LE CHEVALIER MACONNIQUE

NEW FINDINGS CHANGE VIEWS OF DEAD SEA SCROLLS

2006-08-16T19:10:00.000-05:00

New archaeological evidence is raising more questions about the conventional interpretation linking the desolate ruins of an ancient settlement known as Qumran with the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were found in nearby caves in one of the sensational discoveries of the last century.

After early excavations at the site, on a promontory above the western shore of the Dead Sea, scholars concluded that members of a strict Jewish sect, the Essenes, had lived there in a monastery and presumably wrote the scrolls in the first centuries B.C. and A.D. Many of the texts describe religious practices and doctrine in ancient Israel.

But two Israeli archaeologists who have excavated the site on and off for more than 10 years now assert that Qumran had nothing to do with the Essenes or a monastery or the scrolls. It had been a pottery factory.

The archaeologists, Yizhak Magen and Yuval Peleg of the Israel Antiquities Authority, reported in a book and a related magazine article that their extensive excavations turned up pottery kilns, whole vessels, production rejects and thousands of clay fragments. Derelict water reservoirs held thick deposits of fine potters' clay.

Magen and Peleg said that, indeed, the elaborate water system at Qumran appeared to be designed to bring the clay-laced water into the site for the purposes of the pottery industry. No other site in the region has been found to have such a water system.

By the time the Romans destroyed Qumran in A.D. 68 in the Jewish revolt, the archaeologists concluded, the settlement had been a center of the pottery industry for at least a century. Before that, the site apparently was an outpost in a chain of fortresses along the Israelites' eastern frontier.

"The association between Qumran, the caves and the scrolls is, thus, a hypothesis lacking any factual archaeological basis," Magen said in an article in the current issue of Biblical Archaeology Review. He and Peleg wrote a more detailed report of their research in "The Site of the Dead Sea Scrolls: Archaeological Interpretations and Debates," published this year.

This is by no means the first challenge to the Essene hypothesis originally advanced by Roland de Vaux, a French priest and archaeologist who was an early interpreter of the scrolls after their discovery almost 60 years ago. Other scholars have suggested that Qumran was a fortified manor house or a villa, possibly an agricultural community or a commercial entrepôt.

Norman Golb, a professor of Near Eastern languages and civilization at the University of Chicago who is a longtime critic of the Essene link, said he was impressed by the new findings and the pottery-factory interpretation.

"Magen's a very seasoned archaeologist and scholar, and many of his views are cogent," Golb said in a telephone interview. "A pottery factory? That could well be the case."

Golb said that, of course, Qumran could have been both a monastery and a pottery factory. Yet, he added: "There is not an iota of evidence that it was a monastery. We have come to see it as a secular site, not one of pronounced religious orientation."

For years, Golb has argued that the multiplicity of Jewish religious ideas and practices recorded in the scrolls made it unlikely that they were the work of a single sect like the Essenes.

The scrolls in the caves were probably written by many different groups, Golb surmised, and were removed from Jerusalem libraries by refugees in the Roman war. Fleeing to the east, the refugees may well have deposited the scrolls for safekeeping in the many caves near Qumran.

The new research appears to support this view. As Magen noted, Qumran in those days was at a major crossroads of traffic to and from Jerusalem and along the Dead Sea.

Magen also cited documents showing that refugees in another revolt against the Romans in the next century had fled to the same caves. He said they were "the last spot they could hide the scrolls before descending to the shore" of the Dead Sea.

In the magazine article, Magen said the jars in which most of the scrolls were stored had probably come from the pottery factory. If so, this may prove to be the only established connection between the Qumran settlement and the scrolls.

New archaeological evidence is raising more questions about the conventional interpretation linking the desolate ruins of an ancient settlement known as Qumran with the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were found in nearby caves in one of the sensational discoveries of the last century.

After early excavations at the site, on a promontory above the western shore of the Dead Sea, scholars concluded that members of a strict Jewish sect, the Essenes, had lived there in a monastery and presumably wrote the scrolls in the first centuries B.C. and A.D. Many of the texts describe religious practices and doctrine in ancient Israel.

But two Israeli archaeologists who have excavated the site on and off for more than 10 years now assert that Qumran had nothing to do with the Essenes or a monastery or the scrolls. It had been a pottery factory.

The archaeologists, Yizhak Magen and Yuval Peleg of the Israel Antiquities Authority, reported in a book and a related magazine article that their extensive excavations turned up pottery kilns, whole vessels, production rejects and thousands of clay fragments. Derelict water reservoirs held thick deposits of fine potters' clay.

Magen and Peleg said that, indeed, the elaborate water system at Qumran appeared to be designed to bring the clay-laced water into the site for the purposes of the pottery industry. No other site in the region has been found to have such a water system.

By the time the Romans destroyed Qumran in A.D. 68 in the Jewish revolt, the archaeologists concluded, the settlement had been a center of the pottery industry for at least a century. Before that, the site apparently was an outpost in a chain of fortresses along the Israelites' eastern frontier.

"The association between Qumran, the caves and the scrolls is, thus, a hypothesis lacking any factual archaeological basis," Magen said in an article in the current issue of Biblical Archaeology Review. He and Peleg wrote a more detailed report of their research in "The Site of the Dead Sea Scrolls: Archaeological Interpretations and Debates," published this year.

This is by no means the first challenge to the Essene hypothesis originally advanced by Roland de Vaux, a French priest and archaeologist who was an early interpreter of the scrolls after their discovery almost 60 years ago. Other scholars have suggested that Qumran was a fortified manor house or a villa, possibly an agricultural community or a commercial entrepôt.

Norman Golb, a professor of Near Eastern languages and civilization at the University of Chicago who is a longtime critic of the Essene link, said he was impressed by the new findings and the pottery-factory interpretation.

"Magen's a very seasoned archaeologist and scholar, and many of his views are cogent," Golb said in a telephone interview. "A pottery factory? That could well be the case."

Golb said that, of course, Qumran could have been both a monastery and a pottery factory. Yet, he added: "There is not an iota of evidence that it was a monastery. We have come to see it as a secular site, not one of pronounced religious orientation."

For years, Golb has argued that the multiplicity of Jewish religious ideas and practices recorded in the scrolls made it unlikely that they were the work of a single sect like the Essenes.

The scrolls in the caves were probably written by many different groups, Golb surmised, and were removed from Jerusalem libraries by refugees in the Roman war. Fleeing to the east, the refugees may well have deposited the scrolls for safekeeping in the many caves near Qumran.

The new research appears to support this view. As Magen noted, Qumran in those days was at a major crossroads of traffic to and from Jerusalem and along the Dead Sea.

Magen also cited documents showing that refugees in another revolt against the Romans in the next century had fled to the same caves. He said they were "the last spot they could hide the scrolls before descending to the shore" of the Dead Sea.

In the magazine article, Magen said the jars in which most of the scrolls were stored had probably come from the pottery factory. If so, this may prove to be the only established connection between the Qumran settlement and the scrolls.

New archaeological evidence is raising more questions about the conventional interpretation linking the desolate ruins of an ancient settlement known as Qumran with the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were found in nearby caves in one of the sensational discoveries of the last century.

After early excavations at the site, on a promontory above the western shore of the Dead Sea, scholars concluded that members of a strict Jewish sect, the Essenes, had lived there in a monastery and presumably wrote the scrolls in the first centuries B.C. and A.D. Many of the texts describe religious practices and doctrine in ancient Israel.

But two Israeli archaeologists who have excavated the site on and off for more than 10 years now assert that Qumran had nothing to do with the Essenes or a monastery or the scrolls. It had been a pottery factory.

The archaeologists, Yizhak Magen and Yuval Peleg of the Israel Antiquities Authority, reported in a book and a related magazine article that their extensive excavations turned up pottery kilns, whole vessels, production rejects and thousands of clay fragments. Derelict water reservoirs held thick deposits of fine potters' clay.

Magen and Peleg said that, indeed, the elaborate water system at Qumran appeared to be designed to bring the clay-laced water into the site for the purposes of the pottery industry. No other site in the region has been found to have such a water system.

By the time the Romans destroyed Qumran in A.D. 68 in the Jewish revolt, the archaeologists concluded, the settlement had been a center of the pottery industry for at least a century. Before that, the site apparently was an outpost in a chain of fortresses along the Israelites' eastern frontier.

"The association between Qumran, the caves and the scrolls is, thus, a hypothesis lacking any factual archaeological basis," Magen said in an article in the current issue of Biblical Archaeology Review. He and Peleg wrote a more detailed report of their research in "The Site of the Dead Sea Scrolls: Archaeological Interpretations and Debates," published this year.

This is by no means the first challenge to the Essene hypothesis originally advanced by Roland de Vaux, a French priest and archaeologist who was an early interpreter of the scrolls after their discovery almost 60 years ago. Other scholars have suggested that Qumran was a fortified manor house or a villa, possibly an agricultural community or a commercial entrepôt.

Norman Golb, a professor of Near Eastern languages and civilization at the University of Chicago who is a longtime critic of the Essene link, said he was impressed by the new findings and the pottery-factory interpretation.

"Magen's a very seasoned archaeologist and scholar, and many of his views are cogent," Golb said in a telephone interview. "A pottery factory? That could well be the case."

Golb said that, of course, Qumran could have been both a monastery and a pottery factory. Yet, he added: "There is not an iota of evidence that it was a monastery. We have come to see it as a secular site, not one of pronounced religious orientation."

For years, Golb has argued that the multiplicity of Jewish religious ideas and practices recorded in the scrolls made it unlikely that they were the work of a single sect like the Essenes.

The scrolls in the caves were probably written by many different groups, Golb surmised, and were removed from Jerusalem libraries by refugees in the Roman war. Fleeing to the east, the refugees may well have deposited the scrolls for safekeeping in the many caves near Qumran.

The new research appears to support this view. As Magen noted, Qumran in those days was at a major crossroads of traffic to and from Jerusalem and along the Dead Sea.

Magen also cited documents showing that refugees in another revolt against the Romans in the next century had fled to the same caves. He said they were "the last spot they could hide the scrolls before descending to the shore" of the Dead Sea.

In the magazine article, Magen said the jars in which most of the scrolls were stored had probably come from the pottery factory. If so, this may prove to be the only established connection between the Qumran settlement and the scrolls.

Reprinted from the International Herald Tribune by John Noble Wilford, The New York Times

Published: August 16, 2006

Shriners Behaving Badly, Pt. 7

2006-08-16T06:14:00.000-05:00

(*Once again we see the good old boys doin what they do best in this saga of corruption and greed. Sandy has done a remarkable job connecting all the dots! Darren)

Unanswered Questions -
Shriners: Part 7
By Cassandra 'Sandy' Frost
8-15-6

This story began unfolding four months ago, after Vernon Hill, a
Shriners whistleblower, tried to find an investigative journalist willing to
look into his allegations that the top echelon of the Shriners
Hospitals for Children, a 501c3 non profit charitable group, was corrupt. To
date, six investigative articles have been written. Here is Part 7.

What Does "Non-Profit" Mean?

Imagine if you will, a box labeled "Fraternal, 501c10, Shriners
Temples" and another box labeled "Charitable 501c3, Shriners Hospitals for
Children." The first group oversees the individual temples of which
Shriners are members and, according to their articles of incorporation,
oversees and controls the second group, the Shriners Hospitals for Children.
Both have very distinct non profit classifications per the IRS. As
such, each group is supposed to function separate from the other, though in
this case, it appears that the fraternal controls the charitable.

Non profit status confers the following benefits on both groups:

(1) exemption from federal and state income tax (2) ability of certain
non-profits to make purchases without paying state sales tax (3)
ability for certain non-profits to receive tax-deductible contributions

Non profit groups have strict disclosure guidelines, especially when it
comes to their taxes. Certain questions on the IRS non profit 990 tax
return forms provide important indications of how a group is doing. Or
tell who the group is affiliated with. Or answer if they lobbied or if
they had real estate transactions between the corporation and directors,
officers or employees. Or if they amended their governing documents.

Article Highlights

Here are the highlights of the previous six articles. A comparison of
similar questions asked by this writer, the General Accounting Office
(GAO) and Senator Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Committee on
Finance, follows.

1) A series of investigative articles published by the Orlando Sentinel
in 1986 reported that in 1985 the Shriners kept 71 percent of the $21.7
million raised to pay for clubhouse expenses, including the upkeep of
private bars, restaurants, golf courses, conventions, travel,
entertainment and fund raising. Less than 2 percent, or $346,251, went to the
medical care of the children.

2) Shriners whistleblower, Vernon Hill, has worked with a former IRS
agent and accountant, Paul Dolnier, for the past year and a half. They
ordered and analyzed thousands of pages of Shriners tax returns which led
to Dolnier presenting evidence of alleged charity fraud to the chief
investigator, auditor and counsel for Pennsylvania's Charitable Special
Investigation unit during a six hour meeting in spring of 2006.

3) Non profit watchdogs like Give.org (non profit arm of the Better
Business Bureau) and American Institute of Philanthropy are howling about
how the Shriners Hospitals for Children seem to be "hoarding" money
that could be used on the medical needs of more sick children. The
Shriners control over $9.5 billion dollars, which is eleven times their
current operating budget.

4) After corporate corruption cases like Enron and Worldcom, business
experts emphasize the importance of conflict of interest policies for a
corporation's board of directors, officers and trustees. In the case of
the Shriners, there have been years of 100% overlap between those on
both the Shriners' 501c10 fraternal board also sitting on the Shriners'
501c3 charitable board. There have also been years when hospital
officers sat on both boards.

5) The lack of disclosure on the Shriners' tax returns of real estate
transactions involving Lewis Molnar, recently retired CEO of Shriners
Hospitals for Children, Charles Cumpstone, recently retired executive
vice president and Donald W. Peirce, a recently deceased employee. The
last real estate transaction took place in 2003 and was not reported to
the IRS.

6) On October 17, 2000, a Resolution was filed with the Polk County
Clerk, Florida, that grants the Shriners' top echelon unlimited power to
execute all types of financial transactions without accountability to or
oversight by internal governance committees. This change in governing
documents was not reported to the IRS.

7) In 1998, the Shriners had a beginning cash balance of $354 million.
By the end of the year, they lost over $351 million or 99.1% of what
they started with. In 2001, they lost $614 million in investments. And in
2002, the Shriners lost nearly 16% of their investments, down by $1+
billion dollars or $1,045,760,830.

8) Fraternal Articles of Incorporation state that "The objects and
purposes of this corporation and business to be transacted by it areto
maintain, control, conduct and superintend any and all charities,
benevolences and hospitals now established, maintained and controlled by the
Imperial council and to create and maintain a charitable and educational
fundfor the purchase, erection, operation and maintenance of Shriners
Hospitals for Children." This does not match what the fraternal
organization states as their purpose on their tax returns.

9) Over the past three years, Hill and others have asked Shriners
leaders questions like "Where does all the money go?" Instead of receiving
any answers, these Shriners have been ignored, kicked out, removed from
committees and in the case of Hill, sent a "cease and desist" email
from Shriners corporate attorney. Is there further punishment for such
actions? According to Shriners ritual, the punishment is "In willful
violation whereof may I incur the fearful penalty of having my eyeballs
pierced to the centre with a three-edged blade, my feet flayed, and I be
forced to walk the hot sands upon the sterile shores of the Red Sea until
the flaming sun shall strike me with livid plague, and may Allah, the
god of Arab, Moslem and Mohammedan, the god of our fathers, support me
to the entire fulfillment of the same. Amen. Amen. Amen." (1)

10) It appears that the "Cease and desist" email sent by the Shriners
corporate attorney to Hill violated the "Whistle blower Protection"
provided by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. In July, 2003, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
was signed into law after corporations like Enron were caught illegally
pursuing annual profits rather than maintaining sound business
practices. The law calls for new standards for governance, financial
transactions and audit procedures. It calls for the establishment of an
independent audit committee, policies that address insider trading and conflicts
of interest, spells out the responsibilities of auditors, requires
certified financial statements, mandates the disclosure of tax returns in
an "easily accessible way," provides whistle blower protection and
addresses document destruction so as to prevent criminal obstruction.

Unanswered Questions

Two sets of questions have been emailed to the Shriners Director of
Public Relations; the first sent on 7/11/06, over a month ago and the
second sent on 7/28/06, nearly three weeks ago. To date, both remain
unanswered.

The first email asked about the Shriners hiring a lobbyist named
Hershel Gober, former Director of Veterans Affairs for the Clinton
administration. These questions included "Why was this relationship reported to
the U.S. Senate but not disclosed on the 2005 tax returns?" and "Why
would Gober, as confirmed by Gober himself, lobby against the
Sarbanes-Oxley act on behalf of the Shriners Hospitals for Children?" Other
questions include:

1) Specifically, what are the points of Sarbanes-Oxley that the
Shriners lobbied against? 2) What did the Shriners hope to accomplish by
lobbying against Sarbanes-Oxley? 3) Who was involved with the meetings set
up by Mr. Gober? 4) Who is currently lobbying on behalf of the Shriners?
5) Are the Shriners still lobbying against Sarbanes-Oxley?

Are these issues that address non profit transparency and
accountability important? The General Accounting Office and Senator Chuck Grassley,
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, seem to think so. The
second email sent to the Shriners asked questions similar to those asked by
a July 28, 2006 General Accounting Office (GAO) survey and by Senator
Grassley.

According to the GAO survey cover letter:

"As a part of Congress's continuing efforts to oversee the activities
of the nonprofit sector, you asked us to review executive compensation
issues at selected private, nonprofit hospital systems to gain an
understanding of the policies and practices related to the salaries,
benefits, travel, gifts, and entertainment expenses paid by these hospital
systems. Our study's key questions were as follows:

· What corporate governance structure do selected hospital systems
report as having in place over executive compensation?

· What is the basis for the compensation and benefits earned by,
awarded to, or paid to the executives as reported by selected hospital
systems?

· What internal controls do selected hospital systems report as having
in place over the approval, payment, and monitoring of executive travel
and entertainment expenses, gifts, and other perquisites?"

Senator Grassley had this to say about the study:

"We need to insure that charitable assets benefit those who need them
most rather than those who need them leastIn my experience reviewing
charities that have failed their mission, poor board governance unites
them all. When the board members fail to understand the gravity of the
task before them, charities sufferIn 17 percent of the cases, the CEO or
other top paid executives were voting members of the executive
compensation body. In essence, they were voting to give themselves their
salaries and benefits. Critical audits of personal entertainment expenses,
spousal travel, automobile expenses, and social club dues are not being
performed on a regular basis"

On May 25, 2005, Senator Grassley sent out his own set of questions,
asking non profit hospitals to account for activities related to their
non profit status. "The Congress is considering the issues of tax-exempt
organizations and particularly the duties and requirements of public
charities in relation to the billions of dollars in tax benefits that
tax-exempt organizations receive at the federal, state and local level,"
he wrote.

Here are some of the unanswered questions emailed to Shriners Hospitals
for Children. Those in common with the GAO and/or Senator Grassley are
marked as such.

1) Is there a conflict of interest policy or other disclosure mechanism
for Board Members, Officers, Trustees and others in high level
positions for both the fraternal and charitable organizations to disclose any
investments or others interests in companies or organizations who have
patent licenses/agreements/contracts with Shriners Hospitals or that are
the result of research done at any of the Shriners Hospitals or on
behalf of Shriners Hospitals or by anyone associated with Shriners
Hospitals? (Q7, Grassley)

2) None of the tax returns list expenses or expense accounts for any of
the Officers, Directors, Trustees or Key Employees for either the
charitable or fraternal organizations. Please provide the last three years
of expense reports or other accounting information for these
individuals. (Q21, Grassley. Q36, Q37, GAO)

3) Are there annual performance audits of the Board members, Trustees
and Officers of both the charitable and fraternal organizations? (Q18,
GAO)

4) When the officers, Directors and trustees serve on both the
charitable and fraternal boards, are their expenses paid for in both
capacities? (Q36, GAO)

5) Will you please provide a list of the board meetings for the past
three years for both the fraternal and charitable organizations, to
include date, location, who attended as well as expense reports or
accounting for each of those who attended as well as for costs paid for by both
organizations? (Q36, Q41, GAO)

Here are some of the unanswered questions raised in previous articles
that were also asked by the GAO.

1) Does your hospital system make loans to its CEO or any of the other
top four executives? (Q30, GAO)

2) Since January 1, 2004, has your hospital system made loans to its
CEO or any of the other top four executives for the following purposes,
specifically real estate? (Q 31, GAO)

On Monday, July 31, a call was placed to Shriners Headquarters to
determine if Alicia Argiz-Lyons, the Shriners Corporate Director of Public
Relations had received the emailed questions. She answered the phone and
confirmed that the emailed questions had been received.

When asked about the conflicts of interest of real estate transactions
between Shriners Hospitals for Children and Lewis Molnar (recently
retired hospital CEO), Donald Peirce (IT employee who recently died) and
Charles Cumpstone (recently retired executive vice president),
Argiz-Lyons answered "One is dead and the two others are not here any more. And
besides, they happened when the Shriners moved their headquarters."

I then suggested that Argiz-Lyons answer did not negate the fact that
these transactions happened and I suggested that she search the public
records to locate the real estate records in question. I told her that
the real estate transactions had not been reported to the IRS.
Argiz-Lyons said that the IRS had "been down there for 18 months and found
nothing wrong."

She then asked me if I'd been to a Shriners Hospital for Children? I
said no, I had not and certainly, the good that was being done on behalf
of the sick and crippled children was commendable.

She then said "If you really want to help the children, you'll stop
spending all your time asking questions."

As a professional courtesy and as the "fact checking" process I've used
for the past five years, an email was sent to Argiz-Lyons on Friday,
August 4, to provide her the opportunity to confirm or deny what had been
said during our July, 31 conversation. To date, this, and the previous
two emails, remains unanswered.

These unanswered emails seem to follow the Shriners Hospitals for
Children pattern of stonewalling questions about their finances. The
questions that need to be asked now are "Why do they refuse to answer the
questions?" and "What might they be hiding?"

(1) The Encyclopedia of Fraternities, by Albert Stevens

All copies of material reprinted or duplicated from "by Sandy Frost"
must include the following credit line: From
http://sandyfrost.newsvine.com/ Copyright © 2006 by Sandy Frost. Used
by permission.

Visit me at:

http://sandyfrost.newsvine.com/
http://thecassandrafrostcollection.blogspot.com/

Was Cancer "Cured In the 1930's??!!

2006-08-10T21:53:00.000-05:00

Royal Raymond Rife

Imagine, for a moment, that you have spent more than two decades in painfully laborious research-- that you have discovered an incredibly simple, electronic approach to curing literally every disease on the planet caused by viruses and bacteria . Indeed, it is a discovery that would end the pain and suffering of countless millions and change life on Earth forever. Certainly, the medical world would rush to embrace you with every imaginable accolade and financial reward imaginable. You would think so, wouldnt you?

Unfortunately, arguably the greatest medical genius in all recorded history suffered a fate literally the opposite of the foregoing logical scenario. In fact, the history of medicine is replete with stories of genius betrayed by backward thought and jealously, but most pathetically, by greed and money.

In the nineteenth century, Semmelweiss struggled mightily to convince surgeons that it was a good idea to sterilize their instruments and use sterile surgical procedures. Pasteur was ridiculed for years for his theory that germs could cause disease.
Scores of other medical visionaries went through hell for simply challenging the medical status quo of day, including such legends as Roentgen and his X-rays, Morton for promoting the 'absurd' idea of anaesthesia, Harvey for his theory of the circulation of blood, and many others in recent decades including: W.F. Koch, Revici, Burzynski, Naessens, Priore, Livingston-Wheeler, and Hoxsey.

Orthodox big-money medicine resents and seeks to neutralize and/or destroy those who challenge its beliefs. Often, the visionary who challenges it pays a heavy price for his 'heresy.'

So, you have just discovered a new therapy which can eradicate any microbial disease but, so far, you and your amazing cure aren't very popular. What do you do next? Well, certainly the research foundations and teaching institutions would welcome news of your astounding discovery. Won't they be thrilled to learn you have a cure for the very same diseases they are receiving hundreds of millions of dollars per year to investigate? Maybe not, if it means the end of the gravy train. These people have mortgages to pay and families to support. On second thought, forget the research foundations.

Perhaps you should take your discovery to the pharmaceutical industry; certainly it would be of great interest to those protectors of humanity, right? But remember, you have developed a universal cure which makes drugs obsolete, so the pharmaceutical industry just might be less than thrilled to hear about your work. In fact, the bigshots might even make it certain that your human disease-ending technology never sees the light of day, by preventing it from becoming licensed by the regulatory agencies.

Now, assuming your amazing cure is an electronic instrument, the only cost of using it is electricity. And it is absolutely harmless to patients, who can recover without losing their hair, the family home, and their life savings. So, with your technology, there is no longer any reason for people with cancer to pay over $300,000 per patient -- to become deathly ill from chemotherapy, radiation treatments, and the mutilation of surgery. It sounds like you won't find many friends and support among practicing oncologists, radiologists, and surgeons, doesnt it?

You might try the hospitals and big clinics. But how thrilled are they going to be about a therapy administered in any doctor's office; which reverses illness before the patient has to be hospitalized? Thanks to you, the staffs of these institutions will essentially be out of work.

Well then, how about the insurance companies? Surely, they would be delighted to save the expense of hospitalization - at least the companies which haven't invested in hospitals, where the staff is now sitting around waiting for someone to break a leg or be in a car accident...and the ones who don't lose policyholders as a result of your invention...and the companies which aren't trying to divest their pharmaceutical stock. Oh well, forget the insurance companies, too.

It looks like you just might have a little problem with the medical establishment, no?

Probably the only friends you'll have will be the patients and those progressive doctors who see change as an opportunity, rather than a threat to their established money-making monopoly. Those people will love you. But they don't call the shots.

What follows, now, is the story of exactly such a sensational therapy and what happened to it. In one of the blackest episodes in recorded history, this remarkable electronic therapy was sabotaged and buried by a ruthless group of men. It has re-emerged in the underground medical/alternative health world only since the mid-80's. This is the story of Royal Raymond Rife and his fabulous discoveries and electronic instruments.

If you have never heard of Rife before, prepare to be angered and incredulous at what this great man achieved for all of us only to have it practically driven from the face of the planet. But, reserve your final judgement and decision until after you have read this.

Of course, some may regard this as just an amusing piece of fiction. However, for those who are willing to do some investigating on their own, there will be mentioned several highly-respected doctors and medical authorities who worked with Rife as well as some of the remarkable technical aspects of his creation.

However, in the final analysis, the only real way to determine if such a revolutionary therapy exists is to experience it yourself. The medical literature is full of rigged 'double-blind' clinical research tests, the results of which are often determined in advance by the vested corporate interests involved.

If FDA and other regulatory and licensing procedures and guidelines are observed, it is your privilege to experiment with this harmless therapy. So let's now turn to the story of the most amazing medical pioneer of our century.

Royal Raymond Rife was a brilliant scientist born in 1888 and died in 1971. After studying at Johns Hopkins, Rife developed technology which is still commonly used today in the fields of optics, electronics, radiochemistry, biochemistry, ballistics, and aviation. It is a fair statement that Rife practically developed bioelectric medicine himself.

He received 14 major awards and honors and was given an honorary Doctorate by the University of Heidelberg for his work. During the 66 years that Rife spent designing and building medical instruments, he worked for Zeiss Optics, the U.S. Government, and several private benefactors. Most notable was millionaire Henry Timkin, of Timkin roller bearing fame.

Because Rife was self-educated in so many different fields, he intuitively looked for his answers in areas beyond the rigid scientific structure of his day. He had mastered so many different disciplines that he literally had, at his intellectual disposal, the skills and knowledge of an entire team of scientists and technicians from a number of different scientific fields. So, whenever new technology was needed to perform a new task, Rife simply invented and then built it himself.

Rife's inventions include a heterodyning ultraviolet microscope, a microdissector, and a micromanipulator. When you thoroughly understand Rife's achievements, you may well decide that he has the most gifted, versatile, scientific mind in human history.

By 1920, Rife had finished building the world's first virus microscope. By 1933, he had perfected that technology and had constructed the incredibly complex Universal Microscope, which had nearly 6,000 different parts and was capable of magnifying objects 60,000 times their normal size. With this incredible microscope, Rife became the first human being to actually see a live virus, and until quite recently, the Universal Microscope was the only one which was able view live viruses.

Modern electron microscopes instantly kill everything beneath them, viewing only the mummified remains and debris. What the Rife microscope can see is the bustling activity of living viruses as they change form to accommodate changes in environment, replicate rapidly in response to carcinogens, and transform normal cells into tumor cells.

But how was Rife able to accomplish this, in an age when electronics and medicine were still just evolving? Here are a few technical details to placate the skeptics...
Rife painstakingly identified the individual spectroscopic signature of each microbe, using a slit spectroscope attachment. Then, he slowly rotated block quartz prisms to focus light of a single wavelength upon the microorganism he was examining. This wavelength was selected because it resonated with the spectroscopic signature frequency of the microbe based on the now-established fact that every molecule oscillates at its own distinct frequency.

The atoms that come together to form a molecule are held together in that molecular configuration with a covalent energy bond which both emits and absorbs its own specific electromagnetic frequency. No two species of molecule have the same electromagnetic oscillations or energetic signature. Resonance amplifies light in the same way two ocean waves intensify each other when they merge together.

The result of using a resonant wavelength is that micro-organisms which are invisible in white light suddenly become visible in a brilliant flash of light when they are exposed to the color frequency that resonates with their own distinct spectroscopic signature. Rife was thus able to see these otherwise invisible organisms and watch them actively invading tissues cultures. Rife's discovery enabled him to view organisms that no one else could see with ordinary microscopes.

More than 75% of the organisms Rife could see with his Universal Microscope are only visible with ultra-violet light. But ultraviolet light is outside the range of human vision, it is 'invisible' to us. Rife's brilliance allowed him to overcome this limitation by heterodyning, a technique which became popular in early radio broadcasting. He illuminated the microbe (usually a virus or bacteria) with two different wavelengths of the same ultraviolet light frequency which resonated with the spectral signature of the microbe. These two wavelengths produced interference where they merged. This interference was, in effect, a third, longer wave which fell into the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. This was how Rife made invisible microbes visible without killing them, a feat which today's electron microscopes cannot duplicate.

By this time, Rife was so far ahead of his colleagues of the 1930's(!), that they could not comprehend what he was doing without actually traveling to San Diego to Rife's laboratory to look through his Virus Microscope for themselves. And many did exactly that.

One was Virginia Livingston. She eventually moved from New Jersey to Rife's Point Loma (San Diego) neighborhood and became a frequent visitor to his lab. Virginia Livingston is now often given the credit for identifying the organism which causes human cancer, beginning with research papers she began publishing in 1948.

In reality, Royal Rife had identified the human cancer virus first...in 1920! Rife then made over 20,000 unsuccessful attempts to transform normal cells into tumor cells. He finally succeeded when he irradiated the cancer virus, passed it through a cell-catching ultra-fine porcelain filter, and injected it into lab animals. Not content to prove this virus would cause one tumor, Rife then created 400 tumors in succession from the same culture. He documented everything with film, photographs, and meticulous records. He named the cancer virus 'Cryptocides primordiales.'

Virginia Livingston, in her papers, renamed it Progenitor Cryptocides. Royal Rife was never even mentioned in her papers. In fact, Rife seldom got credit for his monumental discoveries. He was a quiet, unassuming scientist, dedicated to expanding his discoveries rather than to ambition, fame, and glory. His distaste for medical politics (which he could afford to ignore thanks to generous trusts set up by private benefactors) left him at a disadvantage later, when powerful forces attacked him. Coupled with the influence of the pharmaceutical industry in purging his papers from medical journals, it is hardly surprising that few heave heard of Rife today.

Meanwhile, debate raged between those who had seen viruses changing into different forms beneath Rife's microscopes, and those who had not. Those who condemned without investigation, such as the influential Dr. Thomas Rivers, claimed these forms didn't exist.
Because his microscope did not reveal them, Rivers argued that there was "no logical basis for belief in this theory." The same argument is used today in evaluating many other 'alternative' medical treatments; if there is no precedent, then it must not be valid. Nothing can convince a closed mind. Most had never actually looked though the San Diego microscopes...air travel in the 1930's was uncomfortable, primitive, and rather risky. So, the debate about the life cycle of viruses was resolved in favor of those who never saw it (even modern electron microscopes show frozen images, not the life cycle of viruses in process).

Nevertheless, many scientists and doctors have since confirmed Rife's discovery of the cancer virus and its pleomorphic nature, using darkfield techniques, the Naessens microscope, and laboratory experiments. Rife also worked with the top scientists and doctors of his day who also confirmed or endorsed various areas of his work. They included: E.C. Rosenow, Sr. (longtime Chief of Bacteriology, Mayo Clinic); Arthur Kendall (Director, Northwestern Medical School); Dr. George Dock (internationally-renowned); Alvin Foord (famous pathologist); Rufus Klein-Schmidt (President of USC); R.T. Hamer (Superintendent, Paradise Valley Sanitarium; Dr. Milbank Johnson (Director of the Southern California AMA); Whalen Morrison (Chief Surgeon, Santa Fe Railway); George Fischer (Childrens Hospital, N.Y.); Edward Kopps (Metabolic Clinic, La Jolla); Karl Meyer (Hooper Foundation, S.F.); M. Zite (Chicago University); and many others.

Rife ignored the debate, preferring to concentrate on refining his method of destroying these tiny killer viruses. He used the same principle to kill them, which made them visible: resonance.

By increasing the intensity of a frequency which resonated naturally with these microbes, Rife increased their natural oscillations until they distorted and disintegrated from structural stresses. Rife called this frequency 'the mortal oscillatory rate,' or 'MOR', and it did no harm whatsoever to the surrounding tissues.

Today's Rife instruments use harmonics of the frequencies shown on the display screen. The wavelength of the actual frequency shown (770hz, 880hz, etc.) is too long to do the job.

This principle can be illustrated by using an intense musical note to shatter a wine glass: the molecules of the glass are already oscillating at some harmonic (multiple) of that musical note; they are in resonance with it. Because everything else has a different resonant frequency, nothing but the glass is destroyed. There are literally hundreds of trillions of different resonant frequencies, and every species and molecule has its very own.

It took Rife many years, working 48 hours at a time, until he discovered the frequencies which specifically destroyed herpes, polio, spinal meningitis, tetanus, influenza, and an immense number of other dangerous disease organisms.

In 1934, the University of Southern California appointed a Special Medical Research Committee to bring terminal cancer patients from Pasadena County Hospital to Rife's San Diego Laboratory and clinic for treatment. The team included doctors and pathologists assigned to examine the patients - if still alive - in 90 days.

After the 90 days of treatment, the Committee concluded that 86.5% of the patients had been completely cured. The treatment was then adjusted and the remaining 13.5% of the patients also responded within the next four weeks. The total recovery rate using Rife's technology was 100%.

On November 20, 1931, forty-four of the nation's most respected medical authorities honored Royal Rife with a banquet billed as The End To All Diseases at the Pasadena estate of Dr. Milbank Johnson.

But by 1939, almost all of these distinguished doctors and scientists were denying that they had ever met Rife. What happened to make so many brilliant men have complete memory lapses? It seems that news of Rife's miracles with terminal patients had reached other ears. Remember our hypothetical question at the beginning of this report: What would happen if you discovered a cure for everything? You are now about to find out....

At first, a token attempt was made to buy out Rife. Morris Fishbein, who had acquired the entire stock of the American Medical Association by 1934, sent an attorney to Rife with 'an offer you can't refuse.' Rife refused. We many never know the exact terms of this offer. But we do know the terms of the offer Fishbein made to Harry Hoxsey for control of his herbal cancer remedy. Fishbein's associates would receive all profits for nine years and Hoxey would receive nothing. Then, if they were satisfied that it worked, Hoxsey would begin to receive 10% of the profits. Hoxsey decided that he would rather continue to make all the profits himself. When Hoxsey turned Fishbein down, Fishbein used his immensely powerful political connections to have Hoxsey arrested 125 times in a period of 16 months. The charges (based on practice without a license) were always thrown out of court, but the harassment drove Hoxsey insane.

But Fishbein must have realized that this strategy would backfire with Rife. First, Rife could not be arrested like Hoxsey for practising without a license. A trial on trumped-up charges would mean that testimony supporting Rife would be introduced by prominent medical authorities working with Rife. And the defense would undoubtedly take the opportunity to introduce evidence such as the 1934 medical study done with USC. The last thing in the world that the pharmaceutical industry wanted was a public trial about a painless therapy that cured 100% of the terminal cancer patients and cost nothing to use but a little electricity. It might give people the idea that they didn't need drugs.

And finally, Rife had spent decades accumulating meticulous evidence of his work, including film and stop-motion photographs. No, different tactics were needed...

The first incident was the gradual pilfering of components, photographs, film, and written records from Rife's lab. The culprit was never caught.

Then, while Rife struggled to reproduce his missing data (in a day when photocopies and computers were not available), someone vandalized his precious virus microscopes. Pieces of the 5,682 piece Universal microscope were stolen. Earlier, an arson fire had destroyed the multi-million dollar Burnett Lab in New Jersey, just as the scientists there were preparing to announce confirmation of Rife's work. But the final blow came later, when police illegally confiscated the remainder of Rife's 50 years of research.

Then in 1939, agents of a family which controlled the drug industry assisted Philip Hoyland in a frivolous lawsuit against his own partners in the Beam Ray Corporation. This was the only company manufacturing Rife's frequency instruments (Rife was not a partner). Hoyland lost, but his assisted legal assault had the desired effect: the company was bankrupted by legal expenses. And during the Great Depression, this meant that commercial production of Rife's frequency instruments ceased completely.

And remember what a universal cure meant to hospitals and research foundations? Doctors who tried to defend Rife lost their foundations grants and hospital privileges.

On the other hand, big money was spent ensuring that doctors who had seen Rife's therapy would forget what they saw. Almost no price was too much to suppress it. Remember that, today, treatment of a single cancer patient averages over $300,000. It's BIG business.

Thus, Arthur Kendall, the Director of the Northwestern School of Medicine who worked with Rife on the cancer virus, accepted almost a quarter of a million dollars to suddenly 'retire' in Mexico. That was an exorbitant amount of money in the Depression.
Dr. George Dock, another prominent figure who collaborated with Rife, was silenced with an enormous grant, along with the highest honors the AMA could bestow. Between the carrots and the sticks, everyone except Dr. Couche and Dr. Milbank Johnson gave up Rife's work and went back to prescribing drugs.

To finish the job, the medical journals, support almost entirely by drug company revenues and controlled by the AMA, refused to publish any paper by anyone on Rife's therapy. Therefore, an entire generation of medical students graduated into practice without ever once hearing of Rife's breakthroughs in medicine.

The magnitude of such an insane crime eclipses every mass murder in history. Cancer picks us off quietly...but by 1960 the casualties from this tiny virus exceeded the carnage of all the wars America ever fought. In 1989, it was estimated that 40% of us will experience cancer at some time in our lives.

In Rife's lifetime, he had witnessed the progress of civilization from horse-and-buggy travel to jet planes. In that same time, he saw the epidemic of cancer increase from 1 in 24 Americans in 1905 to 1 in 3 in 1971 when Rife died.

He also witnessed the phenomenal growth of the American Cancer Society, the Salk Foundation, and many others collecting hundreds of millions of dollars for diseases that were cured long before in his own San Diego laboratories. In one period, 176,500 cancer drugs were submitted for approval. Any that showed 'favorable' results in only one-sixth of one percent of the cases being studied could be licensed. Some of these drugs had a mortality rate of 14-17%. When death came from the drug, not the cancer, the case was recorded as a 'complete' or 'partial remission' because the patient didn't actually die from the cancer. In reality, it was a race to see which would kill the patient first: the drug or the disease.

The inevitable conclusion reached by Rife was that his life-long labor and discoveries had not only been ignored but probably would be buried with him. At that point, he ceased to produce much of anything and spent the last third of his life seeking oblivion in alcohol. It dulled the pain and his acute awareness of half a century of wasted effort - ignored - while the unnecessary suffering of millions continued so that a vested few might profit. And profit they did, and profit they do.

In 1971, Royal Rife died from a combination of valium and alcohol at the age of 83. Perhaps his continual exposure to his own Rife frequencies helped his body endure abuse for so many years.

Fortunately, his death was not the end of his electronic therapy. A few humanitarian doctors and engineers reconstructed his frequency instruments and kept his genius alive. Rife technology became public knowledge again in 1986 with the publication of The Cancer Cure That Worked, by Barry Lynes, and other material about Royal Rife and his monumental work.

There is wide variation in the cost, design, and quality of the modern portable Rife frequency research instruments available. Costs vary from about $1200 to $3600 with price being no legitimate indicator of the technical competence in the design of the instrument or performance of the instruent. Some of the most expensive units have serious technical limitations and are essentially a waste of money. At the other extreme, some researchers do get crude results from inexpensive simple, unmodified frequency generators, but this is just as misguided as spending too much money. Without the proper modifications, the basic frequency generator gives only minimal and inconsistent results. Please recall that the actual destruction of the viruses and bacteria, etc. is not accomplished by the frequency displayed on these cheap generators, but by certain shorter harmonics of that particular frequency which are often blocked by the crudity of a cheap and rudimentary instrument itself.

This very problem led Rife to ultimately abandon the 'ray tube' design in favor of today's version. The newer technology applies the frequencies and their harmonics to the body through the use of hand-held, footplate, or stick-on electrodes. Proper frequency exposure and flushing of the body with large amounts of clean, pure water is critical to achieve the kind of results Rife got. These procedures are fully explained in the manuals of the best units on the market.

So, unless you would be satisfied with sporadic results for minor conditions, it is suggested you use only the highest quality equipment and only the proper, proven procedures in your personal research. If you do, you may discover that nothing can approach what can be achieved through the application of these safe, time-tested frequencies (many for over 65 years)- and all without drugs, surgery, or radiation.

One day, the name of Royal Raymond Rife may ascend to its rightful place as the giant of modern medical science. Until that time, his fabulous technology remains available only to the people who have the interest to seek it out. While perfectly legal for veterinarians to use to save the lives of animals, Rife's brilliant frequency therapy remains taboo to orthodox mainstream medicine because of the continuing threat it poses to the international pharmaceutical medical monopoly that controls the lives - and deaths - of the vast majority of the people on this planet.

This story can be found at : www.rense.com

What Is God? What is Religion?

2006-08-08T23:08:00.000-05:00

This EXCELLENT post was found on TUBALCAIN420 and I just had to post it here! Thanks to the folks at Tubalcain420 for letting me do so!

Until now we have fought the popular idea concerning the Divinity, but we have not yet said what God is, and if we were asked, we should say that the word represents to us an Infinite Being, of whom one of his attributes is to be a substance of extent and consequently eternal and infinite. The extent or the quantity not being finite or divisible, it may be imagined that the matter was everywhere the same, our understanding not distinguishing parts. For example, water, as much as water is imagined, is divisible, and its parts separable from one another, though as much as a corporeal substance it is nether separable nor divisible. [So of water, however, it may be subject to generation and corruption, as long as it is substance it is not subject to separation and division.] Thus neither matter or quantity have anything unworthy of God, for if all is God, and all comes surely from his essence, it follows quite absolutely that He is all that he contains, since it is incomprehensible that Beings quite material should be contained in a Being who is not. That we may not think that this is a new opinion, Terlullian, one of the foremost men among the Christians, has pronounced against Apelles, that, "that which is not matter is nothing," and against Praxias, that "all substance is matter," without having this doctrine condemned in the four first Councils of the Christian Church, ecumenical and general. [The four first Councils were 1. That of Nice in the year 345, under the Emperor Constantine the Great, and under Pope Sylvester I.; 2. That of Constantinople in the year 381, under the Emperors Gratian, Valentinian and Theodore and the Pope Damase I.; 3. That of Ephesus in the year 431, under the Emperor Theodore, the younger, and Valentinian and under the Pope Celestin; 4. That of Chalcedon in the year 451, under Valentinian and Martian, and under Pope Leo I.]

These sentiments are plain and the only ones that good and sound judgment can form of God. However, there are but few who are satisfied with such simplicity. Boorish people, who are accustomed to adulation of opinion, demand a God who resembles earthly kings. The pomp and circumstance surrounding them so fascinates, that to take away all hope of going after death to increase the number of heavenly courtiers enjoying the same pleasure which attaches to the Court of Kings, is to take away the consolation and the only things which prevent them from going to despair over the miseries of life. They want a just and avenging God, who rewards and punishes after the manner of kings, a God susceptible of all human passions and weaknesses. They give him feet, hands, and ears, and yet they do not regard a God so constituted as material. They say that man is his masterpiece, and even his own image, but do not allow that the copy is like the original. In a word, the God of the people of today is subject to as many forms as Jupiter of the Pagans, and what is still more strange, these follies contradict each other and shock good sense. The vulgar reverence them because they firmly believe what the Prophets have said, although these visionaries among the Hebrews, were the same as the augurs and the diviners among the pagans. [These, among us, are the Astrologers and Fanatics.] They consult the Bible as if God or nature was therein expounded to them in a special manner, however this book is only a rhapsody of fragments, gathered at various times, selected by several persons, and given to the people according to the fancy of the Robbins, who did not publish them until after approving some, and rejecting others, and seeing if they were conformable or opposed to the Law of Moses. [the Talmud remarks that the Robbins deliberated whether they should omit the Book of Proverbs and that of Ecclesiastes from the number of canonicals, and would have done so had they not found in several places that they eulogized the Mosaic law. They would have done the same with the prophecies of Ezekiel had not a certain Chananias undertook to harmonize them with the same law.] Yes, such is the malice and stupidity of men that they prefer to pass their lives disputing with one another, and worshipping a book received from ignorant people; a book with little order or method, which everyone admits as confused and badly conceived, only serving to foment divisions.

Christians would rather adore this phantom than listen to the law of Nature which God -- that is to say, Nature, which is the active principle -- has written in the heart of man. All other laws are but human fictions, and pure illusions forged, not by Demons or evil spirits, which are fanciful ideas, but by the skill of Princes and Ecclesiastics to give the former more warrant for their authority, and to enrich the latter by the traffic in an infinity of chimeras which sell to the ignorant at a good price.

All other laws are not supported save on the authority of the Bible, in the original of which appear a thousand instances of extraordinary and impossible things, [The versions that we have differ greatly in a thousand places, one with another, until the end of the book.] and which speaks only of recompenses or punishments for good or bad actions, but which are wisely deferred for a future life, relying that the trick will not be discovered in this, no one having returned from the other to tell the news. Thus, men kept ever wavering between hope and fear, are held to their duty by the belief they aver that God has created man only to render him eternally happy or unhappy, and which has given rise to the infinity of religions which are about to be discussed.

WHAT THE WORD RELIGION SIGNIFIES, AND HOW AND WHY SUCH A GREAT NUMBER HAVE BEEN INTRODUCED IN THE WORLD.

Before the word Religion was introduced in the world mankind was only obliged to follow natural laws and to conform to common sense. This instinct alone was the tie by which men were united, and so very simple was this bond of unity, that nothing among them was more rare than dissensions. But when fear created a suspicion that there were Gods, and invisible powers, they raised altars to these imaginary beings, so that in putting off the yoke of Nature and Reason, which are the sources of true life, they subjected themselves by vain ceremonies and superstitious worship to frivolous phantoms of the imagination, and that is whence arose this word Religion which makes so much noise in the world.

Men having admitted invisible forces which were all-powerful over them, they worshipped them to appease them, and further imagined that Nature was a being subordinate to this power, thence they had the idea that it was a great mace that threatened, or a slave that acted only by the order that such power gave him. Since this false idea had broken their will they had only scorn for Nature, and respect only for those pretended beings that they called their Gods. Thence came the ignorance in which mankind was plunged, and from which the well-informed, however deep the abyss, could have rescued them, if their zeal had not been extinguished by those who led them blindly, and who lived by imposture. But though there was but little appearance of success in the enterprise, it was not necessary to abandon the party of truth, and only in consideration of those who were afflicted with the symptoms of so great an evil, were generous souls available to represent matters as they were.

Fear which created Gods, made also Religion, and when men imbibed the notion that there were invisible agencies which were the cause of their good and bad fortune, they lost their good sense and reason substituting for their chimeras so many Divinities who had care of their conduct.

After having forged these Gods they were curious to know of what matter they consisted, and finally imagined that they should be of the same substance as the soul. Then being persuaded that the latter resembled the shadows which appear in a mirror, or during sleep, they believed that some Gods were real substances but so thin and subtle that to distinguish them from bodies they called them Spirits. So that bodies and spirits were in effect the same thing, and differed neither more nor less, and to be both corporeal and incorporeal is a most incomprehensible thing. The reason given is that each spirit has a proper form, and is included within some limit, that is to say that it has some boundaries, and consequently must be a body however thin and subtle it might be. [See Tertullian ante, also Hobbes' Leviathan, C. 12, p. 56.]

The ignorant, that is, the greater part of mankind having settled in this manner the substance of their Gods, tried also to determine by what methods these invisible powers produced their effects. Not being able to do this definitely by reason of their ignorance, they put faith in their conjectures, blindly judging the future by the past, while seeing neither cohesion nor dependence.

In all that they undertook they saw but the past, and foretold good or evil for the future according as the same enterprise had at another time turned out either good or bad. Phormion having defeated the Lacedemonians at the battle of Naupacte, the Athenians, after his death, chose another general of the same name: Hannibal having succumbed to the arms of Scipio Africanus, the Romans, remembering this great success, sent another Scipio to the same country against Caesar, which acts gained nothing for either the Athenians or the Romans. So after two or three experiences, good or bad fortune is made synonymous with certain names or places; others make use of certain words called enchantments, which they believe to be efficacious; some cause trees to speak, create man from a morsel of bread, and transform anything that may appear before them. (Hobbes' Leviatlian de homine. Cap. 12, p. 56-57.)

Invisible powers being established in this way, straightway men revere them only as they do their rulers, that is to say, by tokens of submission and respect, as witness offerings, prayers, and similar things, I say at first, for nature has not yet learned to use on such occasions sacrifices of blood, which have only been instituted for the benefit of the sacrificers and the ministers called to the service of these beautiful Gods.

These causes of Religion, that is, Hope and Fear, leaving out the passions, judgments and various resolutions of mankind, have produced the great number of extravagant beliefs which have caused so much evil, and the many revolutions which have convulsed the nations.

The honor and revenue which attaches to the priesthood, and which has since been accorded to the ministry of the Gods, and those having ecclesiastical charges, inflame the ambition and the avarice of cunning individuals who profit by the stupidity of the people, who readily submit in their weakness, and we know how insensibly is caused the easy habit of encouraging falsehood and hating truth.

The empire of falsehood being established, and the ambitious ones encouraged by the advantage of being above their fellows, the latter endeavor to gain repute by a pretense of being friendly with the invisible Gods whom the vulgar fear. For better success, each schemes in his own way, and multiplies deities so that they are met at every turn.

The formless matter of the world they term the god Chaos, and the same honor is accorded to heaven, earth, the sea, the wind, and the planets, and they are made both male and female. Further on we find birds, reptiles, the crocodile, the calf, the dog, the lamb, the serpent, the hog, and in fact all kinds of animals and plants constitute the better part. Each river and fountain bears the name of a God, each house had its own, each man his genius; in fact all space above and beneath the earth was occupied by spirits, shades and demons. It was not sufficient to maintain a Divinity in all imaginable places, but they feared to offend time, day, night, concord, love, peace, victory, contention, mildew, honor, virtue, fever, and health, or to insult these charming divinities whom they always imagined ready to discharge lightning on the heads of men, provided temples and altars were not erected to them.

As a sequel, man commenced to fear his own special genius, whom some invoked under the name of Muses, and others under the name of Fortune adored their own ignorance. The latter sanctified their debauches in the name of Cupid, their rage in the name of Furies, and their natural parts under the name of Priapus, in a word, there was nothing which did not bear the name of a God or a Demon. (Hobbes' de homine, Chap. 12, p. 58.)

The founders of Religion having based their impostures on the ignorance of the people, took great care to maintain them by the adoration of images which they pretended were inhabited by the Gods, and this caused a flood of gold and benefactions called holy things, to pour into the coffers of the priests. These gifts were regarded as sacred, and designed for the use of these holy ministers, and none were so audacious as to pretend to their office, or even to touch them. To allure the people more successfully, these priests made prophecies and pretended to penetrate the future by the commerce which they boasted of having with the Gods. There is nothing so natural as to know destiny. These impostors were too well informed to omit any circumstance so advantageous for their designs. Some were established at Delos, others at Delphos and elsewhere, where by ambiguous oracles they replied to the demands made of them. Women even were engaged in these impostures, and the Romans in their great Calamities had recourse to the Sibylline books; fools and lunatics passed for enthusiasts, and those who pretended to converse with the dead were called necromancers.

Others read the future by the flight of birds, or by the entrails of beasts. Indeed the eyes, the hands, the face, or an extraordinary object, all seemed to them to possess a good or bad omen, so it is true that the ignorant will receive any desired impression when the secret of their wish is found. (Hobbes' de homine, Chap. 12, pp. 58-59.)

Second Communication from Newly Elected UGLA GM

2006-08-08T09:37:00.000-05:00

For Immediate Release

Grand Master’s Statement

To the Glory of the Great Architect of the Universe and under the auspices of the United Grand Lodge of America, greetings from the Grand East.

The Bill of Rights of the United Grand Lodge, as modified at our Annual Grand Lodge Communication on the 5th day of the month of August 2006 is posted below.

Fraternally,

S. Aaron Peavy

Grand Master

United Grand Lodge of America

Grand Lodge Bill of Rights

I. The Grand Lodge shall have the power to collect per-capita fees from the Lodges for its normal operations. The Grand Lodge shall provide financial statements of its activities at its regular communications.

II. The Grand Lodge shall return all unused funding back to the Lodges on a per-capita basis for the previous year after the collection of per-capita taxes.

III. The Grand Lodge is prohibited from owning, leasing or acquiring real estate.

IV. The Grand Lodge is prohibited from receiving or acquiring any monies or assets except through the collection of its annual per-capita fees.

V. No Grand Lodge Officer or any Representative from any of the Lodges shall receive any compensation for their services, other than reimbursable expenses covered by the Tax Code of the United States of America.

VI. No Free-Mason or close relation of a Free-Mason shall be hired by the Grand Lodge to provide any product or service to the Grand Lodge.

VII. The Grand Lodge shall be the sole authority over all Masonic Rites and Appendant Bodies and no Rite or Appendant Body shall form independent governing Bodies.

VIII. The various Masonic Rites will provide the educational curriculum relevant to their specific Order.

IX. The Grand Master is prohibited from issuing Edicts.

X. The Grand Master has the power and authority to temporarily suspend the Charter of any Lodge or any member, but only when the action is necessitated by an action of the Government or a Criminal Court.

XI. Any elected representative of a Lodge (Master or Warden) can introduce new legislation before the Grand Lodge, and the Grand Lodge shall not pass any law prohibiting this nor causing the same to be subject to the approval of any person or persons.

XII. Any elected representative of a Lodge (Master or Warden) can speak before the Grand Lodge about any issue concerning Free-Masonry, and the Grand Lodge shall not pass any law prohibiting this nor causing the same to be subject to the approval of any person or persons.

As amended by the members of the United Grand Lodge of America on 08/05/06
Attested by the Grand Secretary

G. David Cooksey

United Grand Lodge of America

UGLA Grand Master's Statement

2006-08-07T12:15:00.000-05:00

S. Aaron Peavy
UGLA Grand Master

Grand Master’s Statement

To the Glory of the Great Architect of the Universe and under the auspices of the United Grand Lodge of America, greetings from the East.

August 5, 2006 was a momentous day for Modern Free-Masons worldwide. The United Grand Lodge of America met to form its governing Grand Lodge body. Many items were discussed at length and many resolutions and items of great importance were completed. The three principle officers were elected and a complement of Grand Lodge officers was appointed.

The cornerstone of our Grand Lodge was set into place at this meeting and we are now heading towards the ultimate goal of our basic principles:

1. Brotherhood of Humankind under the all-seeing eye of Deity

2. All Masons are on the same level

Thanks goes to Free-Masons from across the nation who met in Peace, Virtue, Truth, Brotherhood, and Fraternal union at our first Grand Lodge Communication. I will be issuing our plans for the future of our Brotherhood as Free-Masonry has been forged for the next generation. Let this new Grand Lodge be a beacon of the universal Light that was and always will be Free-Masonry.

Fraternally,

Aaron Peavy

Grand Master

United Grand Lodge of America

EVENT OF HISTORIC SIGNIFIGANCE

2006-08-06T15:00:00.000-05:00

Multi-State Council of Delegates at the United Grand Lodge of America Headquarters
in Atlanta, Georgia
Photo Credits: The Burning Taper Blog

This just in! An event of historic signifigance has just taken place! All Grand Lodges of Freemasonry are advised of the following:

____________________________________________________________

New Grand Lodge Formation

To the Glory of the Great Architect of the Universe and under the auspices of the United Grand Lodge of America. The Brethren assembled on the 5th day of the month of August in the year 2006. met in the city of Atlanta in the state of Georgia, under the sun where Peace, Virtue, Truth, Brotherhood and Fraternal Union prevailed.

The Brethren Met for the purpose of forming a regular Grand Lodge and to elect Grand Lodge Officers;

To that end the Brethren assembled voted in their first election of officers who are as follows:

S. Aaron Peavy- Grand Master
G. David Cooksey- Grand Secretary
Brian P. Roper- Grand Treasurer

Other officers are appointed by the Grand Master

Grand Secretary
G. David Cooksey
United Grand Lodge of America

Anti-Masonic Disinformation & HOAXES

2006-08-04T16:03:00.000-05:00

The folks over at the Anti-Masonry, conspiracy theory, whacko website:

http://freemasonrywatch.org/royalorderofjesters.html

are at it again! They've posted a story that looks genuine and if it were true, it would be a damning expose on severe corruption in the SR in Texas.

Well, thanks to some good watchdogs at some of the blogs we link to... I can say with confidence that this story is an outright hoax!

This is just par for the course for sites run by people who have a lot of fear and way too much time on their hands. They post stories sent to them by folks who are either disaffected former masons or fundamentalist Christians with an axe to grind. The bottom text at their page says it all:

Our MasonStoppers Line
Send us in confidence details of cases where you think
Organized Freemasonry has personally hurt yourself,
family, friends, aquaintances, or community. We would
also appreciate any additional background information,
links, and references on Freemasonry and the Occult.
Help us take a bite out of Freemasonry.

As I have no love for the Shrine or the Scottish Rite in general...I posted the story here just a few minutes ago. That was when I was gently reminded to check my sources. I was doing, in essence, what these folks do all the time. Post uncorraborated material in the hopes of getting enough momentum to effect social outrage. My thanks to my comrades in arms at the Burning Taper.

Folks will stop at nothing to discredit fine institutions of learning and progress if they feel like they are being left out of the fun, or if they just live in fear of what they don't comprehend. These people don't care to comprehend either! They just sit in their bedrooms and hammer out whatever they think will bring more people over to their side so they will feel less lonely.

If you take a look at their website, the folks at "Freemasonry Watch" see conspiracy and evil lurking behind every corner. Their website is full of the typical conspiracy theory rubbish that is the staple of so many of these types of sites. Anything that is kept secret is automatically evil and sinister by default. They quote John F. Kennedy when he said that, "The very word "secrecy" is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths and to secret proceedings." This is all just fodder and these sites have become the "National Enquirer" of the internet. I have taken some time to look through this site and my only regret is that it was not printed on paper; for it would make a good, absorbent cat litter. It's amazing the reaches that some people will make to try to malign things they think are evil. They don't understand the symbology, which is good because they are not meant to understand the symbology. So, they draw their own opinions and publish it as fact! What a hoax they are perpetrating upon the public! This is the kind of stuff that former Roswell UFO chroniclers do when they find that public interest has waned and they can no longer amass an audience for their government cover up theories and "chupacabra" (literally- "Goat-sucker") sightings reports. It's ALL utter rubbish!!!

Here's a suggestion. If you're into conspiracy theories and such...Go to Art Bell's site or Coast To Coast AM with George Noory. Far more interesting and there's the chance that at least some of it could be factual! :)

Thanks!

Darren

Freedom & Social Responsibility

2006-08-04T00:37:00.000-05:00

After reading a comment posted to the previous article regarding Mel Gibson; I feel compelled to point something out. Mr. Anonymous made a comment about the berating of Mel Gibson because of his drunken, anti-semetic tirade that has recently made the news. He asked if Mel Gibson lived in a Communist country? It seemed that he was inferring that freedom of speech meant that you could say whatever you want without fear of social backlash or dissenting opinion.

Something I pointed out to Mr. Anonymous was that freedom of speech is a two-edged sword. If you express an opinion in public... you have the right to do so... but you must also deal with others excercising their freedom of speech rights by expressing counter opinions and their views over your character, because we all know that what a person thinks says a lot about what kind of person he or she is. In this respect, the old Biblical admonishment is true;

"For it is not what goes into a man's mouth that defiles him, but what issues forth..." Mr. Gibson is not the victim of the suppression of his right to speak freely. In fact, it is quite evident that he exercised that right to it's fullest extent! Mr. Gibson, if anything, is the victim of his lack of accountability in making these comments. Comments which he now regrets in the cold, harsh light of sobriety. What I am saying is that if you're going to put forth an opinion in the public realm, BE ACCOUNTABLE! Make sure that you can deal with those who will disagree. Take ownership of what you say! Vocal dissent over a person's or a group's opinion over ANY issue is not only the right, but the duty of every American citizen.

There are those that feel that you should be able to say whatever you want to publicly and somehow be shielded or protected from verbal backlash or anger.

This is an endorsement of censorship at it's most basic form.

Where does the rationale of this idea stop? All things being equal, if you can't express disdain over someone else's opinion being vocalized publicly; then you take away the fundamental right that the original person had to vocalize their original opinion in the first place!

There would be no such thing as dissent, opinion, or free speech!

Freedom of Speech = Freedom of Expression, Freedom to Disagree, Freedom to Agree, Freedom to Boycott, Freedom of Religious Expression, Freedom of Political Affiliation, Freedom to be successful, Freedom to Fail, Freedom to Live, Freedom to Die...Freedom...Just Freedom

No, Mr. Anonymous... Freedom of Speech IS alive and well. It is social and personal responsibility and accountability that is in danger of disappearing. But... That's just MY opinion that I'm expressing freely.

Thank you,

Darren Simpson

The New Views Over Melchizedek

2006-08-01T21:14:00.000-05:00

Those who study the Christian Bible, the Zohar, the Talmud, and the Nag Hammadi scripts will recognize the name "Melchizedek". This mysterious "priest-king" of "Salem" (now known as Jerusalem") has been a pivotal figure in the annals of Freemasonry as well; however, many in the Blue Lodge has forgotten the real signifigance of the Master Mason Degree and it's links to Melchizedek...the Canaanite link to the Hiram Abiff story...and the inexorable link to the Messianic legacy of Jesus Christ. I've included some different angles on Melchizedek, taken from different texts and viewpoints. Perhaps, when the real story comes to light about this shadowy figure from the distant past... History will look very different, indeed.

Melchizedek in Rabbinic Lore & the Zohar

Melchizedek is a character in the Old Testament who appeared in Genesis to the patriarch Abraham. He is called "king of Salem" (believed to be ancient Jerusalem) and "priest of the most high God" in Genesis 14:18.

In the Tanakh, Melchizedek brought bread and wine to Abraham (then called Abram) after Abraham's victory over the four kings who had besieged Sodom and Gomorrah and had taken his nephew Lot prisoner (described in Genesis 14). (Gen. 14:18.) Melchizedek blessed Abraham in the name of ³God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth.² (Gen. 14:19.) In return, Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth, a tithe, of the spoils gained from the battle. (Gen. 14:20.)

In some translations, Psalm 110:4 names Melchizedek as representative of the priestly line through which a future king of Israel's Davidic line was ordained. Alternatively, the term in Psalm 110:4 can be read ³rightful king.² (E.g., New JPS Tanakh.)

In Rabbinic interpretationIn the Midrash, the Rabbis identified Melchizedek with Shem son of Noah. (E.g., B. Talmud Nedarim 32b; Genesis Rabbah 46:7; Genesis Rabbah 56:10; Leviticus Rabbah 25:6; Numbers Rabbah 4:8.) Rabbi Isaac the Babylonian said that Melchizedek was born circumcised.

(Genesis Rabbah 43:6.) Melchizedek called Jerusalem 'Salem.' (Genesis Rabbah 56:10.)

The Rabbis said that Melchizedek instructed Abraham in the Torah. (Genesis Rabbah 43:6.)

Rabbi Eleazar said that Melchizedek's school was one of three places where the Holy Spirit manifested itself. (B. Talmud Makkot 23b.)

The Rabbis taught that Melchizedek acted as a priest and handed down Adam¹s robes to Abraham. (Numbers Rabbah 4:8.)

Rabbi Zechariah said on Rabbi Ishmael's authority that God intended to bring forth the priesthood through Melchizedek¹s descendants, but because Melchizedek blessed Abraham before he blessed God (in Gen. 14:19-20), God brought the priesthood forth from Abraham¹s descendants. (B. Talmud Nedarim 32b.)

Rabbi Judah said in Rabbi Nehorai's name that Melchizedek¹s blessing yielded prosperity for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (Genesis Rabbah 43:8.) Ephraim Miksha'ah the disciple of Rabbi Meir said in the latter's name that Tamar descended from Melchizedek. (Genesis Rabbah 85:10.)Rabbi Hana bar Bizna citing Rabbi Simeon Hasida identified Melchizedek as one of the four craftsmen of whom Zechariah wrote in Zechariah 2:3. (B. Talmud Sukkah 52b; see also Song of Songs Rabbah 2:33 (crediting Rabbi Berekiah in the name of Rabbi Isaac).

The Talmud teaches that David wrote the Book of Psalms, including in it the work of the elders, including Melchizedek (in Psalm 110). (B. Talmud Baba Batra 14b-15a.)

The Zohar finds in 'Melchizedek king of Salem' a reference to 'the King Who rules with complete sovereignty,' or according to another explanation, that 'Melchizedek' alludes to the lower world and 'king of Salem' to the upper world. (Zohar, Bereshit, 1:86b-87a)

(Source:http://www.crystalinks.com/melchizedek.html)

Jesus Christ as Melchizedek Reincarnated

Another incarnation of Jesus is the Old Testament figure known as Melchizedek, the High Priest and King of Salem. It is clear from the Book of Hebrews that Melchizedek was not an ordinary man, assuming he even was a man. A careful examination of the evidence concerning the existence of Melchizedek reveals him to be a previous reincarnation of Jesus. There are strong parallels between Melchizedek and Jesus: both are the Son of God, priest of the Order of Melchizedek, King of Righteous, King of Peace, the Messiah, appointed by God, eternal priesthood, and preexistent. Besides the Biblical evidence, there exists evidence from the discoveries of early Christian texts in 1945 and the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947. There is also extra-Biblical revelations that support this Melchizedek-Jesus connection.

Identical Characteristics of Melchizedek and Jesus
Both are:
(1) Sons of God
(2) High Priests of God
(3) Kings of Righteousness
(4) Appointed by God
(5) Kings of Peace
(6) Eternal ones
(7) Priests (8) Pre-existent ones
(9) Association with Abraham
(10) Rituals of bread and wine
(11) Anointed ones

Identical Sonship: "Son of God"

(A) In the Bible, the only individuals who have the title of the "Son of God" are Jesus, Adam and Melchizedek.
Adam: "the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God." (Luke 3:38)

Melchizedek: "Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever." (Heb. 7:3)
Jesus: "The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God." (Mark 1:1)

(B) The Bible also states that Melchizedek was made in the image or likeness of the Son of God. This could be taken as the image of the son of God (the second in the trinity) or as the image of the begotten son of God, when the Lord took on a fleshly body. But they are one and the same.
Jesus: "the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." (2 Cor. 4:4)
Jesus: "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek." (Heb. 5:6)

Definition of "order": Greek "aphomoioo" (a) A facsimile (b) An exact copy or exact reproduction (c) A duplicate

Jesus: "And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears." (Heb. 7:15)

Definition of "another priest like": Greek "kata ten homoioteta" (a) in every respect (b) after the similitude of (c) according to the likeness of (d) a thing so like another as to be indistinguishable from it.

Identical Order of Priesthood: Priest of the God Most High of the Order of Melchizedek

(A) Melchizedek and Jesus have identical priesthoods.
Melchizedek: "He was priest of God Most High." (Gen 14:18)
Messiah: "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek." (Psalm 110:4)
Jesus: "You are a priest forever, in the order [facsimile] of Melchizedek." (Heb. 5:6)
Definition of "facsimile": (a) an exact copy or exact reproduction (b) duplicate

(B) Notice also that Paul has a mystery concerning Jesus and Melchizedek but is reluctant to tell the uninitiated:

"[Jesus] was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek. We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." (Heb. 5:10-14)

(C) Paul indicates the Priest(s) of order of Melchizedek were to last forever and that the system of priests through the tribe of Levi would eventually come to an end. These men were chosen by God for the office. They would give sacrifice to God which symbolically atoned, or paid for the people's sins. We see this principle at work very early in the story of Job:
"After the Lord had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite:

"I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has."

So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the Lord told them; and the Lord accepted Job's prayer." (Job 42:7-9)

Identical Symbol of Rule: "King of Righteousness"

(A) Melchizedek as the King of Righteousness:

"To whom Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being by interpretation “King of Righteousness“ and after that also King of Salem, which is “King of Peace.” (Heb. 7:2)

(B) Jesus as the King of Righteousness:

"The days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land." (Jer. 23:5)

(C) Melchizedek, as the King of Righteousness, fulfilled this scepter promise:

"The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his." (Gen. 49:10)

(D) Jesus, as the King of Righteousness, fulfilled this scepter promise:

"But about the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom." (Heb. 1:8)

Identical Right to Rule: Appointed by God

(A) Jesus and Melchizedek's priesthoods are similar because they did not depend upon genealogy as the Aaronic priesthood did. The human lineage of Jesus was from Judah - a tribe that Moses did not associate with the priesthood.

"For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests." (Heb. 7:14)

(B) Jesus Christ is a priest after the order of Melchizedek, not because he came from the right line, but because he comes as one who has indestructible life - the only one who can be an eternal priest! The priesthood of both is a royal priesthood. The priesthood of both is based on personality, not legality. Both are universal priesthoods for Gentile and Jew because the priesthood of Melchizedek was before the Law was given. Melchizedek illustrates an eternal priesthood of which the Jesus is the reality.

Identical Title: "King of Peace"

(A) Melchizedek and Jesus are the Kings of Peace.

Melchizedek: "First, his name means "King of Righteousness"; then also, "King of Salem" means "King of Peace." (Heb. 7:2)

Jesus: "And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6)

(B) Melchizedek is the "King of Peace" and Jesus is the "Prince of Peace". Who could be King of Peace over Jesus?

Identical Term of Priesthood: Eternal

(A) Melchizedek and Jesus are eternal priests.
Melchizedek: "like the Son of God he remains a priest forever." (Heb. 7:3)
Jesus: "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek." (Heb. 5:6)

(B) Melchizedek and Jesus are priests forever with an unchangeable priesthood. This indicates they are the same priest - just different times.

Identical in Likeness: Priest

(A) Melchizedek and Jesus are priests of God.
Melchizedek: "He was priest of God Most High." (Gen 14:18)

Jesus: "And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest who has come." (Heb 7:15-16)
The word "likeness" is translated homoios: (a) "after the similitude of"

Note: Heb. 7:15-16 does not mean Jesus is "similar to Melchizedek." In context, it means "Jesus is Melchizedek."
Proof: Another Biblical example of "homoios" meaning "likeness."

"Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness." (Phil. 2:6-7)
Point 1: Jesus was human: The Word became flesh (John 1:14)

Point 2:

And Jesus had a human nature: "The gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David." (Rom. 1:2-4)

Conclusion: Jesus was more than just the likeness of Melchizedek.

Jesus was Melchizedek.

(B) Why would Jesus be compared to Melchizedek if his status was not equal to or greater than Jesus? He certainly would not be compared to anyone lesser than himself. This suggests that both Melchizedek and Jesus were of the same nature and of similar purpose and, therefore, the same person.

Identical Age: Pre-existent

(A) Both Melchizedek and Jesus are pre-existent (i.e. they existed before birth).

Melchizedek: "Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever." (Heb. 7:3)

Jesus: "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." (Micah 5:2)

Jesus: "The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old; I was appointed from eternity, from the beginning, before the world began. When there were no oceans, I was given birth, when there were no springs abounding with water ... Then I was the craftsman at his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence, rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind." (Prov. 8:22-31)

Identical Association with: Abraham

(A) Both Melchizedek and Jesus were both associated with Abraham:

Melchizedek: "Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abraham, saying, "Blessed be Abraham by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth." (Gen. 14:18-19)

Jesus: "Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.
"You are not yet fifty years old," the Jews said to him, "and you have seen Abraham?"
"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" (John 8:56-59)

(B) Melchizedek and Jesus are one spirit who incarnated many times and who transcended death. They could enter and leave the world at will without having to go through birth and death.

"Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood." (Heb. 7:23)

Identical Use of Ritualistic Symbols: Bread and Wine

(A) Melchizedek's offering of bread and wine to Abraham is the first incidence where bread and wine appear in the Scripture. Melchizedek provided a priesthood which gave the symbols of bread and wine. Jesus also provided a priesthood which gave the symbols of bread and wine.

Melchizedek: "And Melchizedek King of Salem brought forth bread and wine..." (Gen. 14:18)

Jesus: "While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom." (Matt. 26:26-29)

Jesus: "I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."

"Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"

"Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever." (John 6:48-59)

Identical Title: Anointed One, the "Messiah"

(A) Melchizedek is the "anointed one":

Melchizedek: "You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy." (Heb. 1:9)

(B) Jesus is the "anointed one":

Jesus: "Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his anointed one." (Acts 4:25-26)

Note: The word translated "anointed" is the Greek chrio which refers to contact between the one being anointed and the one doing the anointing. The Greek word "Christos", translated "Christ" is derived from "chrio".

Christian Gnostic Scriptures Discovered in 1945 Affirm Melchizedek and Jesus to be Different Incarnations of the Same Soul

On December, 1945, in Upper Egypt, ancient texts revealing that the early Christians and Jews believed that Melchizedek was a previous reincarnation of Jesus the Messiah.

These long lost texts were discovered by an Arab peasant was digging in the ground in search of fertilizer when he discovered large jars containing books which have been buried since around 390 A.D. These books where hidden by monks from a nearby monastery to escape destruction under the order of the emerging orthodox Church in its violent expunging of all heresy. These texts were one of the greatest archeological discovery ever discovered. It was only eclipsed by the Dead Sea Scroll discovery in Israel two years later in 1947. It is a strange coincidence that these ancient discoveries containing valuable information of early Jewish and Christian theology and history should appear around the same time.

This immensely important discovery in Egypt includes a large number of Christian Gnostic scriptures -- texts once thought to have been entirely destroyed. Some of the scriptures discovered were the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Philip, and the Gospel of Truth.

One of the Christian Gnostic texts discovered is entitled "Melchizedek". The following quote is from this text. [...] indicates missing fragments or illegible wording.

"And you crucified me from the third hour of the Sabbath - eve until the ninth hour. And after these things I arose from the dead. My body came out of the tomb to me. [...] They did not find anyone greeted me [...] They said to me, Be strong, Melchizedek, great High Priest of God Most High"

There is little doubt that this quote attributed to Melchizedek refers to him being crucified and resurrected. Commenting on the above text, noted authority Birger A. Pearson states:

"Furthermore, the tractate's apparent identification of Melchizedek with Jesus Christ ... is also documented elsewhere in early Christianity, particularly in Egypt. We are drawn to the conclusion that, in the revelation which the priest Melchizedek has received, he has seen that he himself will have a redemptive role to play as the suffering, dying, resurrected and triumphant Savior, Jesus Christ! ... From what we read ... it seems that the victory of Jesus Christ is the victory of Melchizedek and that, in fact, they are one and the same."

"I did and do understand the text of the first tractate to imply that Melchizedek was prophesied to return again, as Jesus."

Dead Sea Scroll Discovery of 1947 Revealed the Messiah to be a Reincarnation of Melchizedek

In 1947, scrolls from the Jewish Essenes were discovered which affirmed that they believed Melchizedek would reincarnate as the Messiah.

These ancient scrolls of profound importance were discovered by young Bedouin shepherds, searching for a stray goat around the Dead Sea in Israel entered an undiscovered cave and found jars filled with ancient scrolls. The Dead Sea Scrolls were scrolls from a monastic group known as the Essenes, dated to be about two thousand years old. The Essenes were an apocalyptic Jewish sect who withdrew from society and established a monastery on the shores of the Dead Sea. It is believed that sometime during the Roman-Jewish war of 66-70 A.D. the Essenes hid their sacred writings.

The Essenes believed in the doctrine of pre-existence and reincarnation and appeared to have been influenced by Gnosticism. The Dead Sea Scrolls prove that the Jewish mystical tradition of divine union went back to the first, perhaps even the third, century B.C.

Biblical scholars were not disturbed by what they found in the Dead Sea Scrolls because they had known all along that the origin of Christianity was not what was commonly supposed to have been.

The first-century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus stated that the Pharisees were believers in reincarnation. Josephus has several long passages dealing with the reincarnation beliefs of both the Essenes and the Pharisees. Josephus writes that the Jews in their secret or esoteric doctrines called the Kabbalah taught reincarnation openly.

The caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found yielded a series of thirteen fragments on Melchizedek which identifies Melchizedek as the one who will carry out the vengeance of God's judgments and the one who delivers the people from the hand of Belial and the spirits of his lot.

The belief that Melchizedek was the Messiah was a strongly held conviction among the Qumran community, as well as among some other Jewish and Gnostic sects in the first century A.D. This becomes apparent in the text entitled "The Last Jubilee" (Dead Sea Scroll: 11Q13, Column 2) about the coming of Melchizedek as the Messiah.

"The Last Jubilee" is a sermon within the "Melchizedek Texts" (also known as "I IQ Melchizedek Text" or " I I Q Melchizedek"). The following is a summary of this sermon:

The Last Jubilee text refers in messianic terms to a future King of Righteousness. In the text, this King of Righteousness is described as passing judgment on Belial [Satan] and his followers. After the judgment in heaven comes the destruction of those who have followed Belial rather than God. The text states that "the one designed, by God's favor, for the King of Righteousness (which is what, by his very name, Melchizedek prefigures) will come into his dominion." The time of his coming "into his dominion" is identified as the period which Isaiah termed the year of favor or "acceptable year of the Lord"

The Biblical reference for this can be found in Isaiah 61:1-2:

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord has anointed me to bring good tidings to the afflicted, he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captive, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn ..." (Isaiah 61:1-2)

Jesus made his first appearance in Nazareth and spoke at the synagogue there, and the book of Isaiah was handed to him. Luke 4:17-19 records that he then found and read the two verses quoted above but stopped after the phrase "acceptable year of the Lord." Bible scholars concluded that by suspending reading without referring to God's day of vengeance, Jesus was distinguishing between his present ministry of grace and the second advent when he would carry out God's judgments. On the other hand, his stopping after that phrase may have been for the purpose of emphasis, for it truly was the "year of the Lord."

After Jesus had concluded his reading, verse 21 adds:

"And he began to say unto them, 'Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.'" (Luke 4:21)

Thus in Luke 4:21, Jesus seems to identify himself as the one promised by Isaiah "to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" when he said, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." And the Melchizedek Texts from the Dead Sea Scrolls identify Melchizedek as the person who will fulfill that prophecy.

In the text "Commentary on the Book of Habakkuk," the "Teacher of Righteousness" is referred to as one "to whom God has made known all the mysteries of His servants the prophets." This Teacher of Righteousness was expected to return and usher in the Messianic Age and according to Jewish tradition to be Elijah or Phinehas or Melchizedek.

At least one respected Dead Sea Scroll authority stated that Jesus in these documents "appears in many respects as an astonishing reincarnation of the Teacher of Righteousness."

The Qumran "Melchizedek Texts" contain several comments which seem clearly to identify the so-called "King of Righteousness," a title referring to Melchizedek, as the promised Messiah. They discuss the role of this future King in overthrowing Belial and executing God's avenging judgment and clearly state that this King will be "Melchizedek redivivus" (reincarnated). One scholar has summarized the document thusly:

"In this fragment, written in Hebrew, Melchizedek appears as an eschatological savior who has a heritage. His mission is to bring back at the end of days the exiles to announce to them their liberation ... and the expiation of their sins."

Near-Death Experience Revelations of Edgar Cayce Reveals Melchizedek and Jesus to be Different Incarnations of the Same Soul

Edgar Cayce received volumes of information from his near-death experiences from a heavenly so-called "Hall of Records." Much of the revelations he received concerned Jesus and his many incarnations including Adam and Melchizedek. Cayce received these revelations years before the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Christian Gnostic find. These discoveries agree with the Cayce revelations concerning Adam, Melchizedek and Jesus.

This parallel between Melchizedek and other incarnations from the ancient Christian Gnostic texts also supports the Cayce revelations that Enoch and Melchizedek were the same spirit. Cayce also provided the interesting revelation that the Dead Sea Essenes grew out of the teachings of Melchizedek as propagated by prophets, such as Elijah, Elisha, and Samuel. Cayce also identified Melchizedek as a previous incarnation of Jesus.

According to Cayce, it was necessary that the very advanced spirit of Melchizedek reincarnate in order to reach Christhood as Jesus. The Cayce revelations show us why the Master spirit again incarnated after the experience as Melchizedek:

The Christ spirit incarnated as Adam, Enoch, Melchizedek, then took on flesh to teach and lead. After several more incarnations such as Joseph (prince of Egypt), the Christ spirit realized it was necessary to set a pattern for humanity and to show the way back to God. Thus, the Master spirit assumed the mission of through his final incarnation as Jesus. By resurrecting his body, he made the Jesus-Melchizedek priesthood eternal.

This priesthood, according to the Encyclopedia Judaica's interpretation of Hebrews, "is excellent, superior to that of Abraham's descent, and transcends all human, imperfect orders."

In view of such evidence found in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, the Christian Gnostic texts, the Dead Sea Scrolls and extra-Biblical sources such as Cayce, the early Christian veneration of Melchizedek and the rich Messianic tradition about him, Christians should in no way find it demeaning to link the soul of Melchizedek with that of Jesus. Certainly both individuals were important instruments of God, and each life marks an historic step in the spiritual evolution of humanity.

"His followers said to him, 'When will the rest for the dead take place, and when will the new world come?'

"He said to them, 'What you look for has come, but you do not know it.'" - Jesus, the Gospel of Thomas, saying 51

The Nag Hammadi Texts Concerning Melchizedek <- Click Here for the text in English

Melchizedek In the Urantia Book

PAPER 95 THE MELCHIZEDEK TEACHINGS IN THE LEVANT

95:0.1 AS INDIA gave rise to many of the religions and philosophies of eastern Asia, so the Levant was the homeland of the faiths of the Occidental world. The Salem missionaries spread out all over southwestern Asia, through Palestine, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Iran, and Arabia, everywhere proclaiming the good news of the gospel of Machiventa Melchizedek. In some of these lands their teachings bore fruit; in others they met with varying success. Sometimes their failures were due to lack of wisdom, sometimes to circumstances beyond their control...

Click HERE for more

Source for the above text has been referenced beneath corresponding text or otherwise, linked to their original source sites.

Burial Place of Alexander the Great

2006-07-28T23:07:00.000-05:00

One of the greatest men in history, Alexander the Great, his burial place still eludes scientists and archaeologists.

Despite scientific progress in research and continuous excavations, the mystery of Alexander the Great's tomb still has not unraveled, and locating the burial of Alexander seems to have become an impossible mission for archaeologists. The problem of locating the place where the body of one of the worlds most famous individuals was buried first came into focus when, in the 4th century AD, St. John Chrysostom, the Bishop of Constantinople (347-407), asked his people, "Tell me where is the Sema of Alexander?". His real purpose was to emphasize the futility of the world where even the greatest of men became lost in history. He was quite sure that no one would be able to answer this question, but in asking, it became clear that the tomb of Alexander had completely vanished.

No one can claim to have seen this tomb after the end of the 4th century. Time has made it difficult to distinguish the historical facts from the legends surrounding Alexander the Great's tomb. However, there are four theories concerning its location...

CLICK HERE FOR THE WHOLE STORY BY NERMIN SAMI

Masons' Treasurer Caught in Theft of Funds! Jul 22 2006

2006-07-25T10:07:00.000-05:00

Looks like some folks in the Blue Lodge can't seem to keep their hands out of the cookie jar! First the Shriners...Now this treasurer of a Blue Lodge in Northumberland! DS

Masons' Treasurer Caught In Theft!!!
By Brenda Hickman, The Evening Chronicle

Freemason lodge treasurer David Glass is facing court over the alleged theft of funds in excess of £64,000.

After months of police inquiries into the reported disappearance of members' cash, Glass was charged with theft when he answered bail.

The allegations relate to the Northumberland Provincial Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons, based at Bedlington.

Other inquiries centre on the Craft Lodge No 5228 in Seahouses.

A Northumberland CID spokesman said: "A man was previously arrested and bailed in connection with allegations of theft from Masonic lodges in Northumberland.

"He has now been charged with two counts of theft in excess of £64,000, four counts of forgery and one count of false accounting.

"He will appear before Berwick magistrates on July 27."

Glass, 54, of Seahouses, was arrested last November and was quizzed by Northumbria detectives from Berwick.

A financial trawl of documents and accounts was made by officers in the case and further inquiries were made with other lodge members.

He lives with his wife Patricia in Crumstone, Seahouses, and is well-known in freemasonry circles across the country.

Glass is treasurer of the Northumberland Provincial Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons, one of the orders which make up the Freemasonry movement.

He is an independent financial adviser and former bank manager.

He is also a former president of Seahouses and District Rotary Club, an organisation which does fundraising work for local charitable causes.

Southern Baptists Want to Start Prohibition ANEW!!!

2006-07-24T23:21:00.000-05:00

As if the utter failure of that great social experiment called "Prohibition" back in the 1920's wasn't enough to convince the tee-totalers of their folly...NOW, THEY WANT TO DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN!!! If there was anyone who REALLY NEEDED A DRINK...It would be the folks in the Southern Baptist Convention! They need to loosen up. Thank the folks at Born Jesus and the Burning Taper for allowing us to cross publish this bit of interesting info.

Darren

In June, the Southern Baptist Convention met in Greensboro, N.C. They overwhelmingly passed a resolution calling for a new government Prohibition of alcohol.

Jesus, ostensibly the whole point of Christianity, shot to fame and A-list celebrity status after performing His first miracle at a wedding in Cana: He turned water into wine (John 2: 1-11). No doubt with a history of promoting alcohol with such reckless abandon, J.C. wouldn't be welcome in any Southern Baptist church today.
Southern Baptist Convention Resolution on Alcohol

WHEREAS, Years of research confirm biblical warnings that alcohol use leads to physical, mental, and emotional damage (e.g. Proverbs 23:29-35); and

WHEREAS, Alcohol use has led to countless injuries and deaths on our nation’s highways; and

WHEREAS, The breakup of families and homes can be directly and indirectly attributed to alcohol use by one or more members of a family;

And
WHEREAS, The use of alcohol as a recreational beverage has been shown to lead individuals down a path of addiction to alcohol and toward the use of other kinds of drugs, both legal and illegal; and

WHEREAS, There are some religious leaders who are now advocating the consumption of alcoholic beverages based on a misinterpretation of the doctrine of “our freedom in Christ”; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Greensboro, North Carolina, June 13-14, 2006, express our total opposition to the manufacturing, advertising, distributing, and consuming of alcoholic beverages; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge Southern Baptists to take an active role in supporting legislation that is intended to curb alcohol use in our communities and nation; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge Southern Baptist to be actively involved in educating students and adults concerning the destructive nature of alcoholic beverages; and be it finally

RESOLVED, That we commend organizations and ministries that treat alcohol-related problems from a biblical perspective and promote abstinence and encourage local churches to begin and/or support such biblically-based ministries.

Well bless their little hearts!!! Thank God the Pope is German!!!

The Book of Enoch

2006-07-23T21:49:00.000-05:00

Some views of the Book of Enoch are posted here for your enjoyment. To many, the Enochian Secrets are a central theme to many of the Freemasonic rituals that are celebrated in lodges all over the world; however, many are not aware of their signifigance. Enjoy!!! DS

The Book of Enoch... A Discussion

Genesis 5:18-24 [18] Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and begot Enoch. [19] After he begot Enoch, Jared lived eight hundred years, and had sons and daughters. [20] So all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years; and he died. [21] Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. [22] After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. [23] So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. [24] And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.

Hebrews 11:5 By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, "and was not found, because God had taken him"; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

Jude 1:14-15 [14] Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, "Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, [15] to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him."

We first learn of Enoch in Genesis 5 but it leaves us with questions. Hebrews 11 has the answers and Jude quotes Enoch! How did Jude come to know the words of Enoch? They are not in the Bible. The answer of course, is The Book of Enoch. A book which is actually quoted by Jude in the New Testament. What is the Book of Enoch and where did it come from?

Enoch was the great-grandfather of Noah. The Book of Enoch chapter 68:1 "And after that my great-grandfather Enoch gave me all the secrets in the book and in the parables which had been given to him, and he put them together for me in the words of the book of the parables."

The Book of Enoch was extant centuries before the birth of Christ and yet is considered by many to be more Christian in its theology than Jewish. It was considered scripture by many early Christians. The earliest literature of the so-called "Church Fathers" is filled with references to this mysterious book. The early second century "Epistle of Barnabus" makes much use of the Book of Enoch. Second and Third Century "Church Fathers" like Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Origin and Clement of Alexandria all make use of the Book of Enoch. Tertullian (160-230 C.E) even called the Book of Enoch "Holy Scripture". The Ethiopic Church even added the Book of Enoch to its official canon. It was widely known and read the first three centuries after Christ. This and many other books became discredited after the Council of Laodicea. And being under ban of the authorities, afterwards it gradually passed out of circulation.

At about the time of the Protestant Reformation, there came to be a renewed interest in the Book of Enoch which had long since been lost to the modern world. By the late 1400's rumors began to spread that somewhere a copy of the long lost Book of Enoch might still exist. During this time many books arose claiming to be the long lost book and were later found to be forgeries.

The return of the long lost Book of Enoch to the modern western world is credited to the famous explorer James Bruce, who in 1773 returned from six years in Abyssinia with three Ethiopic copies of the lost book. In 1821 Richard Laurence published the first English translation. The famous R.H. Charles edition was published in 1912. In the following years several portions of the Greek text surfaced. Then with the discovery of cave 4 of the Dead Sea Scrolls, seven fragmentary copies of the Aramaic text were discovered.

There are scholars who believe the Book of Enoch was published before the Christian era by some great unknown of Semetic race, who believing himself to be inspired in a post-prophetic age, borrowed the name of an antediluvian patriarch to authenticate his own enthusiastic forcast of the coming Messiah. The Book of Enoch is divided into five basic parts, but it is the The Book of Parables (37-71) which gives scholars the most trouble for it is primarily concerned with a figure called "the messiah"; "the righteous one"; "the chosen one" and "the son of man."

The Book of Enoch Chapter 46:1-2 [1] There I beheld the Ancient of days whose head was like white wool, and with him another, whose countenance resembled that of a man. His countenance was full of grace, like that of one of the holy angels. Then I inquired of one of the angels, who went with me, and who showed me every secret thing, concerning this Son of man; who he was; whence he was; and why he accompanied the Ancient of days. [2] He answered and said to me, This is the Son of man, to whom righteousness belongs; with whom righteousness has dwealt; and who will reveal all the treasures of that which is concealed: for the Lord of spirits has chosen him; and his portion has surpassed all before the Lord of spirits in everlasting uprightness."

(1) 1 Enoch
Discovery of the "Lost Text"

"The Greek word pseudepigrapha is a Greek word meaning 'falsely superscribed,' or what we moderns might call writing under a pen name. The classification, 'OT Pseudepigrapha,' is a label that scholars have given to these writings."
- Craig A. Evans, Noncanonical Writings and New Testament Interpretation, (1992) p. 22

"The Book of Enoch is a pseudepigraphical work (a work that claims to be by a biblical character). The Book of Enoch was not included in either the Hebrew or most Christian biblical canons, but could have been considered a sacred text by the sectarians."
- Milik, Jazef. T., ed. The Books of Enoch: Aramaic Fragments of Qumran Cave 4

The Book of Enoch is "an ancient composition known from two sets of versions, an Ethiopic one that scholars identify as '1 Enoch', and a Slavonic version that is identified as '2 Enoch', and which is also known as The Book of the Secrets of Enoch. Both versions, of which copied manuscripts have been found mostly in Greek and Latin translations, are based on early sources that enlarged on the short biblical mention that Enoch, the seventh Patriarch after Adam, did not die because, at age 365, 'he walked with God' - taken heavenward to join the deity."
- Zecharia Sitchin, When Time Began

"I Enoch, also known as the Ethiopic Apocalypse of Enoch, is the oldest of the three pseudepigraphal books attributed to Enoch, the man who apparently did not die, but was taken up to heaven (Gen 5:24). The book was originally written in either Hebrew or Aramaic, perhaps both, but it survives in complete form only in Ethiopic (Ge'ez), and in fragmentary form in Aramaic, Greek (1:1-32:6; 6:1-10:14; 15:8-16:1; 89:42-49; 97:6-104), and Latin (106:1-18)."

"The materials in I Enoch range in date from 200 B.C.E. to 50 C.E. I Enoch contributes much to intertestamental views of angels, heaven, judgment, resurrection, and the Messiah. This book has left its stamp upon many of the NT writers, especially the author of Revelation."
- Craig A. Evans, Noncanonical Writings and New Testament Interpretation, (1992) p. 23

"Prior to the eighteenth century, scholars had believed the Book of Enoch to be irretrievably lost: composed long before the birth of Christ, and considered to be one of the most important pieces of Jewish mystical literature, it was only known from fragments and from references to it in other texts. James Bruce changed all this by procuring several copies of the missing work during his stay in Ethiopia. These were the first complete editions of the Book of Enoch ever to be seen in Europe."
- Graham Hancock, The Sign and the Seal

"The Book of Enoch remained in darkness until 1821, when the long years of dedicated work by a professor of Hebrew at the University of Oxford were finally rewarded with the publication of the first ever English translation of the Book of Enoch. The Reverend Richard Laurence, Archbishop of Cashel, had labored for many hundreds of hours over the faded manuscript in the hands of the Bodleian Library, carefully substituting English words and expressions for the original Geez, while comparing the results with known extracts, such as the few brief chapters preserved in Greek by Syncellus during the ninth century."

- Andrew Collins, From the Ashes of Angels - The Forbidden Legacy of a Fallen Race (1996) p. 21

"The original Aramaic version was lost until the Dead Sea fragments were discovered."
"The original language of most of this work was, in all likelihood, Aramaic (an early Semitic language). Although the original version was lost in antiquity, portions of a Greek translation were discovered in Egypt and quotations were known from the Church Fathers. The discovery of the texts from Qumran Cave 4 has finally provided parts of the Aramaic original. ...Humankind is called on to observe how unchanging nature follows God's will."
- Milik, Jazef. T., ed. The Books of Enoch: Aramaic Fragments of Qumran Cave 4

Composition

"1 Enoch, preserved in a full, 108-chapter form in Ethiopic, consists of five parts and one appended chapter. It originated in Aramaic (perhaps Hebrew for chaps. 37-71), was translated into Greek, and from Greek into Ethiopic."
- James C. Vanderkam (Professor of Hebrew Scriptures at the University of Notre Dame)

"The Aramaic Book of Enoch...very considerably influenced the idiom of the New Testament and patristic literature, more so in fact than any other writing of the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha."
- Norman Golb, Who Wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls?, (1995) p. 366

"As it now stands, I Enoch appears to consist of the following five major divisions:
(1) The Book of the Watchers (chaps. 1-36);
(2) The Book of the Similitudes (chaps. 37-7l)-,
(3) The Book of Astronomical Writings (chaps. 72-82);
(4) The Book of Dream Visions (chaps. 83-90); and
(5) The Book of the Epistle of Enoch (chaps. 91-107)."
- Craig A. Evans, Noncanonical Writings and New Testament Interpretation, (1992) p. 23

"Chaps. 1-36 The Book of the Watchers may date from the third century BCE. Parts of its text have been identified on several copies from Qumran cave 4; the earliest fragmentary manuscript (4QEnocha) dates, according to the editor J.T. Milk, to between 200 and 150 BCE. All Qumran copies are in the Aramaic language."
- James C. Vanderkam

"James Vanderkam divides the first part of 1 Enoch into five sections:
1-5 a theophany followed by an eschatological admonition
6-11 the angel story (stories)
12-16 Enoch and the failed petition of the angels who descended,
17-19 Enoch's first journey,
20-36 Enoch's second journey (chap. 20 is a list of angels who are connected with the journeys)."
- Tom Simms (CrossTalk)

"Chaps. 37-71 The Book of Parables (or the Similitudes of Enoch) may have been composed in the late first century BCE; a number of scholars prefer to place it in the first or even the second century CE. Milik assigns it to the late third century CE. No fragments of these chapters have been found at Qumran, and some think their original language was Hebrew, not Aramaic."
- James C. Vanderkam

"Chaps. 72-82 The Astronomical Book, like the Book of Watchers, may date from the third century BCE; the oldest copy of it seems to have been made not long after 200 BCE. Sizable portions of the text are preserved on four copies, written in Aramaic, from Qumran cave 4. The Aramaic original appears to have been much different and much longer than the Ethiopic text, adding far more astronomical details."
- James C. Vanderkam

Authorship

"A world view so encyclopaediac that it embraced the geography of heaven and earth, astronomy, meteorology, medicine was no part of Jewish tradition - but was familiar to educated Greeks, but attempting to emulate and surpass Greek wisdom, by having an integrating divine plan for destiny, elaborated through an angelic host with which Enoch is in communication through his mystical travels."
- Chris King, "The Apocalyptic Tradition"

Although the Book of Enoch is considered as apocryphal, it was clearly known to early Christian writers as the following quote from 1 Enoch 1:9 indicates:
"In the seventh (generation) from Adam Enoch also prophesied these things, saying: 'Behold, the Lord came with his holy myriads, to execute judgment on all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners spoke against him'."
- Jude 14-15

2 Enoch

"2 Enoch, or the Slavonic Apocalypse of Enoch, was written late first century C.E. in Egypt by a Jew. It survives only in late Old Slavonic manuscripts. It may have been composed originally in Aramaic or Hebrew, later being translated into Greek, and later still being translated into Old Slavonic. It is an amplification of Gen 5:21-32 (from Enoch to the Flood). Major theological themes include:

(1) God created the world out of nothing (24:2);

(2) seven heavens (30:2-3) and angelic hosts;

(3) God created the souls of men before the foundation of the earth (23:5);

(4) abodes of heaven and hell are already prepared for righteous and sinners; and

(5) ethical teachings, which at times parallel those of the NT and Proverbs."
- Craig A. Evans, Noncanonical Writings and New Testament Interpretation, (1992) p. 23

Date: 07/22/2000 Author: David Chariot "beth_marcaboth@hotmail.com" posted in alt.religion.christian.pentecostal

-BEGIN

About the Book of Enoch
(also known as "Ethiopian Enoch" or "1 Enoch")

The Book of Enoch (also known as 1 Enoch) was once cherished by Jews and Christians alike, this book later fell into disfavor with powerful theologians - precisely because of its controversial statements on the nature and deeds of the fallen angels.

The Enochian writings, in addition to many other writings that were excluded (or lost) from the Bible (i.e., the Book of Tobit, Esdras, etc.) were widely recognized by many of the early church fathers as "apocryphal" writings. The term "apocrypha" is derived from the Greek word meaning "hidden" or "secret". Originally, the import of the term may have been complimentary in that the term was applied to sacred books whose contents were too exalted to be made available to the general public.

In Dan. 12:9-10 we hear of words that are shut up until the end of time and, words that the wise shall understand and the wicked shall not. In addition, 4 Ezra 14:44ff. mentions 94 books, of which 24 (the OT) were to be published and 70 were to be delivered only to the wise among the people (= apocrypha). Gradually, the term "apocrypha" took on a pejorative connotation, for the orthodoxy of these hidden books was often questionable. Origen (Comm. in Matt. 10.18; p. 13.881)
distinguished between books that were to be read in public worship and apocryphal books. Because these secret books were often preserved for use within the esoteric circles of the divinely - knit believers, many of the critically - spirited or "unenlightened" Church Fathers found themselves outside the realm of understanding, and therefore came to apply the term "apocryphal" to, what they claimed to be, heretical works which were forbidden to be read.

In Protestant parlance, "the Apocrypha" designate 15 works, all but one of which are Jewish in origin and found in the Septuagint (parts of 2 Esdras are Christian and Latin in origin). Although some of them were composed in Palestine in Aramaic or Hebrew, they were not accepted into the Jewish canon formed late in the 2nd cent. AD (Canonicity, 67:31-35). The Reformers, influenced by the Jewish canon of the OT, did not consider these books on a par with the rest of the Scriptures; thus the custom arose of making the Apocrypha a separate section in the
Protestant Bible, or sometimes even of omitting them entirely
(Canonicity, 67:44-46). The Catholic view, expressed as a doctrine of faith at the Council of Trent, is that 12 of these 15 works (in a different enumeration, however) are canonical Scripture; they are called the Deuterocanonical Books (Canonicity, 67:21, 42-43).

The three books of the Protestant Apocrypha that are not accepted by Catholics are 1-2 Esdras and the Prayer of Manasseh. The theme of the Book of Enoch dealing with the nature and deeds of the fallen angels so infuriated the later Church fathers that one, Filastrius, actually condemned it openly as heresy (Filastrius, Liber de Haeresibus, no. 108). Nor did the rabbis deign to give credence to the book's teaching about angels. Rabbi Simeon ben Jochai in the second century A.D. pronounced a curse upon those who believed it (Delitzsch, p. 223). So the book was denounced, banned, cursed, no doubt burned and
shredded - and last but not least, lost (and conveniently forgotten) for a thousand years. But with an uncanny persistence, the Book of Enoch found its way back into circulation two centuries ago.

In 1773, rumors of a surviving copy of the book drew Scottish explorer James Bruce to distant Ethiopia. True to hearsay, the Book of Enoch had been preserved by the Ethiopic church, which put it right alongside the other books of the Bible. Bruce secured not one, but three Ethiopic copies of the book and brought them back to Europe and Britain. When in 1821 Dr. Richard Laurence, a Hebrew professor at Oxford, produced the first English translation of the work, the modern world gained its first glimpse of the forbidden mysteries of Enoch.

Most scholars say that the present form of the story in the Book of Enoch was penned sometime during the second century B.C. and was popular for at least five hundred years. The earliest Ethiopic text was apparently made from a Greek manuscript of the Book of Enoch, which itself was a copy of an earlier text. The original was apparently written in Semitic language, now thought to be Aramaic.

Though it was once believed to be post-Christian (the similarities to Christian terminology and teaching are striking), recent discoveries of copies of the book among the Dead Sea Scrolls found at Qumran prove that the book was in existence before the time of Jesus Christ. But the date of the original writing upon which the second century B.C. Qumran copies were based is shrouded in obscurity. It is, in a word, old. It has been largely the opinion of historians that the book does not really contain the authentic words of the ancient biblical patriarch Enoch, since he would have lived (based on the chronologies in the Book of Genesis) several thousand years earlier than the first known appearance of the book attributed to him.

Despite its unknown origins, Christians once accepted the words of this Book of Enoch as authentic scripture, especially the part about the fallen angels and their prophesied judgment. In fact, many of the key concepts used by Jesus Christ himself seem directly connected to terms and ideas in the Book of Enoch. Thus, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that Jesus had not only studied the book, but also respected it highly enough to adopt and elaborate on its specific descriptions of the coming kingdom and its theme of inevitable judgment descending upon "the wicked" - the term most often used in the Old Testament to describe the Watchers.

There is abundant proof that Christ approved of the Book of Enoch. Over a hundred phrases in the New Testament find precedents in the Book of Enoch. Another remarkable bit of evidence for the early Christians' acceptance of the Book of Enoch was for many years buried under the King James Bible's mistranslation of Luke 9:35, describing the
transfiguration of Christ: "And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, 'This is my beloved Son: hear him." Apparently the translator here wished to make this verse agree with a similar verse in Matthew and Mark. But Luke's verse in the original Greek reads: "This is my Son, the Elect One (from the Greek ho eklelegmenos, lit., "the elect one"): hear him." The "Elect One" is a most significant term (found fourteen times) in the Book of Enoch. If the book was indeed known to the apostles of Christ, with its abundant descriptions of the Elect One who should "sit upon the throne of glory" and the Elect One who should "dwell in the midst of them," then the great scriptural authenticity is accorded to the Book of Enoch when the "voice out of the cloud" tells the apostles, "This is my Son, the Elect One" - the one promised in the Book of Enoch.

The Book of Jude tells us in vs. 14 that "Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied..." Jude also, in vs. 15, makes a direct reference to the Book of Enoch (2:1), where he writes, "to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly..." The time difference between Enoch and Jude is approximately 3400 years. Therefore, Jude's reference to the Enochian prophesies strongly leans toward the conclusion that these written prophesies were available to him at that time.

Fragments of ten Enoch manuscripts were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. The famous scrolls actually comprise only one part of the total findings at Qumran. Much of the rest was Enochian literature, copies of the Book of Enoch, and other apocryphal works in the Enochian tradition, like the Book of Jubilees. With so many copies around, the Essenes could well have used the Enochian writings as a community prayer book or teacher's manual and study text.

The Book of Enoch was also used by writers of the noncanonical (i.e. apocryphal or "hidden") texts. The author of the apocryphal Epistle of Barnabas quotes the Book of Enoch three times, twice calling it "the Scripture," a term specifically denoting the inspired Word of God (Epis. of Barnabas 4:3, 16:5,6). Other apocryphal works reflect knowledge of the Enoch story of the Watchers, notably the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs and the Book of Jubilees.

Many of the early church fathers also supported the Enochian writings. Justin Martyr ascribed all evil to demons whom he alleged to be the offspring of the angels who fell through lust for women (from the Ibid.)-directly referencing the Enochian writings. Athenagoras, writing in his work called Legatio in about 170 A.D., regards Enoch as a true prophet. He describes the angels which "violated both their own nature and their office." In his writings, he goes into detail about the nature of fallen angels and the cause of their fall, which comes directly from the Enochian writings.

Many other church fathers: Tatian (110-172); Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons (115-185); Clement of Alexandria (150-220); Tertullian (160-230); Origen (186-255); Lactantius (260-330); in addition to: Methodius of Philippi, Minucius Felix, Commodianus, and Ambrose of Milanalso-also approved of and supported the Enochian writings.

The twentieth-century discovery of several Aramaic Enochian texts among the Dead Sea Scrolls prompted Catholic scholar J.T. Milik to compile a complete history of the Enochian writings, including translations of the Aramaic manuscripts. Milik's 400-page book, published in 1976 by Oxford (J. T. Milik, ed. and trans., The Books of Enoch: Aramaic Fragments of Qumran Cave 4, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1976) is a milestone in Enochian scholarship, and Milik himself is no doubt one of the finest experts on the subject. His opinions, based as they are on years of in-depth research, are highly respected.

One by one the arguments against the Book of Enoch fade away. The day may soon arrive when the final complaints about the Book of Enoch's lack of historicity and "late date" are also silenced by new evidence of the book's real antiquity.

- END

Book of Enoch
Charles

Ethiopian Enoch
1 - 60
Laurence

Ethiopian Enoch
61 - 105
Laurence

Secrets of Enoch
1 - 68
Laurence

Links
Apocryphical Book of Enoch
The Book of Enoch (Idris) the First Prophet
The Book of Enoch Quoted in New Testament
What About The Book of Enoch?
Why You Should Read The Book of Enoch?
The Enoch Page
The Book of Enoch
About The Book of Enoch

2006-07-23T10:31:00.000-05:00

King Tutankhamun's Gems Hint At Ancient Apocalypse

2006-07-22T21:40:00.000-05:00

"This story was an intriguing one from the BBC. It seems that one of King Tutankhamun's gemstones in his breats mantle was actually glass. Glass that is older than the Egyptian civilization appears to be. Glass that is still being found in large chunks in the Sahara Desert. One mainstream theory is the one proposed in this news story. Read on through to the end and I'll give you a link or two pointing at another, more intriguing explanation."

Darren

In 1996 in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Italian mineralogist Vincenzo de Michele spotted an unusual yellow-green gem in the middle of one of Tutankhamun's necklaces.

The jewel was tested and found to be glass, but intriguingly it is older than the earliest Egyptian civilisation.

Working with Egyptian geologist Aly Barakat, they traced its origins to unexplained chunks of glass found scattered in the sand in a remote region of the Sahara Desert.

But the glass is itself a scientific enigma. How did it get to be there and who or what made it?

Thursday's BBC Horizon programme reports an extraordinary new theory linking Tutankhamun's gem with a meteor.

Sky of fire

An Austrian astrochemist Christian Koeberl had established that the glass had been formed at a temperature so hot that there could be only one known cause: a meteorite impacting with Earth. And yet there were no signs of an impact crater, even in satellite images.

American geophysicist John Wasson is another scientist interested in the origins of the glass. He suggested a solution that came directly from the forests of Siberia.

"When the thought came to me that it required a hot sky, I thought immediately of the Tunguska event," he tells Horizon.

In 1908, a massive explosion flattened 80 million trees in Tunguska, Siberia.

Although there was no sign of a meteorite impact, scientists now think an extraterrestrial object of some kind must have exploded above Tunguska. Wasson wondered if a similar aerial burst could have produced enough heat to turn the ground to glass in the Egyptian desert.

Jupiter clue

The first atomic bomb detonation, at the Trinity site in New Mexico in 1945, created a thin layer of glass on the sand. But the area of glass in the Egyptian desert is vastly bigger.

Whatever happened in Egypt must have been much more powerful than an atomic bomb.

Impact simulation
A natural airburst of that magnitude was unheard of until, in 1994, scientists watched as comet Shoemaker-Levy collided with Jupiter. It exploded in the Jovian atmosphere, and the Hubble telescope recorded the largest incandescent fireball ever witnessed rising over Jupiter's horizon.

Mark Boslough, who specialises in modelling large impacts on supercomputers, created a simulation of a similar impact on Earth.

The simulation revealed that an impactor could indeed generate a blistering atmospheric fireball, creating surface temperatures of 1,800C, and leaving behind a field of glass.

"What I want to emphasise is that it is hugely bigger in energy than the atomic tests," says Boslough. "Ten thousand times more powerful."

Defence lessons

The more fragile the incoming object, the more likely these airborne explosions are to happen.

In Southeast Asia, John Wasson has unearthed the remains of an event 800,000 years ago that was even more powerful and damaging than the one in the Egyptian desert; one which produced multiple fireballs and left glass over three hundred thousand square miles, with no sign of a crater.

"Within this region, certainly all of the humans would have been killed. There would be no hope for anything to survive," he says.

Dr Aly Barakat with desert glass in hand (TV6/BBC) ----------->
Barakat holds up one of the many, huge chunks of glass in the desert

According to Boslough and Wasson, events similar to Tunguska could happen as frequently as every 100 years, and the effect of even a small airburst would be comparable to many Hiroshima bombs.

Attempting to blow up an incoming asteroid, Hollywood style, could well make things worse by increasing the number of devastating airbursts.

"There are hundreds of times more of these smaller asteroids than there are the big ones the astronomers track," says Mark Boslough. "There will be another impact on the earth. It's just a matter of when."
"Now, I promised you an alternative theory...Keep Reading DS":

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ancient Nuclear War?
by Manuel Sancho

Ancient Nuclear War? There is evidence that the Rama empire (now India) was devastated by nuclear war. The Indus valley is now the Thar desert, and the site of the radioactive ash found west of Jodhpur is around there. Consider these verses from the ancient (6500 BC at the latest) Mahabharata: ...a single projectile Charged with all the power of the Universe. An incandescent column of smoke and flame As bright as the thousand suns Rose in all its splendour... a perpendicular explosion with its... Click Here for the Full Story

Message From the Grand Master of York

2006-07-22T21:38:00.000-05:00

"Our good friends at Alabama-Free-Mason-Blog has just released this breaking news and we are posting it here as well. Heart-felt thanks to the good brothers at Alabama-Free-Mason for breaking this story!"

Darren

Grand Lodge of All England

"Brethren, this day The Grand Lodge of All England has been duly and properly formed, armed with a constitution that remains true to its predecessors, and fit for the 21st Century and beyond.

The reponement, or rebirth of our illustrious institution here in York, which dates back to time immemorial, has produced a great surge of interest and activity since our historic meeting last year. Indeed, apart from ongoing developments in Yorkshire, we are now fully committed to the inauguration, within the next six months, of a second operative Lodge, to meet regularly in London. Brethren, this and much more will come to pass.

I am also pleased to announce that negotiations are at an advanced stage with The United Grand Lodge of America. We expect to agree terms for a formal Agreement of Amity before our next meeting in December.

We send them our fraternal greetings, together with our support and best wishes for the future of Craft Masonry throughout the United States of America. They have taken on a difficult task with great fortitude, resilience and determination and, although they are a "new" Grand Lodge, they carefully and in every respect uphold the principles and purposes of Ancient Freemasonry. Not least, they provide us all with a freshness, vitality and renewed enthusiasm.

Unfortunately however, but not unexpectedly, some of the interest expressed in the Grand Lodge of All England has been malign. I am sorry to have to announce that we have found it necessary to suspend the "Latest News" section of our very successful website. This is due to the actions of a small minority in misusing the information provided in order to disrupt our lawful activities, including this very meeting of Grand Lodge. We wish to make it quite clear, of course, that we do not place any blame directly on any other Grand Lodge. The guilt lies with a few sad and misguided individuals perhaps more needful of our prayers than our disapprobation.

Brethren, this is most unfortunate. It is also unhelpful to those interested in monitoring our progress and who wish to keep up to date with the development of Craft Masonry in England, Wales, the Channel Islands and elsewhere. However, the purile actions of such delinquents cannot interrupt or delay our inevitable progress. We will continue to give out as much information as we possibly can to Freemasons and the general public alike without detriment to ourselves or connections.

In such circumstances it is perhaps timely to clarify what we in this Grand Lodge understand by true and genuine Freemasonry. In this we can best start by considering the aims and aspirations for our Brethren and candidates.

An initiate into Freemasonry first enters a Lodge unknowing, and untutored in the Craft: a so-called rough ashlar (building block). But, if he is joining for a valid reason, he anticipates that his life is about to be fundamentally changed by the experience.

Thenceforward it is his duty, and the purpose of true and genuine Freemasonry, to develop his character and knowledge to such a degree that he figuratively evolves into a perfect ashlar (a carefully measured and prepared stone), thereby ensuring that he becomes fit and ready for the challenges of citizenship, and prepared for his inevitable destiny in this life, and in the hereafter.
However, many illustrious Brethren, not least our late Brother Walter Wilmshurst, have pointed out how a Mason's understanding of the Craft often remains at an early and undeveloped stage. Whilst the literal, superficial value of our teachings is gained through ceremony in the Lodge room and through memorising of ritual, this is merely the first part of the journey.

Unfortunately, the great majority of Brethren are unable to take further steps towards a deeper understanding.

They choose instead to remain at a level of knowledge whereby the Craft is regarded as a social, quasi-secret club to which it is agreeable, and possibly advantageous to belong to in terms of the external, materialistic world.

Aspirations at this stage are often for office and apron. The ability to perform proficient ceremonial and to parrot catechism are regarded the pinnacle of Masonic endeavour. Other matters, such as the conviviality of the festive board or the amount of charitable monies raised in order to purchase public approbation regarded as more fundamental than the work itself. But such sentiments are the uncrafted, rough ashlar stage of Masonic understanding.

What then do we in our own Grand Lodge consider to be true and genuine Freemasonry?
Curiously, any such attempt at a working definition is absent from many works on the Craft. It is all very well to talk with somewhat archaic usage of "a peculiar system of morality veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols", but does this really explain very much? Should we, in any event, restrict our understanding of Freemasonry to that system which has grown up since speculative Masonry was organised into its currently recognisable structure, or should we raise our eyes to a much wider vista?

Brethren, allow me to offer something of my own fallible understanding. I see an initiatory order based upon a treasury of ancient truths and values enshrined in human experience, and resonating with the underlying philosophies of many religions. A system of spiritual alchemy based on a symbology free of dogma, doctrine, crafted to guide and assist individuals in realising their full potential in their life-journey towards self-knowledge.

Freemasonry, on this definition, or anything like it, represents a serious internal, intellectual and spiritual journey far beyond the concerns of the external, profane, uninitiated world. True and genuine Freemasonry thus represents the precise and absolute opposite of the mafia of the mediocre of popular imagination.

It is thus crucial to the survival of the true Craft, that those men humbly soliciting to be admitted to the mysteries and privileges of Ancient Freemasonry are in actual fact, and not just in empty words, first prepared to become a Freemason, in their hearts. Without such heartfelt fervency and zeal they will always remain at best as rough ashlars, and the spiritual temple of Freemasonry bereft of its living stones.

Brethren, we are engaged upon weighty matters. We could not have come so far without your support, committment and perseverance in the face of adversity. Thank you for taking the time to attend Grand Lodge today. I look forward with confidence and enthusiasm to our next Convocation in December, and offer my good wishes to you all for an enjoyable and reinvigorating Summer break.

Most Worshipful Brother John Gordon Graves, Grand-Master Mason

( Saturday, 01 July 2006 )

Why is Ed King So Damn Angry??!!

2006-07-21T08:06:00.000-05:00

This just in ... First, a little frame of reference for those of you who are new to the blog. ED KING is a self-proclaimed "expert" on all things masonic. He runs a a few ill conceived websites and a blog (that doesn't allow folks to comment) where he gets up on his soapbox and makes asinine comments on whatever is on his mind. He is, in mine and many others opinions, a propaganda minister for the Blue Lodge and he uses his blogs and websites to earn "brownie points" from his Grand Lodge. Mr. King is symbolic of what is wrong with the Blue Lodge today. I've interjected my own "musings" here as we cannot comment to Mr. King directly. His ego seems to be incapable of supporting dissenting opinion or "fact", for that matter. He considers his opinion as inviolate and if you do start a dialogue with him, all he returns are sputtering insults and childish forays of demeaning rhetoric. We've posted examples of it before.

Enjoy

Darren Simpson
*(All text in black is Ed King. My responses are in red.)

He wrote in his blog MUSINGS BY ME on EDKING.COM (what an ego!) at http://www.edking.com/blog/ recently:

"Welcome to Brother Jack Roberts whose blog, 'Freemasonry - A Worthy Path', should certainly be added to your blogroll! He's just starting it but based on what he's written so far, this will be a definate must read. There's a lot of foolishness splattered about the blogsphere by a mere three disgruntled, expelled Masons hiding behind a half-dozen or more different blogs."

- Editor's Note: There are quite a few more than three "disgruntled masons". There are quite a bit more that you are not aware of, and we're not disgruntled. We're quite jovial folks. We're just publishing the poor choices and mis-steps of folks in certain Grand Lodges and in the Shriners. Let's at least put that FACT out there. DS

"They'd like to convince others that Freemasonry (except the abberation THEY are touting) is dead. Look around!"

- Editor's Note: Yeah Ed, look around! The Shriners are in trouble with the IRS for alledged fraud, Blue Lodge membership is declining at an alarming rate (numbers don't lie...), and there is about to be a national news piece released about the problems of fraud and racism in certain southern districts. The truth is Ed, your guys are doing a good job at convincing "others" that your brand of Freemasonry is in it's death-throes. We're just sitting back and watching. DS

"Arriving late in this venue, we're now seeing the start of a trend with more and more REAL Masons accentuating the positive."

- Editor's Note: Ed's "Real" mason comment shows his ignorance of the situations he babbles about. We are made Masons, first in our hearts; then in a lodge of regular masons. We were all raised in the Blue Lodge. I am not hiding behind a blog, Mr. King. My face and my profile are available for the world to see. I never received a "repent or be erased" letter like some did when they joined the Rite of the Rose Cross of Gold. The new members we have received into our organization have joined because we do accentuate the positive and we rule by majority vote...not by draconian edict as has been demonstrated by the Grand Lodges of Georgia and Alabama. DS

"It's easy to destroy but it's FAR harder to build. I joined Masonry to be a BUILDER - and my Brothers on my links did so too. This is a trend that's worth expanding."

- Editor's Note: Well, for once we are in agreement. But I don't know what you are intent on building. Your foundation is flawed, masonically and ethically. Instead of spouting off about subjects you know nothing of... why don't you try to research your subjects a bit more rather than taking your marching orders from higher ups and publishing THEIR opinions? DS

"Die, heretic scum!"

2006-07-20T15:31:00.000-05:00

"Die, heretic scum!"

I was walking across a bridge one day, and I saw a man standing on the edge, about to jump off. So I ran over and said, "Stop! Don't do it!"

"Why shouldn't I?" he said.

I said, "Well, there's so much to live for!"

He said, "Like what?"

I said, "Well...are you religious or atheist?"

He said, "Religious."

I said, "Me too! Are you Christian or Buddhist?"

He said, "Christian."

I said, "Me too! Are you Catholic or Protestant?"

He said, "Protestant."

I said, "Me too! Are you Episcopalian or Baptist?"

He said, "Baptist!"

I said, "Wow! Me too! Are you Baptist Church of God or Baptist Church of the Lord?"

He said, "Baptist Church of God!"

I said, "Me too! Are you original Baptist Church of God, or are you Reformed Baptist Church of God?"

He said, "Reformed Baptist Church of God!"

I said, "Me too! Are you Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1879, or Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1915?"

He said, "Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1915!"

I said, "Die, heretic scum!" and pushed him off.

[This email does not reflect the beliefs the Modern Freemasonic Journal Blog Owner, but is posted to humorously show how the smallest differences in religious beliefs can anger some people.]

Baptist Theology Comes up Short... And Fundamentalist Preacher Tucks Tail and Runs!!!

2006-07-17T10:46:00.000-05:00

Well!!! Isn't this special? The Reverend Josh Buice of "Practical Theology Discussions" has shown his true colors at last!

In his all out vendetta against Freemasonry, he has now chosen to close his discussion to Freemasons and to remove posts where I have left him the hard theological questions and FACTS about the obvious discrepancies in the Bible and in his view of the Bible. this is just par for the course though. If someone comes up with a fact that contradicts their view... then hide from the fact. It's pretty obvious that Mr. Buice simply cannot contradict hard, empirical evidence. So he tucks tail and runs.

Well, Mr. Buice... I am ready to debate... What would your congregation think of your handling of these troublesome questions???

Darren Simpson

Someone Bashes Back at the Fundies!!!

2006-07-14T21:19:00.000-05:00

Here is an interesting response I found to some Freemasonry Bashing I found a Fundamentalist Baptist Disinformation Blog. I like this guy already!!!

Darren
__________________________

"Anonymous said...
In regard to your statement as to the decline of masonic membership...It is true that the Blue Lodge membership is declining. This has been the state of affairs for the past two decades. However; new grand lodges are forming in America, the Filopino Islands, Italy, France and England. Many of these lodges are under the banners of the United Grand Lodge of America, the Grand Lodge of York, Grand Lodge of France, as well as other organizations that are separate from the Blue Lodge and the United Grand Lodge of England. The ranks of these lodges are swelling with young professionals and intellectually-minded individuals. These lodges stress masonic education foremost.
The UGLA alone has seen a prodigious increase in their membership as they have opened lodges in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Indiana, Texas, and overseas as well.
As my own beliefs are at odds with those of the Baptist sect, I have my own concerns over the promulgation of literalist doctrine in the Christian world. Doctrine that is viewed by the apostolic Church as "fundamentally flawed" at best, and "heretical" at it's worst. This type of doctrine leads to intolerance and outright animosity towards others of different beliefs. We see the effects of literalist doctrines carried to the extreme in the case of middle eastern terrorist groups such as Al-Quaida, Hezbollah, Hamas, and other fringe groups of Muslim persuasion.
With the Baptist sect being one of the largest of the Protestant branches; I and many others view the Baptist sect as a virtual ticking time-bomb; threatening to works it's way into positions of power that would be able to "force" it's view over large portions of the populace.
This is why we are working with public information agencies and special interest groups to get information to the public in a concerted effort to limit the Baptist church's sphere of influence in the politics of local, state, and national governments. We view with great alarm the Baptist Church's aims to disseminate literalist heresy as gospel truth.
We don't deny your right to practice your beliefs...We just disagree when your beliefs push you to run over other peoples beliefs.

This , we will not allow...

Bill Sinclair"

"These 15...(CRASH!!!)...uhhhh, 10! These 10 Commandments..." [10 Commandments Myth]

2006-07-12T21:48:00.000-05:00

(NOTE: The following material is a draft of a chapter from 101 Myths of the Bible and may vary slightly from the published version.)

The Myth: And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Thou shalt not kill.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Thou shalt not steal.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.
And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. (Ex. 20:1-18.)

The Reality: The bible has several contradictory accounts of what laws the Israelites were given, how many they received, and where and when they got them. The traditional version of the Ten Commandments as given above was a late invention created no earlier than the seventh century BC.

The traditional view of how Israel received the Ten Commandments goes something like this. God verbally announced Ten Commandments to the people of Israel and they were later reduced to writing on stone tablets. Moses received the tablets on Mount Sinai and brought them down to the people. When he returned to the Israelites he saw the golden calf built by Aaron, became angry and smashed the stones. He returned to the mountain and obtained a new set of tablets. These he passed on to the people, placing them in the Ark of the Covenant for safekeeping. Thereafter, the Ten Commandments served as a sacred bond between the Israelites and the Hebrew god.

Unfortunately, this picture is pieced together from a number of threads that contain inconsistent claims and alternative scenarios. The bible integrates at least four different law codes within the story of the Ten Commandments, two of which contain similar versions of the traditional Ten Commandments, one of which contains a radically different version of the Ten Commandments, and one which contains over forty commandments, incorporating variations of the laws listed in the other three documents.

The Hebrew or Greek word translated as “commandment” actually means “word.” So, despite the rather verbose content of the Ten Commandments, originally, there should have been just “Ten Words” on the stone tablets.

The bible also disagrees as to when and where the Israelites received the stone tablets. In Exodus Moses brings the tablets to Israel during the first few months of the Exodus while camped by Mount Sinai. In Deuteronomy, Moses gives them the tablets forty years later, in the vicinity of Mount Horeb at the entranceway to the Promised Land.

The biblical history of the Ten Commandments begins with a show of smoke, thunder and lightning as God offers the Israelites a covenant. Follow my rules, he said, and I’ll give you a homeland in Canaan and drive out the present inhabitants. He then announced a set of ten commandments, the content of which appears in Ex. 20:1-17. This constitutes the traditional version of the Ten Commandments.

The Book of Deuteronomy provides a recap of the same scene and Deu. 5:6-21 sets forth a second version of God’s announced commandments. The two sets of commandments are nearly identical but for two important differences.

With regard to remembering the Sabbath, Deuteronomy states that the purpose of the commandment is to remind Israel that God liberated the Hebrews from servitude in Egypt. The Exodus version says that the purpose of the Sabbath is to remind Israel that God rested on the seventh day of Creation.

Another distinction between Exodus and Deuteronomy appears in the last commandment about the coveting of other property. The Exodus version reads:

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s. (Ex. 20:17.)

The Deuteronomy version reads:

Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour’s wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour’s house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour’s. (Deu. 5:21.)

In the first version, a neighbor’s wife is considered part of the male’s household property. In the second version, she is separate from the household property.

Despite the nearly identical language throughout the two texts, these two differences show disagreement over what was originally supposed to have been inscribed in stone and preserved for all to see and hear. From here on I will use the terms “Traditional Ten Commandments” or the “traditional version” when referring to either of these two texts. When one refers to the Ten Commandments, it is one of these two versions that is meant.

When God finished announcing the terms of the covenant, the people were frightened and asked Moses to talk with God on a one-to-one basis and leave them out of it “lest we die.” Moses then went up on the mountain to talk to God and they had a long conversation during which the Lord set forth a list of well over forty commandments and perhaps more than sixty, depending upon how the sentences are punctuated and divided. (The full list appears in Ex. 21:1-23:26.) The list has the following preamble.

Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them. (Ex. 21:1.)

Although we need not look at the full substance of these “judgments,” we should note that variations of all the Traditional Ten Commandments appear within this larger listing but the substance of the text and the sequence of appearance vary significantly from the traditional version. From here on I will refer to this collection of commandments as the Judgments.

At the end of this long conversation,

Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do. And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD. (Ex. 24:3-4.)

We have now arrived at the first written statement of God’s law and they are not on stone tablets. The passage says that first Moses told the people “all the words of the Lord, and all the judgments.” Then the people said they would follow the “words” and Moses then “wrote all the words of the Lord.” While Moses first announces “words” and “judgments,” the people agree to only the “words” and Moses writes down only the “words.” Where are the Judgments?

Do the “words” and the “judgments” mean the same thing or does “words” refer to what God announced to the crowd and “judgments” to the long list of commandments given on the mountain? Since the people had already heard God’s announcement and it frightened them, it hardly seemed necessary to repeat it, especially since the essence was already contained within the longer listing. Did Moses write down just the “words” announced by God to the crowd, just the “Judgments” that only Moses heard or both collections? Were “words” and “judgments” interchangeable concepts?

In context, Moses’ action followed immediately after the private conversation on the mountain and one would expect his writing to contain the substance of that conversation. But, what we have here is an example of complicated biblical editing reflecting the interaction of two or more separate traditions.

God announced the commandments in Ex. 20, and at the end of that chapter the Lord gives instructions for building an altar. In the last verse of the chapter he says,

Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.

The original source document containing those verses resumed at Ex. 24:1, which continues the discussion with a direction for Moses to

Come up unto the LORD, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off.

However, the “Judgments,” an alternative tradition about God’s commandments, also circulated, and a redactor inserted the list of “Judgments” beginning at Ex. 21:1, which interrupted the flow of the source story about God’s announcement of the Traditional Ten Commandments. The insertion of this list created confusion as to whether the narrative talked about the “words” in the announcement or the “judgments” in the inserted text.

After writing down whichever set of commandments he transcribed, Moses identified the writing as the “Book of the Covenant” and read it to the people (Ex. 24:7.) Did he really have to re-read what God had already told them in such an unforgettable manner, or did he have to read it to them because it contained the much longer collection of Judgments that only he heard?

After some ceremonial acceptance of the covenant, God invited Moses back up the mountain.

And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them. (Ex. 24:12.)

In this passage we have the first reference to stone tablets. It says that they have already been written and implies but doesn’t precisely say that they contain both a “law” and “commandments,” an indication that they may contain something more than or other than the Traditional Ten Commandments.

Moses went back up the mountain but instead of receiving the indicated tablets, he had another long conversation with God, this time about the design of a sanctuary and an ark and the contents of the sanctuary and the dress of the priests and related matters (Ex. 24:16-31:17).Among the instructions was a direction that anyone who violates the Sabbath rest be put to death. After this lengthy set of instructions about how to properly worship the Lord, God finally handed over the tablets.

And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.

Moses has now received for the first time two stone tablets and they are called “tables of testimony” not “tables of commandments” or “Ten Commandments.” What is the table of testimony and does it contain anything different than the previously written Book of the Covenant? By implication, these should be the stone tablets that God invited Moses to receive on the mountain and which had already been written and which included both “a law and commandments.”

As Moses communed with God on the mountain above, Aaron built a Golden Calf on the ground below. When Moses returned and discovered what his brother had done, violating two of the new commandments that had been previously announced to the people, he angrily smashed the tablets. There follows various reactions to Israel’s sin, and then in Ex. 34 God instructs Moses,

Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest.

Moses prepared the new tablets and returned before the Lord. In this second talk, God renewed the call for a covenant and said that if Israel followed the rules God would deliver Canaan to his people and drive out the enemies. This was essentially the same covenant made earlier. This repetition of the covenant is necessary because it is part of the agreement to follow the commandments and had to be included in the written version. It also means that the words that follow are the commandments that go with the covenant.

God followed up the renewal of the covenant with another set of commandments but they were very different, as we will see. First let’s examine the concluding instruction.

And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel. And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. (Ex. 34:27-28.)

For the first time the bible specifically refers to the “Ten Commandments” and says that Moses wrote them on the stone tablets. In the opening of this passage we were told that the tablets would contain the very words that were on the broken tablets. Then follows the new set of commandments and a concluding statement that these are the Ten Commandments. What do they say? (The numbers in front of each paragraph are intended to make it easier to separate out the commandments; they are not in the bible. The essential portion of each commandment is in boldface.)

1. Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee: But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves: For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:

2. Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice; And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods. Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.

3. The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt.

4. All that openeth the matrix is mine; and every firstling among thy cattle, whether ox or sheep, that is male. But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before me empty.

5. Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest.

6. And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the first fruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year’s end.

7. Thrice in the year shall all your menchildren appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel. For I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the LORD thy God thrice in the year.

8. Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left unto the morning.

9. The first of the first fruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the LORD thy God.

10. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk.

(Ex. 34:12-26.)

These then, at least according to the bible, are the true Ten Commandments, and they differ radically from the commandments verbally announced in Ex. 20 and Deu. 5. From here on I will refer to this new set of commandments as the Ritual Ten Commandments. The text says that these are what were on the first set of stone tablets. The Judgments include all the substance of the Ritual Ten Commandments but, as with the Traditional Ten Commandments, use very different language and have a different sequence.

Only three of the Ritual Commandments exhibit any similarity to the Traditional Commandments. Although, both ban the worship of other gods, in the Ritual version the Israelites are specifically commanded to destroy the religious icons of the other peoples. Both ban the making of graven images, but the Ritual version is less restrictive as to the kinds of images that are banned. And finally, both versions require obedience to the Sabbath, but the Ritual version extends it to some other holiday occasions also.

Unlike the two Traditional Versions of the Ten Commandments, each of which gives a different explanation for the Sabbath, the Ritual Ten Commandments provide no explanation at all. But in the Judgments, a very different explanation appears.

“Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.” (Ex. 23:12.)

This view recognizes that overworked cattle and servants won’t be as productive as they could be and if they aren’t productive the Lord won’t be given his due. This seems to be the more logical and more likely origin of the Sabbath law.

The common touch-point between the Traditional and Ritual versions of the Ten Commandments concerns the rules of behavior towards God. They differ in that the Traditional Version prohibits wrongful behavior towards other people while the Ritual Version concentrates solely on the religious principles of worshipping god.

The viewpoint expressed within the Ritual Ten Commandments makes more sense as the basis of a religious covenant than does the Traditional Ten Commandments. The restrictions on immoral behavior towards others were commonplace and widespread in ancient society. Everybody generally recognized that killing and stealing and lying were bad. Why would God need to impose those conditions as the basis of a special covenant? As all the versions show, God was a jealous being, and any covenant he was likely to make would be based on how the people treated him, not how they treated other people.

The instruction in the Ritual Ten Commandments to “destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves” exhibits a strong martial attitude on the part of its proponents. Its placement in the context of the golden calf story provides a good clue as to which faction authored the text.

We saw in a previous chapter that the Golden Calf story was a myth created by a Levite faction that opposed both the special authority of the Aaronites and the split of the northern kingdom from Judah. In the Golden Calf story, the Levites (from all branches) slaughtered over 3,000 violators of God’s commandments. This militaristic attribute of the priestly Levites suggests that the same Levite group that invented the Golden Calf story put forth the Ritual Ten Commandments with its martial religious nature. This dates the origin of the Ritual Ten Commandments to after the breakup of the monarchy.

Since the Golden Calf story was a fiction, the breaking of the tablets in reaction was also a fiction. Prior to the invention of the Ritual Ten Commandments there would have been an earlier set of laws handed down on stone but it had been lost. The Levites invented a story about a new set of stone tablets in order to substitute their set of rituals for the rival collection. After this direct reference to the Ritual Ten Commandments as “The Ten Commandments,” the expression “Ten Commandments” appears only twice more in the bible, both times in Deuteronomy.

Deu. 4:13 says that the Ten Commandments were written on two tables of stone, but it doesn’t identify their contents. The mention precedes the subsequent listing of the Deuteronomy version of the Traditional Ten Commandments.

Deu. 10:3-4 says,

And I made an ark of shittim wood, and hewed two tables of stone like unto the first, and went up into the mount, having the two tables in mine hand. And he wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which the LORD spake unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly: and the LORD gave them unto me.

This passage refers specifically to the second set of tablets as containing the Ten Commandments, although it says that God wrote them instead of Moses. Since the Deuteronomy text also introduces these tablets after the Golden Calf incident, it must have been written after the invention of the Ritual Ten Commandments and offered as a replacement.

Deu. 5:22, however, which follows immediately after the list of the Traditional Ten Commandments, says,

These words the LORD spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me.

The phrase, “and he added no more” shows a clear concern that somewhere the tradition developed that there were more than Ten Commandments. In Exodus when Moses was invited up to receive the written tablets, they were to contain “law and commandments.” Clearly, the author of Deuteronomy recognized an alternative tradition of a larger set of commandments than the traditional ten. This may have been the list of Judgments that contained both the Traditional Ten Commandments and the Ritual Ten Commandments. Alternatively, he may have been concerned that some people would consider the Ritual Ten Commandments to be in addition to the Traditional Ten Commandments and wanted to make sure that only the author’s version would be accepted.

That the Traditional Ten Commandments, in both Exodus and Deuteronomy, were of late origin is evident from the biblical account of how King Josiah, who ruled from 639-609 BC, discovered the “Law of Moses.”

The bible says that prior to Josiah’s administration, not only had a written copy of the “Law” disappeared from the kingdom, but also nobody seemed to know what it was nor was it being followed. According to 2 Ki. 22:8-13, the high priest of the temple, Hilkiah, found the text somewhere in the temple and he gave it to a scribe named Shaphan. The scribe in turn brought it to King Josiah and they read it together. To their amazement they found that they were in violation of the laws handed down by Moses and Josiah became so upset he rent his clothes, fearing that God would be angry at Judah.

But for his good fortune in discovering a copy of the “Law” just laying around in the temple, lost for ages, the Hebrews would have continued to live in sin. Based on this newly found manuscript Josiah launched a series of religious reforms intended to bring back the Law of Moses. His priests and scribes probably wrote Deuteronomy.

One wonders how anything as simple as a handful of commandments forming a sacred bond between God and the nation could be so easily forgotten and lost, especially if they were written on stone. The book of law that was found, by the way, appears to have been a scroll rather than a stone tablet, and, obviously, it wasn’t found in the Ark of the Covenant, where Moses supposedly placed it for safekeeping.

Whatever the previous religious practices and political schisms, the Traditional Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy emerged for the first time no earlier than Josiah’s reign. The Exodus version must have been written later, otherwise Josiah would have known about it and perhaps even commented in some manner on the differences between them.

In summary, the bible presents four different legal codes, each with a claim that it was the original version of God’s covenant with Israel. The only version specifically and clearly identified in the bible as the Ten Commandments is the Ritual version, which dates to sometime after Israel and Judah split. Both versions of the Traditional Ten Commandments, which Moses supposedly gave Israel in the wilderness, date to after the Ritual Ten Commandments and no earlier than the reign of Josiah.

Finally, we have a fourth version known as the Judgments, encompassing both the Traditional and Ritual versions of the Ten Commandments along with many other legal obligations. Its date is unknown but its language differs considerably from the other three texts. If any of the other three borrowed from that version, one would expect similar language and the same sequence of laws, but neither is the case. That this version was inserted into the middle of one of the traditional versions suggests that it was a late but independent compilation of common legal precepts that had found a large and popular audience.

About the Author:

GARY GREENBERG is the author of The Moses Mystery: The African Origins of the Jewish People (Birch Lane Press, 1997); reprinted in paperback as The Bible Myth: The African Origins of the Jewish People (Citadel Press, 1998), 101 Myths of the Bible: How Ancient Scribes Invented Biblical History (Sourcebooks, 2000, paperback edition 2002), The Sins of King David: A New History (Sourcebooks 2002), and Manetho's Chronology Restored (Shangri-La Publications, 2002). The Moses Mystery has also been published in Greek; The Bible Myth in Portuguese, and Russian editions; 101 Myths of the Bible in Korean, Greek and Spanish language editions. A New York City criminal defense attorney and President of the Biblical Archaeology Society of New York (BASNY), Greenberg has long been interested in the intersection between ancient myth and ancient history, especially as it applies to Egyptian influences on the writing of the bible. The problem, he says, is figuring out how to separate the myth from the history. Mr. Greenberg has lectured frequently on ancient history, mythology, and biblical studies and has also presented papers at several academic conferences concerned with Egyptian and/or biblical affairs, including the International Congress of Egyptologists (9/95), the International Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature (7/97) and several annual conferences of the American Research Center in Egypt. He has also written for several Egyptological journals. He is a member of The Society of Biblical Literature, The Egypt Exploration Society, The American Research Center in Egypt, The Historical Society, and The Archaeological Institute of America. He currently edits the BASNY Explorer, an archaeological newsletter devoted to news of biblical and Near Eastern archaeology, and has written for several Egyptological journals. Mr. Greenberg has appeared on numerous television and radio shows, including Tony Brown's Journal, and talk shows hosted by Barry Farber, Mort Downey, Bernie McCain, and Lionel, and has served as a guest commentator on Court TV. He has also written on law, politics and computers. In addition to writing a book on computer software, his work has appeared in the New York Law Journal, The Champion, Creative Computing, Personal Computing, Compute, Microcomputing, Kilobaud, Torpet, The Abolitionist, Outlook, New York Libertarian, and Libertarian Forum. He is the former Editor-in-Chief of Outlook magazine, a journal of political commentary. In 1978 he ran for Governor of New York on the Libertarian Party ticket.

Who Was Jesus??? Another Point of View...

2006-07-12T18:23:00.000-05:00

The organization known as "JAHG- USA" (Jews & Gentiles United to Save America) have published this information on their website. It provides an alternative and radical view of the Biblical Jesus. *Please note that this view does not necessarily reflect my views but I am open-minded and it is really interesting in light of several revelations about the source for many of the traditions of my own Christian upbringing. This is a very radical revision of common Christian and Jewish theology and this is a very radical Hassidic Jewish group. Discerning discretion is advised.

The Bible gave a warning about a dangerous, false prophet who would arise to test our faith in G-d. In Deuteronomy 13, G-d describes this false prophet as a member of the Jewish people (v. 2, 7) who would tell true prophecies and would have the power of miracles. G-d Himself would give this false prophet the power to perform miracles and reveal prophecy, but the false prophet would try to seduce the people away from G-d's Law and towards strange gods unknown to Judaism. The purpose would be to test whether we are truly committed to living under the Law, or whether we will be dazzled and fall for the temptation to join a false path to salvation (v. 3-6, 7-8, 11). In this Biblical passage, G-d repeatedly commands the Jews to kill this false prophet, lest the evil spread and destroy many souls.

To be accepted by the people, the false prophet would sometimes pretend to be a righteous Jew who fulfills the Law, but at key moments he would turn against certain details of the Law in order to make the breach (v. 6, 7). This is the reason that verse 1 commands us not to add or subtract any details from the Law, and verse 5 warns us to remain steadfast with all the traditions of the Law.

In Deuteronomy 17, this false prophet is also described as someone who would rebel against the authority of the judges of the Jewish people, and who should be put to death for his rebelliousness (v. 8-13, esp. v. 12). Who are the judges? The highest court in Israel was the Sanhedrin, which was established by Moses (Exodus 18:13-26; Numbers 11:16-29), and which lasted more than 15 centuries. The members of the Sanhedrin were the rabbis known as "Pharisees" (Pirushim, "those with the explanation"). G-d gave permanent authority to these judges to interpret the Law and G-d's Word, and it is a commandment to follow their decisions without turning even slightly to the right or the left (Deut. 17:11). But the false prophet would challenge the authority of the Sanhedrin, thus revealing himself to be an evil man.

In the book of the prophet Daniel, this false prophet is described as a king (the eleventh horn on a terrible beast) who would wage war against the Jews (the "holy ones"; see Deut. 14:2 on this term) and would change the Law including the calendar and the holidays (Daniel 7:8, 20-25). Elsewhere, this false prophet is described as a king who would disregard the G-d of his fathers, exalting himself as a god and giving honor to this new god-head (Daniel 11:36-39).

The man known today as "Jesus" fulfilled all these prophecies. He became a "king" (over the Christian church) who changed the original Law, doing away with the Hebrew calendar and the Biblical holidays (Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkos the Festival of Tabernacles, Passover, etc.). He disregarded the one, infinite G-d of the Hebrew Bible in favor of a new "trinity" that included himself. And he repeatedly broke the Law by committing terrible sins, while openly challenging the G-d-given authority of the rabbis of the Sanhedrin.

Naturally, Jesus did sometimes pretend to respect the Law, but whenever he thought he could get away with it, he turned right around and broke that same Law. In Matthew 5:17-19, he declared that he came to fulfill the Law, and in Matthew 23:1-3 he defended the authority of the rabbis. But the rest of the time, he rebelled against the Law—thus showing that his occasional words of piety were meant only to hide his evil agenda. The following sins of Jesus are recorded in the "New Testament":

Jesus repudiated the laws of kosher food (Mark 7:18-19). [Compare this to the prophet Daniel's strict adherence to kashrus, in Daniel chapter 1.]
He repudiated the laws of honoring one's parents, and called on his followers to hate their parents; he also dishonored his own mother (Matthew 10:34-36; Matthew 12:46-50; Luke 14:26).
He violated the Sabbath by picking grain, and incited his disciples to do the same (Matthew 12:1-8; Mark 2:23-26).
4) He again violated the Sabbath by healing a man's arm, which was not a matter of saving a life, and he openly defied the rabbis in his total repudiation of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:9-13; Mark 3:1-5). [Compare this to G-d's view of violating the Sabbath, in Numbers 15:32-36, Nehemiah 10:30-32, and dozens of other places throughout the Bible.]
Jesus brazenly defied and disobeyed the rabbis of the Sanhedrin, repudiating their authority (This is recorded in many places throughout the New Testament, but look especially at Matthew 23:13-39 and John 8:44-45).
The Talmud (Babylonian edition) records other sins of "Jesus the Nazarene":

He and his disciples practiced sorcery and black magic, led Jews astray into idolatry, and were sponsored by foreign, gentile powers for the purpose of subverting Jewish worship (Sanhedrin 43a).
He was sexually immoral, worshipped statues of stone (a brick is mentioned), was cut off from the Jewish people for his wickedness, and refused to repent (Sanhedrin 107b; Sotah 47a).
He learned witchcraft in Egypt and, to perform miracles, used procedures that involved cutting his flesh—which is also explicitly banned in the Bible (Shabbos 104b).
The false, rebellious message of Jesus has been thoroughly rejected by the vast majority of the Jewish people, as G-d commanded. Unfortunately, however, this same message has brought a terrible darkness upon the world; today, over 1.5 billion gentiles believe in Jesus. These lost souls mistakenly think they have found salvation in Jesus; tragically, they are in for a rude awakening. Truth and eternal life are found directly from G-d, through performing His Law. Any "mediator" only separates man from G-d:

"G-d is not a man, who can lie, nor the son of man, who relents... He has not beheld iniquity in Jacob, nor has He seen perverseness in Israel" (Numbers 23:19).
Speaking prophetically of the Christian church, Moses declared, "For their 'rock' is not like our Rock... Where is their god, in whom they trusted?" (Deut. 32:31, 37).
"'See now that I, only I, am He, and there is no god with Me. I kill, and I bring to life; I wound, and I heal, and there is none who can rescue from My Hand...' Sing songs of joy, gentiles, with His people, for He will avenge the blood of His servants, and will take vengeance on His enemies, and will forgive His land and His people" (Deut. 32:39, 43).
"I, only I am Hashem (the L-rd), and besides Me there is no savior" (Isaiah 43:11).
"I am the First and I am the Last; besides me there is no god... Is there a god besides Me? There is no rock; I do not know any" (Isaiah 44:6).
"Israel is saved in Hashem with an eternal salvation... Assemble yourselves and come, come near together, you gentiles who have escaped [the judgment]. (They have no knowledge, those who carry wooden sculptures and who pray to a god that does not save.) Announce and bring near, even take counsel together: Who declared this from ancient times, and announced it from then? Is it not I, Hashem? And there are no other gods beside Me, nor any righteous and saving god other than Me. Turn to Me and be saved, all ends of the earth, for I am G-d and there is none else. By Myself I swore, a righteous word went out of my mouth and it will not be withdrawn, that to Me every knee will bow and every tongue will swear" (Isaiah 45:17, 20-23).
What is the true key to salvation? Those who return to the Law (the Seven Commandments for the Children of Noah, according to the eternal covenant made with Noah in Genesis 9) and who assist the Jewish people (Isaiah 60, 61, 66) will be saved and will participate in the miracles and revelations, including worshipping in the Third Temple, under the kingship of the Messiah. As described in many places, including Jeremiah 16:19-21 and Zechariah 8:20-23, all the old gentile religions of the world will disappear, and their followers will turn to the Jews for spiritual leadership. Until then, Christians are spiritually blinded, and cannot yet understand G-d's wisdom in the Bible.

Ours is the last generation of the era of sin and evil and the first of the Messianic Era. Indeed, for the first time in history, there is a growing consensus of leading rabbis willing to name the man most suited to be the Messiah, and they are agreeing that he is the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. The Rebbe is the spiritual leader of our generation, having boldly stirred up controversy over vital issues in which other leaders have remained tragically silent or have even caved in to the growing forces of darkness. He has upheld the Law perfectly and has worked mightily to strengthen the observance of the Law by Jews, as well as the observance of the Noachide Law by gentiles. Through his teaching of chasidus (Jewish mystical teachings, preserved from Moses and Mount Sinai), he has taught the world that G-d is One, the Infinite Who renews creation at every moment. The Rebbe is a direct descendant of King David and has received a true prophecy from G-d that we who are alive in this generation shall be the first in history to see the coming of the true messiah. Many Jews are eagerly anticipating the Rebbe's resurrection from the grave, ready to re-establish the Sanhedrin and anoint the king.

Visit JAHG-USA on the web at: www.noahide.com/index.htm

An Open Letter to the Pope

2006-07-12T17:57:00.000-05:00

Hey!!! He is a GERMAN Pope...

Here we have an open letter to the Pope regarding the Catholic Church's stance on evolution and the faith, among other aspects of human science and spirituality. Makes an interesting read:

July 12, 2005

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI

00120 Vatican City

Your Holiness:

In his magnificent letter to the Pontifical Academy in 1996 regarding
the subject of Evolution, Pope John Paul II affirmed that scientific
rationality and the Church's spiritual commitment to divine purpose and
meaning in the Universe were not incompatible. The Pope accepted that
biological Evolution had progressed beyond the hypothetical stage as a
guiding principle behind the understanding of the evolution of diverse
life forms on Earth, including humans. At the same time, he rightly
recognized that the spiritual significance that one draws from the
scientific observations and theory lie outside of the scientific theories
themselves. In this sense, claiming that evolution definitely implies a
lack of divinity, and/or divine purpose in nature is as much an affront
to science as it is to the Church.

The Holy Father also recognized: "It is important to set proper limits
to the understanding of Scripture, excluding any unseasonable
interpretations which would make it mean something which it is not intended to
mean. In order to mark out the limits of their own proper fields,
theologians and those working on the exegesis of the Scripture need to be
well informed regarding the results of the latest scientific research."
Since scientific investigations have repeatedly confirmed evolution by
natural selection as a guiding principle for understanding the
development of the diversity of life on Earth, theologians who are interested
in exploring such questions as human dignity and purpose must take this
mechanism into account in their considerations. As he put it, quoting
from Leo XIII, truth cannot contradict truth.

These principles were reinforced more recently in explicit statements
by the International Theological Commission, headed by you before your
election as Pope. As the Commission document explicitly states, "God
is...the cause of causes." As a result, "Through the activity of natural
causes, God causes to arise those conditions required for the emergence
and support of living organisms, and, furthermore, for their
reproduction and differentiation." Finally, referring to evolution as a
"radically contingent materialistic process driven by natural selection and
random genetic variation", the commission nevertheless concluded "even the
outcome of a truly contingent natural process can nonetheless fall
within God's providential plan for creation."

Scientists have been pleased to see a convergence between the views of
the Catholic Church and the scientific community on these issues, in
particular on the compatibility between the results of scientific
investigation and Church theology. One of us recently wrote an essay in the
New York Times, for example (see attached), praising precisely the
Church's understanding of the compatibility of scientific investigation and
religious belief, even when the process being investigated, like
Evolution, appears completely contingent.

This week, Cardinal Christoph SchÅ¡nborn, archbishop of Vienna,
however, appeared to dangerously redefine the Church's view on Evolution. In
an essay, also published in the New York Times (see attached), he
claimed that "Evolution in the Neo-Darwinian sense... is not true".
Moreover, he argued that if divine design was not "overwhelmingly evident"
then the associated claims must be viewed as ideology, and not science.
He attacked not only Neo-Darwinism, but also the multiverse hypothesis
of modern cosmology, both of which he claimed were "invented to avoid
the overwhelming evidence for purpose and design found in modern
science". Equally worrisome, in his effort to claim a line between the
theory of evolution and religious faith, Cardinal SchÅ¡nborn dismissed the
marvelous 1996 message of Pope John Paul II to the Pontifical Academy,
calling it "rather vague and unimportant".

It is vitally important, however, that in these difficult and
contentious times the Catholic Church not build a new divide, long ago
eradicated, between the scientific method and religious belief. We are writing
to you today to request that you clarify once again the Church's
position on Evolution and Science, that you reaffirm the remarkable
statements of Pope John Paul II and the International Theological Commission, so
that it will be clear that Cardinal SchÅ¡nborn's remarks do not reflect
the views of the Holy See.

We thank you for your consideration to this request, and wish you
continued strength and wisdom as you continue to lead the Catholic Church in
these difficult times.

Sincerely,

on behalf of:

Lawrence M. Krauss
(Ambrose Swasey Professor of Physics, Professor of
Astronomy, and Director, Center for Education and Research in Cosmology
and Astrophysics, Case Western Reserve University)

Prof. Francisco Ayala
(University Professor and Donal Bren Professor of
Biological Sciences, Ecology, and Evolutionary Biology, Professor of
Philosophy, and Professor of Logic and Philosophy of Science, University
of Calfornia, Irvine)

Prof. Kenneth Miller
(Prof of Biology, Brown University)

cc. His Eminence Cardinal Christoph SchÅ¡nborn,

His Excellency William J. Levada, Congregation for the Doctrine of
the Faith.

Discussion of Omnipotence and Evil

2006-07-09T08:15:00.000-05:00

I have reposted an exchange from another blog in which I have now jumped into the fray. The Blog is owned by one Rev. Josh Buice, a fundamentalist Baptist minister with a penchant for spreading his literalist doctrine like manure over a freshly plowed field, hoping for mushrooms (*ie-weak-minded "sheep") to pop up so he can harvest them and constrict their lives and aspirations in the name of "Ga-waad" and "Jee-zus" (God and Jesus). I say this with absolute certainty that there is folly in the fundamentalist Christian doctrine and folks need to be very careful of who they follow.

By the way, the Baptist doctrine, along with most Protestant sects, are considered "heretical" by established and legitimate churches of apostolic succession (Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Coptic, Greek Orthodox, etc...) and those that are involved in these sects are "outside" of the communion of Christ.

______________________

Josh Buice said-
"As far as you possessing a sense of morality that has kept you from murder - has it kept you from committing ALL sin? James 2:10 says that if you keep the whole law and yet offend in one point you are guilty of all. Therefore, just because you have not committed murder, does not mean you stand righteous before God. All people are sinners [Romans 3:10, 23; and 5:12] and all sinners must receive the GRACE of God [Ephesians 2:8-9] in order to be saved from the wrath of God [Romans 1:18; 6:23]."

Darren says-
"So... your God is a wrathful God? This is the one who sent his Son into the world to point folks to Him? The whole concept doesn't really make sense." The whole cosmogeny of Christian theology is inherently illogical. If God created all and wants everyone to repent and come to him...then all those who died before Christ came being damned to Hell just because they "knew Him not" smacks of folly. This is where the whole Christian story unravels. So all who came before...went to Hell... Oh, except for the few prophets who worked directly for the Boss. Hmmm...sounds like God changed the rules."

Josh said-
"BTW -- God cannot create a rock that is so big that He could not lift it - that would mean that He would violate His omnipotence - and He will never violate His own omnipotence."

Darren says- "If God cannot make a stone so large that He couldn't move it, then God is truly NOT omnipotent. The existence of evil proves that God is not omnipotent because it is a force that is reputedly "separate" from God. Evil being described as the complete absence of God... This shows that God is not omnipotent. The very fact that God has to "fight" against the force of evil proves once again He is not omnipotent. For if He was... then he wouldnt have to fight against anything. In other words...If God was omnipotent, then he created evil. If you refute this and say that God is all good and is not the author of evil...Then you would either be refuting the existence of evil, or saying that God is not omnipotent, for evil would be "separate" from God...and we all know that to be omnipotent, THERE WOULD BE NO PLACE THAT IS SEPARATE FROM AN OMNIPOTENT GOD. "So...GOD IS EITHER NOT ALL "GOOD"; OR HE IS NOT OMNIPOTENT... the existence of evil proves this." For the Glory of Humanity, Darren

Shriners EXPOSED for Taking Advantage of Handicapped Children!!!

2006-06-29T21:56:00.000-05:00

"More on those crazy, crooked Shriners!!! Think about this before you give ANY money to the Shriners!!!"

Darren

Shriners - Part 4
Florida Bar Investigating Complaint Against Corporate Attorney
By Cassandra 'Sandy' Frost
6-27-6

Shriner Whistleblower Vernon Hill has called on the Florida Bar
Association to take action against Shriners corporate attorney Jay Fleisher.
In a four page complaint, Hill accuses Fleisher of misrepresentation,
intimidation, violating IRS disclosure law, unwarranted censorship,
chilling free speech and violating John Doe cyber space protections.

According to the office of staff attorney Jodi Thompson of the Florida
Bar Association, Tampa branch, the fact finding process begins by
sending a copy of the complaint to Fleisher, who then has 15 days to
respond. Thompson then has four months to gather information to decide if the
complaint has merit, and if so, whether to send the file to a grievance
committee or to a staff investigator.

"I hope the Florida Bar's rules on lawyer conduct will be enforced,"
Hill said. "I am just one person yet I wonder how many other honest,
hardworking Shriners have been treated the same way that I have. I've found
that there is a pattern of disregard and punishment by Shriners
officers and officials designed to attack anyone who challenges them.
Fleisher's actions are the latest in a long history of heavy handed tactics and
violations of Shriners rights. It is now time for the Florida Bar to
enforce the rules and to take action against those who misrepresent,
intimidate and censor."

Fleisher had no comment.

For years, Hill drove sick and crippled children to their medical
appointments at Shriners hospitals and while waiting with other volunteer
drivers, heard them describe how money they raised for the hospitals was
squandered on good times for temple officers or misspent on temple
expenses. Hill then spent the next four years asking all levels of Shriners
leadership about the money. Along the way, he discovered that twenty
years ago the Orlando Sentinel had investigated the Shriners and exposed
their bait and switch tactics of using sick and crippled children to
raise millions for the hospitals that, in reality, was spent on things
like entertainment, meals, travel and ceremonies.

"In 1985, the newspaper found that out of $23 million raised, only
$340,000 went to the hospitals," Hill explained. "I've asked the leadership
'Where does all the money go?' and no one has given me a straight
answer. Instead, I've been kicked off my committees and now, their attorney,
Jay Fleisher, is sending me 'cease and desist' emails."

Eighteen months ago, Hill was introduced to a Florida tax specialist
and former IRS agent, Paul Dolnier and they've been working together ever
since.

"I've got no axe to grind," Dolnier explained. "But the Shriners
accounting practices are certainly irregular and indicate that what the
Orlando Sentinel discovered in 1986 may be happening again."

Hill and Dolnier began by ordering Shriner tax returns from the IRS.
Dolnier then worked for six months analyzing thousands of pages and
zeroed in on the returns filed by Shriners' groups in Pennsylvania. He
contacted Pennsylvania state investigators who just happened have other
business in Florida. They met in Ft. Lauderdale for six hours as Dolnier
presented evidence that the Shriners might be violating Pennsylvania
charity law because the paper work showed that less than 50% of the net
proceeds from fundraising were being sent to the hospitals. Dolnier also
began working on the Charity Watch website where he's posted analysis of
tax returns from the Shriners temples in the states of Florida,
California, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Texas as well as
Pennsylvania.

The website states that:

"Attorney General's Office Charitable Registration for the State of PA
is looking at this group as a matter of "great interest" concerning
past and current charity fundraising policies and procedures throughout
the entire State of PA which includes ALL Shrine Temples and Groups &
Clubs."

In yet another attempt to get answers, Hill emailed Fleisher and asked
him to take a look at the Charity Watch website and alleged that
Pennsylvania officials were investigating the Shriners. Fleisher then sent
both Hill and Dolnier "cease and desist" emails stating that he'd spoken
with Pennsylvania officials who had told him there was no such
investigation, which, according to state of Pennsylvania officials, is not what
he was told.

If Fleisher is found guilty of any of the charges, the bar can impose
sanctions for "making false statements, fraud and misrepresentation and
improper communications with individuals in the legal system that cause
injury or potential injury to a client, the public, or the legal
system."

Hill hopes the Florida Bar will find enough evidence to take action
against Fleisher.

"Good hearted donors and volunteers should question a system that is
increasingly secretive and not forthcoming about their finances," Hill
concluded. "Charity laws apply to everyone and the Shriners should stop
acting as if they are above the law."

All copies of material reprinted or duplicated from "by Sandy Frost"
must include the following credit line: From
http://sandyfrost.newsvine.com/ Copyright © 2006 by Sandy Frost. Used
by permission.

http://sandyfrost.newsvine.com/
http://thecassandrafrostcollection.blogspot.com/

The Real Future of Blue Lodge Masonry

2006-06-22T21:56:00.000-05:00

It would seem that there are more and more people that know about the "shennanigans" of their grand lodges. There be holes in the dykes and it looks like there are not enough thumbs to plug the holes!

Darren (aka- F. Roy Dean Schlipp)

There is a none too subtle movement in the NMJ (Northern Masonic
Jurisdiction) to force Valley's to sell their buildings and instead
have "virtual valleys" only. Some of us think that this is just a
preparatory
step to the NMJ Supreme Council's true plan: consolidation (seizure)
of all assets of member valleys - it is much easier to seize money than
bricks and mortar. We suspect that this is part of a long range plan
to merge with the SMJ(Southern Masonic Jurisdiction) (which is doing
the same thing) and create a multi-billion dollar fund that a few big
(purple) wigs will then "oversee" on behalf of us poor slobs who
don't know how to handle money.

At this point, they won't need new members to survive, as they will
have plenty of money to support themselves indefinitely (once they have
divested themselves of the real estate drain). And we think that
they are so stupid. WRONG! They know exactly what they are doing and it
is nothing less than brilliant when viewed from the perspective of a
self-interested elite cadre of old men looking out solely for their
own selfish interests. They know that they are doomed, that membership
numbers are falling off a cliff, and that consolidation is the
single smartest thing that they can do to secure their future. Their plan
will leave them with billions at their disposal and absolutely no one
will be left to hold them accountable!

We should not be surprised by any of this. It is a natural result of
a system based on entrenched autocratic unelected unaccountable
leaders. Absolute power corrupts absolutely - even Masons. Their actions are
evil, but perfectly rationale and predictable given the circumstances.

I hope not!

(Reprinted from a protected source)

Response to Fundamentalist Circle Logic

2006-06-22T08:21:00.000-05:00

Rev. Buice,

Regarding this whole discussion regarding freemasonry and Christianity. The last respondent stated that we Masons have mainly responded with personal attacks. Yet he responds with a personal attack of his own using the bible to do it. He calls us "dogs" and "swine" as in the scripture. Amazing insight into "Christian Compassion". It's all pretty much par for the course, though. This is exactly the treatment that anyone gets who disagrees with the "lock-step" of the Church's view.
Well, I am going to make your day! Here is a statement that will allow you to point out to your flock as a vindication to all that you've preached about.

"Freemasonry is quantifiably NOT a christian organization."

Many would want it to be so as there are many fundamentalists who belong to the order. However; Freemasonry is not a Christian organization and will never be if we have anything to do with it. That's not to say that christians can't belong to the organization. They can and are welcome. We accept people from all theological backgrounds. Freemasonry is a non sectarian organization that, in it's purest form, recognizes the validity of all faiths.
Folks, such as yourself, who strictly forbid association with and tolerance of people of other faiths can never understand our views.
Please, no threats of hell and damnation! I am tired of hearing the old comical lines. Only God can damn me. I am not worried about that nor your opinion of us masons. Neither do I care for your afterlife plans.
Your whole argument has been based on your premise that the bible is inerrant fact and all of your "proof" has been from scripture interpretations. None of these "facts" that you've brought up regarding eschatological viewpoints are "provable". You have to die to find out if there is a Heaven or hell. So, when you argue the validity of your points, it's really a circle logic argument with a fatal disconnect... Your facts are unverifiable outside of the realm of your own "faith" or belief. Yes, there are many "historical" truths in the bible and there is a great possibility that the eschatological views presented are fact as well. However; empirically, we are left to wonder.
You appear to have great faith in the veracity of the bible. This is laudable. There are many such as yourself and that's great. There are many such as me who believe in the varacity of other "revalations" and texts as well with just as strong a conviction.
We're not out to lead away any of your flock. We don't teach them other views if they don't want to hear them either. But we won't refrain from sharing our theological views if the other person requests to know more. Something you said before was that people make a choice regarding christian salvation. We believe that too.
Of course; if it's not that literal view, by your belief, we are damned to hell. Well... That's what separates us. If I were admitted to Heaven before you came to the gates...I'd let you in. By your own statements; using the circle logic of inerrancy of the bible, I believe you wouldn't do the same. :)

Sincerely,
Darren Simpson
United Grand Lodge of America & Modern Freemason

Rev. Buice runs Practical Theology Discussions Blog and is a Baptist Minister

Taxation Without Representation

2006-06-22T07:40:00.000-05:00

The Grand Master's of the Alabama Grand Lodge are treated like members of the Royal Bloodline. The Alabama Scottish Rite S.G.I.G. Karl F. Reed will bestow (upon those whom he believes will best help him) the ever coveted White Hat of the Thirty-Third Degree. The S.G.I.G. helps with his influence to acquire the funds from "heavy hitters" of the Scottish Rite to buy the Grand Masters car. Then the Grand Master is invested with the gold bling, bling of the Grand Lodge.

He is then called the MOST Worshipful Grand Master hence forward and ever more. He then travels the country as the Grand Masa at the Grand Lodges expense. Membership is declining each year and has since 1963. Yet the membership is now being hit with the payment of a car and expenses. Should those in the line to be Grand Master be expected to buy their own car? Why so much secrecy about this car fund.

The members of the Grand Lodge of Alabama here three or four versions of how the money will be administered.If the Grand Lodges were set up as a stock held company these CEO'S and Board members would have been fired years ago for their inability to turn the declines around.So the Grand Masa rides around as a Potentate of Arabia at the members expense.

(Reprinted from "Alabama Grand Lodge Facts" blog)

Shriners In Hot Water Again!!! Pt. III

2006-06-18T17:24:00.000-05:00

Conflicts of Interest? Shriners: Part 3
By Cassandra 'Sandy' Frost
6-17-06
(*Editor's Note: Looks like The Shriners are at it again! Thanks Sandy!- Darren aka FRDS)

It's hard to write a lively story about technical things like conflict of interest for boards of directors and group oversight. What's important is that the technical is presented in an easy to read, easy to understand format.

To recap, twenty years ago, the Orlando Sentinel discovered that the Shriners were exploiting sick and crippled children to raise money that didn't find its way to the hospitals. Whistle blower Vernon Hill, himself a Shriner, had heard similar rumblings as he spent time in Shriner Hospital waiting rooms after driving children for treatment. He has spent the past four years asking similar questions and, a year and a half ago, he met and joined forces with Paul Dolnier, a former IRS revenue agent and accountant with a Master's Degree in taxation. Dolnier spent six months analyzing Shriners' tax returns that are now posted and grouped by state on the Charity Watch website at http://www.help-page-nonprofit.org/. Dolnier's analysis revealed that the same thing might be happening again. When he had the opportunity, he reported his documented findings to three special investigators from the State of Pennsylvania.

Today, corporate governance and in particular, how boards of directors function, is in the spotlight after companies like Enron and WorldCom were caught committing white collar crime and defrauding investors, clients and employees out of millions. Consequently, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 became law. It calls for both for profit and non profit corporations to establish and enforce, among other things, conflict of interest policies for their boards. Remember, there are two groups; the Shriners Hospitals for Children, the charitable 501c3 group, and the Shriners Temples, the fraternal 501c10 group. The two are supposed to, per IRS regulations, operate separately and be independent.

The fraternal group is incorporated in Iowa; the charitable hospital group is incorporated in Colorado. Both groups have a board of directors; the charitable hospital group also has officers. For the year 2004 2005, both boards had the same 14 men on them. Six of the seven hospital officers also sat on both boards.

A call to Shriners headquarters indicated that the board/s of directors' policies are not available to the public.

According to the Colorado Revised Nonprofit Corporation Act, 7-1228-501, Colorado Revised Statues, a "conflicting interest transaction" is a contract or transaction between two (nonprofit) entities that have the same people serving directors or officers. The Charities Review Council defines conflict of interest as: "Outside interests: a contract or transaction between the organization and an entity in which such person is a director, officer, etc. Outside activities: the responsible person's serving as a director, officer, for an entity that competes with the organization in the provision of services or in any other contract or transaction with a third party." The remedy, according to the Charities Review Council, is that the person with the conflict of interest shall not be counted for the purposes of a vote; the person with the conflict of interest may not vote on the contract or transaction and shall not be present in the meeting room when the vote is taken unless it is a secret vote." The answer to the question "Do those on both boards have a conflict of interest?" seems obvious.

Maybe the real question is "What are the Shriners doing to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act to avoid the appearance of conflict of interest among their common board members and officers?" Additionally, the Shriners (charitable) claim to maintain a separate legal and financial identity from the Shrine temples (fraternal). This "separation" qualifies both for their individual tax-exempt statuses from the IRS. Yet, according to annual reports filed with the Iowa Secretary of State in June of 1995 and 1996, the fraternal group's nature of activities engaged in during the past year was described as: "Fraternal order operating under the lodge system for the exclusive benefits of its members for the purpose of maintaining, controlling and supervising any and all charities, benevolence and charitable hospitals, including Shriners Hospitals for Crippled Children, maintained and controlled by the Imperial Council of the Ancient Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine for North America which may be it hereafter established. Signed, Jack H. Jones as Secretary"

This supervision and control by the fraternal over the charitable was formalized in the group's restated Articles of Incorporation that were filed with the Secretary of State in September, 1996. Article III includes items:

"3. To maintain, control, conduct and superintend any and all charities, benevolences and hospitals now established, maintained and controlled by The Imperial Council.

5. To create and maintain a charitable and educational fund, a representative fund, a library fund, an Imperial Council fund, a fund for the purchase, erection, operation and maintenance of Shriners Hospitals for Children, and other benevolences, and any other fund or trust necessary or convenient in carrying out any of the purposes, benevolences or charities now established, or which may be hereafter authorized by the Imperial Council."

Does this mean that the Shriners temples (fraternal) now control the Shriners Hospitals (charitable) $9 billion in assets? These questions might be left to others as they look into these two red flag issues. There are more inconsistencies that will be explored in the next few articles but for now the question appears to be:

Are these two standards of governance as they seem?
All copies of material reprinted or duplicated from "by Sandy Frost" must include the following credit line: Copyright © 2006 by Sandy Frost. Used by permission.

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AASR In HOT WATER!!!

2006-06-16T12:22:00.000-05:00

Former leader of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite sentenced
Saturday, July 30, 2005
By BRENDAN KIRBY Staff Reporter
A federal judge sentenced the former leader of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Mobile on Friday to 18 months in prison as members of the organization sat stone-faced.
William Curtis Havens, a former funeral home director, served the Scottish Rite with distinction for three decades. He rose to personal representative of the sovereign grand inspector general for Alabama, overseeing about 4,000 members in southern Alabama.
Then, by his own admission, he pocketed $213,461 in funds from the organization.
"The Scottish Rite has been betrayed by someone it honored in the highest way possible," said Frank Anderson, a member and an attorney who has led the fight against Havens in Bankruptcy Court. "He was the most honored and trusted and respected member of the fraternity in this part of the state."
The 50-year-old Mobile resident's legal troubles are far from over. He faces theft charges in Mobile County Circuit Court, and a bankruptcy judge has ordered him to pay $315,000 to the Scottish Rite.
As part of a plea bargain with federal prosecutors, Havens pleaded guilty in February to filing a false tax return. He admitted that he failed to report and pay taxes on money he had taken from the fraternity between 1998 and 2002.
The plea bargain called for a prison term of one year, the low end of advisory sentencing guidelines. Instead, Havens agreed to a sentence at the high end. Assistant Federal Defender Lyn Hillman said that ought to allow him to serve any prison time he gets on the theft charge concurrent with the federal sentence.
Hillman said the Scottish Rite insisted that her client serve time in prison. Had he been given probation, she said, he might have been in a position to pay off part of his debt.
"I have never seen a group of such vindictive victims in my life," she said. "These guys are so out for blood, they're working counterproductive to their own interests."
Court papers estimated that Havens should have paid $49,735 in taxes on the money he failed to report, although a judge later will determine the exact amount he owes.

We're Back!!!

2006-06-15T22:26:00.000-05:00

After a long hiatus, LCM is returning to the public to spread the news about the Modern Freemasonic Movement.
We are leaving the Blue Lodge and the "Antients" to their own devices and letting them rave and rant and carry on. We're not going to be a part of it. So let them believe what they want and let them spread the false rumors and rhetoric to the masses. What Modern Freemasonry is building on is the future and anyone who doesn't want to be a part of that future... then we wish them well as they travel their own path. We won't be trying to twist their arms to see things our way. We are here to stay and we are moving onward and forward with our plans to offer honorable men of all races an alternative to mainstream Masonry.
Let me clarify the fact that mainstream Masonry is a fine organization and many find what they are looking for in that path. What the Modern Freemasonic Movement is offering is a return to the older rituals that were not included in the 1920's reworking of the craft rituals and degrees. Many will find that moving into the future by returning to the past an appealing idea. Some will not. That's OK. Esoteric Masons, Co-masons, and individuals looking for a masonic experience that emphasizes intensive education, research, and practice will find a rewarding life-long journey in Modern Freemasonry.
As our Blue Lodge counterparts enjoy the wonderful fraternity that has been an established American institution since the first Blue Lodges were chartered in the colonial period; Modern Masons are working towards establishing the first chartered Modern Masonic lodges under The United Grand Lodge of America. This newly-formed lodge is atypical of most grand lodges in that it is a return to grass-roots freemasonry. It does not conform to the Blue Lodge model in that it's representation of it's individual constituents is direct from individual to the grand lodge governing body. You can find out more about the UGLA by going to www.uglofa.org or clicking the UGLA link on the sidebar.

FRDS

The Inquisition begins Anew!!!

2006-03-19T12:23:00.000-05:00

This from www.free-mason-alert.blogspot.com.

The Alabama Grand Lodge is blindly striking out against good freemasons across it's jurisdiction. Go to the above link to see what's happening.

FINALLY!!! AMERICANS TAKING A STAND AGAINST FUNDAMENTALIST TERRORISTS!!!

2006-02-21T20:26:00.000-05:00

By RYAN LENZ, Associated Press Writer Tue Feb 21, 6:11 AM ET
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. - Wearing vests covered in military patches, a band of motorcyclists rolls around the country from one soldier's funeral to another, cheering respectfully to overshadow jeers from church protesters.

They call themselves the Patriot Guard Riders, and they are more than 5,000 strong, forming to counter anti-gay protests held by the Rev. Fred Phelps at military funerals.
Phelps believes American deaths in
Iraq's name are divine punishment for a country that he says harbors homosexuals. His protesters carry signs thanking God for so-called IEDs — explosives that are a major killer of soldiers in Iraq.
The bikers shield the families of dead soldiers from the protesters, and overshadow the jeers with patriotic chants and a sea of red, white and blue flags.
"The most important thing we can do is let families know that the nation cares," said Don Woodrick, the group's Kentucky captain. "When a total stranger gets on a motorcycle in the middle of winter and drives 300 miles to hold a flag, that makes a powerful statement."
At least 14 states are considering laws aimed at the funeral protesters, who at a recent memorial service at Fort Campbell wrapped themselves in upside-down American flags. They danced and sang impromptu songs peppered with vulgarities that condemned homosexuals and soldiers.
The Patriot Guard was also there, waving up a ruckus of support for the families across the street. Community members came in the freezing rain to chant "U-S-A, U-S-A" alongside them.
"This is just the right thing to do. This is something America didn't do in the '70s," said Kurt Mayer, the group's national spokesman. "Whether we agree with why we're over there, these soldiers are dying to protect our freedoms."
Shirley Phelps-Roper, a daughter of Fred Phelps and an attorney for the Topeka, Kan.-based church, said neither state laws nor the Patriot Guard can silence their message that God killed the soldiers because they fought for a country that embraces homosexuals.
"The scriptures are crystal clear that when God sets out to punish a nation, it is with the sword. An IED is just a broken-up sword," Phelps-Roper said. "Since that is his weapon of choice, our forum of choice has got to be a dead soldier's funeral."
The church, Westboro Baptist Church, is not affiliated with a larger denomination and is made up mostly of Fred Phelps' extended family members.
During the 1990s, church members were known mostly for picketing the funerals of
AIDS victims, and they have long been tracked as a hate group by the Montgomery, Ala.-based Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence Project.
The project's deputy director, Heidi Beirich, said other groups have tried to counter Phelps' message, but none has been as organized as the Patriot Guard.
"I'm not sure anybody has gone to this length to stand in solidarity," she said. "It's nice that these veterans and their supporters are trying to do something. I can't imagine anything worse, your loved one is killed in Iraq and you've got to deal with Fred Phelps."
Kentucky, home to sprawling Fort Campbell along the Tennessee line, was among the first states to attempt to deal with Phelps legislatively. Its House and Senate have each passed bills that would limit people from protesting within 300 feet of a funeral or memorial service. The Senate version would also keep protesters from being within earshot of grieving friends and family members.
Richard Wilbur, a retired police detective, said his Indiana Patriot Guard group only comes to funerals if invited by family. He said he has no problem with protests against the war but sees no place for objectors at a family's final goodbye to a soldier.
"No one deserves this," he said.

MASONS TAKING ADVANTAGE OF MASONS IN GEORGIA

2006-02-08T12:49:00.000-05:00

INCLUDED BELOW IS THE INFORMATION FROM THE GRAND LODGE OF GEORGIA'S WEBSITE REGARDING PERPETUAL MEMBERSHIPS. PLEASE MAKE NOTE OF THE VERY LAST QUESTION AND VERIFY THE ANSWER WITH F. RAY JACKSON...
Q: What is Perpetual Membership?
A: Perpetual Membership allows a Brother to voluntarily give to his Particular Lodge and the Grand Lodge of Georgia an amount of money equal to his annual dues times 21. He is no longer required to pay annual dues.
Q: Why is the cost of a Perpetual Membership fee set at 21 times Lodge dues?
A: The multiplier of 21 creates an amount that, if invested at 5%, will return interest income to your Lodge equal to the same amount of money it would have received in annual dues from you. Q: Is this beneficial to my Lodge?
A: Yes. The income from the Perpetual Membership Fund is available for use by your Lodge and the Grand Lodge every year, even after your death.
Q: Why should a portion of the income continue to be paid to Grand Lodge after my death?
A: Every Mason comes under the jurisdiction of a Grand Lodge. The operation of the Grand Lodge is important to each of us. The Grand Lodge programs, the operation of the Masonic Home, and the operation of every Lodge depend on the operation of the Grand Lodge.
Q: Why do we need Perpetual Memberships?
A: Unfortunately, we have experienced losses in membership for the past decade. These losses have had adverse effects on the finances of Particular Lodges. If that Lodge owns its building, the fixed costs of upkeep and operation are spread among a decreasing number of members. Like the Masonic Home Endowment Fund, the money from Perpetual Memberships will be used as an endowment fund for your Particular Lodge. Only the earned income will be used to support your Lodge and the Grand Lodge. A Perpetual Membership is a way to contribute an endowment fund for your Lodge, insuring future financial security.
Q: What is the difference between a Perpetual Membership and a Life Membership?
A: By Masonic Regulation, a Subordinate Lodge may grant life membership to only one of every 50 members. There is no requirement that the member pay for the life membership. However, life members are still subject to Grand Lodge dues. All members of a Subordinate Lodge are eligible to obtain a Perpetual Membership. After the death of a Perpetual Member, your Lodge and Grand Lodge will continue to receive the earnings from your perpetual membership fee forever.
Q: When will the Lodge receive the earnings on the Perpetual Membership fees?
A: On December 1, of each year.
Q: If the Grand Lodge per capita tax ever increases, will it affect me?
A: No. A Perpetual Member will no longer be subject to the per capita tax.
Q: Why can't I just make a donation to my Lodge and let it use the money to pay my dues?
A: There is nothing to prohibit this, but consider the advantages of Perpetual Membership. First, there are no regulations compelling a Lodge to place money in a trust fund in your name. Second, the Perpetual Membership is relying on professional investment advisors to achieve a higher rate of return.
Q: What if I want to donate more than the minimum amount?
A: The Regulations only set a minimum amount for a Perpetual Membership Fee. There is no limit to the amount a Brother may voluntarily contribute to increase his Perpetual Membership. Q: Is there a reduced rate for older members?
A: No. The program is not really designed as a membership program. Its' intent is to create a trust fund for each Particular Lodge. The primary funding of this account is from Perpetual and Memorial Perpetual Memberships. It is a way for a Brother to make a voluntary contribution to his Lodge and Grand Lodge. By making a donation of his dues times 21, he is relieved of paying future dues.
Q: If a particular Lodge levies a special assessment on its members, is a Perpetual Member exempt?
A: No. A Perpetual Member IS NOT exempt from special assessments made by his particular Lodge, but he IS exempt from special assessments made by the Grand Lodge. It is not the intent of the Regulations to interfere with the finances of any Particular Lodge. The exemption from Grand Lodge assessments is for the protection of the Particular Lodge.
Q: What about Honorary Perpetual Memberships?
A: Honorary Perpetual Memberships can be donated in the honor of any living or deceased Georgia mason who is, or was at the time of his death, in good standing. The fee for this type of membership is a minimum of $200.00.
Q: What if I transfer my membership to another Lodge?
A: If you affiliate with another Georgia Lodge, your Perpetual Membership moves with you to your new Lodge. If you affiliate with a Lodge outside Georgia, the Perpetual Membership Fee remains with that Georgia Lodge. If you did affiliate with a Lodge outside Georgia and later returned to a Georgia Lodge, your Perpetual Membership will be moved to your new Georgia Lodge.
Q: What happens if a Perpetual member is suspended or expelled for unmasonic conduct?
A: The application form for Perpetual Membership states that the applicant understands the Perpetual Membership Fee is Non-refundable. So, although a Brother may be suspended or expelled and may not have a dues card, the money remains in the Perpetual Membership Fund and his particular lodge will continue to receive income from his fee.
Q: I hold dual membership in two Lodges. Does my Perpetual Membership Fee cover the dues in both Lodges?
A: No. The perpetual membership payment (21 times) is applicable only for the lodge within which it is paid. To become a perpetual member of both Lodges, or each different Lodge you may be a member of, you would have to make the payment (21 times dues) to each of those lodges.
Q: How can I become a Perpetual Member?
A: An application form is available from your Lodge Secretary. It must be processed through your Lodge.

Q. WHAT HAPPENS TO MY MONEY IF AND WHEN MY LODGE CLOSES DOWN OR HAS IT'S CHARTER REMOVED BECAUSE THE GRAND LODGE OF GEORGIA IS RUNNING OUT OF LIQUID ASSETS TO ADMINISTER IT'S DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES???
A. YOU GET NOTHING!!! NADA...ZIP... YOU ARE OUT OF LUCK AND YOUR CLOSEST LODGE WILL BE 500 MILES AWAY AT LEAST.

2006-02-07T23:46:00.000-05:00

Reprinted with permission from the "Burning Taper" BLOG.
A Tour of the Masonic Lodge
On April 12, 2005, in my role as Director of Masonic Education for my lodge, I presented to my Blue Lodge the following talk I wrote, called "A Tour of the Lodge." Based primarily on my understanding of W. L. Wilmshurst's book "The Meaning of Masonry," I attempted to explain the Greater and Lesser Lights, the stations of officers, and other symbols found in a Masonic Blue Lodge. Nothing here is a "secret" — Wilmshurst's book is over 80 years old. The meanings Wilmshurt assigned to the various symbols of Freemasonry reflect his opinions, and perhaps the opinions of his day, and not any "official doctrine" of Freemasonry, and may or may not be what those two centuries before Wilmshurst had in mind when they established the modern lodge system.My talk was met with mixed response. Though my talk was based on Wilmshurst's much longer piece orginally written as a lecture meant to be given in a lodge meeting, I was told after the fact it was "much too long" to be given in today's lodge meeting. As I was giving the talk, I noticed a number of the older Masons in attendence were, shall we say, resting their eyes, while several of the younger men there, those under 40, were literally on the edges of their seats. One of the younger men was a visitor from another lodge, and invited me to repeat the talk at his lodge. A month later I did so, and that lodge's members kept me after the talk, discussing Freemasonry until nearly midnight.Get yourself a cup of coffee, kick back, and take a Tour of the Lodge with me.— The Widow's SonYou've no doubt heard of Masonry spoken of as “an art founded on the principles of Geometry,” and as “a science dealing with the cultivation and improvement of the human mind.” It has also been said to have down to us “from ancient Egyptians whose philosophers, unwilling to expose their mysteries to vulgar eyes, conceal their principles and philosophy under signs and symbols.”Some among us refer to our catechisms for each degree as “lessons.” What is it that we learn in these catechisms, other than how to memorize unusual words and turns of phrase? We hear more about signs and symbols, but they are still in need of interpretation. Those learned men who established modern Freemasonry took great pains to conceal their philosophy and beliefs from the profane world. They hid their meanings in the signs, symbols, steps, stations and furniture of a lodge.Tonight and at our next meeting we will explore our Craft and our Lodge with an eye to understanding the signs and symbols which we either take for granted, or, in some cases, barely notice.Keep in mind as we take this tour that, according to the words given by the Senior Deacon to all new candidates, “Freemasonry is a peculiar system of morality, veiled in allegory, and illustrated by symbols.”GeometryWe said earlier, “Masonry is an art founded on the principles of Geometry” — the entire system of Freemasonry is built upon geometry.To the profane man, geometry is simply the branch of mathematics associated with the problems of Euclid. What does Euclid and high school math have to do with Masonic ideas and rituals? There must be something more here than meets the eye.Geometry was considered one of the “seven noble arts and sciences” of ancient philosophy. “Geo” means “earth.” To the ancients, earth did not mean simply our planet. Earth referred to the primordial substance, the stuff our souls are made of, the “mother-earth” from which we have all arisen and to which we shall return. Does not the Bible say that we are made of the dust of the ground? A builder must know what materials he is working with.Geometry, then, refers to the measurement of our fundamental substance, the building materials of ourselves. I do not refer to flesh and bone, but to the essence — the being — of man. Geometry is synonymous with self-knowledge, with the understanding of what we are made of, what we are and what we can become. “Know thyself” was a phrase often etched into ancient temples. Sometimes it was written as, “Know thyself and thou shalt know the Universe and God.”Thus, the study of Geometry tells us that the uninitiated man has no knowledge of himself, and that when he obtains that knowledge, through enlightenment, he will realize that he is no longer a separate, distinct individual, but rather a microcosm, a summary, “a summary of All That Is, and to be identified with the Being of God.” Showing you how to attaining this knowledge is the point of Masonry.The Form of the LodgeWhat is the Masonic Lodge? Officially, it's “an oblong square, in length between East and West, in breadth between North and South, in depth from the surface of the earth to its center, and even as high as the heavens.”This doesn't describe a room. This describes the human individual. The Lodge represents you. The Lodge is “an assemblage of brethren and fellows met to expatiate upon the mysteries of the Craft,” an old manuscript states. It's really describing you. You are a being that consists of various properties, characteristics, and faculties assembled together in a harmonious design, meant to work together making you a total human.Always remember that everything in Masonry represents man and his human constitution and spiritual evolution. Everything.Man is symbolized by a four-sided building. The number four has long been a symbol for everything that is manifest or in physical form. The non-physical, unmanifest Spirit is represented by the number three, or the triangle. Look at your apron. From above, the three-sided triangle, representing Spirit has come down onto the four-sided quadrangle, representing physical Man. The number four is also seen in four cardinal points of earth — north, south, east and west, and in the four basic metaphysical elements of the ancients called fire, water, air and earth. The four sides of the Lodge represent those same four elements: Water, which represents our psychic nature; Air, our mentality; Fire, our will; and Earth, the condensation of the the other three into one Being.The Lodge is not a square, however, but an elongated square, duplicated, twice as long as it is wide. This represents our physical body merged with our ethereal or astral body.The sides of the Lodge also represent man's faculties. The East represents our spirituality; the West, its opposite — normal, rational, day-to-day understanding, our normal consciousness, our “common sense.” In the South, spiritual intuition merges with rational understanding, developing our intellectual power to its highest potential, just as the Sun rises highest “at the beauty and glory” of the day. The North is the opposite of this; the North represents ignorance and the physical senses.Note the compass point where the candidate enters from the Preparation Room: the Northeast, where the rational, day-to-day mind represented by the West merges with the spiritual ignorance but sense-endowment of the North.We all use these four modes of consciousness, but some of us seem to live in just one or two, maybe three, of these modes. Seldom do we meet a man who has the full and perfect knowledge of living in all four of these modes at once. But that is what we are to strive for, as Masons.The lodge was described as “in depth from the surface of the earth to its center.” This refers to the difference in degree between our earthly mentality and the divine consciousness in man's spiritual center once he has learned to open his Lodge upon that center and function in it.“Even as high as the heavens” is how we described the height of the Lodge. This indicates that our raised consciousness has no limits, that we have unlimited potential, that our ability to grow spiritually is infinite.To climb up, to reach this consciousness, we may use the ladder of many steps, a symbol sometimes seen in Lodges. Three rungs of this ladder are “Faith, Hope and Charity.” Innumerable other rungs represent innumerable other ways of developing our consciousness to higher degrees, but the three listed may be the chief methods. We have Faith in the possibility of its attainment; we have Hope for its fulfillment, and we have Love — the real meaning of Charity — which takes us to the ultimate Good which we seek.This expansion of consciousness is not reliant upon intellectual attainment, or book knowledge. As St. Paul said, “Though I have all knowledge and not love, I am nothing.” Reaching the height of the Lodge — enlarging your consciousness — is done through faith, or belief; through hope, or expectation; and through charity, or love.The Lodge is supported by three pillars called “Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty.” These are properties of the human soul, which become more apparent as you progress through the Masonic philosophy. As you expand your consciousness, you will become more perceptive and more understanding. You will become aware of having tapped into a source of power that gives you enhanced mental strength and self-confidence. Others will observe in you the graces of character, speech and conduct that were formerly absent in you.The floor of a Lodge is a checkerboard of black and white squares. This pattern denotes the dual quality of the world, of everything about our physical life, our groundwork. Everything on the material plane has a duality about it, interblended good and evil, light and shade, joy and sorrow, pain and pleasure, positive and negative. This same duality is described in other cultures and religions, most notably in the Taoist Yin-Yang symbol, the two intersecting black and white teardrops endlessly chasing each others' tales.This dualism governs everything. As the Taoist eventually comes to learn that the two aspects Yin and Yang merge into one unitary Reality, so the Mason learns after contemplating the checkerboard floor that the dualism in his Life can become unity, synthesized into a greater whole known as the “peace that passes understanding.”The British version of the Third Degree uses this phrase: “The square pavement is for the High Priest to walk upon.” As every Mason is the High Priest of his own personal temple, the checkerboard floor becomes a place where Man meets God, while still living in the material, dualistic world. In other words, the Man who would be the “master of his fate” and “captain of his soul” must transcend and dominate these opposites, rising above good and evil, becoming superior and indifferent to the ups and downs of life, overcoming the fears and attractions that so deeply affect the common man.As Wilmshurst writes, “... the Mason who seriously yields himself to the discipline of the Order is not merely improving his character and chastening his thoughts and desires. He is at the same time unconsciously building up an inner ethereal body which will form his clothing, or covering, when his transitory outer body shall have passed away.... And the celestial body must be built up out of the sublimated properties of the terrestrial one. This is one of the secrets and mysteries of the process of regeneration and self-transmutation, to promote which the Craft was designed. This is the true temple-building that Masonry is concerned with. The Apron being the Masonic symbol of bodily organism, changes and increasing elaborateness in it as the Mason advances to higher stages in the Craft symbolize in theory the actual development that is gradually taking place in his nature.”In our physical heavens the sun, moon and stars exist. In our personal heavens metaphysical forces inherent in Man operate, and are known by the same terms. There is a psychic magnetic field in each of us, determining our individual temperaments and tendencies, and influencing our future. We call those forces “the sun,” “the moon,” and by the names of the planets. The interaction between these forces was once called astronomy, and is now known as astrology, which is one of the liberal arts and sciences recommended to the study of every Mason during the Fellowcraft degree.The Officers in the LodgeThere are seven officers in a Lodge — the Worshipful Master, the two Wardens, the two Deacons, the Inner Guard known together as the Stewards but comprising only one office, and the Outer Guard or Tyler. These seven positions represent seven aspects of consciousness psychologically co-ordinated into a unity known as a “just and perfect Lodge.” Just as a Man without all of these seven faculties would be considered insane, so a Lodge would be imperfect and unable to perform proper and effective work without its seven officers.The number seven represents completeness. Creation took place in seven time periods. There are seven colors in the rainbow, seven notes in a musical scale, seven days in a week. The Master of the the Lodge represents man's spiritual principle, his highest level of consciousness, to which all other faculties are subordinate. When this Divine Principle speaks, or raps its gavel, the other portions respond and reverberate in sympathy. The Senior Warden personifies the soul, the psychic or animistic principle in man. It has no inherent light of its own. The West reflects and transmits the greater light from the East, just as the moon reflects a greater light. Just as the Moon appears to be invisible to us in the night sky when the sun isn't shining on it, so is the Senior Warden all but invisible to us in the Lodge when he is not speaking. Similarly human intelligence is either apparent or negligible, depending on its state of enlightenment. When light shines upon the West it is the chief executive faculty or transmitting medium of Spiritual Wisdom; without the Light it can express nothing but brute reason.The Junior Warden in the South represents the mid-point between the Master's Light in the East and the Moon in the West. The Junior Warden symbolizes the lesser light, the Sun. In Masonry, the Sun represents illuminated human intelligence and understanding, which comes from having the brain and mind being thoroughly enlightened by the Spiritual Principle. The South station denotes the harmonious balance between the Divine Light from the East and natural reasoning powers from the West. In Masonry, the first and second degrees are associated with the Wardens, and the Master's degree associated with the Worshipful Master. Recall that during Raising, the Lights of the Wardens are extinguished. By this I mean in the work of self-transformation the Master's candidate has undergone before his raising, the Wardens have been beneficial. However, there comes a point when they are of no further avail; the grip of each of them fails, and the Master's grip, the Light from the Divine Principle, alone is able to complete the regenerative change symbolized by Raising. The lesser officers — the Deacons, Stewards and the Tyler — represent the three greater Officers' energies reflected into the lower faculties of man. The Senior Deacon forms the link between East and West. The Junior Deacon forms the link between the West and the South. The Inner Guard — the Stewards — acts under the immediate control of the Junior Warden and in reflex action with the Outer Guard — the Tyler — the contact with the outer world of sense impressions.Together the seven officers represent how human consciousness works. They represent the co-ordinated parts connecting Man's outer nature with his inmost Divine Principle. They provide the necessary channels for the various spiritual and material levels to maintain contact.To summarize: The Master represents the Spirit. The Senior Warden represents the Soul, or Psyche. The Junior Warden represents the Mind. The Senior Deacon represents the link between Spirit and Soul. The Junior Deacon represents the link between Soul and Mind. The Stewards represent the inner senses, the astral body. The Tyler represents the outer, physical senses.The Greater and Lesser LightsQuoting Wilmshurst: “The purpose of Initiation may be defined as follows: It is to stimulate and awaken the Candidate to direct cognition and irrefutable demonstration of facts and truths of his own being about which previously he has been either wholly ignorant or only notionally informed; it is to bring him into direct conscious contact with the Realities underlying the surface-images of things, so that, instead of holding merely beliefs or opinions about himself, the Universe and God, he is directly and convincingly confronted with Truth itself; and finally it is to move him to become the Good and the Truth revealed to him by identifying himself with it.”The restoration to light in the First Degree is especially important. It is the first time the Candidate's perception, thanks to his own aspirations and to the Brethren present, is enlarged. Initiation reveals to him the three great though emblematic lights in Masonry — the Holy Bible, Square and Compasses conjoined together, the Square and Compasses resting upon the Volume of Sacred Law as their ground or base. These physical objects are the first things the Candidate sees upon enlightenment. Their meaning — what they emblematize — should be the first truth his inward eye recognizes and contemplates.The emblematic three lesser lights — the burning tapers — are pointed out to the newly enlightened Candidate as well. These three lights, as we have already seen, refer to the Worshipful Master, the Senior Warden, and the Junior Warden.It is most interesting to note that without the lesser triad the Candidate would not be able to see the greater lights. The three burning tapers illuminate the Great Lights. This represents his own less evolved consciousness, his own normal finite intelligence, looking out onto something larger than itself, something it can hope to achieve and to incorporate into his own as yet undeveloped being.The Candidate is thus encouraged to lose himself to find himself, to unify his own lesser lights with his greater lights, so that he no longer functions with his normal consciousness but allies himself with the All-Conscious All That Is with which he has become identified.What do the Three Greater Lights emblematize, and what does their conjunction represent?The Volume of Sacred Law is the emblem and external expression of the unwritten Eternal Word, the Logos or Wisdom of Deity from which we all spring. It is the base of human life. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God; without Him was not anything made that was made; in Him was life and the life was the light of men; and the light shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not.” This passage from the Gospel of St. John, the patron saint of Masonry, should be the words the candidate sees when he is first brought to light, to remind him that the basis of his being is the Divine Word that lives and shines from within his own darkness and ignorance, which realize and comprehend not that fact. The Candidate has before now lost all consciousness of that truth, and this is the “lost Word” of which every Mason is theoretically in search and which with due instruction and understanding he hopes to find. When he finds that lost Word, he shall have found God within himself. It is this Word that has always been there, inside himself, that prompted him to enter the Craft and to seek initiation into Light. He was prepared in his heart, and he desired that Light which is now shining upon him and from him.The Square is the symbol of the human soul, created “square” or perfect. The Square also approximates a triangle, with its point downward and its base upward. This is a very ancient symbol of the soul and psychic constitution of Man known as the Water Triangle.The Compasses represents the Spirit. It also approximates a triangle, its point upward and its base downward. Interlaced with the Square it means the Spirit of the Soul, Energy, or Fire. Together the Compasses and the Square produce the fiery energy of Man, a good or evil force depending on how Man shapes it. The three greater lights emblematize the interwoven groundwork of Man's being — a passive Soul emanating from the Divine Word or Substance, activated or energized by Spirit generated in the Soul.In the First Degree, the points of the Compasses are hidden by the Square. In the Second Degree, one point is revealed. In the Third both both points of the Compasses are resting above and upon the Square. What point does this teach? That “as the Candidate progresses the inertia and negativity of the Soul becomes increasingly transmuted and superseded by the positive energy and activity of the Spirit. The Fire Triangle gradually assumes preponderance over the Water Triangle,” signifying that the Candidate is becoming a more vividly living and spiritually conscious being that he was before being Initiated.Opening and Closing the LodgeThe lodge and its officers as we have seen represent a sacramental figure of oneself. Opening the lodge and giving the due guards and signs while doing so implies ability to expand, open up and intensify our consciousness in three distinct stages. The opening and closing of the lodge are ceremonies of distinct and high purpose. They should not be profaned by casual performance or without understanding what they mean.As the substitute is transmitted, each station involved in the transmission enacts due guards and signs of all three degrees. The first one is appropriate to the apprentice stage of development, a call to “lift up your hearts” above the everyday level of external things. The second set of motions signify that we are more advanced into the science and more capable than when we were simply apprentices. The third motions point to the opening up of consciousness to the very center and depths of one's being.These motions signify that as we are opening a lodge meeting, we are opening our hearts and consciousnesses, expanding from our normal consciousness of “brute reason,” as signified by the West, to the god-consciousness of the East.Our steps, due guards, signs and passwords are part of the Mysteries tradition dating back to the beginning of time. Quoting H. E. Sampson, from pages 171-174 in Progressive Redemption: “The symbols of the Mysteries embodied in the sign of the Square and Circle constitute the eternal language of the gods, the same in all worlds, from all eternity. They have had neither beginning of years nor end of days. They are contemporary with time and with eternity. They are the Word of God, the Divine Logos, articulate and expressed in forms of language. Each sign possesses a corresponding vocal expression, bodily gesture or mental intention. This fact is of great importance to the student of Wisdom, for in it rests the main reason of the secrecy and the intense watchfulness and carefulness of the stewards of the Mysteries lest the secret doctrines find expression on the lips or through the action of unfit persons to possess the secrets. For the secret power of the Mysteries is within the signs. Any person attaining to natural and supernatural states by the process of development, if his heart be untuned and his mind withdrawn from the Divine to the human within him, that power becomes a power of evil instead of a power of good. An unfaithful initiate, in the degree of the Mysteries he has attained, is capable, by virtue of his antecedent preparations and processes, of diverting the power to unholy, demoniacal, astral and dangerous uses.... The use of the signs, the vocal sounds, physical acts and mental intentions, was absolutely prohibited except under rigorously tested conditions. For instance, the utterance of a symbolical sound, or a physical act, corresponding to a sign belonging to a given degree, in a congregation of an inferior degree, was fatal in its effects. In each degree no initiates who have not attained that degree are admitted to its congregations. Only initiates of that degree, and above it, are capable of sustaining the pressure of dynamic force generated in the spiritual atmosphere and concentrated in that degree. The actual mental ejaculation of a sign, under such circumstances, brought forth of an occult power corresponding to it. In all the congregations of the initiates an Inner Guard was stationed within the sanctuary, chancel or oratory at the door of entrance, with the drawn sword in his hand, to ward off unqualified trespassers or intruders. It was no formal or metaphorical performance. It was at the risk of life of any man attempting to make an entrance if he succeeded in crossing the threshold. Secret signs and passwords and other tests were applied to all who knocked at the door, before admission was granted. The possession of the Mysteries, after initiation, and the use of the signs, either vocally, actionally or ejaculatorily, with “intention” in their use, not as mere mechanical repetition, were attended by occult powers directed at the subjects of their special intention, whether absent or present, or for purposes beneficial to the cause in contemplation.”Opening the lodge of one's own being is not easy for those who have closed and sealed it by the own habitual thought-modes, preconceptions and distrust of whatever is not seen by the senses. These negative traits have no place in the heart of the inner Man. Stability of mind, control of emotion and thought, inner stillness and harmony are needed. Just as the physical opening of the lodge cannot be done without the organized cooperation of all the officers, so the opening of our inner Man to God can only occur when all our parts and faculties cooperate. If any part is missing, it just doesn't work. The Worshipful Master cannot open the lodge; he can only invite his brethren to assist him to do so by uniting their wills. Opening your inner self to God requires the same cooperation and attention — you must see that “none but Masons are present” by making sure that you thoughts and motives in approaching God are pure. The Master then calls to order the brethren, testing their qualifications for the work at hand. Only when he sees that the lodge is properly formed does he invoke the descent of the Divine blessing.This article has been cross-published today on SacredFems.com.Freemasonry Wilmshurst Masonic Lodge

ENOUGH OF THAT!!! BACK TO MASONRY!!!

2006-02-06T17:09:00.000-05:00

Now that we're done with the Baptists... Let's talk for a moment.

As Masons... We are obliged to protect the Art against Cowans and those who would seek to discredit it and make it's secrets known. We are all "Tilers" to the Divine Guild. But let's ask ourselves something. "Are there any truths left to defend in our grand lodges?" Are there any secrets that are valuable enough to protect?

If you answered in the way that I did, you'll see that there is something amiss in your lodge and your grand lodge. Did we do all of those rituals just so we could have BBQ's and wear red Fez's and pay the bills for the Lodge? Heck, we might as well take the Catholics' advice and join the Knights of Columbus!

Here is a call to arms... "WE ARE NOT MERELY DEFENDING THE ANCIENT WAYS; BUT WE ARE FIGHTING FOR THE FUTURE GENERATIONS THAT WILL WALK THESE GRAND HALLS!!!" We are battling an unseen opponent in those lofty places swathed in purple. Those that have already sacrificed themselves on the altars of Freemasonry cry out for justice! Let us not allow their sacrifices to be in vain!!!

COULD JESUS BE DEAD AND BURIED IN INDIA???

2006-02-01T16:39:00.000-05:00

An interesting site has recently come across my desk. For those who are not afraid of what they may find, please take a look at the following link:

www.tombofjesus.com

There are a lot of references that support the allegation that Jesus Christ may have actually survived the crucifixion and returned to India along the silk road and lived out the remainder of his life. This site has a lot of photos, info from the documentary movies and articles from various researchers in the field. I'll tell you something! If this is proven to be FACT... Then a lot of people in the Church are going to want you to NOT hear it!!! Something this sensational will rock the Christian Church to it's fundamentalist foundations!!!

For your Perusal,
F. Roy Dean Schlipp

JESUS: The Lost Years Revealed!!!

2006-01-31T19:56:00.000-05:00

Issa and the Skull of the Giant (1933) by Nicholas Roerich

Tibetan Monk holding the "Issa" Scrolls

Jesus In Tibet Thanka->

Jesus' teenage years are missing. So are his twenty something years. In fact, there is absolutely no word in the Bible or any other text from the middle east of his whereabouts until the age thirty. There are documents in Tibet however and travelers have seen them. It's that simple. Yes, Jesus is the only begotten son of God but he is not the only son or daughter of God. The Bible used to say that until it was changed to "children of God." There is a path of mastery that needs to be walked. Jesus walked it. Did he ever! His training and mission took him to Persia, India and Tibet.We are intended to 'walk in his footsteps,' maybe not to those countries but we are supposed to become the master and 'put on the mind of Christ,' and 'do greater works than He,' as Jesus and the disciples admonished us to do.
How do you do that? It's best to start early, with the best education from parents and institutions. If the parents have the awareness to tap into the esoteric mysteries of one or more of the major religions and transmit that to the child, then that will be of inestimable value down the road for the soul. What a blessing if the teenage years could be spent in pursuit of spiritual advancement. Jesus knew that. He went to India and Tibet to preach and continue his education. There were some things Joseph and Mary just weren't able to teach him, like advanced mantras and meditations using the third eye ('if thine eye be single then thy whole body be full of light.') and of course everybody's favorites, walking on water and rising up into the sky. All these things adepts in India and Tibet have been known to do. Where it might take a normal disciple years and maybe lifetimes to learn these "miracles," I'm sure Jesus learned them in record time.
Calm down Christian fundamentalist person out there. I can feel a disturbance in the force. The path to mastery in all esoteric traditions involves the calming of the feeling world. You will be happy to learn that Jesus also preached to the Zoroastrians, the Jains and Hindus, probably even Buddhists too. He chastised the priests for keeping the sacred mysteries from their flock. He warned them of the perversions in the caste system and generally admonished people that the one God dwelt above and within. He taught Bhakti Yoga before he even knew what it was. (It is the path of Divine Love. Ramakrishna and Yogananda were exemplars of this path.) The Hindus knew this as they witnessed and felt the love flowing forth from his heart chakra. Above all else, Jesus teaches love and forgiveness, not a placid or meek love nor a sad love as depicted in many pictures; but a dynamic love, always proactive and vigilant.
Many people have seen or have been told of the evidence in Tibetan books. Their stories are all documented in one book, The Lost Years of Jesus by Elizabeth Clare Prophet (including all of Notovitch's book). Nicholas Notovitch, the Russian gentleman below, was one of the first.

In 1894 he published a book, The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ (see link below). He almost didn't get to see the texts as he was refused at first. But as luck would have it he had to return to the monastery because of a broken leg. The world become enriched by that 'lucky' fate. Here is a quote from Notovitch in Lost Years of Jesus. A lama speaks ...
"Issa [Jesus] is a great prophet, one of the first after the twenty-two Buddhas. He is greater than any one of all the Dalai Lamas, for he constitutes part of the spirituality of our Lord. It is he who has enlightened you, who has brought back within the pale of religion the souls of the frivolous, and who has allowed each human being to distinguish between good and evil. His name and his acts are recorded in our sacred writings. And in reading of his wondrous existence, passed in the midst of an erring and wayward people, we weep at the horrible sin of the pagans who, after having tortured him, put him to death." ...
"Where are these writings now to be found? And by whom were they originally written down?" I asked.
"The principal scrolls, whose compilation was effected in India and Nepal at different epochs, proportional to the events, are to be found at Lassa to the number of several thousands. ..." pp. 154-155
Notovitch copied down notes as an interpreter read from the scrolls in a monastery at Ley, the capital of Ladak. Here are some highlights:

"The Life of Saint Issa"

Chapter V

1. "In the course of his fourteenth year, the young Issa [Jesus], blessed of God, came on this side of Sind and established himself among the Aryas in the land of God.
2. "Fame spread the reputation of this marvelous child throughout the length of northern Sind, and when he crossed the country of the five rivers and the Rajputana, the devotees of the God Jaine prayed him to dwell among them.
3. "But he left the erring worshippers of Jaine and went to Juggernaut in the country of Orissa, where repose the mortal remains of Vyasa-Krishna and where the white priests of Brahma made him a joyous welcome.
4. "They taught him to read and understand the Vedas, to cure by aid of prayer, to teach, to explain the holy scriptures to the people, and to drive out evil spirits from the bodies of men, restoring unto them sanity." ...

"It is not certain what route Jesus took on his journey to the East. Here is one possible itinerary via ancient roads and trade routes, reconstructed from Notovich, Abhedananda, and Roerich texts and legends: Jesus departed Jerusalem (follow the yellow line), took the Silk Road to Bactra, headed south to Kabul, crossed the Punjab and proceeded to a Jain area on the Kathiawar peninsula where Jain temples were later built bear the town of Palitana. He crossed India to Juggernaut (Puri), made trips to Rajariha (Rajgir), Benares, and other holy cities and, fleeing his enemies went to Kapilavatsu--birthplace of Gautama Buddha. Jesus took a trail just west of Mt. Everest to Lhasa (where the palace of the Dalai Lama was built in the 17th century). On the return trip (follow the violet line), he took the caravan route to Leh, went south to the state of Rajputana and the north to Kabul. He proceeded on the southern trade route through Persia where Zoroastrian priests abandoned him to wild beasts. Jesus survived and arrived unharmed in Jerusalem." Map and text from The Lost Years of Jesus.
Jesus, having immersed himself in Hinduism, began preaching to the lower castes about the inequities he saw and errors in doctrine that became distorted and diluted over time. The priest class (Brahmans) and the warriors (Kshatriyas) found out about it and plotted his death.

Chapter IV

2. "But Issa, warned of his danger by the Sudras, left the neighborhood of Juggernaut by night, reached the mountain, and established himself in the country of Gautamides, the birthplace of the great Buddha Sakyamuni, in the midst of a people worshipping the one and sublime Brahma.
3. "After having perfected himself in the Pali language, the just Issa applied himself to the study of the sacred writings of Sutras.
4. "Six years after, Issa, whom the Buddha had elected to spread his holy word, had become a perfect expositor of the sacred writings."
Here are miscellaneous quotes attributed to Jesus as recorded by Notovitch:

Chapter IX

12. "Enter into your temple, into your heart. Illumine it with good thoughts and the patience and immovable confidence which you should have in your Father.
13. "And your sacred vessels, they are your hands and your eyes. See and so that which is agreeable to God, for in doing good to your neighbor you accomplish a rite which embellishes the temple wherein dwells he who gave you life.
14. "For God has created you in his own likeness—innocent, with pure souls and hearts filled with goodness, destined not for the conception of evil schemes but made to be sanctuaries of love and justice.
15. "Wherefore I say unto to you, sully not your hearts, for the Supreme Being dwells therein eternally.
16. "If you wish to accomplish works marked with love or piety, do them with an open heart and let not your actions be governed by calculations or the hope of gain.
17. "For such actions would not help to your salvation, and you would fall into that state of moral degradation where theft, lying and murder pass for generous deeds."
Chapter X

13. "Earthly power is not of long duration, and it is subject to many changes. Of what use that man should revolt against it, seeing that one power always succeeds to another power? And thus it will come to pass until the extinction of humanity.
14. "Against, which, see you not that the mighty and the rich sow among the sons of Israel a spirit of rebellion against the eternal power of heaven?"
...18. "But having heard that my brethren were suffering still greater tortures, I have come back to the country where my parents dwell to remind my brothers of the faith of their forefathers, which teaches us patience on earth to obtain perfect and sublime happiness in heaven."
... 20. "... I have enjoined the purification of the heart from all blemish, for it is the true temple of God."

Chapter X

10. "Listen, then, to what I say unto you: Respect woman, for she is the mother of the universe, and all the truth of divine creation lies in her. [Definitely a teaching from his Indian sojourn, and see how it is somehow absent in the NewTestament; An accident? I think not! Editor]
11. "She is the basis of all good and beautiful, as she is also the germ of life and death. On her depends the whole existence of man, for she is his natural and moral support.
12. She gives birth to you in the midst of suffering By the sweat of her brow she rears you, and until her death you cause her the gravest anxieties. Bless her and worship her, for she is your one friend, your one support on earth.
13. "Respect her, uphold her. In acting thus you will win her love and her heart. You will find favor in the sight of God and many sins shall be forgiven you."
...17. "Even as the God of armies separated of old the light from darkness and the land from the waters, woman possesses the divine faculty of separating in a man good intentions from evil thoughts."

Swami Abhedananda had read Notovitch's book and traveled to Tibet in 1922 to find the truth of it. He was shown a text remarkably similar to the one shown the Russian. Here is an interesting quote:
"Thus he returned to his homeland at the age of twenty-nine and began spreading the word of peace amongst his oppressed countrymen."
Another Russian, Nicholas Roerich, who painted the picture at the top of the page (showing Jesus traveling in Tibet), found many references to Issa's travels in India. He wrote about his investigations in Himalaya; and also in Altai-Himalaya, where a Hindu had this to say:
"Why does one always place Issa in Egypt during the time of his absence from Palestine? His young years of course were passed in study The traces of his learning have naturally impressed themselves upon his later sermons. To what sources do these sermons lead? What is there in them of Egyptian? And why does one not see traces of Buddism—of India? It is difficult to understand why the wandering of Issa by caravan path into India and into the region now occupied by Tibet, should be so vehemently denied."

Also from Altai-Hinalaya:, Roerich writes:

"Lamas know that Christ, passing through India and Tibet, turned not to the Brahmins and the Kshatriyas, but to the Sudras [lower caste]—to the working and humbled ones. The writings of the lamas recall how Christ extolled woman—the Mother of the World. And lamas point out how Christ regarded the so-called miracles."

Roerich goes on to quote many passages that corroborate what Notovitch and Abhedananda saw as well as some marvelous incidents such as Jesus conversing with a Tibetan sage named Ming-ste and healing the sick in Ladak.

Again, in 1938, another, Dr. Elisabeth Caspari, who studied under Maria Montessori and who only recently passed away in 2002, had the opportunity to see the evidence. Forced to stop in a monastery on their way to Himis, a chance meeting with the monastery's librarian took place. They snapped his picture as he told them that the loose leaf texts he held documented Jesus' travels in Tibet.

"Shortly before the pilgrims departed, the librarian, carrying ancient manuscripts, approached Mrs. Gasque and Madame Caspari as they were seated on the roof: "These books say your Jesus was here." from The Lost Years of Jesus.
The great Yogi, Yogananda also knew that Jesus visited India and Tibet. One of Yogananda's missions was to study and bridge the gap between East and West. He did this with the blessings of his guru, Sri Yukteswar. Yogananda not only studied Christianity, he had personal knowledge of Jesus Christ. This is from a lecture delivered at Mt. Washington, called 'Oriental Christ.'

... Now, I want to tell you something in the beginning, lest there be any doubt in your minds: What I received from the Great Oriental Masters, that same have I received from the teachings of Jesus, the Christ!
The Great Ones, like waves, bathe in the Eternal Sea, and become One with It. Disciples make all the trouble and differences. They begin to create narrowness and bigotry. The pure Message becomes diluted with ignorance. Humanity drinks of the polluted waters and then cannot understand why the thirst remains. Only pure waters can quench thirst. The time has come to separate truth from falsehood, knowledge from ignorance. All truth and knowledge must be sued to combat the black doubts and superstitions hedging humanity in the prison of unhappiness, that the mighty flood of Truth may inundate the gathered darkness of the ages, setting the soul of humanity free.
It amuses me when I hear my Western brothers say—"Do you believe in Christ?" I always say "Jesus Christ." And I picture Him in my mind as He really was—Oriental Christ. Many painters have tried to give Him blue eyes and light hair, but He was a pure Oriental. And you of the West have taken from an enslaved nation, Jesus Christ as your Preceptor, and the greatest gift of all—spiritual freedom, taught by this great Oriental.
Every human being is a product of his climatic conditions, heredity, family characteristics, and the pre-natal and post-natal actions performed by him, as influenced by right or wrong will, right or wrong judgment, right or wrong habits, right or wrong feelings, and by the soul’s intuitive guidance. No matter what Jesus Christ was Himself, as regards His own Soul—none can deny that He, being born in the Orient, had to use the medium of Oriental civilization, customs, mannerisms, language, parables, etc., in spreading His message. Hence, the teachings of Jesus Christ, no matter how universal they may be, are saturated with the essence of Oriental civilization.
Jesus was an Oriental, by birth and blood and training. The Wise-Men of the East, or East India, came to confer about Him when He was born, knowing Him to be one of the greatest message-bearers of Truth.
I am not saying that Jesus Christ learned everything from the Great Masters of India, because God never teaches directly through human vehicles. But it has been definitely proven that Jesus was connected with the High Initiates and the Masters of India. In the "Unknown Life of Christ," by Nicholas Notovitch,—the Russian author tells how he went to Tibet, hoping to study Tibetan literature, hand-written on papyrus scroll. Because of the secretiveness of the Lamas, it was impossible to find a trace of what he wanted; but a strange miracle happened. Just when he was returning fruitlessly to India, he fell from a cliff and broke his leg, and was taken back to the Monastery to receive the necessary care! The Tibetans are very hospitable to their invited or stricken guests. While the injured man was recovering, the head Lama asked him what he wanted. He said—"Read to me the papyrus scrolls!" From these sacred scrolls, he secured conclusive evidence that Jesus Christs’s name was Isa—meaning Lord, which afterwards was pronounced as Jesus. He conferred with the Masters on Yoga and great problems of human upliftment, living with them at the Monastery; but at the age of fifteen, it is said, they tried to get Him married, so he fled. I don’t blame him. But, alas, those who do not marry, repent; and those who do marry, repent. That is why I am glad I am married to the Infinite Nature and Spirit. There is never any hurt and disappointment in that kind of marriage.
The sacred scrolls further revealed that as Jesus Christ was visited by the Wise-Men of the East, so He paid them a return visit to Tibet, and conferred with the Great Masters. Jesus then went to India to commune with the Masters there; and after preaching the Message in India, he went to Asia Minor. He wanted to spread His message universally. Mr. Nicholas Notovitch, in order to prove the above fact about the trip of Jesus, challenged many missionaries to go with him to Tibet. But they did not want to do so. ...
Below is a fantastic picture from a Tibetan thangka. It is one scene of six. Here Jesus is with Tibetan monks in front of a Gompa or fortress monastery. To see a larger image of this picture as well as two other scenes and to learn more about this extraordinary thangka, click here.

Click the link below to view the "Jesus Thankas" in full detail. There are 3 of them!

http://www.reversespins.com/jesusthangka.html

What is the import of this information on Issa? And why is it opposed? Number one, just as Jesus found in India, there is a priest craft/class, in this case the Brahmins and Kshatriyas, that wish to hold on to power in every religion. They do not want us to know that the power and light is within us, if we just follow the path laid out by Buddha and Jesus (well, as we all know, it's not that simple). They keep the little people down by taking away the mysteries and distorting the truths laid out by the Prophets of God.
By denying that Jesus traveled in India, the naysayer may be ultimately denying the Christ in you. That person believes that only one person can become the fullness of the Christ mind and the Buddha within. He could be denying the very teaching of Jesus himself and instead, chooses those Bible verses that are self serving and meant to keep the modern day Sudras in their place.
Jesus needed to travel to India and Tibet during his teenage years to fulfill his mission. In so doing, he became the greatest exemplar of the path to the Ascension and the breaking of wheel of karma and rebirth. He wants us to travel that path of knowing the creator and the light within. He values the supreme role of women for he knows that among other things, they are instrumental in shaping the teenage years of the youth today. Here is a quote from El Morya in 1938 from Supermundane - The Inner Life - Book 1 by Nicholas Roerich:
"History knows little about the Mother of the Great Pilgrim, who was as exceptional as Her Son. The Mother came from a great family and was the embodiment of refinement and nobility of spirit. She was the One who laid the foundation for His first high ideals, and sang a lullaby to Him in which She foretold His miraculous future. She took great care to safeguard Her Child, and was a source of strength for His great achievements. She knew several languages, and thus made the path easier for Him. Nor did She object to His long pilgrimages, and gathered all that was necessary to make the travels easier. She rightly valued the common people and knew that they would guard the treasures of His Teaching. She recognized the grandeur of the Culmination and thus could give heart to those of diverse character who were weakened by doubt and rejection. She was prepared to experience the same achievement as Her Son, and He entrusted to Her His decision, which was confirmed by the Teachers. It was the Mother who understood the mystery of His wanderings. For the fundamental truth about the Mother's life to be clear, one must understand the local conditions of those times. However, She was led by Her insight into the future and was able to rise above the customs of Her country." El Morya from Supermundane - The Inner Life - Book 1 (1938) - 147: Agni Yoga Society
As you can see even the great Master needed guidance and help. Oh what a blessing if only mothers, fathers and teachers today could realize they hold the destiny of civilization before them because the little child entrusted to their care has the potential to realize the Christ within. This is why the role of Mother and of education is always under attack. How great is the folly of taking God out of schools. It is rooted in atheism, couched in legalistic jargon that has nothing to do with the Constitution. It is the same old trick, keep the masses away from the God source.
The path to salvation is a life long path. It is not easy and it certainly does not come by saying somebodies' name nor in sudden enlightenment. The earlier one starts the journey just as Issa did, the better for the soul.
William House
Editor, Reverse Spins

Here are some similar quotes from Jesus and Buddha, The Parallel Sayings. While not exact, I think they do show the commonality in these two founders and their religions. There is one God, one Truth and it is found in the esoteric understanding of core beliefs.

"There is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile." Mark 7:15
"Stealing, deceiving, adultery; this is defilement. Not the eating of meat." Sutta Nipata 242
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal." Matthew 6:19-20
"Let the wise man do righteousness: A treasure that others can not share, which no thief can steal; a treasure which does not pass away." Khuddakapatha 8:9
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." Matthew 5:8
"Anyone who withdraws into meditation on compassion can see Brahma with his own eyes, talk to him face to face and consult with him." Digha Nikaya 19:43
"Jesus spoke unto them saying, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life." John 8:12
"When a Bodhisattva descends from heaven, there appears in this world an immeasurable, splendid light surpassing the glory of the most powerful glow. And whatever dark spaces lie beyond the world's end will be illuminated by this light." Digha Nikaya 14:1:7

WHY BE A FREEMASON???

2006-01-31T12:16:00.000-05:00

In this modern age of Superconductors and Nano-Computers; what benefit is it for a man to become a member of an ages old fraternity such as that of Freemasonry? What is there in this secretive society that should have any relevance to the modern 21st century man? Let me post some thoughts of my own and others that I have found that I think make the point very succinctly.

Regardless of what we gain in the name of "Progress", there remains certain immuteable "truths" that bind all mankind into a fraternity of honor and integrity. I found this quote on a site called the "Rite of the Rose Cross of Gold" (www.rrcg.org):

"The true Free-Mason is a practical Philosopher, who, under religious emblems, adopted by wisdom, builds the moral edifice of knowledge through plans traced by nature and reason . He ought to find, in the symmetrical relation of all the parts of this rational edifice, the principle and rule of all his duties, the source of all his pleasures. He improves his moral nature, becomes a better man, and finds in the reunion of virtuous men, assembled with honorable intentions, the means of multiplying his acts of beneficence. Masonry and Philosophy, without being one and the same thing, have the same object, and propose to themselves the same end, the worship of the Great Architect of the Universe, acquaintance and familiarity with the wonders of nature, and the happiness of humanity attained by the constant practice virtue."

Freemasonry is a progressive science. It is not bound by political correctness (I speak of "PURE FREEMASONRY"... Not what passes for it in some Lodges!). Freemasonry does not bow to the ambitions of any one man or his views. It is NOT an Christian fraternity! Nor is it a Jewish or Buddhist, or even an Islamic group. It is a vehicle that transcends human interpretation and beckons to that which is beyond dualistic thought. The heart of the Divine is inapproachable to logic. Mankind develops symbols and allegories to comprehend the very presence of this underlying current that pervades all of exixtence.

A certain site entitled the Collegium Fabrorum (www.collegiumfabrorum.org) has in it's heading a quote from Albert Einstein. Probably one of the smartest "monkeys" to ever live.

"A human being is a part of the whole called by us the universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest....This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in all its beauty."
— Albert Einstein

Where Freemasonry comes into the picture is in it's process of taking what is ancient and hoary with age and making humans THINK! Making us become a part of the greater brotherhood of Man. There is nothing nefarious about the truths that are held in Freemasonry. All of the mysteries and proposed secrets of relics and treasure point towards the greater treasure. That of being WHOLLY human in the image of the divine. To touch the face of creation...

AN ANSWER TO BAPTIST CULTS LIKE THE SBC

2006-01-27T16:36:00.000-05:00

I see the point that you are trying to make. However; my belief in Christ is my Christian salvation. Nothing can take that away. I walk in the path as a Freemason. One Can rely wholly upon the sacrifice on the Cross, and still serve as a Freemason.In barring masons as members...you only isolate your ministry to certain constituents. This is a critical error. Do we tell soldiers who kill, that they cannot be received in Church? They violate a holy commandment. there is even hope for the petty criminal. I find it hard to believe that George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, W.A. Mozart, and many others are in Hell roasting on a spit. God does not condemn you. You condemn You. It is not a difference of opinion that condemns the soul to damnation. Christianity still has not dealt with the issue of those pagans of good being that lived and died before Christ's revelation. I guess that you would have them burn as well. What of the humans who live without ever hearing of Christ? I guess that the Dalai Lama is is heading for the BBQ as well. In Orthodoxy...Hell is not separate from Heaven. It is Hell; nonetheless. Can you imagine Herod the Great, murderer of the children of Israel in Heaven, surrounded by those very children for all eternity? Hell is the absence of God. Separateness from all that is God. If a man truly wants to be away from God...That is where he'll be. The fundamental flaw in Baptist doctrine, as with most Protestant doctrine, is the whole cosmology of the eschatalogical world. God is not a dictator dangling souls over the fires of Hell. This is Augustinian sensationalism. Your message is catered to those who don't want to go deep into salvation. They want the Reader's Digest version. We do live in Grace, but God doesnt expect us to be a turnip in a field and live by that zeal alone. We have minds to reason and question. We are in God's own image after all. This spark of intellect is born from God. If God's People would be gathered together on the boat to Heaven...Then it would be the Freemasons who would have built that boat. I hope to converse with you in Heaven someday.

AT LAST!!! MEN OF COURAGE!!!

2006-01-26T11:30:00.000-05:00

Any organization that starts with the purest of intentions; becomes diluted as it ages. It is necessary, from time to time to do a spring cleaning of sorts. Masonry lives in the hearts of revolutionaries as there exist now. I have heard of men in upstart groups such as the Rite of the Rose Cross of Gold and this new United Grand Lodge of America, who hold the ideals of masonry in their hearts. I believe the future lies with these men. They bring the Craft into the 21st century by returning to the ancient ways. The flame of the three great lights is in their hearts and souls! Isn't this an interesting turn of events? Those that wish their destruction have much to lose... There should be more men as these. God bless them and shine down on them for the sake of humanity!
F.Roy Dean Schlipp
Gentle-Fellow of the Sublime Craft

OPEN RACISM IN GEORGIA

2006-01-25T10:36:00.000-05:00

To what do we tell our brothers of color in Georgia? You fine men of distinction gather in Masonic Lodges all over America and celebrate the sitting in session of Lodge; but your brothers of lighter skin color in Georgia don't recognize you. they call you CLANDESTINE by their standards and will not even tread the same ground as you walk on.

I believe that the ugly face of RACISM is alive and well in Georgia. The Ku Klux Klan has been replaced by the old, be-jeweled, good-ole boys in the Grand Lodge of Georgia. Instead of white sheets, this organization wears purple trimmed aprons and mantles.

It was while I was conversing with one gentleman (I use that term for form only...) that he made the statement to me that "Blacks won't get into the Blue Lodge because they are of another species." Another species!!! Why do I need to say anything more?! When you have cretins such as this making my case for me!

If you are a prospective candidate looking for admission into the Blue Lodge in Georgia; be aware of what you are attaching yourselves to! You are buying into that same racism. I will say to you that as sure as I breathe; racism is an abomination and ANYONE that condones it is an abomination unto God! Let me make this clear and irrefuteable... I just said that the Grand Lodge of Georgia is an abomination unto God! Masonry is not to blame.

Was our beloved ancestral worshipful Master (Hiram, to many) a white man? What do those in Georgia's Grand Lodge say to our Jewish and our Brothers of other races? Are they too a different "species"? Are they any less capable of being fine, honorable men?

I have a thought about this all. I believe that the person who made this statement and anyone who agrees with him is the one that is of another "species". The species of being right above "lichens" and "moss" but still one that slithers and crawls around on his belly in the dark of night. You work in your company's human resources department and would deny a qualified individual a job just because you didn't agree with his creed, race, or politics. You are the worst kind of abomination...unrepentant! You are like blind ment sucking your own blood! You sit in the once hallowed halls of your lodges like whited sepulchres! You are as dead men's bones!!!

F. Roy Dean Schlipp

Gentle-Fellow of the Sublime Craft

MY RESPONSE TO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

2006-01-24T16:06:00.000-05:00

QUAESITUM EST
Declaration on Masonic Associations Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
It has been asked whether there has been any change in the Church's decision in regard to Masonic associations since the new Code of Canon Law does not mention them expressly, unlike the previous code.This sacred congregation is in a position to reply that this circumstance is due to an editorial criterion which was followed also in the case of other associations likewise unmentioned inasmuch as they are contained in wider categories.Therefore, the Church's negative judgment in regard to Masonic associations remains unchanged since their principles have always been considered irreconcilable with the doctrine of the Church and, therefore, membership in them remains forbidden. The faithful, who enroll in Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion.It is not within the competence of local ecclesiastical authorities to give a judgment on the nature of Masonic associations which would imply a derogation from what has been decided above, and this in line with the declaration of this sacred congregation issued Feb. 17,1981. [1]In an audience granted to the undersigned cardinal prefect, the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II approved and ordered the publication of this declaration which had been decided in an ordinary meeting of this sacred congregation.
Rome, from the Office of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Nov. 26, 1983
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger PrefectFather Jerome Hamer, O. P. Titular Archbishop of LoriumSecretary
My answer to "His Loftiness" in his expensive Italian loafers and underwear from Prado (really! They're from Prado!!!) Why would Freemasonry "want" to be accepted and associated with this organization as it stands? Christ's perfect Church suffers from human fraility like an infestation. What would Christ think of his dear Church? I think the Church needs an enema of sorts. I mean no disrespect to the Church as it is inviolate. It's when you get humans involved that things get mucked up. Kind of like a sickness don't you think?
F. Roy Dean SchlippGentle
Fellow of the Sublime Craft

A HISTORY OF PERSECUTION OF FREEMASONRY

2006-01-24T15:32:00.000-05:00

Chronology of Anti-Masonry
298 Martyrdom of the Four Crowned Martyrs.
1305 Henry IV forbade workmen to hold meetings outside guild limits.
1314 Jacques DeMolay executed.
1326 Issuance of the Statute of Excommunications at Avignon. The Masons were included in the ban.
1349 Statute of Labourers enacted by Edward III forbidding work‑men to organize to secure better wages. The statute fixed their wages; Freemasons were to receive not more than 4d a day. 1361 Edward III declared “null and void all alliances and combines of Masons and carpenters.”
1390 Richard II demanded that all companies exhibit their charters. It is sometimes contended that this law brought about the preservation of the Old Charges.
1402 Law passed requiring Masons to hire out by the day only. 1425 Henry VI ordained that “Masons shall not Confederate in Chapters or Congregations.”
1561 The legend of Queen Elizabeth sending armed force to investigate the Masons and received such a good report that she did not disturb them again.
1655 The Compagnonnage condemned in France by the Faculty of Theology in Paris.
1678 Attack on Freemasonry in England.
1686 Publication of Dr. Plot’s book The Natural History of Staffordshire in which he made derogatory statements about Free-masonry.
1698 Publication of leaflet in London against Freemasonry.
1710 A merchant of Cette was tried before the Inquisition at Vallodolid for being a Freemason.
1722 The London Journal, February issue, announced there was a rumor that a treatise was to appear soon showing that the gypsies were older than Freemasonry.
1723 Publication of A Mason’s Examination.
– The Evening Post of London announced the publication of a pocket booklet for the use of Masonic lodges entitled The Praise of Drunkenness. Advertisement appeared in the Daily Post of London announcing the issuance of the second edition of The Freemason, a poem supposedly being a history of the Craft and exposing its laws and secrets.
1724 The Gormogons came to public attention. Publication of “Letter from the Grand Mistress of the Female Freemasons to Mr. Harding the Printer.” This pretended expose of the ritual is sometimes attributed to Dean Swift. Publication of an expose under the title The Grand Mysteries of Freemasons Discovered.
1726 Debate for and against the Fraternity published.
1730 Publication of Masonry Dissected, by Samuel Prichard. Benjamin Franklin published an uncomplimentary item about the Craft in his paper; this was before he was a Mason. Publication of The Perjured Free Mason Detected, being an answer to Prichard’s book.
1732 The Chamber of Police of the Chalet, in Paris, on December 14, prohibited Masons from assembling and imposed other prohibitions.
1735 Incident in Holland causing investigation of lodge and claimed joining of town officials because of good report. Publication of Martin Clare, A Defence of Masonry, which was a reply to Prichard’s book.
1736 Frederick I, King of Sweden, forbade Freemasons from meeting under penalty of death.
1737 The Philadelphia incident of a mock initiation which resulted in the death of a young man.
– Masonic assemblies abolished in France.
– Inquisition closed English lodge meeting in Rome.
1738 Papal Bull against Freemasonry issued by Pope Clement XII. It was the first official denouncement of the Craft by this church.
– Hogarth’s picture “Night” published.
– Charles VI issued an edict prohibiting Masonry in the Nether-lands.
1739 King Frederick Augustus III, of Poland, prohibited the meeting of Masons.
– Money voted by the Grand Lodge of England for the relief of Thomas Crudeli, a prisoner of the Inquisition in Florence.
1740 The Papal Bull of Clement XII was ordered published in Malta.
– Decree against Freemasonry issued in Spain by King Philip. The Inquisition discovered a lodge and eight of its members were condemned to the galleys.
1741 Organization of the Scald Miserables.
1742 Lodge established in Vienna. Cardinal Migazzi attacked it. Papal Bull promulgated in Marseilles.
1743 Horace Walpole said in a letter: “The Freemasons are in low repute now in England, that one has scarce heard the proceedings at Vienna against them mentioned. I believe nothing but a persecution could bring them into vogue here again. You know, as great as our follies are, we even grow tired of them, and are always changing.”
– Lodge closed by military force in Austria. Eighteen men were imprisoned but were released a week later.
– Lodge Virtud raided in Portugal. Two men were executed; John Coustos was sentenced to the galleys.
1745 Council of Berne issued decree against Freemasonry.
– The Associate Synod of Stirling considered the propriety of the Masonic oath; it gave the kirk sessions power to act as they saw fit.
– The town council of Geneva renewed its edict against the Craft which it had issued the preceding year.
1746 John Coustos published his book reciting how he was tortured by the Inquisition.
1748 Masonic lodge demolished in Constantinople.
– Publication in Paris, by some theological professors of the Sorbonne, Letter and Consultation on the Society of Free-masons. It contended that Freemasonry was illegal and should be condemned.
1750 By order of the Sacred Congregation there was burned in Rome, by the public executioner, a book entitled An Apology for the Institution of Freemasonry, published originally in 1738, in Dublin, and reprinted in London in 1749.
1751 Papal Bull issued by Pope Benedict XIV.
– Legend that the Roman Catholic clergy were so active against Freemasonry at the Austrian court that the Empress and her ladies, disguised as men, visited a lodge to find out the facts. It is more likely that her husband, a Freemason, convinced her of the nature of the Fraternity.
– Jose Torrubia, a Franciscan monk, appointed as censor and revisor of the Inquisition in Spain.
– Ferdinand VI, of Spain, issued a severe edict against the Craft.
– The Mason Unmasked, an expose, published in France.
1752 Jose Torrubia wrote a poem against Freemasonry; it was published in Madrid.
1754 Publication of Alexander Slade’s, The Free Mason Examined.
1755 Kirk session, in Scotland, ordered inquiry.
1757 The Scotch Seceders adopted a resolution denouncing all persons who refused to reveal in the Kirk sessions the Ma-sonic oath and to resign from the Order.
– Law against Freemasonry enacted in Milan.
1757 The Associate Brethren (of Scotland) issued a declaration against Freemasonry.
1760 Publication of The Door of Freemasonry Opened to all Men.
1762 Publication of Jachin and Boaz, in London.
1764 The Archbishop of Manila ordered desecrated the local cathedral which had been used for a lodge meeting.
1766 Several Masons imprisoned by order of the governor of Madeira.
1768 Anti-Masonic sermon delivered in London.
The burgomaster of Danzig issued a decree against the Craft.
1769 Publication of The Free Mason Stripped Naked.
1775 Edict issued against Freemasonry in Italy.
1776 The Illuminati organized by Adam Weishaupt.
– The Inquisition arrested Masons in Portugal and imprisoned them for 14 months.
– Major Francois D’Alincourt, a Frenchman, and Don Oyres de Ornellas Pracao, a Portugese nobleman, were sent to prison by the governor of Maderia for being Masons.
1777 Weishaupt initiated in a Masonic lodge. This opened the door for blaming Freemasonry for his “Illuminati.”
1779 Masons persecuted at Aix-la-Chapelle.
1781 Ferdinand IV, of Naples, prohibited Freemasonry.
1782 Law passed in Russia forbidding secret societies. It did not apply to Freemasonry, but things happened later on to cause Russia to suppress the Craft.
1783 Publication of George Smith’s The Use and Abuse of Free-masonry.
– Report of a trial in The London Post resulting from an assault because the defendant had struck another for abusing the Masons.
1784 The Illuminati declared illegal in Bavaria.
– Publication of Les Societes Secret, by Deschamps, a Jesuit.
1789 Arrest in Rome of the charlatan, Cagliostro on the charge of being a Freemason.
– Lodge in Rome raided by the Inquisition.
1791 Freemasonry suppressed in Russia.
1792 Francis II, of Austria, at the Ratisbon Diet tried to have the German princes suppress Freemasonry but did not succeed. 1793 Cardinal Vicar, of Spain, issued a decree of death against all Freemasons.
1794 Catherine II, of Russia, changed her attitude towards Freemasonry.
1797 Publication of John Robison, Proof of a Conspiracy Against All Religions and Governments of Europe, Carried on in the Secret Meetings of the Freemasons, Illuminati and Reading Societies.
– Publication of Abbe A. Barruel, Memoires pour Servic a l’Histoire du Jacobinisme.
– Statute enacted in England condemning certain societies in general terms. Freemasonry was not mentioned by name but the language was broad enough to be so construed by some persons.
1798 Woman burned Tryon’s Palace in Virginia; Masons blamed. President Adams declared day of fasting. Jedidiah Morse de-livered a speech on the evils of The Illuminati; others later caused this to be printed in pamphlet form and it was construed by some to include the Masons.
1799 Unlawful Societies Act passed in England. Freemasonry was specifically exempted.
1802 A brother who had been disciplined by the Bolton Lodge wrote a letter to the lodge that he “was glad he was cleared of the Lodge, and should mend his old breeches with his apron.”
– Rule adopted in Austria that all public officers upon taking office had to take an oath that they were not Masons.
1803 Gustavus IV, King of Sweden, issued an edict requiring all secret societies to disclose their object. Freemasonry was excluded. He had been made a Mason in 1793.
1808 New York Baptist Association ruled that its members could not belong to lodges.
1809 The Society of Friends (Quakers) at the New England annualmeeting, warned its members not to join secret societies.
1810 Thirty Masons from Portugal exiled to the Azores.
– The Archbishop of Baltimore met with other church officials and issued some rules; rule 10 stated: “Freemasons cannot be admitted to the sacraments.”
1811 Member of Bethel Baptist Church in Missouri expelled because he joined a Masonic lodge. This is the first known instance of anti-Masonic sentiment west of the Mississippi.
– Joseph Hippolyte da Costa published Narrative of Persecution in Lisbon, by the Inquisition, for the Pretended Crime of Freemasonry.
1814 Cardinals Consalvi and Pacca, on August 15, issued an edict against Freemasonry and the Carbonari. The papal troops enforced the decree.
– Ferdinand VII, on May 4, abolished the constitution of Spain, re-established the Inquisition, and declared Freemasons guilty of treason.
1815 When Metternich became the leading politician of Europe he made the elimination of Freemasonry one of his chief aims.
1817 Second Act passed in England known as the Unlawful Societies Act.
– The tribunal at Madrid sentenced Albert Leclerc to prison for being a Mason.
1818 The Papal government issued an opinion in the trial of the conspirators of Maceratta that all secret societies in Italy were derived from Freemasonry.
1819 John G. Stearns, a student, was told not to become a Mason. He later became a Baptist minister. He made this statement in a book he wrote in 1826.
1821 Pope Pius VII issued Papal Bull against Freemasonry.
– The Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh Synod, condemned Masonry as unfit for Christians.
1823 The General Methodist Conference prohibited its clergy in Pennsylvania from becoming Masons.
– Unlawful Oaths Act enacted in Ireland. Freemasonry was not exempted and the grand lodge directed all lodges to cease work. Ten months later it was officially announced that the law was not intended to include Masonic lodge and work was resumed.
– King John VI, of Portugal, issued a decree against Masonry.
1824 Dr. Nathaniel Ives, of Wellington, Vermont, was expelled from a Masonic lodge for seducing the wife of a neighbor. Later he became a leader in the anti-Masonic movement of the state.
– King Ferdinand, of Spain, on August 1, issued a new edict which required all Masons to renounce their membership within 30 days and to surrender the official papers.
1825 Pope Leo XII issued Bull against Freemasonry.
– Publication of Richard Carlisle’s The Manual of Freemasonry.
1826 William Morgan disappeared, on September 12, at Batavia, New York.
– Mason executed, on February 23, in Spain.
1827 Publication of Solomon Southwich, A Solemn Warning Against Freemasonry Addressed to the Young Men of the United States.
– Publication of Reuben Sandborn, Freemasonry, a Covenant With Death.
– Publication of Henry Dana Ward, Freemasonry: Its Pretensions Exposed in Faithful Extracts of Its Faithful Authors. Publication of David Barnard, Light on Masonry.
1830 Anti-Masonic Convention met in Philadelphia; it had had a specific Anti-Masonic statement in its platform.
– The New England Anti-Masonic Almanac was published.
– Publication of James G. Odiorne, Anti-Masonic Documents.
1831 Henry Gassett distributed books to libraries. In 1852 he published a catalog of these books and distributed it to various libraries.
– Thaddeus Stevens spoke at an anti-Masonic meeting in Hagerstown, Maryland.
– Two letters of Richard Rush published in Utica, New York.
– Publication of Echoes of the Past, extracts of an address given at Albany, New York.
– Second Anti-Masonic Convention held.
1832 Publication of William L. Stone, Letters on Masonry and Anti-Masonry, Addressed to the Hon. John Quincy Adams. At the election the Anti-Masonic Party carried only Vermont.
1834 The Pennsylvania legislature, through the instigation of Thaddeus Stevens, appointed a committee to investigate the Craft. The opposition appointed a committee to check anti-Masonry. Both reports made were pure propaganda.
1835 Joseph Ritner elected governor of Pennsylvania on the Anti-Masonic ticket. A committee was formed under act of the legislature to investigate Freemasonry. They were able to do this as they had a majority (which they did not have before). The – Masons called refused to answer questions.
1837 Freemasonry banned in Belgium by the Archbishop of Mecheln.
– Pamphlet issued by Governor Ritner of Pennsylvania against Freemasonry.
1838 Publication of The Downfall of Masonry.
1842 Masonic lodge constituted at Nauvoo, Illinois, the Mormon settlement.
1843 Dedication of Bunker Hill monument to honor General Warren.
– Francis Xavier Carnana, Archbishop of Rhodes and Bishop of Malta, issued a pastoral letter against Freemasonry.
1847 Publication of John Quincy Adams, Letters on the Masonic Institution.
– Publication of De Quincey’s Essay on Secret Societies.
1848 Persecution of Masons resumed in Spain.
– The National Assembly in France sought an interpretation that Freemasonry was a “secret society” and the conclusion was in the negative.
1850 Jonathan Blanchard delivered a talk on secret societies at Rockford, Illinois, on June 22, before the State Congregational Association. This was later published by Southwick Davis of Galesburg.
1852 Publication of Avery Allyn, A Ritual of Freemasonry.
– Publication of Damrell and Moore, Catalogue of Anti-Masonic Books, in Boston.
– Publication of Henry Gassett, Catalogue of Books on the Masonic Institution.
1854 Publication of Creigh, Masonry and Anti-Masonry.
1856 Publication of Henry Brown, The Anti-Masonic Excitement, 1826.
1858 The Roman Catholic Bishop of Buenos Aires issued a proclamation against Freemasonry in his territory.
1860 Garcia Moreno, dictator of Ecuador was refused membership in the Craft. He then instigated the Inquisition to persecute the Masons.
1862 A mob in Port Washington, Wisconsin, on November 10, entered the lodge room of Osaukee Lodge No. 17, and caused much destruction. They blamed Masonry for the war. The draft was blamed on the Masons.
– General Congregational Association of Illinois issued a resolution against secret societies with special reference to Free-masonry.
1864 An attempt was made in Strickland v. Prichard (37 Vermont 324), to have the court declare Freemasonry against public policy but the court refused.
1865 Pope Pius IX issued Bull against the Craft.
1867 Aurora Convention held, which led to formation of the National Christian Association.
1868 The Christian Cynosure first published.
Three day convention held in Pittsburgh as a result of the Aurora convention.
– Jose Orbera y Carrion, provisional governor of the Arch-bishopric of Cuba, a Roman Catholic priest, issued a scurrilous circular against Freemasonry.
1869 Eighteen persons seized in Santiago, Cuba and were immediately shot on the charge of being Freemasons. Others were sent to jail.
– Debate held in Lisle, Illinois between Charles A. Blanchard and Maria Elizabeth DeGeer.
– Publication of The Character, Claims and Practical Workings of Freemasonry, by Charles G. Finney.
– American Missionary Society, meeting in Mt. Vernon, Ohio, issued a resolution advising its members not to join secret organizations.
1870 Publication of Rev. John Levington, Origin of Masonic Conspiracy. Uses Barruel as his “witness.”
– Publication of Samuel D. Greene, The Broken Seal, or Personal Reminiscences of the Morgan Abduction.
– L. N. Stratton, graduate of Wheaton College, arranged a convention in New York, opposed to secret societies. Charles A. Blanchard was the main speaker.
1873 Publication of John Wolcott Phelps, Secret Societies.
– The bishop of the diocese of Pernambuco, in Brazil sought to enforce the Papal Bull against the Craft. The people were not sympathetic.
1874 Publication of Rev. A. F. A. Woodford, A Defence of Masonry which answered the arguments of the anti-Masons.
– Charter issued to form the National Christian Association. Violent campaign waged to stop Masonic services at laying of cornerstone for custom house in Chicago, Illinois.
– Lodge in Puerto Rico, on April 6, was raided, the members arrested, and later found guilty of being members of a “secret society.”
– Secret societies condemned by the New York Times, the Philadelphia Press, and Harper’s Weekly.
1875 Philo Carpenter signed contract agreeing to finance the head-quarters for the National Christian Association.
1876 The Cook Publishing Company maintained a booth at the Centennial Exposition, in Philadelphia. It passed out 392,000 pages of anti-secret society material free. The exposition was open for six months.
1877 Movement to lay cornerstone of the county building in Chicago was defeated before county commissioners, eight to six.
1878 Philo Carpenter conveyed property to National Christian Association.
1879 Publication of Jonathan Blanchard, Freemasonry Illustrated.
1881 The Chicago Tribune published an article by Thurlow Weed about the Morgan Incident. This was answered later by James Aigin.
1882 The Chicago Tribune article by Thurlow Weed was published in pamphlet form by the National Christian Association.
1884 Pope Leo XIII issued Bull Humanum Genus against Freemasonry.
– Jonathan Blanchard became the candidate for president of the United States for the American Party, but withdrew at the last minute and nominated Samuel C. Pomeroy.
– Cardinal Guibert, Archbishop of Paris, warned Catholics not to become Masons.
1885 Publication of The War of Antichrist With the Church and Christian Civilization, a series of lectures given by Monsignor George Dillon, in Edinburgh.
1886 Masons in Puerto Rica persecuted and jailed.
– Publication of P. C. Huntington’s, Masonic Light on the Abduction of William Morgan.
1888 Jonathan Blanchard delivered a talk at Hardwicke, Vermont, entitled “Freemasonry and Civil Government,” on September 10.
1890 Father McGlynn, in New York, had trouble being a good Roman Catholic and a faithful American.
1892 Publication of Franklin Paine’s, A View of the Oaths and Penalties of Freemasonry.
1893 The Philadelphia yearly meeting of the Society of Friends contained a lengthy statement in opposition to secret societies.
– Anti-Masonic campaign started in the Philippines.
– Tract published by Ellen G. White, prophetess of the Seventh Day Adventists, entitled Should Christians Be Members of a Secret Society?
1894 Anti-Masonic Bureau formed by Pope Leo XIII.
– The American bishops condemned a number of fraternal orders.
1895 Archbishop Katzer, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin issued a pastoral letter advising against lodge membership.
1896 Council of Trent met.
– Tract Association of Friends, of Philadelphia issued a pamphlet against secret societies.
1897 On Easter Sunday Leo Taxil admitted Diana Vaughn was a fraud.
1900 Publication of Zion’s Holy War Against the Hosts of Hell in Chicago, a series of addresses delivered by the Reverend John Alexander Dowie, in Chicago, Illinois. A portion of the talks attacked fraternal bodies.
1901 Publication in London of X-Rays on Freemasonry, by a Cowan.
1903 Publication of Charles A. Blanchard’s, Modern Secret Societies, by 1915 was in its seventh edition.
– News item in the Trenton (Mo.) Republican Tribune of December 17, stating that certain persons were objecting to the Masonic emblem on the cornerstone of the Grundy County court house. The objection was later withdrawn.
1907 The apostolic delegate, a guest from Europe, while visiting the United States, condemned “secret societies.”
1908 Publication of Arthur Preuss, A Study of American Freemamasonry. He stated the Roman Catholic point of view.
1910 Monsignor Archambault, Bishop of Joliette, Quebec, announced a strong condemnation of the Craft.
1911 Woodrow Wilson, then governor of New Jersey, attended the 150th Anniversary of St. John’s Lodge No. 1, Newark, New Jersey. He was not a Mason; his presence dispels the rumor that he was antagonistic to the Craft.
1913 Publication of the Catholic Encyclopedia. It had an article on Masonry by the Abbe Gruber.
– Pope Pius X, in October, recommended to the League of the Sacred Heart, that it battle the Craft.
– The German Catholic Congress, in Berlin, stated that Freemamasonry was a deceit and its god the devil.
1914 F. X. Weinschenk conducted an International Information Bureau (so-called by him), in which he issued bulletins charging an international conspiracy in favor of England using Masonry as its vehicle in the United States.
1915 Publication of W. Wonnacot, Martin Clare and the Defense of Masonry, a 34 page booklet.
1916 Cardinal Mannix in addressing the fourth annual meeting of the Australian Federation, at Melbourne, condemned Free-masonry.
1919 Masons refused opportunity to help rehabilitation work in Europe after World War One.
– Ludendorff stated work against Craft.
– Horthy regime in Hungary seized Masonic property and put it on display; members were persecuted.
1920 Anti-Masonic decree issued in Hungary. Masons persecuted.
– The Holy Office of the Roman Catholic Church issued a proclamation against the YMCA.
1921 Father J. Bridges, lecturing to the Catholic Society, of Liver-pool University, in November, spoke against Freemasonry.
1922 Russia outlawed Freemasonry.
1923 Mussolini started his persecution of Masons, after coming to power in 1922.
1924 Publication of Sam H. Goodwin’s, Mormonism and Masonry.
– Publication of Nesta H. Webster’s, Secret Societies.
– Publication by A. Preuss, A Dictionary of Secret and Other Societies.
– Physical assault on Masonic building in Rome by Fascists.
1925 Fascists pass anti-Masonic laws.
– Publication of Theodore Graebner’s, Winning the Lodge Man.
1926 Salvation Army issued “confidential” document against “secret societies.”
1927 Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland issued a rule that its members could not belong to lodges.
– The English Methodists at the Bedford conference issued a resolution that Freemasonry is incompatible with Christianity, on the ground that it is atheistic in nature, Christianity can find no expression in the Craft, and there is salvation only through Christ.
– Publication of Dr. Theodore Graebner’s, The Secret Empire.
1929 Publication in Dublin of Freemasonry and the Anti-Christian Movement, by E. Cahill, S.J.
– Pope Pius XI, in a speech delivered on February 13, declared that Mussolini was sent by Providence.
1930 Masonic Chronicler, of March 14, reported that International Congress of Anti-Masons was held in Vienna.
– Two anti-Masonic books published in Ireland: Freemasonry in Ireland and Freemasonry and the Anti-Christian Movement. Both were written by Roman Catholic priests and were very abusive in their language.
– Paper-back booklet entitled Reflections on Freemasonry by “An Anglo-Catholic” was published. It was distributed in England by the Freedom Press and in the United States by the National Christian Association.
1931 Freemasonry suppressed in Portugal by Salazar. The grand master was imprisoned.
1932 Publication of Theodore Dierks’ Christianity and Freemasonry, by Concordia Publishing Co., St. Louis, Missouri.
1933 The Greek Orthodox Church listened to a report of four bishops appointed a year before. The Craft was condemned, on October 12.
1934 English edition of Eugen Lennhoff’s, The Freemasons published.
– Fritz Von Papen, co-signer of Hitler’s Reich, announced that the movement put in practice the high principles of the Papacy.
– The American Lutheran Church declared itself against lodge membership for its members.
1935 There was established in Paris the Interparliamentary Group of Defense Against Masonic Activity.
– Publication of Men of Good Will, by Jules Romains. This is a novel; Chapter 27 is entitled “The Mysteries of Freemasonry” and the discussion of the subject by the characters indicates that the Mason had joined because he was lonely and because of curiosity.
1936 Referendum in Switzerland to ban Freemasonry was defeated. Six Masons hung in Spain during civil war.
1937 Officials of an anti-Masonic organization in Switzerland were fined for making defamatory statements against the Craft.
1938 Lodges in Austria were pillaged. The grand master, Dr. Richard Schlesinger, was imprisoned and died soon after his release.
1939 A Swedish newspaper inspired by Nazi sympathizers attacked the Craft.
1940 Publication of Noel Pitts Gist’s, Secret Societies, by the University of Missouri, under the title of Studies, Volume 15, No. 4.
1941 The February 2 issue of The Sunday Visitor, of Huntington, Indiana, a Roman Catholic paper, had a front page article attacking Freemasonry.
– The June issue of Scibner’s Commentator had an article stating that Freemasonry is anti-clerical, political, and is opposed to established government.
– Publication of Dictators vs. Masons, in Colliers, on September 27.
– Publication of Annihilation of Freemasonry, by S. G. Lunden, in American Mercury, February issue.
1942 Dutch Reformed Church of South Africa (Cape Synod), appointed a committee to investigate the Craft. It issued an unfavorable report in November.
– The Orthodox Presbyterian Church of America received a report from a committee at the general assembly, at Rochester, New York condemning Freemasonry.
1943 Publication of John R. Rice’s, Lodges Examined by the Bible. Publication of Gustavus Meyers’, History of Bigotry in the United States. Chapter 12 is devoted to the anti-Masonic political party.
1944 Legal steps taken to have the Italian government return the Giustinian Palace to the Craft.
The Paulist Press issued a booklet containing Humanum Genus, with a “discussion club outline.”
1945 A number of Masons imprisoned in Spain.
– Franco makes speech against the Craft.
1946 Publication of Theodore Graebner’s, Is Masonry a Religion?
– The anti-Masonic decree issued in Hungary in 1920 was abolished. But re-instated in 1950.
– The Church of the Nazarene, which stemmed from Method-ism, in its manual, outlawed “oath-bound” societies by its members.
– Serbian anti-Masonic stamps issued. Museum established.
1947 Father Berthelot, a French Jesuit, published a book proposing a truce between the Roman Catholic Church and Freemasonry.
– Life magazine, September 5 issue, published an article “The Age of Enlightenment” making subtle derogatory statements against Freemasonry.
– The August issue of the Pentecostal Evangel, published at Springfield, Missouri, had three articles against the Craft.
1948 Publication of Dr. Theodore Graebner’s, A Handbook of Organizations.
– Publication issued by the Benedictine Fathers, of Benet Lake, Wisconsin against Freemasonry.
– Publication of Selected Messages by Ellen G. White, containing a reproduction of her 1893 pamphlet Should Christians Be Members of Secret Societies? She expressed the view of the Seventh Day Adventists.
– The National Catholic Almanac discussed the subject of Freemasonry, contending that the Craft is hostile to the Roman Catholic Church.
– Revival meeting held at Prosperity Baptist Church, Rocky Comfort, Missouri in which the Craft was berated and anti-Masonic literature was distributed.
– The Catholic Information Center, of New Orleans, in February, issued a pamphlet against Freemasonry.
1949 The Lutheran Witness, May 3 issue, warned youth against Job’s Daughters and the Order of DeMolay. This is a Missouri Synod publication.
– The budget of Spain contained an item appropriating $100,000 to suppress Freemasonry.
– Knights of Columbus issued booklet Investigate which had a chapter on Freemasonry.
– Haldeman-Julius, of Girard, Kansas, in April, issued Critic and Guide which purported to give the history of the Craft in its relationship “with Satan and the Popes.”
– Masonic Light, of Canada, reported a French film issued by the Petain regime justifying the persecution of the Masons. 1950 Masonry declared illegal in Hungary.
– Convention of Missouri Synod, of Lutheran Church met in Milwaukee. Members were warned against lodge membership. Publication of Grand Orient Unmasked being a re-issuance of Monsignor’s Lectures published in 1885; Father Fahey wrote a preface.
– Franco, in Spain, renewed his efforts against the Masons. The Pope issued a declaration against Rotary and similar organizations.
– In March the Observatore Romano, official Vatican newspaper, announced that the Papal Bulls against Freemasonry were still in force.
1951 The Lutheran Witness (magazine of Missouri Synod), issues of July 10 and 24, had two articles by Dr. Paul M. Bretcher, en-titled “To Join or Not to Join.”
– The Walton Hannah incident started in England.
– Publication of Thomas Sugrue’s, A Catholic Speaks His Mind.
1952 The Bishops of the Church of Greece adopted a resolution against Freemasonry.
– The Disciplines of the Philadelphia Yearly meeting, Society of Friends, declared itself against secret societies.
– Masons of Colombia who sought passports to attend a Conference in Mexico had difficulty securing them.
– Publication in Paris of Joseph Bertelot’s, Jesuite et Franc-Macon; souvenirs d’un amitie.
– The chaplain at St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel, at Veteran’s Administration Center, Kecoughtan, Virginia issued a leaflet attacking Freemasonry.
– Publication by J. Boor, Massoneria (Madrid).
– A series of trials were held in Czechoslovakia accusing the defendants of conspiring against the state. The men were Masons.
1953 The New England yearly meeting, Society of Friends, declared it was opposed to secret societies.
– The Milwaukee Journal reported that a Lutheran minister had made sensational charges against Freemasonry.
1954 A committee of the Church of the Brethren recommended that its members not join lodges.
– Masonry in the Light of the Bible by John C. Palmer, published by Missouri Synod.
1955 Publication of Our Glorious Popes, by the Slaves of the Immaculate Conception, Cambridge, Mass. The index has 11 references to Freemasonry.
– Dr. Mauro Baradi, of the Philippines, was opposed by the Roman Catholic Church as an appointee to a public post because he was a Mason though admitting he was a “sincere man, well intentioned and well educated.”
– Publication of Ralph Korngold’s Thaddeus Stevens; one chapter is entitled “Anti-Mason.”
1956 The High Synod of the Greek Orthodox Church petitioned the Minister of the Interior, of Greece, to withdraw the government recognition of Freemasonry, when a royal decree authorized the creation of a Freemasonic Institute of Greece.
– The Christian Science Monitor, on February 23, published a full page article on Masonry and discussed the unwarranted abuse of the Craft by its opponents.
– The Church of the Nazarene stated its opposition to the Craft. Publication of English edition of Teodoro M. Kalaw’s, Philip-pine Masonry, translated into English by H. Stevens and Antonio Maechazurra. It shows throughout the book the mighty struggle of the Masons against the anti-Masonic attitude of the Roman Catholic Church.
1957 Various Lutheran churches met, on September 27, and it appeared that the question of lodge membership was the main stumbling block to unity.
1958 Further meetings of Lutheran churches on matter of unity disclosed that lodge membership was main obstacle.
The March 22 issue of Awake, official magazine of Jehovah’s Witnesses, had an article against Freemasonry.
– Pamphlet containing 284 pages issued by “The Cardinal of Chile” and bearing the imprimatur of Jose Matia Cardinal Caro y Rodriquez, Archbishop of Chile. It contained some of the most extravagant accusations against the Craft such as plotting murders, war, and revolution.
– Representative of four Lutheran groups meeting in Chicago, in March, to determine union, recommended that new pastors be barred from lodge membership.
– Medinah Temple, Chicago Shrine, donated $5,000 to help victims of Roman Catholic School fire.
– Publication of William J. Whalen’s, Christianity and American Freemasonry.
1959 Cornerstone laid by Masons on extension of the Capitol. The Roman Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus opposed the program and later sought to have the architect fired.
– Emmett J. McLoughlin, former Roman Catholic priest, and author of People’s Padre, and other best sellers, received his Masonic degrees in Sahuaro Lodge No. 45, Phoenix, Arizona.
– Publication of Freemasonry and the Nurnberg Trials, by the Missouri Lodge of Research.
1960 On March 9 the United Press reported that Archbishop Miguel D. Miranda, Roman Catholic Primate of Mexico, had started a campaign against “communism, superstition, Free-masonry, and impiety.”
1960 Publication by the Paulist Press of a tract by William J. Whalen, entitled May a Catholic Be a Mason?
1961 In November, Candide, the French newspaper, published a series of sensational articles against Freemasonry, with pictures containing skeletons, skulls, etc. There was also an ad offering a book by Alex Mellor entitled Les Franc Macons.
– Associated Press dispatch from London reported that Dr. Merwyn Stockwood, Anglican Bishop of Southward, would “censor” Masonic services in the churches of his diocese. He erroneously assumed that Freemasonry was a religion.
– Report that Khrushchev had said: “Freemasonry is the greatest threat to mankind today.”
– Pope John issued Mater et Magistra, in which he lauded the work of Leo XIII, arch enemy of Freemasonry.
– Leaflet by J. E. Doherty and D. F. Miller, entitled Why Catholics Can Not Be Freemasons, issued by Redemptionist Fathers, Liguori, Missouri.
– The Baptist Examiner, issue of June 17, published Should the Christian Hold Membership in a Lodge? (This was reprinted in the August, 1961 issue of the Christian Cynosure.)
– In Le Raincy, France, a suburb to the northeast of Paris, the local historical society set up an exhibit under the title “The Bible and Civilization.” The Alliance Biblique Francaise, the Roman Catholic Church, Jewish organization, and the Masons set up suitable exhibits. There were many private persons and public bodies that gave their support of the program.
– It is reported that Father Michel Riquet, S.J., addressed a Masonic lodge in France, on the subject that the time is ripe for the church and Freemasonry to exchange views which would lead to a better understanding. This resulted from an article he had written in Figaro (a national newspaper) in which he commented on a book by Alex Mellor The Freemasons; Our Separated Brothers. He notes that many years ago many lodges were composed of Roman Catholics in France.
1962 Castro in Cuba confiscated the Masonic Temple in Havana, arrested the Grand Lodge officers, and declared Masonry illegal.
NOW GENTLEMEN... WE ARE WRITING A NEW CHAPTER. "A HISTORY OF ANTI-MASONRY WITHIN MASONRY"
We cannot allow those who pray for our destruction to win their goals!

A CALL TO ARMS!!!

2006-01-24T09:02:00.000-05:00

Fellow brothers in the Craft...I address you all in the warmth and fellowship of the bonds of Freemasonry. There exists today a blight that threatens to blot out that ember of light that has been entrusted to our care since time immemorial.Today’s Grand Lodges are infested by ruffians, cowards, and those who would use our beloved fraternity for their own personal gain. Those of you in certain states in America know only too well the grumblings of your fellow brothers and the jerk-knee reaction that your Grand Lodges have displayed when met by questioning brethren.There have been questionable dealings regarding real estate, dues, and monies paid and entrusted to those in power. Money has disappeared with little or no accountability. Brothers who have acted to resolve these issues and bring them to light have been threatened and coerced into ceasing and desisting; or have been removed altogether from the rolls of their home lodges. I have seen such evil since I've walked upon the Earth; but this is far more than the eye can see!Men who have been free-born and meet all of the qualifications to be a Freemason have been shunned by many in the southern states for the sole reason that they are black. Many will say; “Why not join Prince Hall lodges?” I say, “Why should any man who meets all of the qualifications to be a mason, ever be turned away from our noble order?”The fraternity of Blue Lodges is dying out! Each year tells a story of declining enrollment from the younger generation while the average age of the existing lodge constituency continues to climb. Many things divide us as humans on this planet; however, Masonry should not be one of them.I hear those who would say that Masonry is a “Christian” organization; thus further alienating those that believe in a god... just not the Christian god. What of our Jewish brethren? What of those of different faiths? Do you not remember that it was our Masonic forebears that were persecuted by the Catholic and Protestant Churches for supposed heresies against the Faith? If Masonry is an exclusively Christian organization; then let us simply attach ourselves to an appendent Christian group such as the Knights of Columbus or Promise-keepers. If all you care about doing is holding benefit banquets and functions for charity; then simply ally yourself to one of these fine organizations. Charity is only part of the Masonic equation and our earliest Masonic brothers were definitely NOT Christian. This is a modern invention.It is much more than a disaffected view of the modern generation that has caused a decline in enrollment. The younger generation seeks answers that they are not getting from society. They turn to us for leadership and guidance. What do we do? We give them more of the same! We bully them when they ask the hard questions. The dead end, “just because it is!” answer is the death-knell for Blue Masonry in America today.We cannot lead men when we have not removed our own blindfolds! We only drive them into more profound darkness.What will cure the blight upon our proud craft? I have a belief that the cure is to unburden ourselves of the yoke of shame that is ANY Grand Lodge officer that is found to be acting in a manner that is inconsistent with tried and tested Masonic law. If the affected Grand Lodge will not permit such action, then it is our right; nay... our duty to abolish such a Grand Lodge! Those that truly lead... lead by serving others!Even now there are organizations that are coming into existence that are returning to the old ways. They are going back to the true source of Masonic light and are peeling away at the layers of superfluous and useless skin of the onion that has become the Blue lodge. SEEK OUT THESE ENTITIES! Let your heart guide you in what is right. If you are questioning the veracity of the actions of your lodge or its leadership... then your heart will serve well to guide you.I leave you with this thought. “Precious is this path we walk. If we walk as Percival le Galois did in the Arthurian legend; then no truth shall be hidden from our Light.”

F. Roy Dean Schlipp
Gentle-Fellow of the Sublime Craft

THE MASONIC INQUISITION (and BBQ afterwards...)

2006-01-24T08:55:00.000-05:00

Perhaps a lesson can be gleaned from the fate of such a brilliant thinker. As Bruno asserted; there are other suns in other solar systems across this vast universe. Yet; the naysayers and those blinded by their fervent "religiousity" (new word...) would snuff out this glimmer of light for the world for another few hundred years. As the Catholic Church discovered, you cannot hide a light under a bushel for long; our Grand lodges shall discover that truth does not lie idle whilst being covered with dirt. How many brothers must be "burned at the stake" before the grisly appetite of ignorance is satiated? How many souls must be sacrificed at the altars of falsehood before the spirit of truth shall move upon our waters? I ask simply this; "How long must we wait to see justice grace our noble order?" Bruno spoke his convictions freely and with courage. Are we any less courageous? Have we not passed the tests and trials as free men? Have we not the conviction of our Craft upon our hearts? Or are we still bound by the physical shackles of initiation?Shall we slip quietly into that dark night; to be heard from no more? Even now, a storm is brewing! Freemasons everywhere are shaking off the scales from their sleepy eyes! The halls of lodges that once heard only trivial chatter of barbecues and benefits are now hearing the voices of discontent. They hear the questions of the curious. "Senior Warden! Do you not hear the cries of those in your charge?! Do they not groan under the burden of ignorance?" Why do YOU sit in silence?!!! Where are these men of courage? Where are the masonic descendants of Franklin, Washington, and others who lived in perilous times?! I tell you that our times are just as precarious!This mounting battle to come, it seems will be under familiar signets and banners. I see the cross of red colour and the eternal serpent of wisdom taking the lead assault. Where is your banner planted in this revolution?

F. Roy Dean Schlipp
Gentle-Fellow of the Sublime Craft