Sunday, March 14, 2010

Remember how short my time is


How long, LORD? wilt thou hide thyself for ever? shall thy wrath burn like fire?

Remember how short my time is: wherefore hast thou made all men in vain?

What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.

Psalms 89:46-48.

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Saturday, March 13, 2010

Hosanna, Loud Hosanna

1.
Hosanna, loud hosanna,
the little children sang,
through pillared court and temple
the lovely anthem rang.
To Jesus, who had blessed them
close folded to his breast,
the children sang their praises,
the simplest and the best.
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2.
From Olivet they followed
mid an exultant crowd,
the victor palm branch waving,
and chanting clear and loud.
The Lord of earth and heaven
rode on in lowly state,
nor scorned that little children
should on his bidding wait.
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3.
"Hosanna in the highest!"
that ancient song we sing,
for Christ is our Redeemer,
the Lord of heaven our King.
O may we ever praise him
with heart and life and voice,
and in his blissful presence
eternally rejoice!
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Text: Jeanette Threlfall, 1821-1880
Music: Gesangbuch der H.W.k. Hofkapelle; adapt. and harm. by W.H. Monk
Tune: ELLACOMBE, Meter: 76.76 D

Plain MIDI
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The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering...


"No fornicator, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, which is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God." [EPH. 5:5, REVISED VERSION.] "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord." [HEB. 12:14.] "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie." [REV. 22:14, 15.]

God has given to men a declaration of his character, and of his method of dealing with sin. "The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty." [EX. 34:6, 7.] "All the wicked will he destroy." "The transgressors shall be destroyed together; the end of the wicked shall be cut off." [PS. 145:20; 37:38.] The power and authority of the divine government will be employed to put down rebellion; yet all the manifestations of retributive justice will be perfectly consistent with the character of God as a merciful, long-suffering, benevolent being.

God does not force the will or judgment of any. He takes no pleasure in a slavish obedience. He desires that the creatures of his hands shall love him because he is worthy of love. He would have them obey him because they have an intelligent appreciation of his wisdom, justice, and benevolence. And all who have a just conception of these qualities will love him because they are drawn toward him in admiration of his attributes.

The principles of kindness, mercy, and love, taught and exemplified by our Saviour, are a transcript of the will and character of God. Christ declared that he taught nothing except that which he had received from his Father. The principles of the divine government are in perfect harmony with the Saviour's precept, "Love your enemies." God executes justice upon the wicked, for the good of the universe, and even for the good of those upon whom his judgments are visited. He would make them happy if he could do so in accordance with the laws of his government and the justice of his character. He surrounds them with the tokens of his love, he grants them a knowledge of his law, and follows them with the offers of his mercy; but they despise his love, make void his law, and reject his mercy. While constantly receiving his gifts, they dishonor the Giver; they hate God because they know that he abhors their sins. The Lord bears long with their perversity; but the decisive hour will come at last, when their destiny is to be decided. Will he then chain these rebels to his side? Will he force them to do his will?

Those who have chosen Satan as their leader, and have been controlled by his power, are not prepared to enter the presence of God. Pride, deception, licentiousness, cruelty, have become fixed in their characters. Can they enter Heaven, to dwell forever with those whom they despised and hated on earth? Truth will never be agreeable to a liar; meekness will not satisfy self-esteem and pride; purity is not acceptable to the corrupt; disinterested love does not appear attractive to the selfish. What source of enjoyment could Heaven offer to those who are wholly absorbed in earthly and selfish interests?


The Great Controversy (1888), E. G. White, pp. 541,542.
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UNCF honors scholars and Agape's missions

Maurice Jenkins, left, senior vice president of United Negro College Fund, with Dr. Mona Jain, John Colon, Barbara Williams and Dr. Gary Kompothecras at the UNCF 26th annual Scholarship Awards Dinner. CORRESPONDENT PHOTO / LISA FREDERICK

By LISA FREDERICK Correspondent


Published: Tuesday, March 9, 2010 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, March 8, 2010 at 4:40 p.m.


Proceeds from the Manatee/Sarasota Chapter of the United Negro College Fund's Scholarship Awards Dinner assist students with tuition costs for higher education.



UNCF scholarship winners, from left, James Johnson, Alicia Waiters, Jasmine Lee-Brice and Keisha Seabrook.




The 26th annual banquet was Feb. 26 at the Sarasota Hyatt. *

At the event, the UNCF presented a humanitarian award to Venice-based Agape Flights for delivering supplies and providing critical care to Haiti, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas. .
For the past 30 years, Agape Flights has been supporting Haitians with basic necessities. Dick Armstrong, executive director of Agape Flights, accepted the award at the banquet.

Since the earthquake hit Haiti in January, Armstrong said, the missionary group has been flying out 10 times a week, up from the typical one flight a week. They have provided 300,000 pounds of relief supplies to Haitians and missionaries.

Dr. Gary Kompothecras, a Sarasota chiropractor and creator of the medical and legal referral service 1-800-ASKGARY, served as this year's honorary chairperson and title sponsor for the dinner. He talked about his belief in the importance of education and the success of UNCF during his speech.

"UNCF continues to have significant impact on the lives of tens of thousands of students and the work of its member colleges and universities," Kompothecras said.

Students who will receive funds for college were present at the ceremony. James Johnson is a senior attending Palmetto High School. He plans to attend the University of Miami and study marine biology or nursing. Alicia Waiters is enrolled in State College of Florida with the help of the UNCF. She said the funding provides her with "cushioning" while she earns her degree.

Grammy- and Tony Award-nominated performer Clifton Davis performed with his band at the celebration. Davis expressed the faith he gained in the UNCF after attending Oakwood University, a UNCF-sponsored school at the time.

"I have seen the program first-hand, how it benefits the student in how they get an education," he said.

After attending Oakwood, he went on to earn a master's degree. Davis said his education brought him a level of confidence, value and self-worth that has allowed him to develop the skills to be who he is today.

In addition to Davis's roles as an actor, singer, composer, producer and minister, he is a motivational speaker who has visited more than 150 colleges, universities and high schools. In his speeches, he addresses topics such as black history, drug abuse and spiritual beliefs.

Davis added that he "owes a debt of gratitude" to the UNCF for allowing him to experience the program.


Since 1944, the UNCF has helped more than 350,000 men and women attend college.
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Note: * Clifton Davis performed with his band (Friday Night) on February 26, 2010 which was a Sabbath!

Like the faithful Enoch




In the case of Enoch, the desponding faithful were taught that, although living among a corrupt and sinful people, who were in open and daring rebellion against God, their Creator, yet if they would obey him, and have faith in the promised Redeemer, they could work righteousness like the faithful Enoch, be accepted of God, and finally exalted to his heavenly throne.

Enoch, separating himself from the world, and spending much of his time in prayer and in communion with God, represents God's loyal people in the last days who will be separate from the world. Unrighteousness will prevail to a dreadful extent upon the earth. Men will give themselves up to follow every imagination of their corrupt hearts, and carry out their deceptive philosophy, and rebel against the authority of high Heaven.

God's people will separate themselves from the unrighteous practices of those around them, and will seek for purity of thought, and holy conformity to his will, until his divine image will be reflected in them. Like Enoch they will be fitting for translation to Heaven. While they endeavor to instruct and warn the world, they will not conform to the spirit and customs of unbelievers, but will condemn them by their holy conversation and godly example. Enoch's translation to Heaven just before the destruction of the world by a flood, represents the translation of all the living righteous from the earth previous to its destruction by fire. The saints will be glorified in the presence of those who have hated them for their loyal obedience to God's righteous commandments.
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The Spirit of Prophecy Volume One (1870), E.G. White, pp. 64, 65.
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The Psalmist's Profession of Righteousness


Psalm 101

1I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O LORD, will I sing.

2I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.

3I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.

4A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person.

5Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer.

6Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me.

7He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight.

8I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the LORD.

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Friday, March 12, 2010

Vienna Boys Choir admits possible sexual abuses


Fri Mar 12, 8:16 am ET



Reuters – The residence of the Vienna Boys Choir (Wiener Saengerknaben) in Vienna's Augarten baroque park is …


VIENNA (Reuters) – The Vienna Boys' Choir said on Friday it was possible that members of the historic vocal ensemble were sexually abused by supervisors in the past.

The choir's statement followed complaints in an Austrian newspaper by two now grown-up former members and appeared to widen a sexual misconduct scandal in Austria that also included child abuse by a Catholic priests.

The Vienna Boys' Choir is not affiliated with the church but is an Austrian cultural icon. Founded in 1498 its 100 choristers aged between 10 and 14 give about 300 international performances a year, living in dormitories while away from their families.

"The Boys' Choir cannot make concrete comments about allegations that go back decades," it said. "But even if we cannot deal in detail with this matter, we are aware that cases of abuses could have taken place in the past."

To help identify culprits, the choir appealed to former choristers, including the pair quoted anonymously in the Vienna newspaper Der Standard, to get in touch and provide names, dates and other relevant details.

The choir would then search archives for evidence to allow justice to be done.

The choir's statement said it had taken steps to prevent abuse "decades ago." A spokeswoman declined to comment when asked whether this meant it had had evidence of abuse.

"We cannot undo these incidents. But we have already drawn the consequences decades ago. All educators tasked with taking care of the children must have appropriate pedagogical training," the statement said.

Der Standard quoted a 33-year-old ex-chorister who lives in Berlin as saying he and others were pressured to wash their genitals thoroughly in the shower while supervisors watched.

He was quoted as saying that an older chorister once forced him to perform oral sex.

The newspaper quoted another member, now a 51-year-old psychologist living in Munich, as saying that when he sang with the group between 1966 and 1970, a choirmaster kept his hand on his thigh for an hour during a bus tour.

There have been daily reports of child sexual abuse in Austrian Catholic institutions since the arch-abbot of Salzburg's St Peter's monastery quit Monday after admitting to sexually abusing a boy 40 years ago.

Vienna Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn has called for the Church openly to discuss taboo issues such as celibacy, priestly training and more liberal social attitudes to sex. Abuse scandals have recently emerged in several European countries.

(Reporting by Boris Groendahl and Alexandra Zawadil, writing by Mark Heinrich; editing by Robin Pomeroy)
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Goin' Medieval -- A Morass


With his restatement that Catholicism is the "one true church," Pope Benedict deals a blow to progressive Catholics and their ecumenical friends.

Adele M. Stan
July 17, 2007 web only


I can remember a time when the sound of chanted Latin could soothe my addled soul, before the ancient tongue became the calling card of the most regressive forces in the One True Church, as the Vatican has once again declared the Roman Catholic Church to be, with a bit of curious timing, on the ecumenical Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. The pronouncement, delivered in a document called "Reponses to Some Questions Regarding Certain Aspects of the Doctrine on the Church," came on the heels of the return of the Latin Tridentine Mass to the status of liturgical legitimacy (after some 40 years in liturgical Limbo).

If you're not Catholic, the controversy over the Latin Mass is doubtless a bit of inside baseball, but to those who lived through the change from the Latin liturgy to one effectively marked "your language here," the somewhat befuddling linguistic transition became the most obvious legacy of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), from which the church's efforts to modernize itself flowed. Less obvious to the layperson is the fundamental reshaping of religious orders via newly democratized governance structures that resulted from Vatican II, ultimately laying bare divisions between the Vatican and the orders -- particularly the nuns.

To right-wing Catholics, Vatican II represents all that went "wrong" with the church: mouthy feminist nuns, liberation theologians, and altar girls -- not to mention Masses celebrated with maracas and djembes.

The first time I heard a service chanted completely in Latin in a Catholic Church after the close of Vatican II was in New York in 1992, a benediction that followed an anti-abortion march led by Archbishop John Cardinal O'Connor to the doors of the Eastern Women's Clinic. To the right, Latin represents all that is good in the world, if you count Eurocentric, anti-Semitic patriarchalism as good. And because Latin has become the symbol of the right, its return, thanks to a letter issued earlier this month by Pope Benedict XVI, struck a powerfully ominous chord for those who truly believed in Vatican II's restatement of the Roman Church as defined not simply by the hierarchy, but by the "people of God" -- the congregants themselves.

As if to confirm those fears, Benedict followed up on the letter by having the Vatican's Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, the enforcement organ he once headed when a more charismatic and savvy pontiff led the flock, restate in insulting terms not just the church's assertion of itself as the only "true church," but to assert that Protestant churches are not truly churches because of their "defects," and that the Eastern Orthodox traditions, while meeting the Vatican's criteria for churchiness (apostolic succession), are "wounded" by their failure to acknowledge the pope as their (infallible) leader.

The day on which the document was issued was the solemn feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, which is celebrated in modern times by the orthodox and the Roman churches as an ecumenical feast, often with shared services. In the Americas it came as the National Council of Churches (NCC), the quintessential ecumenical Christian organization, prepared to gather this Thursday for the 50th anniversary of the meeting in Oberlin, Ohio, that served as the precursor to subsequent gatherings of the NCC's Faith and Order Commission, at which doctrinal differences and commonalities are discussed. The title of that 1957 meeting was, "The Nature of the Unity We Seek."

This year's Faith and Order meeting is titled in less forward-looking terms: "On Being Christian Together: The Faith and Order Experience in the United States." There to explain the Vatican's Q&A smack-down tract from its Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith -- once known as the Inquisition before the Inquisition got all that bad press -- will be Monsignor John A. Rodano of the Vatican Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, a guy with a job about as desirable as running FEMA.

To be fair, it must be said that, as the late Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg reminded me from time to time, it is the natural ken of a religion to assert itself as the keeper of the truth. The issue here is not that the Vatican, in its ugly little missive, is saying anything it hasn't said before; the issue is, "Why now?" Do we have not enough religious strife in the world?

I was born into a church at the moment it summoned its own renewal; born in a country at that moment it, belatedly and urgently, at last began to confer human rights on all its people. Today I live in a nation that sanctions torture, and belong to a church that has revived the rites of the dark ages. Kumbaya, anyone?
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The Path of Grace and Service


I WAS BORN IN A HOUSE, NOT A HOSPITAL. THE HOUSE WAS MADE BY MY grandfather, with none of today’s tools or technology. He cut the trees and sawed the wood with a handsaw, and put zinc on the roof of a love nest for his beloved wife, who bore 12 children in that humble home.

This past Christmas, memories of life when adults seemed like giants compelled me to take one last look and recall the sights and sounds of those early years. I took a quick visit to the cradle of my formative years with two aunts, an uncle, and my sister. We drove as close as we could to the barely accessible, muddy, slippery footpath on a hill located in St. Mary parish on my paradise island of Jamaica.

As we trudged through the overgrown paths and visited the homes of the few relatives who continue to live there, it was like stepping back in time. They still live dignified lives, using outhouses and red-stained floors polished by hand with coconut husks. I peered around, admiring formerly huge mango trees under which I once found shelter from rain and sun, now so diminished in my eyes that I could reach up and pluck their leaves effortlessly.

When my aunts talked about how loving and generous my grandparents were to others, and pointed out where they thought my grandfather was buried, I was almost overcome by a sense of gratitude. It suddenly dawned on me that it wasn’t shameful poverty but a passion for ministering to others that I inherited from him. It’s not where one is from but where one is going that matters most.

I have been blessed to see some of the most beautiful people and places in the world. I have hiked through Greek islands, gazed upon the ruins dedicated to the goddess Athena, walked where the apostle Paul spoke from the Areopagus, saying, “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious” (Acts 17:22).

I felt powerful feelings of fear mingled with excitement as I clung to my sister in the Eiffel Tower’s “eye of the needle” before the threat of terrorism closed it to tourists.

I’ve been dazzled by underground chambers decorated with fantastic shapes of stalactites and stalagmites alongside water-sculpted pillars reflected in watery mirrors in the Luray Caverns of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.

I have watched the stunning colors of a California sunset at the beginning of the Sabbath in Loma Linda, and I am mesmerized by the pristine beauty of giant icicles hanging like curtains from the roof of my new home in Michigan. But it was in that humble birthplace that I found peace from my past. My liberation also comes from the beauty of the earth, despite the ravages of sin that daily threaten to tear apart the world God created and loves so much.

Yet, nowhere and nothing surpasses the beauty of Jesus, especially His experience on the cross to save me and the rest of humanity. In Isaiah 53 the prophet vividly foretold that Jesus would be beaten, bruised, and bloodied during His cruel crucifixion.

So how can beauty, not shame, be seen in Christ’s crucifixion as a criminal? Brennan Manning provides an answer in his book Souvenirs of Solitude: Finding Rest in Abba’s Embrace: “His soul was ennobled by a dignity, suffused with a love that illuminated, transformed, and transfigured His suffering and death. This was the mightiest act of love ever to rise from a human soul. Surely the Crucifixion was a brutal, dehumanizing atrocity exteriorly, but it was beautiful because of the sentiments in Jesus’ soul–unwavering obedience to the glory of His Father and illimitable love for men.”

Nothing outranks the beauty that comes from the ashes of shame when one is healed from lifelong hurts by the suffering of Jesus (Isa. 53:5), forgiven by His sacrifice (Luke 23:34), and saved by His grace (Eph. 2:8). Broken, despairing, lonely, and desperate men and women need to hear this good news, and I have the privilege of teaching some of the next generation’s great preachers to share it.

Amazing grace, how sweet and beautiful!

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Hyveth Williams is a professor of homiletics at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary in Berrien Springs, Michigan. This article was published March 11, 2010.

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The History of Mithraism




The worship of Mithra, the Iranian god of the sun, justice, contract, and war in pre-Zoroastrian Iran. Known as Mithras in the Roman Empire during the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, this deity was honoured as the patron of loyalty to the emperor. After the acceptance of Christianity by the emperor Constantine in the early 4th century, Mithraism rapidly declined.
History.

Before Zoroaster (6th century BC or earlier), the Iranians had a polytheistic religion, and Mithra was the most important of their gods. First of all, he was the god of contract and mutual obligation. In a cuneiform tablet of the 15th century BC that contains a treaty between the Hittites and the Mitanni, Mithra is invoked as the god of oath. Furthermore, in some Indian Vedic texts the god Mitra (the Indian form of Mithra) appears both as "friend" and as "contract." The word mitra may be translated in either way, because contracts and mutual obligation make friends. In short, Mithra may signify any kind of communication between men and whatever establishes good relations between them. Mithra was called the Mediator. Mithra was also the god of the sun, of the shining light that beholds everything, and, hence, was invoked in oaths. The Greeks and Romans considered Mithra as a sun god. He was probably also the god of kings. He was the god of mutual obligation between the king and his warriors, and, hence, the god of war. He was also the god of justice, which was guaranteed by the king. Whenever men observed justice and contract, they venerated Mithra.

The most important Mithraic ceremony was the sacrifice of the bull. Opinion is divided as to whether this ceremony was pre-Zoroastrian or not. Zoroaster denounced the sacrifice of the bull, so it seems likely that the ceremony was a part of the old Iranian paganism. This inference is corroborated by an Indian text in which Mitra reluctantly participates in the sacrifice of a god named Soma, who often appears in the shape of a white bull or of the moon. On the Roman monuments, Mithra reluctantly sacrifices the white bull, who is then transformed into the moon. This detailed parallel seems to prove that the sacrifice must have been pre-Zoroastrian. Contract and sacrifice are connected, since treaties in ancient times were sanctioned by a common meal.

Beginning with Darius (522-486), the Persian kings of the Achaemenid dynasty were Zoroastrians. But Darius and his successors did not intend to create political difficulties by attempting to eradicate the old beliefs still dear to the heart of many nobles. Thus, the religion of Zoroaster was gradually contaminated with elements of the old, polytheistic worship. Hymns (the Yashts) were composed in honour of the old gods. There is a Yasht dedicated to Mithra, in which the god is depicted as the all-observing god of heavenly light, the guardian of oaths, the protector of the righteous in this world and the next, and, above all, as the archfoe of the powers of evil and darkness--hence, the god of battles and victory.

In the mixed religion of the later Achaemenid period, however, the Zoroastrian aspects clearly dominate the heathen aspects. The sacrifice of the bull, abhorred by every Zoroastrian, is never mentioned. When Alexander the Great conquered the Persian Empire in about 330 BC, the old structure of society appears to have broken down completely and about the worship of Mithra in Persia no more is heard.

Local aristocrats in the western part of the former Persian Empire retained their devotion to Mithra. The kings and nobles of the border region between the Greco-Roman and the Iranian world still worshipped him. When Tiridates of Armenia acknowledged the Roman emperor Nero as his supreme lord, he performed a Mithraic ceremony, indicating that the god of contract and of friendship established good relations between the Armenians and the mighty Romans. The kings of Commagene (southeast of Turkey) venerated Mithra. Mithradates VI of Pontus may have been a worshipper of the god, and his allies, the Cilician pirates, are known to have performed Mithraic ceremonies (67 BC). The worship of Mithra, however, never became popular in the Greek world, because the Greeks never forgot that Mithra had been the god of their enemies the Persians.

There is little notice of the Persian god in the Roman world until the beginning of the 2nd century, but, from the year AD 136 onward, there are hundreds of dedicatory inscriptions to Mithra. This renewal of interest is not easily explained. The most plausible hypothesis seems to be that Roman Mithraism was practically a new creation, wrought by a religious genius who may have lived as late as c. AD 100 and who gave the old traditional Persian ceremonies a new Platonic interpretation that enabled Mithraism to become acceptable to the Roman world.
Roman Mithraism, like Iranian Mithraism, was a religion of loyalty toward the king. It seems to have been encouraged by the emperors, especially Commodus (180-192), Septimius Severus (193-211), and Caracalla (211-217). Most adherents of Mithra known to us from inscriptions are soldiers of both low and high rank, officials in the service of the emperor, imperial slaves, and freedmen (who quite often were very influential people)--persons who probably knew which god would lead them to quick promotion.

Mithraic sanctuaries and dedications to Mithra are numerous at Rome and Ostia, along the military frontier, in Britain, and on the Rhine, the Danube, and the Euphrates. Few dedications are found in peaceful provinces; when they do occur the dedicator is usually a provincial governor or an imperial official. Within a few generations, the Roman world had completely assimilated the Persian god. When Diocletian attempted a renewal of the Roman state and religion, he did not forget Mithra. In AD 307, in a dedication from Carnuntum (at the Danube, near Vienna), Diocletian and his colleagues dedicated an altar to Mithra, as the patron of their empire (fautori imperii sui). But in 312, Constantine won the battle at the Milvian Bridge under the sign of the cross. Instantaneously, the dedications to Mithra ceased, even though there was no immediate public interdiction of Mithraic ceremonies. The worship seems to have collapsed quite suddenly when imperial favour ceased to be with the Mithraists. Dedications to Mithra appear again between about 357 and 387, but only at Rome. The dedicators all come from the old pagan aristocracy of the city of Rome, which in this period was in open opposition to the new Christian emperor at Constantinople. In these inscriptions, however, Mithra is only one of many traditional pagan gods. The Mithraic mysteries had gradually faded long before. And when the Roman opposition was defeated, pagan worship was suppressed altogether.


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World Political Authority


Pope Benedict has issued a decisive appeal to world leaders in his recent encyclica, stating;; “There is an urgent need of a true world political authority, to manage the global economy with God-centered ethics…to end the current worldwide financial crisis.” [4]
Note, he does not ask for a world financial authority, but a world political authority!

The Pope continues: “it [the “world political authority”] would have to have… authority to ensure compliance with its decisions FROM ALL PARTIES.... ” [1]

The Pope added that the current economic crisis was "clear proof of ” what he called the "pernicious effects of sin....” “Such an authority," he said, would have to be “regulated by law” and “would need to be universally recognized"!!

Who is going to be in control of the “world political authority?” The Bible says it is the papacy – the harlot or the beast.
We read: ”Then one of the seven angels who had the seven vials came and talked with me, saying to me, ’Come, I will show you the judgement of the great harlot (unfaithful church) who sits on many waters (people), with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication (had illegitimate relations), and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine (false doctrine) of her fornication.’…and the woman whom you saw is that great city
(or system) which reigns over the kings of the earth. (Rev. 17:18).

Luther and the reformers were right in believing that all the Biblical signs of this Antichrist power point to the pope and the papacy.
Luther said: "It is plain that the marks of the Antichrist coincide with those of the pope’s kingdom and his followers." This statement you will find in the book of Concord; The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, p. 327.
As we already have seen the Bible reveals it is the papacy that reigns over the kings of the earth. In the seventeenth chapter of Revelation is foretold the destruction of all the churches who corrupt themselves by idolatrous devotion to the service of the papacy, those who have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

”Thus is represented the papal power, which with all deceivableness of unrighteosness, by outside attraction and gorgeous display, deceives all nations; promising them, as did Satan, our first parents, all good to those who receive its mark, and all harm to those who oppose its fallacies. The power which has the deepest inward corruption will make the greatest display, and will clothe itself with the most elaborate signs of power.
The Bible plainly declares that this power possesses a corrupt and deceiving wickedness. ”Upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONSS OF THE EARTH.” Rev. 17:5. What is it that gives kingdom to this power? Protestantism, a power which, while professing to have the temper and spirit of a lamb and to be allied to Heaven, speaks with the voice of a dragon. It is moved by a power from beneath.” [5]

”And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, ” Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird! For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.” (Rev. 18:1-3) KJV.

”And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, ”Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” (Rev:18:4)

... ”Alas, alas, that great city, wherein where made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour she is made desolate.” (Rev. 18:19) ” …For thy merchants were the great men of the earth, for by thy
sorceries were all nations deceived.” (Rev:18:23.)

It is this power, spiritual Babylon, that now are deceiing ALL nations, and seeking global political power - . It will eventually also seek global religious power. This power will then teem up with USA and, by law or force, introduce the mark of the beast, which is sunday sacredness. (Rev:13:11-16).

In his bestselling book The Keys of This Blood,the Jesuit Professor and Vatican insider, Malachi Martin, revealed it all:
”Willing or not, ready or not, we are all involved in an all-out, no-holds-barred, three-way global competition. Most of us are not competitors…. We are the stakes…. the competition is about who will establish the first one-world system of government that has ever existed in the society of nations. It is about who will hold and wield the dual power of AUTHORITY AND CONTROL OVER EACH OF US AS INDIVIDUALS AND OVER ALL OF US TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY… in the third millennium…. now that it has been started, there is no way it can be called off.... our way of life as individuals and as citizens... even the badges of our national identity... will have been powerfully and radically altered forever. No one can be exempted from its effects. No sector of our lives will remain untouched.” [2] [Emphasis supplied]

Martin says the Pope will be "the victor in that competition". On page 341 of his book, Malachi Martin makes it clear that this one-world government will be “dominated by an international bureaucracy which controls and directs every citizen and every nation.... [3]

As we have seen, Pope Benedict is now appealing for a ‘true world political authority'. “Such an authority," he says, would have to be “regulated by law” and “would need to be universally recognized"!!

Since the pope now is appealing for a global political authority, regulated by law, we know the papacy soon will be appealing for a World Religious Authority, regulated by law. We will then begin to experience the implementation of the mark of the beast! Sunday saecredness will then be univercially implemented by law. It will soon come! It will soon be a reality.

Now, is the time to become acquainted with your God and Savior, Jesus Christ!
Seek His Presence, and day by day He will seek to develop in you a genuine Love for His Wise Ways, and a Trust in Him. He will never fail you or forsake you. He longs to prove Himself to you. – Let Him prepare you for the days ahead, both physickly and spiritualy.

Summary

We can conclude, that with this appeal, the papecy is in fact calling for the UNION OF CHURCH AND STATE under a geo-political authority that he calls a “world political authority,” exactly as Revelation chapters 13 and 17 predicts…

Read more about this in Revelation 13:16-17 and 17:12-13!
Read more about this in the document called THE USA AND THE PAPACY IN BIBLE PROPHECY

Abel and Bente Struksnes, CIS, Norway

References:

[1] See, “Pope calls for New World Financial Order,” Associated Press, July 7, 2009; and, “Pope calls for ‘God-centered’ global economy, 7/7/2009, by Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA TODAY.
[2] Malachi Martin, Keys of This Blood: Pope John Paul II Versus Russia and the West for Control of the New World Order (1991), pp. 12-16.
[3] Martin, Keys of This Blood, p. 341.
[4] Pope calls for ‘God-centered’ global economy, 7/7/2009, by Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA TODAY.
[5] Ellen G. White, letter 232, 1899
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The fierce anger of the LORD


Behold, the whirlwind of the LORD goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind: it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked.

The fierce anger of the LORD shall not return, until he hath done it, and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it.


Jeremiah 30:23,34.

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Thursday, March 11, 2010

Glenn Beck to Jesus: Drop Dead


Rev. James Martin, S.J.
Jesuit priest and culture editor of America magazine
Posted: March 8, 2010 05:15 PM



Glenn Beck said last week on his eponymous show that Christians should leave churches that preach "social justice." Mr. Beck equated the desire for a just society with--wait for it--Nazism and Communism.

I'm begging you, your right to religion and freedom to exercise religion and read all of the passages of the Bible as you want to read them and as your church wants to preach them . . . are going to come under the ropes in the next year. If it lasts that long it will be the next year. I beg you, look for the words 'social justice' or 'economic justice' on your church Web site. If you find it, run as fast as you can. Social justice and economic justice, they are code words. Now, am I advising people to leave their church? Yes.

This means that you would have to leave the Catholic Church, which has long championed that aspect of the Gospel. The term "social justice" originated way back in the 1800s (and probably predates even that), and has been underlined by the Magisterium and popes since Leo XIII, who began the modern tradition of Catholic social teaching with his encyclical on capital and labor, Rerum Novarum in 1891. Subsequent popes have built on Leo's work, continuing the church's meditation on a variety of issues of social justice in such landmark documents as Pope Pius XI's encyclical on "the reconstruction of the social order," Quadregismo Anno (1931), Paul VI's encyclical "on the development of peoples," Populorum Progressio (1967) and John Paul II's encyclical "on the social concerns of the church" Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (1987).

The Compendium of the Social Teaching of the Church, published by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, says this:

The Church's social Magisterium constantly calls for the most classical forms of justice to be respected: commutative, distributive and legal justice. Ever greater importance has been given to social justice., which represents a real development in general justice, the justice that regulates social relationships according to the criterion of observance of the law. Social justice, a requirement related to the social question which today is worldwide in scope, concerns the social, political and economic aspects and, above all, the structural dimension of problems and their respective solutions....

Social justice is not just some silly foreign idea. American Catholics know that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have an Office of Justice, Peace and Human Development. On that website the U.S. bishops say: "At the core of the virtue of solidarity is the pursuit of justice and peace. Our love for all our sisters and brothers demands that we promote peace in a world surrounded by violence and conflict."

Get it? Social justice is an essential part of Catholic teaching. It's part of being a Catholic. So Glenn Beck is, in essence, saying "Leave the Catholic church."

But Glenn Beck is saying something else: "Leave Christianity." Again and again in the Gospels, Jesus mentions our responsibility to care for the poor, to work on their behalf, to stand with them. In fact, when asked how his followers would be judged he doesn't say that it will be based on where you worship, or how you pray, or how often you go to church, or even what political party you believe in. He says something quite different: It depends on how you treat the poor.
In the Gospel of Matthew (25) he tells his surprised disciples, that when you are meeting the poor, you are meeting him. They protest. "Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me."

But our responsibility to care for "the least of these" does not end with simple charity. Giving someone a handout is an important part of the Christian message. But so is advocating for them. It is not enough simply to help the poor, one must address the structures that keep them that way. Standing up for the rights of the poor is not being a Nazi, it's being Christian. And Communist, as Mr. Beck suggests? It's hard not to think of the retort of the great apostle of social justice, Dom Helder Camara, archbishop of Recife, "When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist."

The attack on social justice is the tack of those who wish to ignore the concerns the poor and ignore the social structures that foster poverty. It's not hard to see why people are tempted to do so. How much easier it would be if we didn't have to worry about the poor!

But ignoring the poor, and ignoring what keeps them poor, is, quite simply, unchristian. For the poor are the church in many ways. When St. Lawrence, in the fourth century, was ordered by the prefect of Rome to turn over the wealth of the church, he presented to him the poor.
Glenn Beck's desire to detach social justice from the Gospel is a move to detach care for the poor from the Gospel. But a church without the poor, and a church without a desire for a just social world for all, is not the church.

At least not the church of Jesus Christ. Who was, by the way, poor.


The Rev. James Martin, SJ is the author of The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything. A longer version of this post can be found at America magazine's blog "In All Things."

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Hundreds protest Fairfax imam giving prayer in Va. House tomorrow


Hundreds of people are urging House of Delegates leaders to revoke an invitation to a Falls Church imam to give the prayer tomorrow, accusing him of condoning violence and defending the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Johari 'Abdul-Malik demonstrates regularly his contempt for the rule of law and his support for terrorist acts against America,'' writes James Lafferty, chairman of the Virginia Anti-Shariah Task Force. "Speaking before the General Assembly is an honor which should be reserved for those who have done something worth honoring."

Del. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) said he asked Abdul-Malik of the Dar Al Hijrah Islamic Center to give the opening prayer in the House tomorrow because many of his constituents attend the center. "He's a great guy,'' Ebbin said.

Ebbin sent a letter to his 99 colleagues this morning defending his choice of Abdul-Malik, and saying any concerns about him were driven by "false rumors propagated on the Internet."

Many of the e-mails have asked Speaker William J. Howell to revoke Abdul-Malik's invitation, but Howell's chief of staff, G. Paul Nardo, said the House's practice is generally to allow delegates to invite religious leaders of differing faiths if they choose.

Abdul-Malik would be the first imam to deliver the opening prayer in the House during this year's legislative session, although others have done so in the past.


By Anita Kumar March 10, 2010; 2:55 PM ET
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Mexico's Separation of Church and State


OPINION: FEDERATION FEATURE
MARCH 1, 2010, 1:52 P.M. ET


Mexico's Separation of Church and State
Mexico's lower house of Congress began the process of amending the Mexican Constitution to formally declare the country to be "laica"— meaning "secular."


By LUKE GOODRICH
From the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty

Every once in awhile, the Roman Catholic Church in the United States raises its voice in the public square. Sometimes a Catholic bishop tells a pro-choice politician not to receive communion—as with John Kerry in 2004 and Kathleen Sebelius in 2008. Other times, the church weighs in on legislation. In the recent health care debate, for example, the church threw its weight behind the now-famous Stupak Amendment, which restricts the use of federal funds to pay for abortion coverage and passed the House with the support of pro-life Democrats. While many Americans may disagree with the Catholic Church's views, the vast majority view the church's involvement in politics as a fairly normal part of the rough and tumble of American democracy. The Catholic Church can try to shape public opinion just like Planned Parenthood, the NAACP, or any other religious or non-religious group.

But in Mexico, the Catholic Church might not be so lucky. Last week, Mexico's lower house of Congress began the process of amending the Mexican Constitution to formally declare the country to be "laica"—meaning "lay" or "secular." Supporters say the amendment merely codifies Mexico's commitment to the separation of church and state. But the term "laica," like the term "separation of church and state," means different things to different people. In fact, Mexico has been fighting over the meaning of church–state separation for over a century, with pro-church factions seeking greater political control for the Catholic Church, anti-clerical factions seeking to suppress the church, and few factions willing to agree on government neutrality towards religion. The key question is: What version of the separation of church and state will this amendment embody?

Unfortunately, the context surrounding the amendment suggests that it might be a step backwards for religious liberty and true separation of church and state. The amendment comes on the heels of a heated political dispute, in which Catholic officials condemned Mexico City politicians for legalizing same-sex civil unions and adoption. Church officials have also drawn attention by leading vocal, public opposition to a 2007 Mexico City law that legalized first-trimester abortions. Thus, Jaime Cardenas Garcia, a congressional supporter of the amendment, has said the amendment is necessary because of the presence of "a militant Catholic Church" that opposes legal reforms. Another congressional supporter, Feliciano Marin Diaz, has argued that the amendment is necessary to ensure that "religious beliefs" will not be used to support political allies or oppose political adversaries. In short, the proposal of the amendment shortly after these high-profile political disputes, together with some statements of its supporters, suggests that it might be an attempt to suppress the Catholic Church's ability to engage in public policy debates.

Though such suppression might sound far-fetched in the U.S., it wouldn't be a first for Mexico. Most Mexicans self-identify as Roman Catholic. But for most of the twentieth century, the government was heavily anticlerical. In 1979, for example, when Pope John Paul II made his first pilgrimage to Mexico, priests were still legally banned from wearing clerical collars in public, owning property, or voting. Incredibly, government officials claimed that the Pope violated Mexican law by wearing his habit. (But in a gesture that exemplifies the complex relationship between the Mexican church and state, then-President Jose Lopez Portillo himself offered to pay the 50 pesos fine.)

Although the laws have changed, the political culture remains far behind. In 2009, Mexico City hosted an international conference on religious liberty in Latin America sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal organizationthe first event of its kind in Mexico City. In his speech during the conference, Supreme Knight Carl Anderson decried the notion, still prevalent in Mexico, that "religious beliefs are not welcome in the public square, or worse are not allowed in the public square." Jorge Trasloheros, a prominent Mexican sociologist, explained that many Mexican elites view religion not as "the opium of the masses" (as Marx did), but as "the tobacco of the masses"—an unhealthy habit that should be eradicated from public spaces.

Thus, in Mexico, public expressions of religious belief are often viewed as impolite or worse, especially when made in connection with politics. For example, when President Calderon suggested in June that "young people drug themselves because they don't believe in God" he was excoriated for violating the separation of church and state and, more tellingly, for forgetting that faith is "reserved to the private sphere of individuals" and is unwelcome in politics, which is "a primary activity of the public sphere." In short, under one popular view of "separation," religiously motivated arguments—offered either by the church or by politicians—are an illegitimate form of public discourse. The proposed "laica" amendment looks like it might be an attempt to codify this sentiment.

But who cares? Why not codify the idea that religious arguments are unwelcome in the public square? First, since religious beliefs are inseparable from the individual, forcing religious arguments from the public square effectively forces religious individuals from the public square. Utilitarians, Nihilists, Capitalists, and Socialists can all bring their philosophy to bear on public life, but Catholics (or other religious minorities) must check their religion at the door. Such second-class citizenship is no more acceptable when imposed on religious individuals than when it is imposed on racial or ethnic minorities. It is, simply put, religious discrimination.

Second, religion (including Catholicism in Mexico) has classically served as a bastion of dissent and a check on unlimited government power. But once the government delegitimizes religious dissent, it can also delegitimize other forms of dissent. The end result is not just increasing restrictions on free speech, but at worst, the tyranny of a government-enforced viewpoint and unchecked government power.

Thus, Mexico should take care when defining its version of separation of church and state. Separation is good when it means the government is neutral toward religion—neither giving legal privileges to any one religion, nor interfering with the outward expression of religious belief. Separation is a problem when it means the government is hostile to religion—treating it like the "tobacco of the masses" and attempting to eradicate it from the public square. Let's hope that "laica" means the former, not the latter.

Mr. Goodrich is the Deputy National Litigation Director for The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. The Becket Fund has represented Anglicans, Agnostics, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, and Zoroastrians, among others, in lawsuits in the United States and around the world.
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Behind the scenes, separation of church and state




By Howard Bess
Religion Views
Published on Thursday, March 4, 2010 8:12 PM AKST

As we watch the news, the top stories are about issues such as health care, deficit spending, jobs, the Winter Olympics, and earthquakes in Haiti and Chile. There are other topics of great importance that never reach the pages of newspapers in Alaska.

As a Baptist, my attention is drawn to every action of churches, every action of Congress, every action of the White House administration, every action of the U.S. Supreme Court that relates to church-state relationships.

Under the administration of President George W. Bush, without a single vote by Congress, a whole new federal social service arm was created. It was called The Faith Based Initiative. Under its auspices, billions of federal public assistance dollars were distributed to and through faith-based organizations. From the beginning of the program it was attacked as an unconstitutional fostering of religion in violation of the establishment clause of the First Amendment.

With the election of Barack Obama, many critics anticipated the demise of the program. Obama surprised almost everyone by announcing the continuation of the program with a promise of a major revision of the operation. He named a 25-member advisory council on faith-based and community partnerships to oversee the conduct of the program. The membership of the council was very diverse. They have been active and have set down new rules for the agency. To illustrate the tensions involved, the council adopted a resolution that religious organizations must form new 501 c 3 tax exempt not-for-profit corporations to receive monies from the agency. The move was seen as necessary to ensure that the religious activity of a church and its social services were kept separate. The supporting vote was 13-12.

The vote indicates that a vigorous debate still rages in the United States about the separation of church and state.

In another little-noticed news item, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs has recommended that the U.S. government develop a strategy to make religion “integral” to American foreign policy. The Chicago Council is a powerful organization that was formed in the 1920s to influence and shape American foreign policy. The Chicago Council has no official standing, but its influence over the years has been enormous. Should American foreign policy get religion?

Americans have become quite accustomed to arguing about issues of separation of church and state in domestic affairs; but issues of separation of church and state have little history in foreign affairs. The last time any hint of the issue occurred was when President Ronald Reagan appointed an ambassador to the Vatican in 1984. There were a lot of unhappy Protestants when President Reagan made the appointment. Make a note, the recommendation of the Chicago Council marks a much larger step into the separation issue. Does the First Amendment have a necessary application to foreign policy?

Brent Walker, a member of the Supreme Court Bar and the executive of a powerful Baptist separation lobby, believes the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause does apply to the conduct of U.S. foreign policy. Walker acknowledges that the U.S. may of necessity deal with religious bodies in the conduct of foreign policy. However, the First Amendment puts constraints on the U.S. approach in all our relationships.

The United States is a secular nation that embraces no religion in particular. There are many Americans who argue the truth of that statement and would like to bring about a dramatic change. Those who argue against separation of church and state are growing stronger every day.
Their movement is often called Christian Triumphalism or Christian Nationalism. Advocates are sometimes referred to as dominionists. While they have formed many different groups, one prominent organizational name appears with regularity. It is the New Apostolic Reformation. Cells of participants now cover the nation.

Adherents include a long list of prominent religious and political leaders. Among their central convictions is that separation of church and state must cease. The establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth must take place. The process must begin with the United States. Their great enemy is separation of church and state.

Two social issues refuse to take leave of our national attention. The first is the issue of abortion. It is a prime example of religious groups that are determined to force their religious beliefs on a secular nation. I have deep respect for those who believe an abortion is always a violation of the will of God. Devout people are completely free to reject birth control measures. They are free to convince others of their religious convictions about when life begins. Legal banning of all abortions would be a matter of government taking the religious convictions of certain people and forcing it on all citizens.

The First Amendment is our protection from government interference in religion.

The second thorny social issue in the U.S. is the legal rights of gay persons. Gay people would have had full legal rights years ago except for the attempt of religious people to force their theological beliefs on the nation. Legal rights for our gay citizens has nothing to do with any passage from the Bible. No interpretation of the Bible has any relevance to the laws of our land. Yet religious people insist their particular beliefs be established as the law of the land. Religious people can maintain their religious beliefs about sexual orientation and sexual behavior. I respect their decisions and commitments.

To ask government to force the convictions of one group onto all citizens is not compatible with First Amendment rights.

The United States is a great experiment. Central to that experiment is the encouragement of diversity, beginning with religion. May it ever be so.


The Rev. Howard Bess is a retired American Baptist minister, who lives in Palmer. His e-mail address is hdbss@mtaonline.net.

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Source: http://www.frontiersman.com/articles/2010/03/05/faith/doc4b90912309b2a583360459.txt
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Vatican hit by gay sex scandal

Vatican chorister sacked for allegedly procuring male prostitutes for papal gentleman-in-waiting

John Hooper in Rome
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 4 March 2010 19.59 GMT
Article history

Pope Benedict XVI greets cardinals in the Clementine Hall at the Vatican. Photograph: Max Rossi/AFP/Getty Images

The Vatican was today rocked by a sex scandal reaching into Pope Benedict's household after a chorister was sacked for allegedly procuring male prostitutes for a papal gentleman-in-waiting.

Angelo Balducci, a Gentleman of His Holiness, was caught by police on a wiretap allegedly negotiating with Thomas Chinedu Ehiem, a 29-year-old Vatican chorister, over the specific physical details of men he wanted brought to him. Transcripts in the possession of the Guardian suggest that numerous men may have been procured for Balducci, at least one of whom was studying for the priesthood.

The explosive claims about Balducci's private life have caused grave embarrassment to the Vatican, which has yet to publicly comment on the affair.

While Catholicism does not condemn homosexuality outright, its teaching is that homosexual acts "are intrinsically disordered". The Catechism of the Catholic church states unequivocally: "Under no circumstances can they be approved."

Balducci was arrested on 10 February, suspected of involvement in widespread corruption. A senior Italian government official, he is alleged to have to steered public works contracts towards favoured bidders. He has not been charged.

It was during this investigation into corruption that wiretaps revealed his alleged sexual activity. In one conversation, Ehiem tells Balducci: "I saw your call when I was in the Vatican, because I was doing rehearsals … in the choir … in St Peter's." He then suggests Balducci meet a man who he describes is "two metres tall … 97 kilos … aged 33, completely active."

Balducci is also a senior adviser to the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, the department that oversees the Roman Catholic church's worldwide missionary activities.

Since 1995, he has been a member of one of the world's most exclusive fraternities – the Gentlemen of His Holiness, or Papal Gentlemen, the ceremonial ushers of the papal household. In the words of a 1968 ordinance, they are expected to "distinguish themselves for the good of souls and the glory of the name of the Lord".

According to a report by the Carabinieri for prosecutors in Florence investigating the corruption scandal, there was a hidden side to Balducci's life. "In order to organise casual encounters of a sexual nature, he availed himself of the intercession of two individuals who, it is maintained, may form part of an organised network, especially active in [Rome], of exploiters or at least facilitators of male prostitution."

It named one as Ehiem, a professional chorister born in Nigeria. According to Italian press reports, Ehiem, a member of the choir that sings in St Peters when the pope is not officiating, lost his job on Wednesday after details of the Florence investigation became known to the Vatican.

In an interview to be published tomorrow by the news magazine Panorama, Ehiem said he had been introduced to Balducci more than 10 years ago. He claims: "He asked me if I could procure other men for him. He told me he was married and that I had to do it in great secrecy."

There were conflicting accounts of how the Vatican might respond. According to one source, there was no provision for the dismissal of a Gentleman of His Holiness. Another said: "We shall wait for the judiciary's definitive verdict."

The transcripts imply that over a period of around five months in 2008, Ehiem procured for Balducci at least 10 contacts with, among others, "two black Cuban lads", a former male model from Naples, and a rugby player from Rome.

Balducci's lawyer, Franco Coppi, said tonight: "I have no comment. First, because we have more serious questions to tackle. Second, if these claims are correct, they regard his private life. It is disgraceful that these transcripts, which have nothing to do with the case, should have been spread about."

In January this year, the Carabinieri recorded an exchange in which Balducci and Ehiem discuss a seminarian, or student for the priesthood. Balducci is said to have asked: "Listen, have you spoken with the seminarian by any chance?" Ehiem says he is "probably at mass or something". On 11 January, Ehiem calls again to recommend "a colleague, a friend" of the seminarian because the latter is unavailable. He says the colleague is "better, taller, a bit taller than you". Later, Ehiem asks: "Can I send [him] around straight away?"

He asks where Balducci is. The adviser says: "Up at the seminary … where the cardinal lives." Ehiem replies: "He could get there within half an hour … the time it takes to catch a taxi and get there."
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University of Deusto

University of Deusto
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


University of Deusto
Universidad de Deusto
Deustuko Unibertsitatea
Bilbao ...campus.
Motto ...Sapientia melior auro
Motto in English ,,,"Knowledge is better than gold"
Established ...1886
Type ,,,Catholic
Chancellor ,,,Adolfo Nicolás Pachón, S.J.
Vice-Chancellor ,,,Jesús María Eguíluz Ortuzar, SJ
Rector ,,,Jaime Oraá Oraá S.J.
Faculty ,,,Business, Engineering, Law,Philosophy, Politics, Theology
Location ...Bilbao,, Biscay, Spain
Campus ...Urban, Bilbao and San Sebastián
Affiliations ...Society of Jesus, CRUE
Website ...http://www.deusto.es/


The University of Deusto (Spanish: Universidad de Deusto, Basque: Deustuko Unibertsitatea) is a Spanish Jesuit University, with campuses in Bilbao and San Sebastián, Spain.


Contents

1 History
1.1 Civil War and Postwar
1.2 Official recognition
1.3 San Sebastián Campus
2 Famous people from Deusto
2.1 Faculty
2.2 Alumni
3 External links
//

History

The University of Deusto first opened in 1886, having been founded because of the Basque Country's desire to have its own university and the Society of Jesus's wish to move its School of Higher Studies in Laguardia to a more central place. A huge building was designed by architect Marquess of Cubas, which was at its time Bilbao's largest building. Now it's the main building of the campus situated opposite to the Guggenheim Museum, in the neighbourhood of Deusto, which gives the name to the university and was not Bilbao at the time of the foundation of the University. The Business College of the University, founded in 1916, was the first college and the only one of its kind for nearly 50 years in Spain, which became the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration in 1973.


Civil War and Postwar


The advent of the Second Spanish Republic (1931) interrupted and altered university life at Deusto. On 23 January 1932, the Spanish Government dissolved the Company of Jesus by decree, and the University, owned by the Jesuits, was closed down. Some lectures still continued at the "Academia Vizcaína de Cultura" and the "Universidad Comercial" (Faculty of Economics) could carry on working as normal until the beginning of the Spanish Civil War.
During the war, the University of Deusto became a military base, but after the fall of Bilbao in 1937, it was turned into a hospital, food supply centre and concentration camp. It resumed classes in October 1940.


Official recognition

Main building of Deusto University.

In 1962, the University was very well-known all along the Basque Country and also the whole Spain, and its former students excelled in the worlds of business, politics and culture. However, they had a drawback: their studies were not officially recognized by the State and they had to sit an examination at a State University. Society did not really take this circumstance into account, but action was taken so that official recognition was granted. On 5 April 1962, an agreement was signed between the Spanish Government and the Holy See that provided Catholic or Church Universities with a legal basis. On 10 August 1963, the University of Deusto received canonical approval by the Holy See. During September of that same year, it was recognized by the State, including its Faculties of Law and Philosophy and Arts (Modern Philology division). Since then, a fast increase on the number of students and centres went on. The growth began with a rise from 500 to 1,000 students, and to 2,700 five years later; ten years later there were 5,000 and at present it has reached 14,000 students. The rest of the faculties were successively recognized beginning with the Faculty of Economic and Business Sciences in 1973 and finishing with that of Computing Sciences in 1979 (which later became the Faculty of Engineering).


San Sebastián Campus


Its origin was ESSA in 1956. ESSA was the main body that started to teach these studies and assumed the ownership of current ESTE. In the beginning, Business Management, Law, Economic Sciences and Engineering Preparatory Courses were taught. The Society of Jesus was entrusted with its running and management. In 1960 this body was named EUG, and in 1963 the first stone of EUTG, University and Technical Studies of Guipúzcoa was laid. During 1979, the Faculty of Economic and Business Studies became a faculty dependent on UD and in 1990, the legal and real union of the San Sebastian centre took place as a second campus of the University of Deusto. Nowadays, it has the Faculties of Economic and Business Studies-ESTE, the Faculty of Humanities, the University School of Tourism and the University School of Social Work.

Famous people from Deusto

Faculty
Pedro Arrupe, general of the Jesuits
Francisco Gárate, a Jesuit janitor who was declared blessed.
Xabier Arzalluz, former Jesuit, Basque nationalist politician, professor of law
Andrés Ortíz-Osés, Philosopher.
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Alumni
José Antonio Aguirre, former Basque president
Emilio Botín, banker.
Mario Conde, banker, businessman and convicted fraudster es:Mario Conde, top graduate of his year of the Faculty of Law.
Espido Freire, writer,[1]
Joaquín Almunia, Former Secretary General of the PSOE and current European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affaires
Alex de la Iglesia, film director, graduate in philosophy

External links
University of Deusto
Reviews by former international students at Deusto on iAgora
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Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Deusto

Will German Catholic church abuse case reach Pope Benedict?


Investigations into charges of sexual and physical abuse of children by German Catholic priests are getting under way, and involve a choir run by Pope Benedict's brother. Did the pontiff know about the allegations when he was a bishop in his home country? "We do not know," a German Catholic church spokesman said.


General view to the entrance of the Regensburger Domspatzen boys' choir school in Regensburg, southern Germany, on Wednesday. Pope Benedict's brother, Georg Ratzinger, was in charge of the choir from 1964 to 1994.
Jens Meyer/AP


By David Francis Correspondent / March 11, 2010

Berlin
German Catholic church authorities here launched two intertwined investigations Wednesday into allegations of abuse by members of the clergy. One is looking into allegations about the brother of Pope Benedict XVI and the second into how much members of the German clergy – including the German-born pope - knew about the allegations, which date back to the 1950s.

The pope’s older brother, Rev. Georg Ratzinger, was in charge of the select Regensburger Domspatzen boys’ choir from 1964 to 1994. Members of that choir have alleged in recent weeks that choir leaders physically and sexually assaulted them on numerous occasions.

The Catholic diocese of Regensburg in southern Germany has appointed independent lawyer Andreas Scheulen to head the investigation. Rev. Ratzinger told Passauer Neue Presse, a German daily, that the sexual abuse allegations occurred before he was in charge of the choir, but said that he was not aware of the problem. He also told the German newspaper that he had slapped members of the choir in the 1960s, a common practice in Catholic schools at the time.




Georg Ratzinger, brother of Pope Benedict XVI, walks in front of his dwelling house in Regensburg, southern Germany, Wednesday. Ratzinger was in charge of the choir from 1964 to 1994.
Jens Meyer/AP



The emerging scandal about abusive priests and a possible cover-up by Church leaders comes after a string of similar allegations against the church in recent years that has left many Catholics disillusioned and questioning the Vatican's moral leadership.

In 2002, church leaders in Boston were found to have shuffled priests around to other dioceses when allegations of pedophilia surfaced against them in the Boston Globe. That scandal, plus similar ones in Texas, California, and elsewhere, have cost the church hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements with victims. This past December, a government inquiry in Ireland found church leaders and the Irish police covered up sexual abuse of children there for over 30 years.

Mr. Scheulen’s investigation is expected to be finished in a few weeks. Rev. Ratzinger did not return calls for comment, but has publicly asked for forgiveness.

The second investigation will be conducted by the Catholic diocese of Regensburg in southern Germany and will explore allegations that boys were sexually and physically abused at Catholic schools around Germany. So far, more than 170 former students have accused clergy members of sexual or physical abuse.

When asked if Pope Benedict, who served as bishop of Munich from 1977 to 1982, had any direct knowledge of the allegations of abuse, German Bishop’s Conference spokesman Karl Juesten told the Associated Press, "We do not know if the pope knew about the abuse cases at the time.”

These cases include allegations of naked beatings, fondling, and sodomy.

Similarities with US cover-up?
There are similarities between the cover-up of sexual abuse in US Catholic schools and the case unfolding now in Germany. As in the United States, the initial allegations were made through the media - in this case, Der Spiegel, a widely read German magazine known for its investigative reporting.

In January, the magazine reported a series of allegations about a Catholic school in Berlin. After the initial allegations, additional people came forward with similar stories. With each new allegation came revelations that the church knew about the accusations, but did nothing to stop them except to shuffle accused priests around the country.

Germans, about 30 percent of whom are Catholic, reacted with outrage in the early days of the scandal. As it has unfolded, outrage has turned to stunned shock as Pope Benedict, beloved here as the first German pope, has been drawn closer to the scandal.

"The pope, as a German pope is affected," Andreas Batlogg, a Jesuit priest and editor of the Catholic magazine Stimmen der Zeit, said from his office in Munich. "There is some concern that during his time in Munich there might have been some cases of abuse."

Batlogg added that "there is a moral responsibility to make this right."

German Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger has called for direct talks with the Vatican, while Education Minister Annette Schavan said she plans to explore new ways to impose measures to stop future cases of abuse.

The German media beyond Der Spiegel is now following the story, with some journalists beginning to question how Pope Benedict, as bishop of one of the most important dioceses in Germany, could not have been aware of the allegations.

Benedict is expected to meet with Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, head of the German’s Bishops Conference, at the Vatican on Friday to discuss the investigations. German bishops are also expected to participate in a roundtable with the pope on how to stop future abuses.

"There cases have now come to Germany, to Europe," Dr. Batlogg said. "It is a very, very difficult time. Every priest will be under suspicion."


Source: http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2010/0311/Will-German-Catholic-church-abuse-case-reach-Pope-Benedict
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