Is a Trump Presidency the Satanic Temple's Chance to Go Mainstream?

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2017 AT 8:30 A.M.

BY JENNIFER SWANN



A blood-letting ceremony at the Satanic Temple's recent fundraiser
Hannah Verbeuren


It's become increasingly apparent that Donald Trump's administration wants to make religion inescapable, even for secularists. Education secretary Betsy DeVos has donated millions of dollars to private religious schools and once described her education reform as a mission to "advance God's kingdom." Vice President Mike Pence, a born-again evangelical Christian who cast the tie-breaking vote in DeVos' Senate confirmation, also has a history of using politics to advance his religious agenda; last month he became the first vice president to speak at the annual anti-abortion March for Life, and has long waged war against Planned Parenthood in his home state of Indiana. Then there's Ben Carson, nominated as secretary of Housing and Urban Development — a creationist who once said the theory of evolution was encouraged by Satan.

Perhaps Carson wasn't entirely wrong, at least, not when you consider the Satanic Temple, a nontheistic activist organization that has for years worked to champion science — notably evolution and climate change — as a counterpoint to religious teachings pushed by public institutions nationwide. Contrary to its name, the Satanic Temple is not composed of the kind of devil worshippers Carson evoked during his speech at a Seventh-day Adventists gathering in 2012. Rather, these Satanists identify as justice-oriented atheists, using the symbol of Satan not just as parody but also to challenge religious groups that use the mantle of God to justify their actions. At a time when religious advocates hold tremendous power in the White House, the Satanic Temple's mission may become more important than ever — if its would-be supporters can get past all the demonic imagery.

Christians' Freedom Is Being Challenged by Homosexuality and Islam, Says NRB Head

By JEANNIE LAW

Feb 28, 2017 | 4:44 PM


ORLANDO — The National Religious Broadcasters Christian Media Convention kicked off in Orlando, Florida, Monday with NRB President Jerry Johnson stating that the two major concerns Christians in America have are homosexuality and Islam.

"Our mission is threefold: Advancing Biblical truth, promoting media excellence, and defending free speech," Johnson said Monday night during the opening session of the annual convention.

"Religion, that's NRB. Speech, that's NRB. Press, that's NRB. I don't know another group that does all three. Some do religion, some do speech, and some do press."

Citing the Declaration of Independence — what he called America's "birth certificate" — Johnson highlighted one phrase: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."Yes, I want Breaking Christian News SUBMIT

"We speak frankly here, the liberty and the freedom [part] is being challenged for us as broadcasters on two fronts — sexuality and Islam," he told Christian leaders, broadcasters and people from all different forms of media who gathered in Orlando to connect, discover and advance the future of Christian content.

"For now," he noted, the U.S. government has decided that same-sex marriage is legal. President Donald Trump also recently endorsed the legalization when he told CBS' "60 Minutes" that "these cases have gone to the Supreme Court; they've been settled" and he's "fine with that."

The problem with same-sex marriage being permissible by law, however, is that Christian artists should not be forced to "make the cake, provide flowers, do the pictures, and sing the songs," Johnson stressed.


The NRB head went on to reference the stories of some of this year's NRB guests He highlighted the case of Kelvin J. Cochran, who was fired as Atlanta Fire Chief for his Christian beliefs, and also the Benham Brothers, who lost the chance to host their own HGTV show in 2014 for supposed "anti-gay" remarks.

"People are penalized for this," Johnson lamented.

Addressing the concern over Islam, Johnson noted that terrorism and violence are not the only issues.

"But it's the intolerance. It's the sharia. It's the blasphemy codes," he stressed.

"Is there any country where the majority is Islam [and] it's safe for someone to convert from Islam to Christianity? Is there any culture dominated by this worldview, where you can critique Muhammad or the Quran? It is absolutely antithetic to freedom of speech, freedom of religion or freedom of the press, and we must be aware of this and alert to this."

As stated on the conference schedule, NRB will hold a few discussions in which the threat of Islam is addressed.

"It is a fact, that in Canada and in the U.K. you can be censored, you can be fined [and] your license can be pulled," he pointed out.

Johnson went on to say that one of the members of NRB had his license pulled and was fined in Canada because instead of using the word "Islam" he used "Muslim" during a show.

"I'd say the quickest way to lose freedom of speech is to not use freedom of speech, use-it-or-lose-it!" he said. "We will make NRB for the First Amendment, what the NRA is for the Second Amendment."

"If you're taking away these freedoms, NRB is a fight club and you better get used to it. Nixon wasn't paranoid they were really out to get him. Wake up. They are really out to get you," he concluded.

NRB is celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation at this year's convention, which is featuring such speakers as Devon Franklin, R.C. Sproul, Lee Strobel and Eric Metaxas. The theme verse for NRB's Proclaim 17 conference comes from Leviticus 25:10, which says, "Proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants."

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President Trump Addresses the Joint Session of Congress - Spanish Captions

The GOP’s unholy sellout to Trump: Parallels with Pope Pius XI and Benito Mussolini

Richard Cohen
 
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Monday, February 27, 2017, 8:00 PM

Despite his jutting jaw and comical bravado, Donald Trump is not another Benito Mussolini. The Italian dictator had six children, one wife and several mistresses, the most loyal of whom, Claretta Petacci, chose to die with him and was hanged upside down in a Milan gas station.

On the other hand, the similarities between Trump and Mussolini are so obvious that it would amount to journalistic malpractice not to mention some of them. Mussolini was vain, bombastic, vulgar and, while the creator of fascism, he believed in nothing aside from himself. A former Italian prime minister, quoted in David Kertzer’s book “The Pope and Mussolini,” thought that Mussolini’s chief attribute “was his devotion to the cult of his own personality.” Is this our guy or what?

Kertzer’s book was first published in 2014 . So clearly, no analogy was intended, although one is certainly there. The most cogent parallel is contained in the book’s very title: the Pope.

Strip him of his vestments and Pius XI becomes a politician much like Reince Priebus, Mike Pence or any other member of the Republican establishment for whom, in exchange for something of value — lower taxes, less regulation or, in the case of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a comforting certainty in the loo — a deal can be made. These Republicans and others would accept Trump and gamble on American democracy and world peace.

In Mussolini’s day, the Catholic Church, too, had its demands and grievances. The Italian state had seized church lands, reducing the Pope’s realm to itsy-bitsy Vatican City. The state had taken over the schools. It was no longer financially supporting the church. It had permitted divorce. Pius XI wanted to return to the status quo ante. In exchange for recognition of Mussolini’s Fascist government, by 1929 Il Duce was willing to oblige.

Mussolini was hardly religious. On the contrary, as a one-time doctrinaire socialist, he reviled the church, considering it an anachronistic picker of the average man’s pocket. Still, he was willing to do business with the Vatican. Mussolini’s only principle was his own self-interest.

As for Pius XI, he had many principles — but none of them stood in the way of making a deal with a Fascist whose goons routinely beat up priests, attacked Catholic social centers and murdered the occasional dissident. Violence displeased the Pope. What displeased him more, however, were current church-state relations. What the Pope feared most of all was the threat of communism and, of course, the entirely hallucinatory power he attributed to the Jews. Mussolini was willing to destroy them both.



Trump and Blackstone Group CEO Stephen Schwarzman (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Pius XI did not like Mussolini — not his swagger, not his use of violence, not his libidinous ramblings and not his vanity. Bit by bit, however, he came to terms with what he loathed and instead concentrated on what was good for the church. This amorality is often called pragmatism.

In today’s Republican Party, a similar process is underway. This accounts for the procession of Wall Street types who have backed Trump almost from the start — Wilbur Ross, Carl Icahn and Stephen Schwarzman, who once said of a possible tax increase on private-equity firms: “It’s a war. It’s like when Hitler invaded Poland in 1939.”

It’s not that these billionaires live in a world totally of their own. But when it comes to Trump, they have managed to overlook his mocking of the disabled, his insults regarding Mexicans, his attacks on the press, his cooing at Putin, his name-calling, his spectacular lying and his daunting ignorance.

In a recent speech, Bret Stephens, the deputy editorial page editor of The Wall Street Journal and an unquestioned conservative, likened the way “the new Trumpian conservatives have made their peace with their new political master” to those pathetic souls who once found virtue, if not inevitability, in Stalinism. But the billionaires and politicians who sit around Trump’s table and chortle cravenly at the boss’ jokes do not fear for their lives or their jobs.

It is instructive to read how the Vatican, a moral institution, once put its own self-interest above its moral duty and embraced Mussolini. It is just plain depressing to note how history repeats itself. The Vatican, at least, sold out for church privileges. The GOP business and political class has sold out for greed.

cohenr@washpost.com


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Pope at Angelus: Money, pleasure and power are fascinating, but illusory...

Mississippi Goveror says churches should not harbor undocumented immigrants

Of Popes & Trumpists

Who Drives Catholicism?

The Editors

February 21, 2017 - 12:36pm




There has been a brief flurry of news stories speculating about the ideological affinities, or possible political alliance, between Stephen Bannon, the White House’s disrupter in chief, and traditionalist Catholic figures opposed to Pope Francis, especially Cardinal Raymond Burke (see Massimo Faggioli, “It’s Not Just Cardinal Burke,” at dotCommonweal). Bannon, the former head of the alt-right website Breitbart News, is a cradle Catholic educated (sigh) in Catholic schools. Thrice married and divorced, Bannon has nevertheless been described by at least one conservative Catholic polemicist as a “non-practicing orthodox Catholic,” someone whose “weakness” should not be mistaken for anything as boring as “dissent.”

Trumped Again?- Pastor Bill Hughes

Pope: Catholics and Anglicans, brothers and sisters in Christ

Anglican Church of All Saints in Rome - RV

26/02/2017 15:55


(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday visited the Anglican Parish of All Saints in Rome. Speaking at the Church the Pope said, "today, with gratitude to God, we recognize one another as we truly are: brothers and sisters in Christ, through our common baptism. As friends and pilgrims we wish to walk the path together, to follow our Lord Jesus Christ together."

Find below the English translation of the Pope's words.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I wish to thank you for your gracious invitation to celebrate this parish anniversary with you. More than two hundred years have passed since the first public Anglican liturgy was held in Rome for a group of English residents in this part of the city. A great deal has changed in Rome and in the world since then. In the course of these two centuries, much has also changed between Anglicans and Catholics, who in the past viewed each other with suspicion and hostility. Today, with gratitude to God, we recognize one another as we truly are: brothers and sisters in Christ, through our common baptism. As friends and pilgrims we wish to walk the path together, to follow our Lord Jesus Christ together.

Report: Pope has eased penalties on some abusive clerics : News Headlines | Catholic Culture

Report: Pope has eased penalties on some abusive clerics : News Headlines | Catholic Culture

This will Change Everything We Know... (2017-2018 EVENTS)

Pope Francis: 'It's Better to Be an Atheist' Than Greedy, Selfish Christian

By STOYAN ZAIMOV

Feb 24, 2017 | 10:38 AM


Vatican leader Pope Francis has suggested that when it comes to how people live their lives, it's better to be an atheist than someone who claims to be a Christian but leads an unChristian life of greed and selfishness.

"Scandal is saying one thing and doing another; it is a double life, a double life. A totally double life: 'I am very Catholic, I always go to mass, I belong to this association and that one; but my life is not Christian, I don't pay my workers a just wage, I exploit people, I am dirty in my business, I launder money.' A double life. And so many Christians are like this, and these people scandalize others," Francis said at the morning mass at the Casa Santa Marta, as reported by Vatican Radio on Thursday.

"How many times have we heard — all of us, around the neighborhood and elsewhere — 'but to be a Catholic like that, it's better to be an atheist.' It is that, scandal. You destroy. You beat down. And this happens every day, it's enough to see the news on TV, or to read the papers," the Roman Catholic Church leader asserted.

"In the papers there are so many scandals, and there is also the great publicity of the scandals. And with the scandals there is destruction."

As Reuters notes, Francis frequently encourages Catholics to practice what they preach, especially when it comes to helping the poor and protecting the environment.

Francis has also engaged on topics concerning atheists on a number of occasions, and in a September 2013 interview with La Repubblica newspaper suggested that God's mercy extends to atheists as well.

"You ask me if the God of the Christians forgives those who don't believe and who don't seek the faith," Francis said at the time.

"I start by saying — and this is the fundamental thing — that God's mercy has no limits if you go to Him with a sincere and contrite heart. The issue for those who do not believe in God is to obey their conscience," he added.

In his latest remarks, the Vatican leader warned that the source of scandal and people living double lives is "following the passions of the heart, the capital sins that are the wounds of original sin."

The pontiff argued that there is a "double life" within all people, and within those who say they are good believers and good Catholics, but underneath are "doing something else."

Francis said that people like to think to themselves "But, sure, the Lord will eventually forgive everything, but I'll keep going as I have been."

He warned: "If there is something saying, 'Sure, this is not going well, I will convert, but not today: tomorrow.' Let's think about that. And let us profit from the Word of the Lord and consider the fact that on this point, the Lord is very strict. Scandal destroys."

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Ellen G. White & the "LOUD CRY" (1/3) The Messengers & the Message

Pope, Gates, Mark as Benefactors bring Disease & Ruin to Sacrifice 10% Tithe

Protect Muslims; suppress Islamists

21. February 2017 /

Religious freedom expert for Merkels party speaks in Solingen for the third time

(Bonn, 21.02.2017) “The secular state must equally guarantee freedom of religion for freedom loving Muslims and use its monopoly on the use of force to suppress those Islamists who are enemies of freedom of religion.” This was the main thesis presented by the Director of the International Institute for Religious Freedom on the occasion of the “Castle Burger Discussions” held by Germany’s Mrs Merkel’s political party the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Solingen.



(from the left) Thomas Schirrmacher and Hansjörg Schweikhart © BQ / Martin Warnecke



Religious freedom is never achieved half-heartedly, claimed Professor Schirrmacher, who teaches sociology of religion at the University of the West in Romania. One simply must protect Muslims from whoever would threaten their freedom of religion—as well, of course as protecting oriental Christians and converts from Islam to Christianity—especially from those Muslims who are called Islamists, whose goal is the abolition of religious freedom or who would justify or even use violence.

Freedom of religion, as is true with all human rights, must not only be made legally possible; fundamental rights must be actively defended by means of the monopoly of force of the state against all those who justify, propagate, or practice abuses of those rights.



Thomas Schirrmacher during his lecture © BQ / Martin Warnecke

The theme of the evening was “Christian Persecution in the Middle East as a Reflection of the Situation of Religious Freedom Worldwide.” Schirrmacher, who is also chair of the advisory committee for the Central Council of Oriental Christians in Germany (Zentralrat Orientalischer Christen in Deutschland, ZOCD), reminded the audience of the genocide of Christians that is going up and down since 1915. Whoever sees the current situation in Syria and Iraq as a new or short term problem is historically forgetful. For oriental Christians the Middle East has never truly become a place of peace since the mass murder of millions of their fellow believers a century ago. Today’s genocide is only a new appearance of a terrible tragedy and evil tradition, with a series of starts and stops, which has been going on for at least a century.


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Blatant Ecumenism

November 15, 2016





Between October 11-13, 2016, the annual conference of Secretaries of Christian World Communions met in Rome where the participants were able to inform one another about “important events of their Church or confession and to give an update on the bilateral dialogues in which they are all involved.” 1 It is not surprising that this “unformal ecumenical forum” which was formed in 1957, also had an audience with Pope Francis. 2

In his speech to the Secretaries on October 12, Francis stressed the importance of the ecumenism of all Christians by stating “all Christians are on the way towards unity with Christ.” He then pointed out that ecumenism is not only about theology, but more importantly, uniting as one in Jesus. He spoke of the ecumenism of prayer, where Christians are to unite in praying for one another and for unity; the ecumenism of the way, where Christians are to unite and work together; and finally, referring to persecuted Christians, the blood ecumenism. 3

It is not surprising the pope’s message was one to promote ecumenism. CRUX, a Catholic news website, reports that Francis has “gone on to lead a distinctly ecumenical papacy” 4 and “two of Pope Francis’ most ardent priorities are environmental protection and Christian unity.” 5

So what does this have to do with Seventh-day Adventists? According to the Adventist News Network, for the past 46 years, the Secretary-General of the Secretaries of the Christian World Communions has been a Seventh-day Adventist. 6

Between 1970 and 2003, Dr. Bert B. Beach was Secretary-General. As a representative for the General Conference, it is a documented fact that, on behalf of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Beach gave the pope a gold medal in 1977.

Between 2003 and 2014, Dr. John Graz was elected the Secretary-General of the Secretaries of the Christian World Communions. And finally, in December, 2014, Dr. Ganoune Diop was elected as the Secretary-General. The appointment lasts for two years, usually with re-elections. For more information about Dr. Diop, please see episode 7 of the “Apostasy in our Midst” video series on the For My People Ministry website.

The Adventist News Network reported, “The Conference of Secretaries represents about two billion Christians and covers more churches than any other organization.” It argues that this organization “isn't a [sic] ecumenical movement” and its “purpose is not to build the visible unity of the Christian family.” 7

Clearly, this description is not correct. According to Wikipedia, “The Conference of Secretaries of World Christian Communions is an international ecumenical organization with annual meetings.” 8

Those present at this year’s ecumenical meeting, include: “the Anglican Communion, the Baptist World Alliance, the Disciples Ecumenical Consultative Council, the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Friends World Committee for Consultation, the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, the Global Christian Forum, the Lutheran World Federation, the Mennonite World Conference, the Moravian Church, the Organization of African Instituted Churches, the Pentecostals, the Roman Catholic Church, the Russian Orthodox Church, the Union of Utrecht (Old Catholics), the World Communion of Reformed Churches, the World Convention of Churches of Christ, the World Council of Churches, the World Evangelical Alliance and the World Methodist Council.” 9

We need to ask ourselves, how can Seventh-day Adventists preach the three angels’ messages and call people out of Babylon when at the same time they are uniting with Babylon? How can they teach people the pope is the antichrist when they allow themselves to be addressed by the pope who says, “And I walk with Jesus, not with my Jesus against your Jesus, but with our Jesus”? 10 The truth is that the Jesus the pope walks with is not the same Jesus we are to walk with.

Martin Luther had a clear understanding of this. In the book, The Great Controversy, we read: “When the papal bull reached Luther, he said: ‘I despise and attack it, as impious, false. ... It is Christ Himself who is condemned therein. ... I rejoice in having to bear such ills for the best of causes. Already I feel greater liberty in my heart; for at last I know that the pope is antichrist, and that his throne is that of Satan himself.’ ” -d'Aubigné, B. 6, Ch. 9. 11

The reformers were not afraid to proclaim the truth about the pope and the papacy, even at the peril of their lives. Today, however, Protestantism has changed. One hundred years ago, God’s messenger could write:

“But Romanism as a system is no more in harmony with the gospel of Christ now than at any former period in her history. The Protestant churches are in great darkness, or they would discern the signs of the times. The Roman Church is far-reaching in her plans and modes of operation. She is employing every device to extend her influence and increase her power in preparation for a fierce and determined conflict to regain control of the world, to re-establish persecution, and to undo all that Protestantism has done. Catholicism is gaining ground upon every side. See the increasing number of her churches and chapels in Protestant countries. Look at the popularity of her colleges and seminaries in America, so widely patronized by Protestants. Look at the growth of ritualism in England and the frequent defections to the ranks of the Catholics. These things should awaken the anxiety of all who prize the pure principles of the gospel. Protestants have tampered with and patronized popery; they have made compromises and concessions which papists themselves are surprised to see and fail to understand. Men are closing their eyes to the real character of Romanism and the dangers to be apprehended from her supremacy. The people need to be aroused to resist the advances of this most dangerous foe to civil and religious liberty.” 12

Not only are the Protestant churches in great darkness, but the majority of Seventh-day Adventists also demonstrates that they are unable to discern the signs of the times.

We can be encouraged because God is waking up His faithful people to discern the meaning of current events, as well as to prepare them for what will soon take place.




1. ↑ http://www.ecupatria.org/2016/10/14/conference-of-secretaries-of-christian-world-communions/
2. ↑ ibid.
3. ↑ http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/it/speeches/2016/october/documents/papa-francesco_20161012_christian-world-communions.html
4. ↑ https://cruxnow.com/church/2016/01/25/francis-proving-to-be-a-very-ecumenical-pope/
5. ↑ https://cruxnow.com/church/2015/09/02/pope-francis-blends-environmental-ecumenical-agendas-in-day-of-prayer/
6. ↑ http://news.eud.adventist.org/en/all-news/news/go/2014-12-02/adventist-leader-new-secretary-general-of-the-christian-world-communions/
7. ↑ ibid.
8. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conference_of_Secretaries_of_World_Christian_Communions
9. ↑ http://www.ecupatria.org/2016/10/14/conference-of-secretaries-of-christian-world-communions/
10. ↑ http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/it/speeches/2016/october/documents/papa-francesco_20161012_christian-world-communions.html
11. ↑ Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy (1911), p. 141
12. ↑ Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy (1911), pp. 565-566


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The Big Five - Walter Veith (927)

The Big Five - Walter Veith


Amazing Discoveries


Published on Jan 25, 2017


What are the real big five questions of life? Everyone on earth has considered these big 5 questions at least once. Where do I come from? Why am I here? Why are we in such a mess? Is there a solution? Where am I going?

DONALD TRUMP, POPE FRANCIS, TED WILSON: A RELIGIOUS LIBERTY CRISIS

DONALD TRUMP, POPE FRANCIS, TED WILSON: A RELIGIOUS LIBERTY CRISIS 



JR Cofer

Published on Feb 24, 2017

Three men at the head of three governments, three Prophetic Movements....all in the LAST DAYS!! The transformation of AMERICA, the rise of the PAPACY, and the silence of Adventism all are tending toward a GREAT TIME OF TROUBLE.

The role these man play in fulfilling Bible Prophecy reveal to the careful student of Prophecy: A RELIGIOUS LIBERTY CRISIS.

THIS IS SERMON ONE IN A SERIES OF MESSAGES ON RELIGIOUS LIBERTY....

Penalty rates kick: farewell to Sunday, the day of rest

February 25 2017


Anna Patty, Damien Murphy



Herbert Hoover an American mining engineer, was appointed general manager of the West Australian gold mine Sons of Gwalia in May 1896. His first executive decision? Stop double time on Sundays.

Hoover became US president and is primarily remembered for taking the world into the Great Depression. Despite him and generations of employers since, Sunday penalty rates went on to become as Australian as lamb chops.




Penalty rate cut: how did it happen?


Workplace reporter Nick Toscano contextualises the Fair Work Commission's announcement on Thursday that Sunday penalty rates paid in retail, fast food, hospitality and pharmacy industries will be reduced from the existing levels.

But double time appears to have run out for Sundays.

Anti Trump Witches Outside Trump Tower Cast A Magic Spell On President T...

Naked Woman Smashed Doors, Walls In Stamford Chapel, Police Say « CBS New York

Naked Woman Smashed Doors, Walls In Stamford Chapel, Police Say « CBS New York

'Hacksaw Ridge' Oscar Nominations...

'Hacksaw Ridge' Oscar Nominations Exemplify Why Hollywood Needs to Make More Faith-Based Films, Says Producer

By CHRISTINE THOMASOS

Feb 24, 2017 | 2:45 PM



The six-time Oscar nominated film "Hacksaw Ridge" is breaking barriers in Hollywood by proving that an inspirational film rooted in faith can be successful outside of a niche Christian community.

The movie released last November tells the story of Christian Wold War II U.S. Army medic Private First Class Desmond Doss who refused to carry a weapon on the battlefield, yet miraculously managed to save 75 men on the front lines. Now, the film is nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

Producer Terry Benedict who created the 2004 documentary "The Conscientious Objector" that "Hacksaw Ridge" is based off of, acknowledged that the movie's high profile award nominations prove that there is a need for inspiration in Hollywood.

Happy Sabbath

The Great Controversy pt.3: Era of Spiritual Darkness.Noon of the Papacy...

Philippines: Help for families affected by drugs-related killings

February 21, 2017

Families of victims of drug-related killings in Manila join trauma & stress debriefing session sponsored by faith-based groups in Quezon City. Feb 11 Photo by Mark Saludes


A faith-based group in Manila is conducting trauma and stress-debriefing sessions for families of victims of drug-drug related killings in an attempt to "broaden the circle of those who will speak the truth."

Carmelite priest Gilbert Billena of the group Rise Up said the family meetings aim to create a support group that will help them overcome trauma. The priest said his group condemns the proliferation of illegal drugs but is against the methods used by the government to go after suspected drug users and peddlers.

"The very people who should be witnesses in cases against the suppliers are viciously killed, while the suppliers merely look for new pushers," said Fr Billena.

Rise Up conducted its first debriefing last week, seven months after Philippine President Rodrigo launched an intensified campaign against narcotics that resulted in the death of about 7,000 people.

Nardy Sabino of the Promotion of Church People's Response said some "survivors" of summary executions also attended the session. "We also want to make sure that they will be given due process of law," he said.

Brother Ciriaco Santiago, a Redemptorist missionary, said the families of victims and survivors of the killings need a community that will listen to them.
"These people are the poorest of the poor and they have no voice in our society," said the religious brother. "If the church will not act, at least to give them a chance to talk, who else will provide," he added.

Source: UCAN

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Philippine Vigils Against Vigilantes : VICE News Tonight on HBO

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Pope Francis: ‘Muslim Terrorism Does Not Exist’

Getty

by THOMAS D. WILLIAMS, PH.D.

17 Feb 2017

In an impassioned address Friday, Pope Francis denied the existence of Islamic terrorism, while simultaneously asserting that “the ecological crisis is real.”

“Christian terrorism does not exist, Jewish terrorism does not exist, and Muslim terrorism does not exist. They do not exist,” Francis said in his speech to a world meeting of populist movements.

What he apparently meant is that not all Christians are terrorists and not all Muslims are terrorists—a fact evident to all—yet his words also seemed to suggest that no specifically Islamic form of terrorism exists in the world, an assertion that stands in stark contradiction to established fact.

“No people is criminal or drug-trafficking or violent,” Francis said, while also suggesting—as he has on other occasions—that terrorism is primarily a result of economic inequalities rather than religious beliefs. “The poor and the poorer peoples are accused of violence yet, without equal opportunities, the different forms of aggression and conflict will find a fertile terrain for growth and will eventually explode.”

Ministry of Healing pt.2. Steve Bannon:I’m an Apocalypticist & Leninist,...

New Jesuit chief claims Jesus’ own words against divorce are ‘relative,’ subject to ‘interpretation’

NEWS CATHOLIC CHURCH

Jesuit Superior General Fr. Arturo Sosa Abascal

Pete Baklinski

Wed Feb 22, 2017 - 12:05 pm EST


February 22, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) -- The new head of the Jesuit order, one of the most powerful figures in the Catholic Church worldwide, has claimed in an interview that the words of Jesus against divorce are “relative” and must be “discerned” according to the “conscience” of each individual.

Fr. Arturo Sosa Abascal made these statements in an interview with Giuseppe Rusconi published February 18 on the blog Rossoporpora. The relevant portions of the interview, translated by Matthew Sherry for Vatican expert Sandro Magister, appear below.

Historically, the Superior General of the Jesuits has been dubbed the “Black Pope” because of his influence in the Church.

Mark of the beast: Vatican's Sunday law will be enforced soon! (17)

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INFORME APOSTASIA OMEGA ADVENTISTA CORPORATIVA COMPLETO

On parish visit, Pope says vendetta and rancor aren’t Christian

Crux Staff

February 19, 2017

AUTHOR

Pope Francis celebrates Mass during a visit to the parish of Santa Maria Josefa del Cuore di Gesu', in Rome, Sunday, Feb. 19, 2017. (Credit: AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino.)
In his first visit to a Roman parish since posters went up around town on Feb. 4 charging that the pontiff lacks mercy, Pope Francis on Sunday insisted that pursuing a vendetta and talking behind people’s backs “is not Christian,” urging believers to pray for people who don’t like them.

In his first visit to a Roman parish since posters went up around town on Feb. 4 charging that the pontiff lacks mercy, Pope Francis on Sunday insisted that pursuing a vendetta and talking behind people’s backs “is not Christian,” urging believers to pray for people who don’t like them.

The path to holiness, Francis said in an improvised homily, means “first of all, don’t resist evil, and don’t go on a vendetta … this is not Christian.

“Don’t give in to rancor, though that can be almost impossible,” Francis said. “Forget offenses, and when you’re struck on one cheek, offer the other.

“Evil must be defeated with good,” the pope, “with the strength of generosity.”

Francis was speaking at the Roman parish of Santa Maria Josefa del Cuore di Gesù, located on the eastern outskirts of the city.

His remarks were based on the day’s reading from the Gospel during Mass, which is drawn from Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount, in which Jesus comments on the saying “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.”

The pontiff made no reference to the criticism he’s drawn personally in recent days, including not only the posters but also a spoof version of the Vatican newspaper accusing him of being muddled on Catholic teaching on marriage.

Instead, he offered basic pastoral and spiritual guidance on how to respond to one’s perceived enemies.

“Rancor is ugly, it’s not a little thing,” he said.

“The great wars we see today on TV and in the papers, these massacres of people and of children, all evil … it’s the same hate you may have in your heart for a relative, or your mother-in-law, or some other person,” he said.

“The will to come out on top, to make the other pay, isn’t Christian,” he said. “If all men and women everywhere would learn this, there wouldn’t be wars.”

“Bitterness, rancor, the desire for a vendetta, to make the other pay, destroys families, friendships, neighborhoods, and so much more,” the pope said.

“The magnanimity of God, who forgives everything, who’s entirely merciful, changes lives,” he said.

In that context, Francis advised that his listeners begin with “something small.”

“All of us have enemies, all of us have people who talk behind our backs, so start with that,” he said. “Take a minute, remember that they’re children of the Father. It changes one’s heart.

“Bless them, pray for those who don’t like you, and do it simply,” he said. “Maybe some rancor will stay behind, but we’re making the effort to take this path.”

As he often does, Francis posed a series of questions a hypothetical person might ask him about his guidance, always referring to himself not as “Pope” but as “Father.”

“Father, that’s hard, I want to ring their neck,” he imagines someone saying to him.

“Prayer is an antidote against hate, against those wars that begin in the home, in neighborhoods, in families,” he said. “Prayer is the power that defeats evil and leads to peace. So if you know someone doesn’t like you, pray even harder.”

“Do it once a day,” he said, “and that way we’ll go down the path of holiness and perfection.”

Source

WIKILEAKS EXPOSES THE TOP 30 REPORTERS ON HILLARY CLINTON'S PAYROLL

FULL: Not My President Protest NYC - Anti Trump Rally - Not My President...

With Intelligence Leaks, The 'Deep State' Resurfaces

February 19, 20177:58 AM ET

Heard on Weekend Edition Sunday

The term "deep state" has come back into vogue after a gush of leaks from the intelligence community. Journalist Marc Ambinder explains what it means to NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro.

Source

What Is the 'Deep State'—And Why Is It After Trump?

Trump escalates his battle with the U.S security apparatus.

By Jefferson Morley / AlterNet
February 16, 2017



Photo Credit: YouTube/ABC

The firing of Gen. Michael Flynn has popularized the concept of the "Deep State” across the political spectrum.

Breitbart's Joel Pollak attacks the disloyal "Deep State #Resistance" to President Trump, while conservative pundit Bill Kristol defends it.

“Obviously [I] strongly prefer normal democratic and constitutional politics,” Kristol tweeted Tuesday. “But if it comes to it, [I] prefer the deep state to the Trump state.”

Glenn Greenwald is more even-handed: “Trump presidency is dangerous,” the Intercept columnist tweeted Wednesday. “CIA/Deep State abuse of spy powers to subvert elected Govt is dangerous.”

And the conflict is deepening. The New York Times reports Thursday that Trump wants to bring in Wall Street billionaire Stephen Feinberg “to lead a broad review of American intelligence agencies.”

The idea is reportedly provoking “fierce resistance” from intelligence officials who fear it "could curtail their independence and reduce the flow of information that contradicts the president’s worldview."

What Is the Deep State?

The Deep State is shorthand for the nexus of secretive intelligence agencies whose leaders and policies are not much affected by changes in the White House or the Congress. While definitions vary, the Deep State includes the CIA, NSA, Defense Intelligence Agency, and components of the State Department, Justice Department, Department of Homeland Security, and the armed forces.

With a docile Republican majority in Congress and a demoralized Democratic Party in opposition, the leaders of the Deep State are the most—perhaps the only—credible check in Washington on what Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) calls Trump’s "wrecking ball presidency."

The leaders of these agencies are generally disturbed by Trump’s cavalier treatment of their intelligence findings and particularly worried about contacts between Trump’s entourage and Russian intelligence officials.

As Taegan Goddard's Political Wire notes, the undisputed facts are accumulating:
Multiple U.S. intelligence services believe that Russian operatives, at Putin’s directions, tried to help Trump get elected. The FBI is investigating contacts between Russian officials and at least three people connected to Trump’s presidential campaign: Paul Manafort, Carter Page and Roger Stone.
There were “continuous” contacts between Trump’s presidential campaign and Russian intelligence officials. At least some of the claims made in a dossier compiled by a former British intelligence official have been confirmed, though none of the more salacious details.
Trump has had many financial dealings with Russian oligarchs, as shown in an investigation by the American Interest.

As a result, the intelligence agencies are withholding sources and methods from the president out of fear they will leak to foreign powers, according to the Wall Street Journal. Senior officials are also leaking the results of the ongoing investigation into Trump to reporters at the Washington Post, New York Times and Wall Street Journal.

The leaking of classified information, which Trump welcomed during the 2016 campaign, is indeed a felonious violation of the law, although it has been standard procedure for Washington power players since the passage of the National Security Act in 1947. If today's leaks targeted a Democratic national security adviser, they would likely induce the outrage now heard mostly on the political right.


In denouncing the "political assassination" of Flynn, Bloomberg’s Eli Lake notes that, “Selectively disclosing details of private conversations monitored by the FBI or NSA gives the permanent state the power to destroy reputations from the cloak of anonymity. This is what police states do."

Writing in Foreign Policy, Marc Ambinder observes, “The fact the nation’s now-departed senior guardian of national security was unmoored by a scandal linked to a conversation picked up on a wire offers a rare insight into how exactly America’s vaunted Deep State works."

Roger Stone Responds

One target of the leaks, hard-right political operative Roger Stone, says the allegations that he had contact with “senior Russian intelligence officials,” as reported in the Times, are “categorically false.”

“Show me the proof," Stone said in a telephone interview with AlterNet. “Show me an email. Show me a copy of a financial transaction. They’ve got nothing.”

“I have never been contacted by the FBI,” Stone added. “If they’re conducting an investigation, it's in secret.”

Stone charged that former CIA director John Brennan is the source of the leaks, noting that the Times report cited “current and former officials.” Brennan should be investigated for leaking classified information, he insisted.

“This is an effort by the Deep State to destabilize the president,” Stone said.

Vanity Fair calls the crisis of Trump’s presidency Watergate 2.0. The historical analogy is apt because the Watergate scandal that engulfed President Richard Nixon in the early 1970s was also a struggle between the White House and the intelligence agencies. But today's crisis is more accurately described as Trump vs. the Deep State.

It is the death match of American political power and it will determine the fate of Trump's troubled presidency.

Source

  

In Lebanon, an avant-garde mosque to preach coexistence

Jesuit Superior General visiting India ‎

Society of Jesus' Superior General Father Arturo Sosa - AP

18/02/2017 16:37

The worldwide leader of the Society of Jesus is in India, the first country he chose to visit after being ‎elected the 31st Superior General of the Jesuits in October. Arriving at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi ‎International Airport on February 18 on an 11-day visit, Venezuelan Father Arturo Marcelino Sosa ‎Abascal was received by a team of Jesuits from the Delhi province. India is part of the Jesuit’s South ‎Asia Assistancy that accounts for 4,000 members of the 16,000 Jesuits worldwide, the largest religious ‎congregation for men in the Catholic church. The 68-year old Venezuelan is the first Jesuit chief from ‎Latin America, the same region of Pope Francis.‎

Fr Sosa who will be in India until February 28, is being accompanied by three Rome-based assistants who ‎look after the society’s ministries in South Asia. Fr Sosa will stay in Delhi for two days and then head ‎to the Jesuit province of Madhya Pradesh that covers the tribal-dominated central Indian states of ‎Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. In Madhya Pradesh capital Jabalpur he will meet all the Jesuit provincials of South ‎Asia. Fr. Sosa will then proceed Raipur, the capital of Chhattisgarh, on February 27.

The South Asia ‎Assistancy comprises Jesuits working in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri ‎Lanka. It has 18 provinces and two regions. ‎ (Source: Matters India)

Source

SHOCKING END TIMES ~ DEMONS OF SEXUAL PERVERSION

Trump slams media as 'enemy of the people'

US President Donald Trump has again lashed out at media, reiterating his accusation that they spread "fake news. His latest lambasting of the press comes as he prepares to reconnect with his base in Florida.



US President Donald Trump on Friday unleashed a new Twitter diatribe directed against several US media outlets, the day after holding a news conference that received largely negative coverage in the mainstream press.

In his post, he accused the "New York Times," NBC News, the ABC and CBS of being "fake news media," saying they were "the enemy of the American People."


A news conference on Thursday was described by many reporters as bizarre, with some criticizing the president for a lack of clarity and a dangerous lack of knowledge in certain political areas.

Trump himself, however, has emphasized the praise he received from right-wing commentator Rush Limbaugh, accusing the press of being dishonest in its accounts of the event.


Threat to press freedom?

Many observers have voiced concern that Trump's frequent attacks on the media, including several during his press conference, could be coming close to infringing on the freedom of the press in a manner similar to that of authoritarian leaders.

Ben Rhodes, a top adviser to former President Barack Obama, said Trump's condemnation of the media would encourage authoritarian leaders and undermine US credibility as a defender of press freedom.


Touching base

The president has, meanwhile, taken time out from the turmoil in Washington, where a series of crises has shaken his still young administration, to fly to Florida, where he is to hold a campaign-style rally in front of supporters.



Trump's immigration policies continue to cause protest

His effort to reconnect with his base comes after four weeks that have seen his national security adviser ousted and his successor turn down the position, a nominee for Cabinet withdraw, a court rule against a controversial immigration policy, and a run of damaging leaks.

Republican strategist John Feehery said Trump might be seeking reassurance after a troubled few weeks.

"It will remind people that he still has a lot of support out there, and he probably needs the reminder," Feehery said. "When you are inside the bubble, it's not a bad idea to reconnect with your supporters and get re-energized."

A national survey by Pew Research Center found the public's view of Trump's overall job approval as much lower than those of prior presidents in their first weeks in office: 39 percent approveed of his job performance while 56 percent disapproved.

'Fake news' about 'real leaks'

Among other things, Trump has been facing a barrage of questions over his team's links to Russia and President Vladimir Putin, and possible contacts during the campaign with Russian intelligence agencies, after a series of leaks that seem to indicate closer connections than have yet been admitted by the administration.

Trump has denied any such connections, also creating some confusion by condemning the information leaks while also complaining that the reporting on the leaks was false.

"The leaks are absolutely real. The news is fake because so much of the news is fake," he said on Thursday.

When asked to explain the apparent contradiction, Trump said it was the "tone" of the reporting that made the news fake.

Trump is spending his third consecutive weekend at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, since taking office, and is to hold his rally in Melbourne, near Orlando, late in the afternoon.


Trump presidency ‘chaotic and uncertain’

tj/sms (AFP, AP)


Source

Catholic-Jesuit Control of the Mainstream Media

Notice when TIME Magazine named Pope Francis their "person of the year" for 2013, all of the major media corporations chimed in to praise the decision. This is the same mainstream media known for mocking and attacking Christianity, yet they show immense respect and adoration for the pope and the Catholic hierarchy.


Have you ever wondered why the Illuminati owned and controlled media glorify promiscuity, homosexuality, pornography, murder and violence, yet mock and attack Christianity—almost always depicting Christians in a negative light? It will start to make sense to you when you realize that most of the top executives who control the mainstream media are Jesuit-trained alumni and members of Catholic orders. They are the Vatican's propaganda ministers.


Let's look at the following list compiled in 2009:

#1: Time Warner

The owner is Jeff Bewkes. Until recently, the head was Richard Parsons, an associate of the Rockefellers, who are Papal Cohorts of the Jesuits.

#2: The Walt Disney Company

The man in charge is Robert Iger, but Director Emeritus is Roy Disney, who is a Papal Knight in the Roman Catholic Order of St. Gregory the Great. Also notable is the fact that since 1996, a man named Leo J. O'Donovan, S.J. has been on the board of the company. O'Donovan is a Jesuit priest and the former President of Georgetown University.

#3: Viacom

The man in charge of Viacom is Sumner Rothstein, who is trained by Jesuits at Georgetown University; another Jesuit-trained Zionist. Viacom's Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, Thomas E. Dooley, is Roman Catholic, trained at the devoutly Roman Catholic St. John's University.

#4: News Corp & 21st Century Fox


Rupert Murdoch is a Knight of Malta, a Knight of St Gregory the Great, and a Knight of the Equestrian Order. He is the founder, Chairman and CEO of global media holding company News Corporation, the world's second-largest media conglomerate, and its successors News Corp and 21st Century Fox after the conglomerate split. He also owns several mainstream newspapers in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Jose Maria Aznar, the former President of Spain and a staunch Roman Catholic, is a director of News Corp. Another director of News Corp is Viet Dinh, the Roman Catholic law professor at the Jesuit Georgetown University who was the chief architect of the Patriot Act.


#5: CBS Corporation

CBS is owned by Viacom, which we've already covered. One of the directors of CBS Corporation, Joseph A. Califano, Jr., is a Roman Catholic man who was Jesuit-trained at the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts. Califano is a Papal Knight of Malta. Another of their directors, Charles K. Gifford, is Chairman Emeritus of the Bank of America, which is 51% owned by the Jesuits and was founded by a Knight of Malta (A.P. Gianni). Another director is Robert D. Walter, who is Roman Catholic.

#6: Cox Enterprises

Cox Enterprises' founder was a supporter of the League of Nations and a supporter of Jesuit coadjutor Woodrow Wilson.

#7: NBC Universal

NBC Universal's president is Jeff Zucker, and it's Vice Chairman, Bob Wright, is a Roman Catholic man who was Jesuit-trained at the College of the Holy Cross. NBC Universal has close ties to the Blackstone Group, which is run by Peter G. Peterson, whose wife has been honored at a number of Jesuit universities, and Stephen Schwarzman, a member of the Papal Skull & Bones Society and a close friend of Cardinal Egan.

#8: Gannett

A major director at Gannet is Louis Boccardi, a Roman Catholic man who was Jesuit-trained at Fordham University, the Jesuit university of New York (The Papal Capitol of the USA).

#9: Clear Channel

Clear Channel is owned by Bain Capitol. The Vice President of Bain Capitol is Lisa Claussen, a Roman Catholic woman who was Jesuit-trained at Boston College. The Chief Financial Officer of Bain Capitol is Jay Corrigan, a Roman Catholic man who was Jesuit-trained at Fordham University. The Managing Director of Bain Capitol is Dewey Awad, a Roman Catholic man who was Jesuit-trained at Georgetown University. The Executive Vice President of Bain Capitol, Patrick Lebreton, is a Roman Catholic man who was Jesuit-trained at Georgetown University. Another executive at Bain is Phillip Carter, a Roman Catholic man who was Jesuit-trained at Boston College. Another executive at Bain is Amit Chandra, a Roman Catholic man who was Jesuit-trained at Boston College. Another executive at Bain is Susan Levine, who was Jesuit-trained at Georgetown University.

#10: McGraw-Hills Companies

Robert J. Bahash, the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, is Roman Catholic, trained at the Roman Catholic Mount St. Mary's University.

#11: Hearst Corporation

Hearst is run by the Knights of Malta, a Vatican military order that has been called 'the Pope's militia' since its founding. It was founded by William Randolph Hearst, a Knight of Malta. The Nationwide Head of The Hearst Newspaper Group and the Vice President of the Hearst Corporation is Bob Danzig, a Knight of Malta. A director of Hearst Corporation and Executive Vice President of Hearst Magazines is Raymond J. Petersen, a Knight of Malta.

#12: The Washington Post Company

The Washington Post Company is run by Donald E. Graham, a member of the Jesuit/Vatican-controlled Bilderberg Group, which was founded by Joseph Retinger, a Jesuit priest and Knight of Malta, and Prince Bernhard, a Knight of Malta. The Senior Vice President of The Washington Company is Veronica Dillon, a Roman Catholic woman who was Jesuit-trained at Fordham University. A director, Anne M. Mulcahy, is a Roman Catholic woman, trained at a Jesuit-run Roman Catholic college.

#13: The New York Times Company

The Vice President and Assistant Controller of the NY Times Company is Vincenzo DiMaggio, a Roman Catholic man.

#14: E.W. Scripps Company

The Vice President of Corporate Communications and Investor Relations is Timothy A. King, who was Jesuit-trained at Georgetown College. The Chief Compliance & Ethics Officer is Mary Denise Kuprionis, a member of the board of trustees of a private Roman Catholic college (College of Mount St. Joseph). E. John Wolfzorn, the Treasurer for E.W. Scripps, is Roman Catholic.

#15: Thomson Reuters

Reuters (like most media) is controlled by the Papacy's CFR. Further, the CFR is controlled by the Royal Institute of International Affairs (RIIA), which is controlled by the Vatican's Club of Rome.

#16: Freedom Communications

A major director at Freedman Communications is Raymond C. H. Bryan, who was Jesuit-trained at Fordham University.

#17: A&E Television Networks

A&E is owned by Hearst, which we've already seen is run by the Vatican's Knights of Malta.




Jesuit Control of the Entertainment Industry



Have you ever wondered why Illuminati puppets in the music industry, whose lyrics promote promiscuity, materialism, foul language, drug use, criminality and violence, wear crosses and use the all-seeing eye symbol?

They are Jesuit coadjutors working for the Vatican. They are promised fortune and fame in exchange for helping to tear down traditional moral constructs in order to socially re-engineer humanity for the establishment of a Luciferian New World Order. Their job is to help the Jesuits collapse America from within by destroying the family unit and morally corrupting the youth. They influence the youth to oppose Bible-based morality by making everything that is anti-Biblical appear "cool" and "progressive." All of the Jesuit agents in the music industry wear crosses and use Catholic symbolism to show their allegiance to the Jesuit Order, not because they are Christians.


Click here to see over 100 photos of music industry superstars using Catholic-Jesuit symbolism.


Source

 

Australian Catholic church has paid $276m to abuse victims so far, inquiry shows

Royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse releases data showing 4,445 have come forward




Catholic church records show more than 3,000 child abuse claims have resulted in payments for redress and many are still being assessed. Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP
Australian Associated Press

Wednesday 15 February 2017 20.31 EST


The Catholic Church in Australia has paid $276m in compensation to thousands of people sexually abused as children by priests and religious brothers.

The victims who have come forward to the church have received on average $91,000, according to data released by the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse on Thursday.

In total 4,445 people have made abuse claims to the church but that number still does not reveal the true extent of abuse in Catholic institutions in Australia as many victims never come forward.

Catholic church’s ‘pontifical secret’ stops disclosure of sex abuse allegations, expert says

Read more

“The royal commission’s experience is that many survivors face barriers which deter them from reporting abuse to authorities and to the institution in which the abuse occurred,” senior counsel assisting the commission Gail Furness SC said.

“Accordingly, the total number of incidences of child sexual abuse in Catholic church institutions in Australia is likely to be greater than the claims made.”

The commission’s analysis of church records showed more than 3,000 child abuse claims resulted in payments for redress, of which 2,854 resulted in monetary compensation.

A significant number of claims are ongoing, the inquiry heard.

Furness said Catholic church authorities have paid $276.1m in total, a sum that includes compensation and amounts for treatment, legal and other costs.

Victims say Catholic church data on child abuse underestimates scale of offending

Read more

The Christian Brothers, which operated a number of residential facilities, have made the highest number of payments at 763, totalling $48.5m. The data covers claims made between 1980 and 2015.

They mainly relate to abuse between 1950 and 1989 but the earliest incident occurred in the 1920s and the latest after 2010.

Almost half the claims made to church authorities concerned schools.

The highest number of abuse claims – 219 – concerned a residential care facility run by the De La Salle Brothers in Beaudesert, Queensland.


Catholic church told of 4,444 abuse claims in 35 years, says royal commission


Source 


 

IAGC STAND Campaign Promo Video

IAGC STAND Campaign Promo Video


 
Intercollegiate Adventist GSA Coalition


Published on Oct 11, 2016


STAND CAMPAIGN- https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/st...

This campaign was created in order to inspire LGBT+ students on Seventh-day Adventist college and university campuses who feel as if they are alone. We want to let them know that there are individuals who care and there are resources to support them on their journey. Find out more at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/st...

INTERCOLLEGIATE ADVENTIST GSA COALITION

The Intercollegiate Adventist Gay-Straight Alliance Coalition* is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to creating safe spaces on Seventh-day Adventist** college and university campuses for our LGBT+ students.***

* IAGC; ** SDA; *** Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and more

FOLLOW THE IAGC

Check out our website and read about what WE do to help marginalized individuals: www.IAGCAdventist.com

And social media! #STANDout
Facebook.com/IAGCAdventist
Twitter.com/IAGC2

.

NWO and the United States: the Vatican, the Jesuits, Donald Trump & one ...

NAD Issues Statement on Chico Adventist Church Baptism

NAD Issues Statement on Chico Adventist Church Baptism



Leaders of the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists today issued the following statement in response to the baptism at the Chico Seventh-day Adventist Church of a woman in a same-sex marriage. 

(We've come a long way...)

Catholics protest against extrajudicial killings, death penalty

Catholics protest against extrajudicial killings, death penalty: Thousands of Catholics gathered in Quirino Grandstand Saturday morning for what they called the

Mexico unveils huge bronze Pope statue on US border

Counteract vitriol by toning it down, talking less, listening more, pope says

Pope Francis greets people as he arrives for a Feb. 17 meeting at Roma Tre University. (CNS photo/L'Osservatore Romano, handout)


February 17, 2017



By Carol Glatz

Catholic News Service


ROME – Addressing the fear of immigrants, dissatisfaction with a “fluid economy” and the impatience and vitriol seen in politics and society, Pope Francis told Rome university students to practice a kind of “intellectual charity” that promotes dialogue and sees value in diversity.


“There are lots of remedies against violence,” but they must start first with one’s heart being open to hearing other people’s opinions and then talking things out with patience, he said in a 45-minute off-the-cuff talk.


“It necessary to tone it down a bit, to talk less and listen more,” he told hundreds of students, staff and their family members and friends during a visit Feb. 17 to Roma Tre University.

Catholicism, Freemasonry & Sun Worship (Dominican Republic) - Pastor Chr...

Come join the unity

By MICHAEL LAITMAN
Thu, 16 Feb 2017, 03:48 AM




Only through freedom of expression and contributing our uniqueness to humanity, our unity will grow and our happiness increase. Our lives have meaning only when we contribute to society.

Photo by: ASHER BITON


Only two events take place on a regular basis, where thousands of people from dozens of countries gather in one place. The first is an event of competition hostility. It takes place once every four years, and it is called the Olympic Games. The second the exact opposite: it is an event of friendship and collaboration. This event happens every year, and it is called the “World Kabbalah Convention.” At the Olympic Games, people from all over the world come to compete against each other and prove the superiority of their countries. At the World Kabbalah Convention, people from all over the world come to unite with one another and prove the superiority of unity over differences. 11,000 athletes competed during the sixteen days of the last Olympic Games in Rio, while 9,000 participants united during the (only) three days of last year’s World Kabbalah Convention.

Next week at Ganei Hataaruch, Tel-Aviv, the miracle of unity will happen once again. From all over Latin and Central America, the US and Canada, Western and Eastern Europe, people will flock to Israel to unite. Africa, too, will have a sizable representation, as will Japan, China, India, the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand. But perhaps the icing on the cake is the growing attendance from Muslim countries, primarily Turkey, but also the Palestinian Authority.

The World Kabbalah Convention is probably the biggest peace event worldwide, and it is happening every year. Moreover, regional “daughter” events take place several times a year in various places throughout the world. Each year, a Kabbalah convention is held in Latin America, North America, Western Europe, and Eastern Europe. Due to security concerns, participants from countries where the Muslim regime is stricter tend to attend the conventions held in Europe rather than in Israel. The only words that can be said about these gatherings are “Seeing is believing.”

Why People Come

Until the mid 1990s, very few people truly knew about Kabbalah. It was shrouded in mystery, fear, and misconception. But the more people became desperate to figure out what is going on with their lives, the more this ancient wisdom gained renown. The greatest kabbalist of the 20th century, Rav Yehuda Ashlag, known as Baal HaSulam for his Sulam (Ladder) commentary on The Book of Zohar, explained in the introduction to one of his prime compositions, The Study of the Ten Sefirot, for whom the wisdom of Kabbalah is intended. In his words: “If we set our hearts to answer but one very famous question, I am certain that all the doubts [about studying Kabbalah] will vanish from the horizon. This indignant question is a question that the whole world asks, namely, ‘What is the meaning of my life?’ It is indeed true that historians have grown weary contemplating it. Particularly in our generation, no one even wishes to consider it. Yet the question stands as bitterly and as vehemently as ever. Sometimes it meets us uninvited, pecks at our minds and humiliates us to the ground before we find the famous ploy of flowing mindlessly in the currents of life as always.”

Since the mid 1990s, there has been a surge in the number of people looking to understand the world they live in—why they were born and why they are here. Because Kabbalah answers these questions on the deepest level, they come to study.


Why Specifically Unity

Even in antiquity, our ancestors knew all too well that “the inclination in the heart of man is evil from his youth” (Gen 8:21). The book, Pirkey de Rabbi Eliezer (Chapters of Rabbi Eliezer) tells us that at the time of Babylon, the ego reigned supreme. According to the book, the builders of the Tower of Babylon would “push up the bricks [to build the tower] from the east, then descend from the west. If a man fell and died, they would not pay him any mind. But if a brick fell they would sit down and wail, ‘Woe unto us; when will another come in its place?’ Abraham, son of Terah, passed by and saw them building the city. He cursed them and said, ‘May the Lord swallow their tongue.’”

As egoism deepened among Abraham’s countryfolk, his curse came true in a very gruesome manner. Pirkey de Rabbi Eliezer explains further that the Babylonians “wanted to speak to one another but did not know each other's language. What did they do? Each took up his sword and they fought each other to the death. Indeed, half the world was slaughtered there, and from there they scattered all over the world.”

Abraham realized that the ego could not be subdued, nor should it be. He realized that the whole purpose of the ego is not to elevate one person above another, but to compel people to unite above it. Today we can see how true this notion is. The more we avoid uniting, the more self-centered we become, and the more depressed this makes us as we grow lonelier.

To help people rise above their egos and unite, Abraham developed a connection method and presented it to his countryfolk, the Babylonians. In Mishneh Torah (Chapter 1), Maimonides describes Abraham’s struggle with King Nimrod, the ruler of Babylon, who did not subscribe to his idea of unity above self-centeredness. Once the king expelled Abraham from Babylon, the latter wandered toward Canaan and gathered into his group anyone who saw the merit in his way.

Over the centuries, two things happened to the group of students exerting to unite above their differences. The first was that they became a nation once they committed to be “as one man with one heart” and to strive to live by the motto, “love your neighbor as yourself,” thereby implementing Abraham’s legacy. The second thing that happened was that the method of connection that Abraham developed kept changing according to the needs of the times.

Moses brought Abraham’s method to his people, and he too wanted to correct the entire world from egoism. The Ramchal Commentary on the Torah writes that “Moses wished to complete the correction of the world at that time. ... However, he did not succeed because of the corruptions that occurred along the way.” As a result, the people who united at the foot of Mt. Sinai and became the Israeli nation, continued to develop the method of connection under King Solomon’s motto (Prov 10:12): “Hate stirs strife, and love covers all crimes.”

Abraham’s connection method kept adapting itself to the needs of the time. By the time The Book of Zohar was written, it had already acquired the name, “The Wisdom of Kabbalah.” And yet, it maintained the original motto: unity above the ego. In the portion, Aharei Mot, The Book of Zohar describes this motto perfectly, as well as its intended goal to unite the entire world: “‘Behold, how good and how pleasant it is when brothers sit together.’ These are the friends as they sit together and do not part from one another. At first, they seem like people at war, wishing to kill one another. Then, they return to being in brotherly love. And you, the friends who are here, as you were in fondness and love before, henceforth you will also not part. And by your merit there will be peace in the world.”

The Difference between Then and Now

At the time of the writing of The Zohar, the world was still not ready for the notion of unity above the ego. It was too preoccupied with selfish aspirations, and strove to emulate the Greek and Roman cultures. As a result, The Zohar was hidden until such time when humanity has had enough of the “pleasures” that the ego can provide.

Today, our planet can barely provide for all of us because we have polluted it. We have grown mighty enough to obliterate humanity within hours, and we are so lonely that depression is the number one cause of illness in the Western world. As a result, today we are more open to solutions suggesting that we should rise above the ego instead of trying to defeat it, which we are beginning to realize is utterly impossible.

This realization is what brings more and more people to the authentic wisdom of Kabbalah—the method of connection that Abraham developed almost four millennia ago. The people who come here arrive with many different views. Some are Muslims, some are Christians, some are Jews, and some have no religion. Some are Democrats and leftists and some are Republicans and rightists. However, they come together not to argue, but to use their different viewpoints as steppingstones to stand on and connect above.

Participants in the World Kabbalah Conventions come to Israel because when they unite, they grasp that humanity is a singular entity consisting of billions of people, who are its cells and organs, and each person’s unique role is precious to us all. Baal HaSulam wrote about this uniqueness in his article, “The Freedom”: “Just as the face of each and every person differs, so their views differ. There are no two people on Earth whose opinions are identical. Therefore, society is cautioned to preserve the freedom of expression of the individual. Each individual should maintain his integrity, and the contradiction and oppositeness between people should remain forever, to forever secure the progress of the free society.”

Indeed, only if we secure our freedom of expression and contribute our uniqueness to humanity, our unity will grow and our sense of confidence and happiness increase. Our lives are meaningful only when we contribute to society. With this mindset of uniting above our differences and contributing our skills to create a vibrant humanity from which all profit, everyone will find fulfillment and a purpose in their lives, and in their every action.

I encourage anyone who wants to taste what unity above all differences feels like to come to the World Kabbalah Convention and share the joy with us. You will find all the information you need at Kabbalah.info or by calling 1-700-509-209 (in Israel). Even if you have no prior acquaintance with Kabbalah, a special time will be dedicated for you, just come and join the unity.

Michael Laitman is a Professor of Ontology, a PhD in Philosophy and Kabbalah, an MSc in Medical Bio-Cybernetics, and was the prime disciple of Kabbalist, Rav Baruch Shalom Ashlag (the RABASH). He has written over 40 books, which have been translated into dozens of languages. Click Here to visit his author page.

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