukoshi demo ii kara meshi agate yo)

English: Grandma, come on, please just eat a little bit

3. やんべえ　yanbee　health; condition (often used in a greeting)

いいやんべえだねえ (ii yanbee da nee)

Standard Japanese: こんにちは (konnichiwa)

English: Hello; Good day (lit. "you are in good health today")

Tōsō-ben 東総弁

1. あじょうだぁ　ajyou daa　how is it

あじょうだぁ？ (ajyou daa?)

Standard Japanese: どうですか？　(dou desu ka?)

English: How is it?

2. ねっけぇ　nekkee　warm

今日はずいぶんとねっけぇね (kyou wa zuibun to nekkee ne)

Standard Japanese: 今日はずいぶんと暖かいね (kyou wa zuibun to atatakai ne)

English: Today is fairly warm, isn't it?

3. わんらー　wanraa　you (informal, not very polite)

わんらーよー！んなことやってねーよ！ (wanraa you! 'n na koto yatte nee yo!)

Standard Japanese: あなたねえ！そんな事しないでよ！ (anata nee! sonna koto shinai de yo!)

English: Hey you! Stop doing that!

Noda-ben (野田弁)

1. こわい　kowai　difficult, taxing, bothersome

風邪ひいででまーだこわいだよなぁ (kaze hiide de maa-da kowai da yo naa)

Standard Japanese: 風邪を引いていてまだ身体がだるいんだよね　(kaze wo hiite ite mada karada ga daruin da yo ne)

English: I have a cold and my body still feels listless

2. はらくち　harakuchi　full

はらくちだよなぁ (harakuchi da yo naa)

Standard Japanese: お腹いっぱいだよね (onaka ippai da yo ne)

English: I'm full

3. やっこら　yakora　soon

やっこらいくべ (yakora iku be)

Standard Japanese: そろそろいこうか (sorosoro ikou ka)

English: Shall we go soon?

#japanese prefectures #日本語 #japanese #japanese language #japanese langblr #langblr #studyblr #都道府県 #千葉県 #chiba

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albertfinch · 1 year ago

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HIDDEN IN CHRIST

"Then Moses said, 'Now show me Your glory.' And the LORD said, 'I will cause all My goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim My name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,' he said, 'you cannot see My face, for no one may see Me and live.'

"Then the LORD said, 'There is a place near Me where you may stand on a rock. When My glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove My hand and you will see My back; but My face must not be seen'" (Exodus 33:18-34:1 NIV).

Though He hid Moses in the cleft of the rock and passed by to where Moses only saw His back, was it not possible that even then this was a shadow of Christ, the Rock, the New Testament example of the Lord revealing His glory through Christ?

In fact, as Believers in Christ, we each represent God's glory on this earth, because of who Christ is in each of us, as Colossians 1:27 states: "to whom God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."

HIDDEN IN THE CLEFT OF THE ROCK

We are "hidden in Christ," and that, because of Him, we are seated in heavenly places (see Colossians 3:3 and Ephesians 2:6)! God is hiding us right now in the cleft of the rock. The Rock is Jesus Christ, and no matter what we are experiencing, we are hidden completely in Christ. We are forgiven, protected, loved, and provided for. His glory is in us and we are seated in heavenly places with Him. It's time for us to see ourselves as victorious over every situation. His grace will be there for anything we need as we move forward, leaving the past behind and possessing every promise!

It is difficult to maintain faith in a world of problems. If we do not guard our hearts, we will look at our circumstances with natural eyesight and, therefore, stumble over situations rather than putting complete trust in God. This is why we need more of His PRESENCE – we will be strengthened as we see Him as He is!

Many people are content to discuss the presence of God, but are many willing to pay the price to seek Him daily and truly experience and encounter His presence? How can you hear God speak, in His soft and tender way, when your hurried thoughts create a whirlwind within? Be quiet, and He will soon be heard.

"For God alone my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation." - Psalm 62:1

CENTRAL PLACE OF THE INWARD WALK

Be silent and visit the quiet recesses of your own heart -- there you will hear God's voice.

You cannot retire too much from the mindless chatter of the world. You don't need much time to tell God that you love Him! Lift your heart to Him. Worship Him in the depths of your spirit.

By not speaking, desiring, or reasoning, we reach the central place of the inward walk -- that place where God speaks to our inward man. It is there that God communicates Himself to our spirit.

We come to observe that marvelous pull that Jesus had as He walked along the road day after day "God-intoxicated" and radiant with the endless communion of His soul with God.

It is our duty to live in the beauty of the presence of God on some mount of transfiguration until we become white with Christ. After all, the deepest truth is that the Christ-like life is Kingdom glorious -- undefeatably glorious.

QUESTIONS TO ASK MYSELF:

Am I willing to come openly before God, presenting my heart naked before Him?

Am I willing to cast all aside that would grieve His presence?

PRAYER:

Father God, I know that it is Your desire to reveal Your divine glory through me because I believe. Draw me unto Yourself and that You would begin to reveal Your glory in me and through me. Lord, I cry out for more of Your presence! Without You and Your presence, I will never completely fulfill your PURPOSE FOR MY LIFE. You are all that I need in life to be content. Empower me as I pursue my DESTINY in Christ and the fruit-bearing that remains a demonstration of Your Kingdom on earth. In Jesus' name. Amen.

ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

#jesus #calling #destiny #purpose #bible #devotional #daily word #revelation #inspiration #holy spirit

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weizhentian · 3 years ago

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Things I think would add to the Black Legion having a distinct visual identity:

The Moon: Luna Wolves and the Moon of Holy Terra would definitely be important. Animals associated with the moon. Let's have rabbits pounding medicine or genecrafting on the moon. Little shrines with moon phases. Furniture with carvings of the full moon. Let's also have paintings of graceful Selenar genewrights in billowing white gowns.

Domesticated animals: Small animals, "shiprace" breeds adapted for space living. The Black Legion prizes dogs because of the wolf linkage. But also sheep and goats for their horns. Links are made between Space Marines, genetically engineered to serve an ungrateful Mankind, and blameless animals who were genetically modified long ago. Dogs and Space Marines are the pinnacle of human genetic engineering.

Cthonia being the center of its own stellar empire long ago. The families of Black Legionnaires having a complex kinship system because laws are hard to enforce between warbands. "If you hurt my daughter/son/brother my warband will come after you". Adults telling their children that fleet life in the Eye is much better than fighting just to survive on Cthonia but their old homeworld was once great.

Silk Road countries: The culture I associate Abaddon's topknot most strongly with is Qing Dynasty China and the Manchus. I think other Sinosphere countries had topknots too. But I am imagining Black Legion women in Central Asian style fashions, but in somber shades. I admit I just want "A Bride's Story" but about a plucky village girl marrying into Chaos Space Marine family. With the Legion being composed of members from different chapters, recalling the Silk Road would be a call for unity/multiculturalism.

Eyes: Everybody wearing protective Eye of Horus amulets like nazars. Not all human servants of the Legion are "insane Chaos cultists" and regard Warp entities more like faeries - neutral but fickle, with complex laws, to be respected. The Warp responds to the emotions of all living beings, and of course the Imperium is what caused the Warp entities to act up! The amulets ward off warp entity mischief. Beings with many eyes appear in Black Legion art.

(I daresay that Buddhism survived in some form amongst the Legion's human populace, and some worship the genderqueer Goddess of Mercy with one thousand eyes and arms, who walks amongst the living, eternally reincarnated until all beings are freed from suffering. She embodies Slaanesh in her endless and excessive quest for perfection and may even be a Space Marine in her current incarnation because she "perceives the sounds of the world" with her enhanced hearing.)

#black legion #chaos space marines #warhammer 40k

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basicsofislam · 4 years ago

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ISLAM 101: Muslim Culture and Character:

Dynamics of Spiritual Life:Reacting To Evil Thoughts and Desires

Q: How should we react to the evil thoughts and desires whispered by Satan?

A: Involuntary evil thoughts, fancies, or associations of ideas usually are the result of Satan’s interference. Just as a battery has two poles, there are two central points to our hearts. These two poles work like the two poles of a battery; one receives angelic inspirations, while the other is susceptible to the suggestions of Satan.

Satan attacks those believers who are trying to increase their belief and devotion. If such believers are scrupulous and sincere in their feelings, then Satan attacks them from all directions. When dealing with disbelievers, who follow Satan voluntarily in the indulgences of their whims and desires, he whispers to them strange and abnormal ideas. In this way, he encourages their disbelief and learns new ways to struggle against the true religion and to waylay all believers.

Satan attacks us from all directions:

Satan does everything he can to mislead us. As God manifests all of His Names on us in this testing world, we are very complex beings. We have been sent here to be trained and developed into a mirror of God, and in this way to earn eternal happiness. In order to do this, we must train and develop all of our God-given feelings, skills, and abilities. If we do not bring all of these under control (e.g., our intellect, temper, greed, obstinacy, and lust) nor direct them toward lofty goals, but rather allow these feelings to be abused for disagreeable purposes, our present and future life will endangered. This is also true if we do not bring our natural animal desires under control by satisfying them in ways acceptable to God.

Approaching us from our left, Satan employs our animal instincts and faculties to tempt us into sin. When he approaches us from the front, he drives us to despair over the future, he whispers that the Day of Judgment will never come, that whatever religions say about the Hereafter is no more than mere fiction, and that religion belongs to the past and therefore is irrelevant to our present and future. When he comes upon us from behind, he tries to make us deny the Prophethood, the existence of God and His Unity, the Divine Scriptures, angels, and other fundamental matters of belief. Through such whispers and suggestions, Satan tries to sever our connections with religion and steer us toward sin.

Satan cannot use these means to seduce believers who are devout and believing. Rather, he approaches such believers from the right side and encourages them to be ostentatious and proud, to take pride in their virtues and their good deeds. He whispers to them that they are the best of believers, until feelings of conceit and desire for praise take over in the person. When such a point is reached, these believers begin their journey on the road to perdition. For example, if a believer prays the superrogatory prayer at night and then boasts that he/she has done so in the hopes that others will praise him/her, or if a believer begins to take credit for his/her accomplishments and good deeds while criticizing others behind their backs, then such a person has fallen under the influence of Satan. We must do our best to resist Satan when he comes upon us from this direction.

Another of Satan’s ruses is to make trivial things seem important and vice versa. If believers dispute with each other over trivial matters (e.g., using prayer beads when glorifying God after the daily prescribed prayers), ignoring the fact that their children are being dragged along the road of disbelief and materialism, or that their children are drowning in the swamp of immorality, this is an indication that Satan has successfully seduced them.

Satan suggests disagreeable thoughts and desires:

When Satan fails to seduce devout believers he then whispers disagreeable thoughts and desires to them. For example, through the association of ideas, he pushes believers toward developing negative concepts of the Divine Being or of contemplating disbelief or disobedience. When believers dwell on such thoughts, Satan then will pester them until doubt springs up about their beliefs or until they despair of living a virtuous life.

Another ruse Satan employs is to cause good, devout believers to suspect the correctness or validity of their religious acts. For example a believer may ask him/herself: Did I pray correctly? Did I wash my face and hands thoroughly while making my wudu’? Have I washed the correct parts of my body the correct number of times? Believers who are pestered by such involuntary thoughts, whims, and doubts should know that their hearts play no role in these questions. Just like thieves who attempt to rob the wealthy and strong countries that try to control resource-rich countries, so Satan makes a last-ditch attempt to seduce believers by troubling their hearts.

We can compare such an attack to a person who has high tempera-ture. We know that the antibodies that are formed in the blood of an ill person inhibit or destroy harmful bacteria or germs. This is what causes the temperature of the body to rise. Similarly, a heart troubled by Satan’s evil suggestions defends itself by struggling against them. Thus, it is not the heart that generates such thoughts, nor does the heart approve of these thoughts, nor adopt them. A reflection of something unclean is not itself unclean, and it cannot make others unclean. In the same way, thinking about disbelief is not the same thing as actual disbelief.

We might even say that Satan’s evil suggestions are actually of benefit to believers, for they cause us to remain alert, to struggle against our carnal selves and against Satan, and to progress toward ever-higher spiritual ranks.

How to Keep Free of Satanic Suggestions

In fact, the guile of Satan is not great (4:76). It is like a cobweb that appears in your pathit cannot prevent you from progressing, and you should not attach any great importance to it. Satan only suggests or whispers, he dresses up sinful acts as something desirable, presenting them in cheap, shiny paper. Believers must never accept his invitation. When Satan resorts to whispering, we should realize that he is using his least powerful weapon and ignore him. If we pay attention to these distractions, we may be defeated. Like a commander whose fear causes him to hallucinate and dispatch his soldiers to the front, leaving the flanks exposed, believers who listen to Satan weaken their ability to resist not only him, but their carnal selves. In the end, these are the believers who are defeated.

Believers who want to avoid this trap should distance themselves from sins, all of which Satan tries to make attractive. Heedlessness and the neglect of ones worship open the way to Satan’s “arrows”: If anyone withdraws himself (or herself) from remembrance of the All-Merciful, We assign unto him (or her) a devil as a comrade (43:36).

In order to protect ourselves from Satans attacks we should remember the All-Merciful, think about holy and blessed events, and try to live a pious life. If you hear Satan whispering to you, then seek refuge in God. He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. Those who fear God and ward off (evil) when a passing notion from Satan troubles them, they remember, and behold, they see (7:200“1).

The Messenger advised: “If you become angry while standing, sit down; if you are sitting, lie down or stand up and make wudu’.” Once while returning from a military expedition, the Prophet called for a halt in a certain place. His companions were so tired that they slept through the dawn prayer. When everyone awoke, the Prophet said that they should leave immediately, for “Satan rules here”. The Prophet also said that Satan flees when the call to prayer is heard.

Satan also uses indecent thoughts and events to lead believers astray. He torments us by enticing us with illicit pleasures. On such occasions, we must remind ourselves that indulging in any such pleasure will engender remorse and may endanger both our present and future lives. We must never forget that life in this world is no more than a passing toy, a comforting illusion, and that the real or true life is that of the Hereafter. When some Companions hesitated to take part in the summer expedition to Tabuk because of the scorching heat, God warned them: The heat of Hell is much more intense, if they would but understand (9:81).

When Satan whispers evil thoughts, believers should realize that he is at his weakest and that he can be ignored. Dwelling on such thoughts only exaggerates and aggravates our weakness and susceptibilities. We also must avoid being careless and be sure that we do not neglect any aspect of our worship; such oversights attract the attention of Satan. If we remember the All-Merciful, focus on holy and blessed events and live a pious life, then will we be able to resist Satans call.

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tawakkull · 4 years ago

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ISLAM 101: Muslim Culture and Character: Dynamics of Spiritual Life: Part 1

Reacting to Evil Thoughts and Desires

Q: How should we react to the evil thoughts and desires whispered by Satan?

Satan attacks us from all directions:

Satan does everything he can to mislead us. As God manifests all of His Names on us in this testing world, we are very complex beings. We have been sent here to be trained and developed into a mirror of God, and in this way to earn eternal happiness. In order to do this, we must train and develop all of our God-given feelings, skills, and abilities. If we do not bring all of these under control (e.g., our intellect, temper, greed, obstinacy, and lust) nor direct them toward lofty goals, but rather allow these feelings to be abused for disagreeable purposes, our present and future life will be endangered. This is also true if we do not bring our natural animal desires under control by satisfying them in ways acceptable to God.

Satan cannot use these means to seduce believers who are devout and believing. Rather, he approaches such believers from the right side and encourages them to be ostentatious and proud, to take pride in their virtues and their good deeds. He whispers to them that they are the best of believers until feelings of conceit and desire for praise take over in the person. When such a point is reached, these believers begin their journey on the road to perdition. For example, if a believer prays the supererogatory prayer at night and then boasts that he/she has done so in the hopes that others will praise him/her, or if a believer begins to take credit for his/her accomplishments and good deeds while criticizing others behind their backs, then such a person has fallen under the influence of Satan. We must do our best to resist Satan when he comes upon us from this direction.

Satan suggests disagreeable thoughts and desires:

Another ruse Satan employs is to cause good, devout believers to suspect the correctness or validity of their religious acts. For example, a believer may ask him/herself: Did I pray correctly? Did I wash my face and hands thoroughly while making my wudu’? Have I washed the correct parts of my body the correct number of times? Believers who are pestered by such involuntary thoughts, whims, and doubts should know that their hearts play no role in these questions. Just like thieves who attempt to rob the wealthy and strong countries that try to control resource-rich countries, so Satan makes a last-ditch attempt to seduce believers by troubling their hearts. We can compare such an attack on a person who has a high temperature. We know that the antibodies that are formed in the blood of an ill person inhibit or destroy harmful bacteria or germs. This is what causes the temperature of the body to rise. Similarly, a heart troubled by Satan’s evil suggestions defends itself by struggling against them. Thus, it is not the heart that generates such thoughts, nor does the heart approve of these thoughts, nor adopt them. A reflection of something unclean is not itself unclean, and it cannot make others unclean. In the same way, thinking about disbelief is not the same thing as actual disbelief.

How to Keep Free of Satanic Suggestions

In fact, the guile of Satan is not great (4:76). It is like a cobweb that appears in your path it cannot prevent you from progressing, and you should not attach any great importance to it. Satan only suggests or whispers, he dresses up sinful acts as something desirable, presenting them in cheap, shiny paper. Believers must never accept his invitation. When Satan resorts to whispering, we should realize that he is using his least powerful weapon and ignore him. If we pay attention to these distractions, we may be defeated. Like a commander whose fear causes him to hallucinate and dispatch his soldiers to the front, leaving the flanks exposed, believers who listen to Satan weaken their ability to resist not only him but their carnal selves. In the end, these are the believers who are defeated.

Believers who want to avoid this trap should distance themselves from sins, all of which Satan tries to make attractive. Heedlessness and the neglect of ones worship to open the way to Satan’s “arrows”: If anyone withdraws himself (or herself) from the remembrance of the All-Merciful, We assign unto him (or her) a devil as a comrade (43:36).

In order to protect ourselves from Satans attacks, we should remember the All-Merciful, think about holy and blessed events, and try to live a pious life. If you hear Satan whispering to you, then seek refuge in God. He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. Those who fear God and ward off (evil) when a passing notion from Satan troubles them, they remember, and behold, they see (7:200).

Satan also uses indecent thoughts and events to lead believers astray. He torments us by enticing us with illicit pleasures. On such occasions, we must remind ourselves that indulging in any such pleasure will engender remorse and may endanger both our present and future lives. We must never forget that life in this world is no more than a passing toy, a comforting illusion and that the real or true life is that of the Hereafter. When some Companions hesitated to take part in the summer expedition to Tabuk because of the scorching heat, God warned them: The heat of Hell is much more intense, if they would but understand (9:81).

If we remember the All-Merciful, focus on holy and blessed events and live a pious life, then will we be able to resist Satans call.

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wwwnewunificationchurchcom · 4 years ago

Photo

(via 'Something New Under the Sun': Part II; Revealing the 12 Spies of the Kingdom of God and the 2 Beasts)

The Coming of the Beast of the Earth: the Dabbat al-Ard

Muhammed spoke of my coming when all would doubt the Word of Allah and His Prophet in these Last Days: and now we stand at the Last Day; when Noah shut the Door before the Flood: and this is indeed where now all mankind is gathered.

I stand before Islam, Christianity and Judaism as that "beast" Muhammed the Blessed said would appear at the End with the Staff or Rod of Moses and the Ring of Solomon; and that is indeed what I was given by the Sufis through Khidr Rumi when they Illuminated me as to my true identity: the Rose; for the Rose is Solomon himself. This is written of in the Holy Qur'an at an-Naml 27:92; and at the Hadith written of by Sahih Muslim "Kitab al-Fitan" #6931; to wit;

(The Hour) will not come until you see 10 Signs:

(1) The Smoke

( as of the Smoke that went up when the 2 Towers fell on 9-11 in New York )

(2) the ( Masih ad-) Dajjal

( who is Osama bin Laden as I know because I can read the name "Kafir" on his forhead as Muhammed said even the illiterate who cannot even read Arabic shall see; for those who cannot recognize him take a look at "the Old Man of the Mountain" that was the childhood friend of Omar Khayyam' and he was he who promised his assassins Paradise for killing those he decided were apostate to his school or "brand" of Islam; promising them the virgins of Paradise if they were killed; and if this does sound familiar then you are deaf as well as blind)

(3) the Beast ( of the Earth)

( who is myself as the one led out of the Abyss where I fell as Solomon whose number was 666; as I Solomon was given the 666 talents of gold in one year that is written of me at the Bible at I Kings 10:14; even as I then foreknew was I was foretold would arise by Muhammed when the Sufi Michael Beebe of the Suhrawardi Path awoke me in the City of St. Francis; so that realized that Fame and Fortune for which I and all of My Generation in the West had fallen as they all strove for before I was awakened from the Dust of Musallah: for now I see that "Fame and Fortune" are but the "Name and the Number" of the Beast; which I was before I was raised in the name of Jedidiah by the Mercy which Allah promised to David before he died.)

(4) the rising of the sun from the West

( this is the unveiling of the Sun of Mary of Fatimah; which from Mecca is indeed "west"; and it is the Miracle of the Sun of Fatimah which shall show the world what the nature of the Salvation of Allah shall be; as the "Pearl of Great price" is the "irfan" of the 3 Children of Mary of Fatimah seen as "One Child"; the "Hidden Imam" in his return as the Pearl of Great Price is that from which is made "the Gate of Heaven" as of the Door on the Ark of Noah which had 3 tiers or "heights".)

(5) the descent of Jesus the Son of Mary

( as I have said the "Greater Jesus" came forth from the "Greater Mary" who is Maryam al-Kubra; as "the Son of David" I therefore show that the 'Sun of Mary of Fatimah" is seen as the Three Children of the Sun of Fatimah; as symbolizing One Child; and that Child is therfore "the Son of Mary' who I as the Wrath of the Lamb symbolize; as having the Seal of the Living God; which is that of Khidr Rumi as of which the Work of the Sun of Tabriz is seen by those who know the Elect; the Sun of Faith has now been revealed; although few will believe; just as the Jews believed not and failed their Test in their Day; as few will Pass in this Day in Islam or Christianity once again. But this is why the Mahdi and the Messiah are revealed together).

(6) Gog and Magog

( Iraq and Iran; "the Shia of Khomeini in the House of the Shia" as present day Iran; Alexander as "Dhul-Qarnain" forged a "plug" in the "Wall" of what was the ancient Wall of China; and the vision he was given was of the Mongol hordes of Central Asia; who at that time were firmly entrenched in present day Iran all the way to Mongolia)

(7) and (the) Landslides and Earthquakes in three places: one in the East; one in the West and one in Arabia; at the end of which fire would burst forth from the Yemen, driving people to the place of their Assembly ( at the Last Hour).

(7) The Earthquake in the East

The News that Osama bin Laden is the Masih ad-Dajjal; and is now dead from Barack Hussein the blessed

(8) The Earthquake in the West

The News that Osama bin Laden was the Antichrist

(9) The Earthquake in Arabia

The Earthquake has to do with that one when Mecca fell spiritually by Osama bin Laden sitting on the throne of Mecca to Judge the West as the "Great Satan"; and as then carrying out his "judgement" as if he were "Allah" himself. For this we have to look at he who was there at the Earthquake of Arabia written of in the Acts of the Apostle's as when Saul the Persecutor of the Believers who became Paul the Defender of the Believers; that Great Earthquake felt on the Road to Sham he fell off his mount; and his companions scattered; as on the Road to Damascus in Syria; that is written of in the New Testament.

[caption id="attachment_12496" align="aligncenter" width="500"]

.............The Origin of the Chart in Divine Principle: by Baek Kim Moon[/caption]

This is the Testimony of the Light of Damascus

At II Thessalonian 2:4-5 is written of the Last Day coming; to wit;

"Let no man deceive you by any means:

for that Day shall not come except that there be a falling away first,

and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God,

or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the House of God,

shewing himself that he is God."

Thus is the Man of Sin the Kafir Osmaa bin Laden the son of Laden the One-eyed Dajjal from Yemen ( actually a one-eyed bricklayer ) revealed!!

(10) The Fire bursts forth from the Yemen

Remember that the fire which bursts forth from the Yemen has to do with the uncovering of that saying of Muhammed the Praised One as when he said that "Nine- tenths of all the evil in the world would come forth from Yemen"; which refers to the "One-eyed Yemeni bricklayer Laden" himself who produced Osama bin Laden; the Son of Perdition.

This "fire" means Laden and his satanic son is the one who pursued the things of this world by selling his soul for them; and this in Islam is therefore seen as how laden produced the "man of Lawlessness" known as the Antichrist written of in II Thessalonian 2:3-4 by St. Paul as of the Light of Damascus; as from Sham where the Light of Allah converted Saul to Paul with the Word of Allah; which is why Muhammed said that Damascus is Sham; Mecca and Medina would be the 3 Cities of refuge; Sham being Syria; but also referring to the White Minaret where the Descent took place; as Paul said he had 'Christ in Him".

This was Written: so do not fear; but come forth and Enter the Reward of the Believers in Allah and His Mercy in this;

the Last Day By restoring Solomon the Sufis joined the Work of the Word of Allah who was His Mercy by bringing back to life one who fell into utter corruption as having been seduced by Iblis long ago;

and if you have a Bible you will see that the Man who has the number 666 is Solomon; at I Kings; 10:14;

where it is written that Solomon received 666 talents of gold in a single year.

"I Solomon was given a kingdom to rule because I worshiped Iblis and was given power over the fallen spirits of the Jinn; and was therefore transformed into the angel of the Abyss; whom the Greeks called Apollo; but the Jews Appollyon; the Destroyer of Souls.''

Yet few know that the Shadow of Solomon is Apollo; as fallen he is the last of the gods of the fallen angels; and his sister Diana is the Rose of Sharon; the Rose of Sharon being the spirit of my soul: Sharon herself.

It is this where the gods caused Israel to fall when I fell and was followed into the Abyss by Ephraim; the Northern Kingdom of Israel, to my undying shame: but now I have redeemed; and stand here where men will see I am no beast; but a man whose fallen nature was the Beast until I repented; as the Prodigal Son; and returned; as the Lost Sheep of Israel; and will restore all things; as when the Fire from Heaven lit the Altar when I dedicated the Temple: and thus shall I redeem my people."

The Verse of the Beast of the Earth

"For that mankind did not believe with Certainty in Our Signs" ( Sura 27:82 An Naml )

" It is I who was destined to divide mankind into the Two Camps; those who can read the name "Kafir" on the forehead of Osama bin Laden as the Masih ad-Dajjal and those who cannot; even though I cannot read Arabic; and would therefore be considered "illiterate" by most Muslims.

Those who can see that Osama bin Laden is the Antichrist will be those who hold their books in their right hand; and those who cannot will hold their books in their left hands. The believers of the Miracle of the Sun of Fatimah will enter the Barque of the Sufis which is the Ship of the Sun of Righteousness as the Ark of Salvation; the unbelievers will not believe in the Miracle of the Sun of Mary of Fatimah and will proceed into the Lake of Fire which is the Second Death. "

The Baraka of Khidr Rumi and Fatimah al Zahra; the Virgin of Light

As the least in the kingdom of heaven I stand as he who is greater than Sun Myung Moon;

who is John the Baptist: no matter how he denies it publicly.

To those who have confided to me that he admits it privately I will soon publish to be seen in my book,

in which I have his testimony firsthand from former members of his church. Inshallah; let the Work begin!

In these last days I have written much of the Sealed Book which I unsealed with the help of the Servant of Allah that mankind will find is His Servant John; the Greatest in Kingdom of heaven.

Yet no one would believe that I was sent by the Most High so now it is to Islam that I will now reveal myself even as it as Written.

I brand or "call" they who are the "believers" as those who can see that Osama bin Laden is the Masih ad-Dajjal by being able to read the name "Kafir" on his forehead; and those I brand or call "unbelievers" are those who cannot "see" that Osama bin Laden is the ad-Dajjal.

The Further Proof of Our Signs

It is the Sufi Sayed Hisham Kabbani who said that Abu Hurayra these words related in the hadith confirmed by Tirmidhi and Musnad Ahmad this saying of Muhammed about the Beast from the Earth; to wit;

"The Beast of the Earth will emerge, and will have with it the rod of Moses and the ring of Solomon"

The Rod of Moses is therefore seen as the Rod of Aaron: the Rod of the Regeneration; as when Isa raised Lazurus from the Grave even though he had decomposed and had begun to rot: thus I was raised by the Servant of Allah whom men will know as His Servant John the Divine; who wrote down the Revelation of Jesus Christ that is the Last Book of the Bible.

The Rod of God was then seen as that one by which the dead are raised to life even if they have decomposed; as few believe this possible; but those who saw Lazarus come forth certainly did believe; as when they rolled the stone away from the tomb of Lazarus the stench cause people to retch. The Sealed Book of Illiyun ( " El Elion": the Most High ) which is revealed in the "Revelation of Salvation" that I wrote after being instructed by the angel of John the Divine for 21 years is this book of the Lamb which I unsealed with my own ring that the Sufis returned to me along with my shoes and my garment that Isa took from me when he despoiled me of all my powers and goods I had gotten from Iblis when I had worshiped him to gain all the kingdoms of the earth and what I thought was eternal life.

It was I who was the one that tempted Isa when I opposed him in the Wilderness for 40 days when he defeated me: yet in my repentance and returning to restore all things I have begun to Redeem myself and save those who were lost; for the Ring of Solomon is the Gift of Prophecy."Inshallah; Peace be unto thee; the Envoy of the Word of Isa: the Word of Allah The Wrath of the Lamb;

the Offspring of David;the Lion of the Tribe of Judah The name that Nathan the prophet of David gave me is the one new name by which I was led out of the Abyss; and it is the new name written in the White Stone of Ephraim that Joshua holds with the Black Stone of Mecca; as the Lot of the Breastplate of Aaron: for as Lot was led out of Sodom so was I led out of the fallen City of St. Francis to New Hope; as Zoar;

"the little one"; yea;

"...and a little one shall become a thousand...".

even Jedidiah;

"The Beloved of Allah"

#"The Beloved of Allah

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wisdomrays · 5 years ago

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HOW SHOULD WE REACT TO THE EVIL THOUGHTS AND DESIRES?

Involuntary evil thoughts, fancies, or associations of ideas usually are the result of Satan's interference. Just as a battery has two poles, there are two central points to our hearts. These two poles work like the two poles of a battery; one receives angelic inspirations, while the other is susceptible to the suggestions of Satan.

Satan attacks us from all directions:

Another of Satan's ruses is to make trivial things seem important and vice versa. If believers dispute with each other over trivial matters (e.g., using prayer beads when glorifying God after the daily prescribed prayers), ignoring the fact that their children are being dragged along the road of disbelief and materialism, or that their children are drowning in the swamp of immorality, this is an indication that Satan has successfully seduced them.

Satan suggests disagreeable thoughts and desires:

Another ruse Satan employs is to cause good, devout believers to suspect the correctness or validity of their religious acts. For example a believer may ask him/herself: Did I pray correctly? Did I wash my face and hands thoroughly while making my wudu'? Have I washed the correct parts of my body the correct number of times? Believers who are pestered by such involuntary thoughts, whims, and doubts should know that their hearts play no role in these questions. Just like thieves who attempt to rob the wealthy and strong countries that try to control resource-rich countries, so Satan makes a last-ditch attempt to seduce believers by troubling their hearts.

We can compare such an attack to a person who has high tempera-ture. We know that the antibodies that are formed in the blood of an ill person inhibit or destroy harmful bacteria or germs. This is what causes the temperature of the body to rise. Similarly, a heart troubled by Satan's evil suggestions defends itself by struggling against them. Thus, it is not the heart that generates such thoughts, nor does the heart approve of these thoughts, nor adopt them. A reflection of something unclean is not itself unclean, and it cannot make others unclean. In the same way, thinking about disbelief is not the same thing as actual disbelief.

We might even say that Satan's evil suggestions are actually of benefit to believers, for they cause us to remain alert, to struggle against our carnal selves and against Satan, and to progress toward ever-higher spiritual ranks.

How to Keep Free of Satanic Suggestions

Believers who want to avoid this trap should distance themselves from sins, all of which Satan tries to make attractive. Heedlessness and the neglect of ones worship open the way to Satan's "arrows": If anyone withdraws himself (or herself) from remembrance of the All-Merciful, We assign unto him (or her) a devil as a comrade (43:36).

The Messenger advised: "If you become angry while standing, sit down; if you are sitting, lie down or stand up and make wudu'." Once while returning from a military expedition, the Prophet called for a halt in a certain place. His companions were so tired that they slept through the dawn prayer. When everyone awoke, the Prophet said that they should leave immediately, for "Satan rules here". The Prophet also said that Satan flees when the call to prayer is heard.

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bobbiysmael · 3 years ago

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Mercy Road (Live) - Worship Central

#mercyroad

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newstfionline · 3 years ago

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Tuesday, July 27, 2021

Sparked by pandemic fallout, homeschooling surges across US (AP) Although the pandemic disrupted family life across the U.S. since taking hold in spring 2020, some parents are grateful for one consequence: They’re now opting to homeschool their children, even as schools plan to resume in-person classes. The specific reasons vary widely. Some families who spoke with The Associated Press have children with special educational needs; others seek a faith-based curriculum or say their local schools are flawed. The common denominator: They tried homeschooling on what they thought was a temporary basis and found it beneficial to their children. “That’s one of the silver linings of the pandemic—I don’t think we would have chosen to homeschool otherwise,” said Danielle King of Randolph, Vermont, whose 7-year-old daughter Zoë thrived with the flexible, one-on-one instruction. The surge has been confirmed by the U.S. Census Bureau, which reported in March that the rate of households homeschooling their children rose to 11% by September 2020, more than doubling from 5.4% just six months earlier.

Facebook Wants You to Connect With God. On Facebook. (NYT) Months before the megachurch Hillsong opened its new outpost in Atlanta, its pastor sought advice on how to build a church in a pandemic. From Facebook. The social media giant had a proposition, Sam Collier, the pastor, recalled in an interview: to use the church as a case study to explore how churches can “go further farther on Facebook.” For months Facebook developers met weekly with Hillsong and explored what the church would look like on Facebook and what apps they might create for financial giving, video capability or livestreaming. Facebook, which recently passed $1 trillion in market capitalization, may seem like an unusual partner for a church whose primary goal is to share the message of Jesus. But the company has been cultivating partnerships with a wide range of faith communities over the past few years, from individual congregations to large denominations, like the Assemblies of God and the Church of God in Christ. Now, after the coronavirus pandemic pushed religious groups to explore new ways to operate, Facebook sees even greater strategic opportunity to draw highly engaged users onto its platform. The company aims to become the virtual home for religious community and wants churches, mosques, synagogues and others to embed their religious life into its platform, from hosting worship services and socializing more casually to soliciting money. It is developing new products, including audio and prayer sharing, aimed at faith groups.

A Mexican state suffers bloody fallout of cartel rivalry (AP) When they heard gunfire in the valley, residents locked their doors and cowered inside their homes. Some 200 armed men had just looted a gas station, according to a witness, and the shooting would continue for hours as an equal number from an opposing group confronted them. The authorities didn’t arrive until the next day. When they did, they found 18 bodies in San Juan Capistrano, a small community in Valparaíso, Zacatecas. The north-central Mexican state holds strategic importance for drugs being shipped to the United States. Mexico’s two strongest cartels—Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation—are locked in a battle for control. One month after the June 24 killings, there have been no arrests. The military has sent reinforcements, but killings continue across Zacatecas: a doctor here, a police officer there, a family killed, eight killed at a party, two girls shot along with their parents. In a country that has suffered more than a decade of violence at the hands of powerful drug cartels, the situation in Zacatecas, as well as violence-plagued states like Michoacán and Tamaulipas, shows that neither the head-on drug war launched by former President Felipe Calderón in 2006, nor the softer “hugs not bullets” approach of current President Andrés Manuel López Obrador have managed to break Mexico’s cycle of violence.

Cars, pavements washed away as Belgian town hit by worst floods in decade (Reuters) The southern Belgian town of Dinant was hit by the heaviest floods in decades on Saturday after a two-hour thunderstorm turned streets into torrential streams that washed away cars and pavements but did not kill anyone. Dinant was spared the deadly floods 10 days ago that killed 37 people in southeast Belgium and many more in Germany, but the violence of Saturday’s storm surprised many. “I have been living in Dinant for 57 years, and I’ve never seen anything like that,” Richard Fournaux, the former mayor of the town on the Meuse river and birthplace of the 19th century inventor of the saxophone, Adolphe Sax, said on social media.

London cleans up after flash flooding drenches homes, subway (Washington Post) Londoners were cleaning up Monday after torrential rain left homes, roads and several subway stations flooded, the second unseasonal inundation in as many weeks. Whipps Cross Hospital in the northeast of the city canceled all planned surgery and outpatient appointments on Monday after basement flooding damaged its electrical systems. Eight subway and train stations were closed Sunday because of flooding, including Pudding Mill Lane, an above-ground station where video footage showed water surging through a concourse and up stairs. Residents used buckets, brooms and wooden boards to create makeshift flood defenses for their homes as storm drains were overloaded in parts of the city. The rain followed a spell of hot, sunny weather that sent Britons to lakes and the sea in search of relief.

French parliament OKs restaurant COVID pass, vaccine rules (AP) France’s parliament approved a law early Monday requiring special virus passes for all restaurants and domestic travel and mandating vaccinations for all health workers. The law requires all workers in the health care sector to start getting vaccinated by Sept. 15, or risk suspension. It also requires a “health pass” to enter all restaurants, trains, planes and some other public venues. It initially applies to all adults, but will apply to everyone 12 and older starting Sept. 30. To get the pass, people must have proof they are fully vaccinated, recently tested negative or recently recovered from the virus. Paper or digital documents will be accepted. The law says a government decree will outline how to handle vaccination documents from other countries.

Europe’s hotels and restaurants are eager to welcome tourists—if they can find enough staff (Washington Post) As Europeans embark on their annual summer vacations, they are finding that some restaurants and hotels are still shuttered or operating at reduced hours, with many citing staff shortages. American hospitality businesses report similar problems, which put pressure on employers to raise wages and offer better benefits. Europe, though, wasn’t expecting this. Expansive wage subsidy and furlough programs were supposed to help workers get through the pandemic and ensure they would still be in place when businesses were able to reopen. Those programs appear to have worked for the people they covered. A study in the International Journal of Hospitality Management found businesses that put employees on paid furlough instead of laying them off were more likely to retain them beyond lockdowns. But seasonal workers, of the sort that staff resort hotels, had to apply for normal unemployment benefits instead. And, after 16 months of on-and-off lockdowns, it is increasingly clear that many of them sought out new, and, in some cases, more stable jobs in the retail industry and other sectors. Many may not return to hotel reception desks and restaurant kitchens anytime soon, if ever. France’s hospitality sector estimates that 150,000 workers have left the industry. In Germany, union experts estimate that every sixth worker—almost 300,000 people—left the sector last year. There are about 200,000 vacancies in the sector in Britain, where the effects of the pandemic have been compounded by Brexit.

Flooding in India (Foreign Policy) At least 135 people have died in India following a weekend of catastrophic flooding and landslides after heavy monsoon rains. More than 130,000 people have been rescued from villages across Maharashtra state, while at least 100 are still missing. India’s Central Water Commission has warned of “isolated very heavy rainfall” across the state, home to Mumbai, in the coming days. The rains follow similar downpours in Germany and China, as scientists warn that climate change could make India’s monsoons stronger.

Pandemic leaves Indians mired in massive medical debts (AP) As coronavirus cases ravaged India this spring, Anil Sharma visited his 24-year-old son Saurav at a private hospital in northwest New Delhi every day for more than two months. In May, as India’s new COVID-19 cases broke global records to reach 400,000 a day, Saurav was put on a ventilator. Saurav is home now, still weak and recovering. But the family’s joy is tempered by a mountain of debt that piled up while he was sick. Life has been tentatively returning to normal in India as new coronavirus cases have fallen. But millions are embroiled in a nightmare of huge piles of medical bills. Most Indians don’t have health insurance and costs for COVID-19 treatment have them drowning in debt. The pandemic has devastated India’s economy, bringing financial calamity to millions at the mercy of its chronically underfunded and fragmented healthcare system.

Pandemic Olympics endured heat, and now a typhoon's en route (AP) First, the sun. Now: the wind and the rain. The Tokyo Olympics, delayed by the pandemic and opened under oppressive heat, are due for another hit of nature’s power: a typhoon arriving Tuesday morning that is forecast to disrupt at least some parts of the Games. Don’t worry, Japanese hosts say: In U.S. terms, the incoming weather is just a mid-grade tropical storm. And the surfers at Tsurigasaki beach say Tropical Storm Nepartak could actually improve the competition so long as it doesn’t hit the beach directly. Any sort of rain—typhoon, tropical storm, or even light sprinkling—will be a wild swing from the first three days of the Games. Svetlana Gomboeva collapsed from heatstroke on the first day of archery but recovered to win a silver medal. Top-seeded Novak Djokovic and Medvedev, who complained his first round match was “some of the worst” heat he’d ever played in, successfully leaned on the International Tennis Federation to give Olympics players extra time during breaks to offset the high temperatures.

Tunisian democracy in crisis after president ousts government (Reuters) Tunisia faced its biggest crisis in a decade of democracy on Monday after President Kais Saied ousted the government and froze parliament. It follows months of deadlock and disputes between Saied, a political independent, Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and a fragmented parliament as Tunisia has descended deeper into an economic crisis exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Supporters of the rival sides threw stones at each other outside parliament on Monday morning. The move poses the greatest risk to Tunisia’s stability since the 2011 revolution that triggered the “Arab spring” and ousted an autocracy in favour of democratic rule, but which failed to deliver sound governance or prosperity.

#headlines #news

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dfroza · 3 years ago

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Israel is the original branches of the Tree of faith.

and grace connects us to this sacred Tree and its roots of our Creator, the Maker of the heavens and the earth. and Israel is destined to see the True illumination of the Son as Messiah at some point, for even all of the Old Testament writing points to Him.

Today’s reading of the Scriptures from the New Testament is the 11th chapter of the Letter of Romans where Paul writes of this:

Now I ask you, has God rejected His people? Absolutely not! I’m living proof that God is faithful. I am an Israelite, Abraham’s my father, and Benjamin’s my tribe. God has not, and will not, abandon His covenant people; He always knew they would belong to Him. Don’t you remember the story of what happens when Elijah pleads with God to deal with Israel? The Scripture tells us his protest: “Lord, they have murdered Your prophets, they have demolished Your altars, and I alone am left faithful to You; now they are seeking to kill me.” How does God answer his pleas for help? He says, “I have held back 7,000 men who are faithful to Me; none have bowed a knee to worship Baal.” The same thing is happening now. God has preserved a remnant, elected by grace. Grace is central in God’s action here, and it has nothing to do with deeds prescribed by the law. If it did, grace would not be grace.

Now what does all this mean? Israel has chased an end it has never reached. Yet those chosen by God through grace have reached it while all others were made hard as stones. The Scriptures continue to say it best:

God has confounded them so they are not able to think,

given them eyes that do not see, and ears that do not hear,

Down to this very day.

David says it this way:

Let their table be turned into a snare and a trap,

an obstacle to peace and payback for their hostility.

Let their bright eyes become cloudy, darkened so they cannot see,

and bend their proud backs through it all.

So I ask: did God’s people stumble and fall off the deep end? Absolutely not! They are not lost forever; but through their misconduct, the door has been opened for salvation to extend even to the outsiders. This has been part of God’s plan all along, and so is the jealousy that comes when they realize the outsiders have been welcomed into God’s new covenant. So if their misconduct leads ultimately to God’s riches coming to the world and if their failure turns into the blessing of salvation to all people, then how much greater will be the riches and blessing when they are included fully?

But I have this to say to all of you who are not ethnic Jews: I am God’s emissary to you, and I honor this call by focusing on what God is doing with and through you. I do this so that somehow my own blood brothers and sisters will be made jealous; and that, I trust, will bring some to salvation. If the fact that they are currently set aside resolves the hostility between God and the rest of the world, what will their acceptance bring if not life from the dead? If the first and best of the dough you offer is sacred, the entire loaf will be as well. If the root of the tree is sacred, the branches will be also.

Imagine some branches are cut off of the cultivated olive tree and other branches of a wild olive (which represents all of you outsiders) are grafted in their place. You are nourished by the root of the cultivated olive tree. It doesn’t give you license to become proud and self-righteous about the fact that you’ve been grafted in. If you do boast, remember that the branches do not sustain the root—it is the system of roots that nourishes and supports you.

I can almost hear some of you saying, “Branches had to be pruned to make room for me.” Yes, they were. They were removed because they did not believe; and you will stay attached, be strong, and be productive only through faith. So don’t think too highly of yourselves; instead, stand in awe of God’s mercy. Besides we know that God did not spare the natural branches, so there is no reason to think He will spare you. Witness the simultaneous balance of the kindness and severity of our God. Severity is directed at the fallen branches withering without faith. Yet kindness is directed at you. So live in the kindness of God or else prepare to be cut off yourselves. If those branches that have been cut from the tree do not stay in unbelief, then God will carefully graft them back onto the tree because He has the power to do that. So if it is possible for you to be taken from a wild olive tree and become part of a cultivated olive tree, imagine how much easier it would be to reconnect branches that originally grew on that olive tree.

My brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be in the dark about this mystery—I am going to let you in on the plan so that you will not think too highly of yourselves. A part of Israel has been hardened to the good news until the full number of those outside the Jewish family have entered in. This is the way that all of Israel will be saved. As it was written, so it also stands:

The Deliverer will come from Zion;

He will drive away wickedness from Jacob.

And this is My covenant promise to them,

on the day when I take away their sins.

It may seem strange. When it comes to the work of the gospel, the fact that they oppose it is actually for your benefit. But when you factor in God’s election, they are truly loved because they descended from faithful forefathers. You see, when God gives a grace gift and issues a call to a people, He does not change His mind and take it back. There was a time when you outsiders were disobedient to God and at odds with His purpose, but now you have experienced mercy as a result of their disobedience. In the same way, their disobedience now will make a way for them to receive mercy as a result of the mercy shown to you. For God has assigned all of us together—Jews and non-Jews, insiders and outsiders—to disobedience so He can show His mercy to all.

We cannot wrap our minds around God’s wisdom and knowledge! Its depths can never be measured! We cannot understand His judgments or explain the mysterious ways that He works! For,

Who can fathom the mind of the Lord?

Or who can claim to be His advisor?

Or,

Who can give to God in advance

so that God must pay him back?

For all that exists originates in Him, comes through Him, and is moving toward Him; so give Him the glory forever. Amen.

The Letter of Romans, Chapter 11 (The Voice)

Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments is the 30th chapter of the book (scroll) of Isaiah that reveals the danger of following a path of lies:

“Doom, rebel children!”

God’s Decree.

“You make plans, but not mine.

You make deals, but not in my Spirit.

You pile sin on sin,

one sin on top of another,

Going off to Egypt

without so much as asking me,

Running off to Pharaoh for protection,

expecting to hide out in Egypt.

Well, some protection Pharaoh will be!

Some hideout, Egypt!

They look big and important, true,

with officials strategically established in

Zoan in the north and Hanes in the south,

but there’s nothing to them.

Anyone stupid enough to trust them

will end up looking stupid—

All show, no substance,

an embarrassing farce.”

And this note on the animals of the Negev

encountered on the road to Egypt:

A most dangerous, treacherous route,

menaced by lions and deadly snakes.

And you’re going to lug all your stuff down there,

your donkeys and camels loaded down with bribes,

Thinking you can buy protection

from that hollow farce of a nation?

Egypt is all show, no substance.

My name for her is Toothless Dragon.

So, go now and write all this down.

Put it in a book

So that the record will be there

to instruct the coming generations,

Because this is a rebel generation,

a people who lie,

A people unwilling to listen

to anything God tells them.

They tell their spiritual leaders,

“Don’t bother us with irrelevancies.”

They tell their preachers,

“Don’t waste our time on impracticalities.

Tell us what makes us feel better.

Don’t bore us with obsolete religion.

That stuff means nothing to us.

Quit hounding us with The Holy of Israel.”

Therefore, The Holy of Israel says this:

“Because you scorn this Message,

Preferring to live by injustice

and shape your lives on lies,

This perverse way of life

will be like a towering, badly built wall

That slowly, slowly tilts and shifts,

and then one day, without warning, collapses—

Smashed to bits like a piece of pottery,

smashed beyond recognition or repair,

Useless, a pile of debris

to be swept up and thrown in the trash.”

God, the Master, The Holy of Israel,

has this solemn counsel:

“Your salvation requires you to turn back to me

and stop your silly efforts to save yourselves.

Your strength will come from settling down

in complete dependence on me—

The very thing

you’ve been unwilling to do.

You’ve said, ‘No way! We’ll rush off on horseback!’

You’ll rush off, all right! Just not far enough!

You’ve said, ‘We’ll ride off on fast horses!’

Do you think your pursuers ride old nags?

Think again: A thousand of you will scatter before one attacker.

Before a mere five you’ll all run off.

There’ll be nothing left of you—

a flagpole on a hill with no flag,

a signpost on a roadside with the sign torn off.”

But God’s not finished. He’s waiting around to be gracious to you.

He’s gathering strength to show mercy to you.

God takes the time to do everything right—everything.

Those who wait around for him are the lucky ones.

Oh yes, people of Zion, citizens of Jerusalem, your time of tears is over. Cry for help and you’ll find it’s grace and more grace. The moment he hears, he’ll answer. Just as the Master kept you alive during the hard times, he’ll keep your teacher alive and present among you. Your teacher will be right there, local and on the job, urging you on whenever you wander left or right: “This is the right road. Walk down this road.” You’ll scrap your expensive and fashionable god-images. You’ll throw them in the trash as so much garbage, saying, “Good riddance!”

God will provide rain for the seeds you sow. The grain that grows will be abundant. Your cattle will range far and wide. Oblivious to war and earthquake, the oxen and donkeys you use for hauling and plowing will be fed well near running brooks that flow freely from mountains and hills. Better yet, on the Day God heals his people of the wounds and bruises from the time of punishment, moonlight will flare into sunlight, and sunlight, like a whole week of sunshine at once, will flood the land.

* * *

Look, God’s on his way,

and from a long way off!

Smoking with anger,

immense as he comes into view,

Words steaming from his mouth,

searing, indicting words!

A torrent of words, a flash flood of words

sweeping everyone into the vortex of his words.

He’ll shake down the nations in a sieve of destruction,

herd them into a dead end.

But you will sing,

sing through an all-night holy feast!

Your hearts will burst with song,

make music like the sound of flutes on parade,

En route to the mountain of God,

on the way to the Rock of Israel.

God will sound out in grandiose thunder,

display his hammering arm,

Furiously angry, showering sparks—

cloudburst, storm, hail!

Oh yes, at God’s thunder

Assyria will cower under the clubbing.

Every blow God lands on them with his club

is in time to the music of drums and pipes,

God in all-out, two-fisted battle,

fighting against them.

Topheth’s fierce fires are well prepared,

ready for the Assyrian king.

The Topheth furnace is deep and wide,

well stoked with hot-burning wood.

God’s breath, like a river of burning pitch,

starts the fire.

The Book (Scroll) of Isaiah, Chapter 30 (The Message)

A link to my personal reading of the Scriptures for Thursday, july 8 of 2021 with a paired chapter from each Testament of the Bible along with Today’s Proverbs and Psalms

A post by John Parsons that looks at “temptation”:

Where it is written, “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Cor. 10:13), we note that the Greek text says that God will actively “make with the temptation the way of escape” (ποιήσει σὺν τῷ πειρασμῷ καὶ τὴν ἔκβασιν) so that you may be able to bear it.... When I was younger, I tended to think of temptation as the appeal to gratify my flesh, to impulsively seek hedonistic pleasure, and so on, but now I understand “temptation” (πειρασμό) to encompass far more than just that. For instance, whenever I am inclined to regard my experience in human or “natural” terms, apart from the consciousness of God’s all-pervading and sustaining presence, then I am surely under temptation. This encouraging verse, then, assures us of the Divine Presence in every moment, at every turn of our journey, and in every circumstance. God is always present to help you as you turn to him in faith. The sages state in this regard: “God creates the cure before the plague,” meaning that His love is the foundation of all things: עוֹלָם חֶסֶד יִבָּנֶה / olam chesed yibaneh: “steadfast love built the world” (Psalm 89:2). Just as God created mankind only after He created the pathway of repentance (i.e., the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world”: Eph. 1:4, Heb. 4:4, Rev 13:8), so the escape from temptation was likewise foreseen and provided. In all things, then, may we humble ourselves and seek God’s face, understanding our radical dependence upon Him for our deliverance. Amen. [Hebrew for Christians]

7.6.21 • Facebook

and another post about True identity:

One of the great tragedies of life - perhaps the greatest tragedy of all - is to walk your days without knowing the truth about why you exist and who you really are. The Torah reveals that you are created "b'tzelem Elohim" (בצלם אלהים), in the very "image of God," for the purpose of knowing your Creator and understanding his love for you. Sin, however, has marred the divine image and therefore it needs to be recreated by means of the miracle of spiritual regeneration (1 Pet. 1:23). "This is the life of eternity: to know you, the only true God, and Yeshua the Messiah whom you have sent" (John 17:3).

Any "anthropology" or idea of man that is not grounded in this central reason for human existence debases the transcendent realm of the human to that of a "object" subject to impersonal forces... Naturalism reduces man to an animal that perishes and is no more (2 Pet. 2:12). The truth that our inmost existence is healed by regeneration restores us to the realm of the divine, reflecting the image of God anew, and therefore we are instructed to respect ourselves by honoring the gift of life that has been bestowed to us.

It is written: "A man is glorious, but if he does not understand, he is likened to a beast that perishes" (Psalm 49:20). Such a person is dehumanized and loses his connection with who he really is, for like an animal that is without "likeness" (דמה) to God, so he will be devoid of spiritual perspective, reasoning that all that is real concerns the immediacy of the present hour. He will be limited and bound to the dark "matrix" of this world wherein everything seems "natural" and everything happens as a result of material causes alone. The "natural man" can live his entire life without recognizing God's hand at work behind the scenes. His presuppositions and hardness of heart blind his eyes from apprehending spiritual reality. Those who have come alive and know God through the blessing of Yeshua the Messiah, however, shall also bear the image of the man of heaven, and "we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit" (2 Cor. 3:18). [Hebrew for Christians]

to be followed by a post about the significance of our words:

Yeshua said that as a tree is to its fruit, so is a person’s heart is to his speech. Our words arise from an underlying source and root: "I tell you, on the Day of Judgment people will give account for every careless word (πᾶν ῥῆμα ἀργὸν) they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned" (Matt. 12:36-37). First note that the phrase translated "every careless word" can be understood as "every 'workless' word," that is, every vain or empty word spoken, every broken promise, every insincere utterance, and so on. Second, note that there is a relationship between naming and being in Hebrew thought, and indeed the Hebrew word davar (דּבר), usually translated as “word,” can also mean "thing." This suggests that our words define reality - not in an absolute sense, of course - but in terms of our perspective and attitude, and for that we are held responsible before the LORD. Since our words express our thoughts, Yeshua wants us to make up our minds: “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit” (Matt. 12:33)

The tongue expresses the condition of the heart, since "from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Luke 6:45). Therefore the root issue concerns the heart (לֵב), the “midst of the self” that wills, desires, and chooses how to interpret and describe the world. If we choose to see from a heart of fear, we will tend to use our words as a weapon; but if we see with a heart of faith, we will extend compassion and seek to build others up....

In the Book of Proverbs we read, "When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is wise" (10:19). The Chofetz Chaim comments: "When people are preparing a telegram, notice how carefully they consider each word before they put it down. That is how careful we must be when we speak." As James the Righteous admonishes us: "Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger" (James 1:19). [Hebrew for Christians]

7.7.21 • Facebook

Today’s message (Days of Praise) from the Institute for Creation Research

July 8, 2021

Submission

“Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.” (Ephesians 5:21)

Normally in today’s world we are told to strive for the top. Desire to be “Number 1” overshadows the biblical injunction of submission. But when we are truly in a right relationship with God, we will be submitting to one another. Christ taught that servanthood was of much greater value in the eyes of God than mastery.

We all know too many examples of churches that have been split by conflicts arising from selfishness among the believers or an unwillingness to serve. “From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?” (James 4:1). A Spirit-filled Christian (Ephesians 5:18) desires to submit and serve rather than to assert and rule.

The same thought is reflected throughout Scripture: “Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5). “Obey them [i.e., spiritual leaders] that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls” (Hebrews 13:17). We must also submit to “every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake” (1 Peter 2:13).

The word “submit” is a translation of two Greek words meaning “to line up under.” It usually reflects a military hierarchy, “to rank lower than.” Our goal, therefore, should be to place others above ourselves and to be in submission to and in service of them.

This attitude, of course, was the attitude that Christ exhibited as He left heaven to come and serve, and die, who “took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:7-8). JDM

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albertfinch · 2 years ago

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HIDDEN IN CHRIST

HIDDEN IN THE CLEFT OF THE ROCK

We are "hidden in Christ," and that, because of Him, we are seated in heavenly places (see Colossians 3:3 and Ephesians 2:6)! God is hiding us right now in the cleft of the rock. The Rock is Jesus Christ, and no matter what we are experiencing, we are hidden completely in Christ. We are protected, loved and provided for. His glory is in us and we are seated in heavenly places with Him. It's time for us to see ourselves as victorious over every situation. His grace will be there for anything we need as we move forward, leaving the past behind and possessing every promise!

"For God alone, my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation." - Psalm 62:1

CENTRAL PLACE OF THE INWARD WALK

Be silent and visit the quiet recesses of your own heart -- there you will hear God's voice.

You cannot retire too much from the mindless chatter of the world. You don't need much time to tell God that you love Him! Lift your heart to Him. Worship Him in the depths of your spirit.

By not speaking, desiring, nor reasoning, we reach the central place of the inward walk -- that place where God speaks to our inward man. It is there that God communicates Himself to our spirit.

We come to observe that marvelous pull that Jesus had as He walked along the road day after day "God-intoxicated" and radiant with the endless communion of His soul with God.

QUESTIONS TO ASK MYSELF:

Am I willing to come openly before God, presenting my heart naked before Him?

Am I willing to cast all aside that would grieve His presence?

PRAYER:

Father God, I know that it is Your desire to reveal Your divine glory through me because I believe. Draw me unto Yourself and that You would begin to reveal Your glory in me and through me. Lord, I cry out for more of Your presence! Without You and Your presence I will never completely fulfill your PURPOSE FOR MY LIFE. You are all that I need in life to be content. Empower me as I pursue my DESTINY in Christ and the fruit-bearing demonstration of Your Kingdom on earth. In Jesus' name. Amen.

ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

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quranreadalong · 7 years ago

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#58, Surah 9

THE QURAN READ-ALONG: DAY 58

(Don’t worry, it’s not blood, it’s I Can’t Believe It’s Not Blood!™ Unlike the very real blood of the disbelievers shed in this surah, LOL!)

Well thots, we’re finally here, at the chronological end of the Quran. Surah nine is called Al-Tawbah (the repentance) and it is the worst surah in the entire book. It is violent, horrifically intolerant, egotistical, and contains very little goodness. It is a manual for imperialism and provided the justification for all manners of brutal Islamic conquests. Can’t wait to write about it!!!!

This is one of the very last suwar of Mohammed’s whole career as a prophet; it was revealed even later than surah 5. Only the very short, three-ayat-long surah 110 comes after it. This is the last complete surah of the Quran, chronologically speaking. So these were Allah’s final revelations. After you read the surah, I think that will speak for itself.

Due to the timeframe here, this surah requires a bit of a long intro and a lot of further explanation throughout. This is from around the year 630 AD, after the Islamic conquest of Mecca, when Mohammed became Hijaz’s Next Top Model and was essentially running the place. His army was now huge, swelled by the ranks of the conquered Quraysh and various Bedouin clans. Almost immediately thereafter he began expanding his sphere of influence via conquest. There are two battles in particular that we’ll talk about this surah. First is the Battle of Hunayn, wherein the Muslim armies raided a city south of Mecca and took its people as slaves. After that, Mohammed’s armies tried and failed to besiege the much larger polytheistic city of Taif into submission. Don’t worry about it right now, we will talk about all of these incidents and more in obnoxious depth!!!

Anyway, around that time, Mohammed ordered his followers to march north to fight “the Byzantines”. Mohammed marched his enormous forces north to the city of Tabouk. He didn’t find any Byzantines there, but he did find many disbelievers minding their damn business and living in peace; he promptly demanded they either convert to Islam, pay him jizya, or die. By pure coincidence, times were a bit rough in Arabia at the time, and a drought had produced a food shortage that caused people to grumble. Mohammed’s forces had also recently lost a battle in the area in embarrassing fashion and his pride was wounded. A curiously great time to force people to humble themselves before you and give you money and supplies. This was the first time Muslims conquered Christian cities (previously they had only conquered Jewish and polytheistic ones). The conquest of Tabouk and previous conquests of Hunayn and Mecca strangled the remaining central Arabian holdout cities like Taif; the city fell that same year. Mohammed destroyed its temple and told its people to “embrace Islam”.

This was the true beginning of the Islamic conquest of Arabia, the results of which would be the total destruction of Arab polytheism and the domination of the Islamic empire over the entire peninsula (and later far beyond that). The surah is, accordingly, essentially a manual for conquering people and forcing them to submit to your armies and your religion. A smaller part of it is concerned with shaming and dooming those Muslims who refused to be part of the conquest. The Good Muslim/Bad Muslim paradigm is firmly established in this surah, and Good Muslims are those who followed Mohammed’s orders to--in his own words--fight against those who do not follow Islam until they are “brought low” and made to pay the jizya tax (or else convert).

Mohammed died around two years after this surah. He didn’t live to see Islam conquer territory outside of Arabia, but his successors would. Let’s read some of his last Allah-inspired thoughts.

We plunge into shit with this surah--we don’t even have the usual basmala (in the name of Allah the most gracious the most merciful) that prefaces every other surah, perhaps because Allah sure as fuck ain’t merciful here. The very first line informs disbelievers that, if any of them have treaties with the Muslims, those treaties are going to be over real soon. Such was the value of making a treaty with the Muslim community--Mohammed would declare it null and void on “but they’re EVIL DISBELIEVERS!” grounds.

An Islamic site describes the situation in rather blunt terms:

This proclamation practically reduced the mushriks [polytheists] of Arabia to the position of outlaws and no place of shelter was left for them, for the major part of the country had come under the sway of Islam. As this released the Muslims from the obligations of the treaties made with them and forestalled them, they were driven into a tight corner.

The disbelievers are given four months of freedom (to travel without being attacked). After that, they should be aware that “ye cannot escape Allah” and that “Allah will confound the disbelievers”. If any of them want to complain about this complete and utter bullshit, Mohammed has the following to offer:

Allah is free from obligation to the idolaters, and (so is) His messenger.

Mohammed doesn’t owe disbelievers a goddamn thing and can break treaties with them whenever he damn well chooses. That same ayah also mentions the “painful doom to those who disbelieve”. Kuffar hell counter: 1, and all bad so far. I told y’all this surah was shit.

9:4 is a brief break from the badness and lets us into some much-needed neutral territory. It vaguely says that those people who have (fixed-length) treaties and have “abated nothing of your right” will not have their treaties broken, per se; rather the treaties will run their agreed-upon course and simply not be renewed. Ibn Kathir explains:

Those whose treaty mentioned a specific limited term, then the longest it would extend was to the point of its agreed upon termination date. ... So anyone who had a treaty with Allah's Messenger, it lasted until its specific termination date. However, those in this category were required to refrain from breaking the terms of the agreement with Muslims and from helping non-Muslims against Muslims. This is the type whose peace agreement with Muslims was carried out to its end.

(The tafsir attributed to Ibn Abbas says that this applies to, uh, one clan, one belonging to a tribe called the Banu Kinanah, who got to keep their treaty of nine months. So really they only got an extra few months of peace for not “abating” the Muslims’ rights.) By the way, the “right” was the right of conquest. Non-Muslims could not help anyone being attacked by Mohammed’s forces, even if they were also allied with those being attacked.

But as for the rest, what exactly happens after those four months are up? What will happen to them?

The answer is stated very clearly in 9:5. This is called the “ayah of the sword”. Remember when we came across that “no compulsion in religion” ayah way back when, and the tafsir said “this was abrogated in surah Repentance”? Yeah, Allah changed his mind I guess.

Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, and take them (captive), and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush. But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then leave their way free.

Once you’re outside the period of those four months, fucking murder and enslave the polytheists until they become Muslim. What a happy goddamn start to the surah!

This is the worst ayah in the Quran--yes, worse than the rape, worse than the punishments for lewd women, worse than the demented ranting about Jews. The reason for this is because it was fully carried out. Arab polytheists were rendered extinct by Mo & His Friendship Gang.

You’ll find lots of apologists trying to whitewash this, obviously, as it is terrible, saying it only applies to self-defense or whatever. It very clearly does not and I’m not going to insult your intelligence by pretending otherwise. It instructs Muslims to ambush the polytheists and either kill or capture them unless they “embrace Islam”. That’s what it says. Point blank. And that is what Muslims did. I will do a long series of posts on this soon, but this era was defined by raids, battles, sieges, and the like. The tafsir of Ibn Kathir further emphasizes:

do not wait until you find them. Rather, seek and besiege them in their areas and forts, gather intelligence about them in the various roads and fairways so that what is made wide looks ever smaller to them. This way, they will have no choice but to die or embrace Islam

Mohammed was attempting to purge the entire Arabian peninsula of polytheism and he would be successful.

According to tradition, all this was revealed at Mohammed’s request by his son-in-law Ali in Mecca. In addition to breaking their treaties with non-Muslims, Ali announced that polytheists were hereafter barred from the pilgrimage (remember when Mohammed said that barring Muslims from the pilgrimage was fitna? Those were the days...) and that the polytheistic practice of stripping while going around the Kaaba was banned.

Well. This is going just dandy so far. By surah 9′s extremely terrible standards, we come across a good ayah in 9:6, where Muslims are told to preach the Quran to those polytheists who beg them for protection before they’re attacked (and not kill them, so they have time to reflect and hopefully “embrace Islam” before Mohammed’s people come around again). I mean, using people’s fear of death to convert them is slightly sketchy, but as I said, we’re gonna have low standards this surah or else we will literally have zero good verses.

9:7 is a likewise “ehhh” good ayah, saying that now that Allah’s declared open warfare on the polytheists, Muslims aren’t allowed to make new treaties with any of them from this point on. I mean, that’s logical. Hard to be allies with someone you’re ethnically cleansing. The “good” part comes from Allah granting an exception to “those with whom ye made a treaty at the Inviolable Place of Worship” (in Mecca)--those treaties can run their courses as long as they are “upright”.

Some tafsir authors connect this one to 9:4 and assume it is likewise about the Banu Kinanah. A minority opinion states that this is about a treaty made between the Quraysh and a Kinanah clan called the Banu Bakr before the Quraysh surrendered and converted to Islam. In that interpretation, this could run its course by virtue of being signed near a holy site. Most others say it was about the Quraysh themselves; they had a treaty with Mo (which we’ll talk about soon), though it was broken multiple times and then Mo trashed it by conquering Mecca. So maybe this was like... a grace period, or something, concerning those conquered Qurayshi individuals who had not immediately converted upon the city’s surrender. I dunno.

Regardless, the others are all bad people who just pretend to be nice. They’re evil wrongdoers so they don’t get to keep their treaties (bad!). Mohammed says this is okay because the evildoers don’t respect Muslims enough to honor their treaties anyway, so there’s no harm in Muslims breaking the treaties before they get the chance to do it. This is just.... classic Mo. Projection, accusing someone else of trying to harm you while you’re being the aggressor, instilling a victimhood complex in your followers even when they’re running the entire region at this point. We saw this already with the incident that resulted in the battles of Badr and Uhud; we will see it again when talking about Khaybar, Tabouk, Taif, etc. Bad.

We’ll stop there for today since the intro was so long.

I need a drink even though I don’t drink. Christ.

NEXT TIME: “Fight them!”

The Quran Read-Along: Day 58

Ayat: 10

Good: 2 (9:6-7)

Neutral: 1 (9:4)

Bad: 7 (9:1-3. 9:5, 9:8-10)

Kuffar hell counter: 1 (9:3)

⇚ previous day | next day ⇛

#quranreadalong #surah 9 #at tawbah

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basicsofislam · 5 years ago

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ISLAM 101: Muslim Culture and Character: Dynamics of Spiritual Life: Part 1

REACTING TO EVIL THOUGHTS AND DESIRES

Q: How should we react to the evil thoughts and desires whispered by Satan?

Satan attacks us from all directions:

When Satan was cursed by God for his disobedience, Satan asked for respite until the Day of Judgment, also desiring permission to try to lead human beings astray in the meantime. God granted this request, and Satan then replied: Then I shall come upon them from before them and from behind them and from their right and from their left, and you will not find most of them grateful (7:17). Satan does everything he can to mislead us. As God manifests all of His Names on us in this testing world, we are very complex beings. We have been sent here to be trained and developed into a mirror of God, and in this way to earn eternal happiness. In order to do this, we must train and develop all of our God-given feelings, skills, and abilities. If we do not bring all of these under control (e.g., our intellect, temper, greed, obstinacy, and lust) nor direct them toward lofty goals, but rather allow these feelings to be abused for disagreeable purposes, our present and future life will be endangered. This is also true if we do not bring our natural animal desires under control by satisfying them in ways acceptable to God.

Satan cannot use these means to seduce believers who are devout and believing. Rather, he approaches such believers from the right side and encourages them to be ostentatious and proud, to take pride in their virtues and their good deeds. He whispers to them that they are the best of believers until feelings of conceit and desire for praise take over in the person. When such a point is reached, these believers begin their journey on the road to perdition. For example, if a believer prays the supererogatory prayer at night and then boasts that he/she has done so in the hopes that others will praise him/her, or if a believer begins to take credit for his/her accomplishments and good deeds while criticizing others behind their backs, then such a person has fallen under the influence of Satan. We must do our best to resist Satan when he comes upon us from this direction.

Satan suggests disagreeable thoughts and desires:

How to Keep Free of Satanic Suggestions

In fact, the guile of Satan is not great (4:76). It is like a cobweb that appears in your path it cannot prevent you from progressing, and you should not attach any great importance to it. Satan only suggests or whispers, he dresses up sinful acts as something desirable, presenting them in cheap, shiny paper. Believers must never accept his invitation. When Satan resorts to whispering, we should realize that he is using his least powerful weapon and ignore him. If we pay attention to these distractions, we may be defeated. Like a commander whose fear causes him to hallucinate and dispatch his soldiers to the front, leaving the flanks exposed, believers who listen to Satan weaken their ability to resist not only him but their carnal selves. In the end, these are the believers who are defeated.

Satan also uses indecent thoughts and events to lead believers astray. He torments us by enticing us with illicit pleasures. On such occasions, we must remind ourselves that indulging in any such pleasure will engender remorse and may endanger both our present and future lives. We must never forget that life in this world is no more than a passing toy, a comforting illusion and that the real or true life is that of the Hereafter. When some Companions hesitated to take part in the summer expedition to Tabuk because of the scorching heat, God warned them: The heat of Hell is much more intense, if they would but understand (9:81).

If we remember the All-Merciful, focus on holy and blessed events and live a pious life, then will we be able to resist Satans call.

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guidetourme · 5 years ago

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An Insider's Guide to Kolkata

An Insider's Guide to Kolkata, Nearby Kolkata Tourist Spot

The energy and excitement is always palpable in the atmosphere of Kolkata, a city where the old and the new live in peaceful co-existence, much like its multicultural community that has thrived for generations. Crowded roads, slow-moving traffic, and the continuous honking of vehicles can overwhelm you. But, once you are here you would need to dive beneath its surface and discover the many colors of the city. We take you to a journey into the alleys of the city to help you explore its true charm.

Bowbazar

Bowbazar was the gray area of the city in the colonial era where the non-British, non-Indian population settled after Kolkata was divided into Black and White areas. Most organized photo tours will take you to this place to capture the Anglo-Asian back streets of Bowbazar marked with red-bricked buildings and contrast dark green shutters.

Breakfast at Territi bazaar

Even unknown to many city dwellers, this tiny street is a hidden gem of Kolkata. Located at a close distance from Central Metro Station, the market bursts into activity right from 5 am in the morning. The place was once inhabited by more than 20,000 Chinese who came to India back in the 1780s, and had since then, made rich contributions to shape the city’s food culture. While most of the Chinese food sellers have moved to Chinatown in the eastern peripheries of Kolkata, Territi bazaar still sells some authentic Chinese food that will haunt your taste buds for a long long time. Visit this place between 6 am to 8 am and find the Chinese women and men selling home-cooked Chinese delicacies like Dimsums, chicken/ fish ball soup, baos and dumplings, chicken/ pork pies and a lot more.

China Town

China Town in Kolkata is mainly known for its Chinese eateries that serve great Chinese food at lower prices. But, there is more to this place than just-food. You can find stuff that isn’t available anywhere else. Ting Son and Co. in China Town is still carrying the legacy of best-handcrafted shoes in the city in the midst of large scale incursion by the shopping malls and eCommerce sites. You can find stylish made-to-order moccasins and brogues, here. While in China Town, you can get your own copy of the Chinese Newspaper. The Chinese daily is published from Tangra and contains news from international and national newspapers as well as electronic media. This newspaper is the only broadsheet in Chinese published in India. If you happen to be in Kolkata in February, you can witness Dragon dance shows, an essential part of the Chinese New Year celebrations that stretch for 10-15 days. The dancers perform in groups and visit the establishments and households in the locality to bless them for the New Year.

Chinese Temples

Kolkata is home to some very traditional Chinese temples, one can spot in the narrow bylanes of Territi bazaar. The temples here bear the ‘church’ tag from the British colonial administrative practices. In the past, these temples played a pivotal role as centers of social and cultural development for the Chinese community. Till today, the Chinese people come together in the evenings to pray, socialize and celebrate festivals.

Sea Ip Church

This temple is more than 100 years old and is dedicated to Guan Yin, the goddess of kindness, mercy, and compassion. It is the easiest to locate all the six Chinese temples in Territi Bazaar. To visit this temple you have to come to the Indian Exchange Place (Extension) and you can find the building located at one side of the Kolkata Improvement Trust. Once you reach here, the sloped roof in red with inverted porcelain fishes will attract your attention instantly. The temple is on the top floor of the building and has the main shrine and a chapel. The numerous idols and statues of Chinese gods and goddesses, roof and wall hangings can be seen here. If you are lucky you may get the chance to witness a religious ceremony in the temple.

Toong On Church

As you leave the Indian Exchange Place (Extension) and walk towards the Kolkata Telephone Kendra, you will come across a beautiful two-storied red-bricked building. On the first floor of this building was the Toong On Church and the top floor housed the oldest Chinese restaurant of Kolkata, the famous Nanking Restaurant. Set up in 1924, the restaurant was famed for its authentic Chinese food. Bollywood stars like Dilip Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, and Meena Kumari would come to Nanking during their visits to Kolkata. Filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee portrayed Nanking of the 1940s in his thriller Detective Byomkesh Bakshi. The good days of Nanking could not last beyond the 1980s when the restaurant had to close down owing to a property dispute which has not been settled yet. Toong On Church moved to Bow Street in Bou Bazar after the building was locked under a court order, but Nanking Restaurant did not start entertaining food lovers from a different address.

Gee Hing Church

Walk to Blackburn Lane from India Exchange Place to find Gee Hing Church housed on top of the Chen’s Carpentry Shop. This temple remains closed on most of the days which makes it difficult to access the place. The deity of the temple is Kwan Kun, the Chinese God of the Sea. There is a framed picture of The God in an intricately carved metallic and wooden altar. The temple also has Gee Hing Club which is famous Mahjong sessions. The two rooms are full of richly carved wooden furniture pieces which are sadly in a sorry state due to lack of maintenance.

Sea Voi Yune Leong Futh Church

Originally founded in 1892, the temple went through large scale renovation in 1908. This date is often confused as its year of establishment Sea Voi Leong Futh Church is the smallest of all the six Chinese temples in Tiretti Bazar. Even though it is housed in a single room, its elegance and rich décor make up for its small size. Chinese call Lord Buddha by the name of Futh, but one can see two idols of ancient Chinese gods at the altar. The set of weapons, the wonderful wall and roof hangings and several statues and images of Chinese Gods and Goddesses is something worth noting.

Choonghee Dong Thien Haue Church

Set up in 1859, this temple has a history of more than 150 years attached to it. Choonghee Dong Thien Haue Church is housed in a building located at Damzen & Blackburn Lane on the first floor of a worn outbuilding but is pretty difficult to find. The temple is dedicated to Kwan Kun, the Chinese God of Fortune and prayers are offered here daily. The artifacts and idols that can be seen in the two rooms of the temple can be seen in a rundown condition. The mosaic floor has lost its beautiful appearance due to years of neglect. But, coming to these temples allows one to get a glimpse of the past while some of it still remains.

Nam Soon Church

Nam Soon Church is also difficult to locate, but if you manage to here, you will like that you made the effort walking through the narrow, labyrinthine Damzen Lane. The temple is the oldest of all the six Chinese temples in the area and is also the most spacious with a big courtyard winding. The temple with its soothing and calm interiors and spaciousness present a stark contrast against its surroundings. The Chinese Goddess of war, mercy, and love, Kwan Yin is worshipped in this temple. The war companions of the Goddess are also housed in two separate altars. One can also behold the beautiful roof and wall hangings, different images and statues of various Chinese Gods and Goddesses and a set of weapons in the temple.

Park Street Cemetry

This place is tagged as haunted by most, but the solitude and the serenity of the place together with the history it encapsulates is something which you will actually get to experience here. Now, a heritage site conserved by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI), the cemetery 1600 grave with tablets, epitaphs, and cenotaphs. It became functional from 1767 and was among the first cemeteries created separately from a church. Spread across an area of 8 acres, the cemetery was known as the ‘Great Christian Burial ground’ in Asia. The cemetery served as the burial ground for the people who had moved to India from Europe. It has the graves of some of the most distinguished people of the era. Most noted among them are Sir William Jones, founder of Asiatic Society, Henry Louis Vivian Derozio, the founder of the Young Bengal Movement, Michael Madhusudan Dutta, the anglicized and venerated Bengali poet, C. F. Andrews, Walter Savage Langdon, the son of Charles Dickens, David Drummond, the educationist. The cemetery was extended towards the north in1785, but by 1840, it had to be closed due to lack of space. The Lower Circular Road Cemetery was opened covering a huge area, nearby, to work as the new burial ground for Christians. The thick grass cover and several tall and shady trees add to the serene beauty of the place. Shrubs and flowers are grown around the graves to beautify the rectangular, circular or square tomb structures made mainly of sandstone. One can see the prominence of Gothic and Indo-Saracenic style in the structural design of the gravestones throughout the cemetery. There is also visibility of Hindu philosophy in the architectural design of tomb structures.

Street food of Kolkata

You cannot meet the real Kolkata unless you taste the lip-smacking street food from the various corners available here. There is plenty to enthrall your taste buds and satisfy your hunger pangs as you move around exploring the city. Jhalmuri, telebhaja, phucka, rolls, chowmein, momo, ghugni, kachori, singara, nimki and last but not the least chais of various types can be had. If your mouth is already watering, we will tell you where to have them the best. Vivekananda Park, Southern Avenue, Vardhan Market, College Street, Park Street, Rashbehari More, Exide More, Gariahat and Esplanade are highly recommended for savoring some top quality street food.

Princep Ghat

Built-in 1841, Prinsep Ghat was named after British Scholar James Prinsep. The Prinsep Ghat jetty was used extensively by the Royal British associates as the point of embarkation and disembarkation. The place exudes a distinct visual appeal owing to the Palladian porch built in the memory of the scholar. The monument is richly ornamented in Greek and Gothic style. For its timeless beauty, director Pradeep Sarkar had shot one of the songs of his movie Parineeta, here. In November 2001, the West Bengal public works department restored the monument and since then the monument and the surrounding area have been maintained in a spic and span condition by the state government. There is also an attached railway station of the same name which is part of Kolkata Circular Railway. Prinsep Ghat is the most loved picnic spot of Kolkata where people go to spend some time in peaceful enjoyment. The towering Vidyasagar Setu adds to its visual charm which when lit up in the evenings presents a stunning view. The place is seldom empty and people can be spotted enjoying a stroll along the river bank or going for a boat ride or eating from food stalls, especially in the late afternoons and in the evenings. One can spend hours watching the scenic Hooghly River with magnificent Howrah Bridge in its backdrop. The beautified riverfront which stretches across 2 kilometers from Prinsep Ghat to Babughat is a great attraction for the visitors. The entire stretch has been decorated with landscaped gardens, fountains, and pathways.

Palaces of Kolkata

‘The city of palaces’ as Kolkata is called, still holds on to its reputation despite the fact that many palatial houses have been replaced by multi-storeyed buildings and shopping complexes. These palaces and stately mansions will give you the taste of the bygone era. Shovabajar Rajbari

The palace was built by Raj NabaKrishna Deb in around 1757. It is accessible by a 5-minute walk from the Shova Bazaar Metro. Originally a sat-mahala palace, now only the courtyard and the thakurdalan remains in the best condition. The palace comprises of two magnificent constructions on the either side of the road and has witnessed some major historical events of the colonial era. It was here that the civic reception was held and organized by Raja Binoy Deb Bahadur to honor Swami Vivekananda after he returned from Chicago Parliament of Religions in 1897. Marble Palace

Another major icon of the aristocratic culture is the Marble Palace or the Mullick Bari. The frontage of the palace represents the Neo Classic and classic Doric/Palladian style and has fluted Corinthian pillars. The plan of the house, however, is predominantly traditional Bengali which is reflected by its open courtyard. Marble Palace was built by Raja Rajendra Mullick who was a philanthropist and an art collector. One should visit this palace to see the collection of Victorian furniture, paintings by European and Indian artists, and other works of art. The decorative items include royal busts, urns, floor to ceiling mirrors, clocks, chandeliers, and more. Inside the palace premises, there are lawns, gardens, a lake, and a small zoo. Belgachia Rajbari

Now in ruins, the palace was known for its grand beauty and splendor during its heydays. In 1823, Prince Dwarkanath Tagore bought the palace and made it his garden house. He spent with open hands to redesign and redecorate the house in perfect European style. The majestic palace had 54 rooms and was considered an architectural marvel for its features. It is here, that Prince Dwarkanath entertained the British nobilities and threw lavish parties. The palace later changed hands to Raja Pratap Chandra Sinha Bahadur of Paikpara who, too, invited the super elites of the time, like King Edward VII, Prince of Wales, and the Marquis. During this time the palace became the focal point of socio-cultural activities where drama, dance, and music were patronized. Because of its grand opulence, Satyajit Ray chose Belagachia Palace as the location of his movies “Jalsaghar” and Ghare Baire”. The remnants of the past remind us of the glorious days of this palace which was once hailed as an icon of architectural elegance. Pathuriaghata Tagore Palace

Owned by the Pathuriaghata branch of the Tagore family, it is one of the remaining marks of the glorious past of Kolkata, this palace was planned by Macintosh Burn Company from England on the lines of the castles of England. Like the Windsor castle, it had a central tower 100 feet high and a flagstaff and an imported clock from England. It had large rooms just like the castles of England. It even had an auditorium on the second floor for staging plays. The palace has lost much of its past grandeur, but one can still make out what once existed by taking a close look at it. Jorashanko Thakurbari

The ancestral palace of Ravindra Nath Tagore is now a brilliant museum where his artworks, photographs, literature, paintings and cultural exchanges are on display. The magnificent palace presents an enthralling view surrounded by vast stretches of a well-maintained garden. The premises are extremely clean and all the museum halls are air-conditioned. The collection here is huge and needs time to explore. The palace is calm and one can instantly feel the difference in its ambiance from the surrounding chaos of the city. Buggy rides around Maidan and Victoria Memorial

Well, you can visit Victoria Memorial and spend some time on the vast greens of Maidan, but that would not complete your visit to the place unless you have not been on a joyride on what is popularly called ‘Mahabharat Gari’ or buggies, around the Victoria Memorial. These ornate vehicles are nothing but buggies which are fast diminishing. A ride in one of these shining horse-driven vehicles will offer you a timeless experience. The tram ride from Tollygunge to Esplanade

It is time taking, but you will never forget the lazy ride you had on a slow-moving tram from Kolkata’s Tollygunge to Esplanade. The first tram in this route on a winter morning is the best one to take. You can get a fair view of the heritage Kolkata and its spirit sitting by a window as the tram travels past many busy roads and footpaths and enters the Maidan area. It is an experience no one should miss. Read the full article

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doomedandstoned · 7 years ago

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Cardinals Folly: Heathens From The North Invade!

~By Stephanie V. Cantu~

CARDINALS FOLLY released Deranged Pagan Sons this week on Nine Records. Let us expect a full unleashing of ferocity on the instruments and the wizardry of frontman, Mikko Kääriäinen to lead the magikal ritual as we step into their dark, doomy circle. The composition of this record was born from the frozen north, in heavy metal capitol of the world Helsinki, Finland. There’s something about the Finnish language that is pure magik when you hear it. Here we have a true dialect of power, incantations felt in all Cardinals Folly discography. This album gains in power and freedom in the viciousness of evil expression in the vocal section, and the music, though at times hypnotic, mostly drives us forward in fast-paced blackened doom.

When the record comes on, you are possessed with groove to rock, holding the goat by the horns for this Cardinals Folly ritual. Let it be known, it isn’t a safe place, as you too will soon be playing devil’s advocate in this doom metal anthem march. There are so many elements present here, most notably a primitive, shamanistic rhythm that rocks us into doom metal trance. An aboriginal feel to this pagan theme is felt in the instrumentation, and it is evident there’s a diabolical tongue at play in Satan’s temple. Indeed we are faced with the Deranged Pagan Sons that are Cardinals Folly. This record clocks in at 48 minutes, laying down doom metal law for us in heavy metal fashion. Onward we are led.

WORSHIP HER FIRE

Opening the Gates of Power with this first track, Cardinals Folly revs us up for a wild pilgrimage behind the instrumentation. Saddle up for a doom trifecta ride on the drums, bass, and guitar as we denounce traitors and rebuild our pagan temples. For anyone hearing Cardinals Folly for the first time, Deranged Pagan Sons is a good start to sample the magik of the CF discography and get the alchemical gold this band has refined through the years. The epic quality grasped in the lyrical verse and lore of the songwriting is still present, the unique imprint of the vocalization leading this band is familiar even when unleashed, and the instrumentation does not veer far from what Cardinals Folly is, though is played more ferociously on this album.

Deranged Pagan Sons by Cardinals Folly

Cardinals Folly brings authenticity to doom metal as a scene and genre. A band raised on cold, northern traditional doom metal continues to carry the torch passed on from bands such as Reverend Bizarre, Count Raven, Minotauri, and Spiritus Mortis. In honor of the Ways of Olde, yet still completely rebellious to what our mode of conventionality is, Cardinals Folly brings the heat with Worship Her Fire as we click our hooves down the left-handed path. The metallic guitar of warlock Juho does not merely riff, we are taken on axe journeys that interweave harp-like threading and hard rhythm. Joni’s drums are centralized with a tribal beat that does not die, the blood of a war mentality heard through the ages in the pounding skins. Here is where shamanic rhythm lends its primal rawness, giving us galloping crusader rage as the bass encapsulates us in saw-like shredding.

Cracking start to the album, and a wonderful turn by turn-composition with the riffs by me and Juho. The lyrics basically continue where our cult track "Blood Axis Raiders" left off in 2009. The old gods are furious, for their heritage has been raped... fight the religion, politics, mankind’s greatest errors.

DIONYSIAN

Wine, festivity, and madness take over as the record begins establishing focus on pleasures of the flesh. Fornication and passing of the sacred cup makes its way around the Circle, a setting not highly unusual for ritualists Cardinals Folly. If you have explored their Holocaust of Ecstasy and Freedom material, you will know frontman Mikko Kääriäinen is synonymous to the serpent in the garden of Eve, forever leading us to temptation. We are reminded we must live before we die, we must retrace our steps to recover the lost divinities of sensual freedom repressed by orthodox disillusionment. We are left to ponder these twisted wisdoms that encourage us to partake in dark fantasies, as the inhibitions of religious doctrine crumble away...

Deranged Pagan Sons by Cardinals Folly

Another fiery rocking doom tune, dealing with the cult of Dionysos and pagan rites. Probably our best chorus so far? The ultimate anthem for your night with wine, woman and song...? Sometimes it´s just better to ROCK, and Dionysian shows that in beautiful fashion. Attack!

DERANGED PAGAN SONS

Invoking the gods of Chaos, Cardinals Folly assume the role of Deranged Pagan Sons, offering us a sip from their chalice of madness. This is the most powerful track on the record, with instrumentation rivaling some of the best New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal bands out there right now. Our fork-tongued vocalist gives us lyrical verses which drive forward the doom metal agenda, reminding us we are still within the realm of evil despite more brilliant shining guitar melodies.

The doomed ones ride out With wooden pendants of blood Dark cobble-stoned alleys Feed our souls alive

Deranged pagan sons Warlocks in their prime Not asking anything But graveyards in the night

Deranged Pagan Sons by Cardinals Folly

Although this track initially takes on a more mellow and noble approach, the vicious doom groove returns soon enough to possess your body for another relentless wave. Riding out with the Cardinals Folly banner unfurling, we crusade for proclamation of the return of true doom metal. A song like this must have been born of early 80s epic metal, with some foundation of Manilla Road lore and Running Wild acknowledgement.

Our ultimate anthem about what we are. Assholes with heart of gold. Hah hah hah! Sometimes life demands hard approach with blasting old school metal riffs, yet the hardship would never change the fact that we believe in good. Through ominous ways. Beautiful galloping riffing blasts your soul on this one.

THE ISLAND WHERE TIME STANDS STILL

Here we enter a more sorrowful atmosphere which takes on more emotional aspects. Synonymously, the water element of this song’s aquatic theme successfully portrays seafaring longings of absent romance. Even if for a brief moment, we feel the deep soul of Cardinals Folly’s majestic introspection before being catapulted headlong back into fierce tides. Restless and wild, we accept there will be no easy moments for us while engaging this album. Cardinals Folly flexes their versatility and virtuosity with highly executed pace setting and rhythm changes throughout this song.

Deranged Pagan Sons by Cardinals Folly

Definitely one of the album highlights. Most successful transition from slow and mellow to fast and hard. Possibly the last CF song dealing with a Dennis Wheatley book title, and continuation of themes from our old "lost world" song series, such as "Uncharted Seas" and "They Found Atlantis."

THREE-BLADED DOOM

This song takes place in the aftermath of the raiding wars our Deranged Pagan Sons have partaken in. We are left wandering the streets with broken faith, reminded we have played the merciful fool within the false constructs of religion and society. Yet, a hand is still offered for us to join the Cardinals Folly cult as we pick up the pieces. We are given the choice to stay spoiling in the ruins or be pulled up upon mighty horses to ride out the night with fanciful pagan rites.

Deranged Pagan Sons by Cardinals Folly

Three-Bladed Doom is a steady doom metal march, with each member of this Finnish trio carving out the Truth in us like a sacrificial dagger. The verses lead us with descriptive lyrical segments championing the Cardinals Folly cause as frontman Mikko curses the vengeful Lord that was once your savior.

We´re labeled outsiders Heartless cold brutes By lord, truth, savior Three-Bladed Doom!

Honoring the code You´ve lived by the book Where lord merciful Can´t be more vengeful!

This song answers to the brutality in me. Every riff chord is like a pack of fucking icicles landing on your back when you least expect it. It´s striking. A composition living and breathing beautifully out of sheer willingness to preach with power doom. Again we keep our heads bloody, yet unbowed. It rolls on like The Gates of Slumber used to, searching for its prey...

SUICIDE COMMANDO

If there was a track on this album reserved for the decapitation of the goat in this ritual, it would be Suicide Commando. The fierce underworld howling demons channel through our vocalist in this song, making it seem as if the previous few tracks were merely preparation for the soft underbelly to be split open. Though this record is extremely brutal through and through, this track would be the closest in semblance to the pure evil evidenced in northern black metal. This influence won’t be heard in double timing drums or extreme guitar strumming, but more so in the vocal style of Mikko Kääriäinen. I believe this makes for an interesting hybrid of doom, with traditional Cardinals Folly instrumentation enabling exploration in new vocal territory. We are carried on the winds of familiarity, while still experimenting and holding true to what fans love about this band’s music.

Deranged Pagan Sons by Cardinals Folly

Suicide Commando is a relentless brute who fights against all odds. Bone-headed heavy metal power riffs support the cause of a man who is willing to parachute to a field full of haystacks -- from 100 metres if necessary. Never tell him the odds.

I BELONG IN THE WOODS

We begin nearing the record’s completion as we recapitulate the energy spent being devious and hedonistic in Pan’s abundant vineyard of pleasures. Here we find an introspective song which leads us by the hand into the most desolate of forests, to honor the hermit within and find our self-illuminating truths. After all is said and done, we stare at the chalice as it lays emptied upon the ground, wondering if our spoils have too been drunken by the earth. Our souls are bared and we are left laying naked with shivering affirmations that we can never return to the false towers built by the constructs of society. I Belong In The Woods is the invitation to remain free, to be accepting of the emptiness that returns after a frenzied feeding. The instrumentation remains a steady groove, allowing a depressive mood and melancholy to settle in without thrashing it away.

Deranged Pagan Sons by Cardinals Folly

Perhaps the most personal song for me, an ancient composition, and therefore also musically more challenging and less in-your-face. I think the melancholic Warning-y guitars work really well here. The title is taken from Pelle "Dead" Ohlin's (Mayhem) suicide note, btw. For outsider feelings and those desolate times.

SECRET OF THE RUNES

The closing of the magik Circle takes place with a last wisdom from the Viking runes, consecrating our imbued purpose. We invite the grandeur of our pagan deity to help decipher the ancient code in this Cardinals Folly ballad. Romance of the past roots us with surety of awaiting rewards of honor and knowledge after an album of devilish delights. This is reflected in noble vocalization Mikko Kääriäinen is so known for, manipulating our lasting feelings of the album in guise of the spiritual light underlying Cardinals Folly lore. Lastly, we are invited to burn ourselves clean into the fire as the final verse shelters over us the lording Right Hand of Doom.

In glowing embers of fire The secret of the runes Cleansing all our past sins Embodied in ancient priest-kings, oh!

Deranged Pagan Sons by Cardinals Folly

Staring at the ritual fire. Remembering the dead. Taking an intoxicating flame of wine in your soul. Remembering the past. And that you´re still a powerful being. Creates this epic bang of doom. Some say that slow doom songs are not in our blood. Well, sometimes they are proven wrong... like here! Very ritualistic and makes me want to raise a ritual toast to the dead. And all obstacles conquered.

☠

The Pagan Sons became Deranged at Harju Doom Church in February of 2017. Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Juha Kapiainen and Cardinals Folly.

Cardinals Folly is:

Mikko Kääriäinen -- Lord Juho Kilpelä -- Truth Joni Takkunen -- Saviour

Cardinals Folly Live 'n' Loud:

September 15th: Rhythm Repair Shop, Seinäjoki (w. Spiritus Mortis, Musta Risti) October 6th: Otto boy, Kuopio (w. Grip Of Death) October 7th: Marks, Joensuu (w. Serpent Warning) November 11th: Golden Classics, Helsinki (w. Caskets Open, Slave Hands + 1)

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#D&S Reviews #Cardinals Folly #Helsinki #Finland #Doom #Metal #Epic Doom #Occult #Stephanie V. Cantu #Doomed & Stoned

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