MarkT

Islamic school would breed terrorists: resident

{ 3:14 PM, 25/4/2009 } { Posted in Church } { 0 comments } { Link }

This is the type of racism that churches continue to support. It is a sad
day when other church leaders don't speak out against this uninformed racism
that lumps all Moslems with terrorists.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Islamic school would breed terrorists: resident

Elicia Murray Urban Affairs Reporter

April 23, 2009

AN Islamic school in Camden would be "a breeding ground for terrorists",
says a resident who gave evidence in support of Camden Council at an appeal
against its decision to block the school.

Judith Bond said the school would teach war and how to kill.

"Values of violence will be emphasised. It will be a breeding ground for
terrorists . There will be a surge of gang rapes, looting and attacking
infidels," Ms Bond said.

Camden residents presented evidence via DVD at the second day of a hearing
to decide whether the $19 million Islamic school should be built on the
outskirts of the town south-west of Sydney.

The area's Christian values were threatened by the proposal, said another
resident, John Waterhouse, who warned Christmas decorations and nativity
scenes would be "pulled down or withdrawn on some sort of process of
religious nit-picking".

Describing Camden as "the mouse that dared to roar", he said he did not want
prayer mats unrolled in shops or "[our] teenage daughters subjected to
demeaning taunts wearing jeans, shorts or T-shirts".

Another resident, Kate McCullogh, who was compared with Pauline Hanson when
she addressed a meeting last year wearing an Akubra hat decorated with
Australian flags, said she was "no redneck xenophobic racist like the media
have put to me".

"Let's start making people understand that the Western way of life is the
best way of life," she said.

Other residents' objections were based on urban planning matters, including
traffic flow and proximity to working farms.

Until now, Camden Council has largely distanced itself from ideological
justifications for blocking the development application for a 900-student
school. When it voted unanimously to reject the project last May, it did so
"on planning grounds alone".

But on the opening day of the appeal to the Land and Environment Court on
Tuesday, council's barrister, Craig Leggat, SC, opened his evidence with a
letter signed by a group of the region's Christian leaders, who said Islam
was an ideology with a plan for world domination.

The Reverend Fred Nile, leader of the Christian Democratic Party and an
outspoken critic of the school, said the signatories had his full support.

None of the church leaders responded to the Herald's calls yesterday. The
hearing continues today.

with Josephine Tovey

from
http://www.smh.com.au/national/islamic-school-would-breed-terrorists-resident-20090422-affr.html

Churches oppose Islamic school

{ 3:13 PM, 25/4/2009 } { Posted in Church } { 0 comments } { Link }

Churches oppose Islamic school

Elicia Murray Urban Affairs Reporter

April 22, 2009

CAMDEN'S Christian leaders have united to condemn the Quranic Society, which
wants to build an Islamic school in Camden, for espousing views which are
"incompatible with the Australian way of life".

The leaders of the St John's Anglican, Camden Presbyterian and Camden
Baptist churches and the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary signed a letter to
Camden Council arguing that the proposal was not in the public interest.

"Camden is increasingly becoming a multicultural community, but when one
part of the community seeks to dominate the public space, as we have seen in
Auburn, Bankstown, Lakemba and more recently Liverpool, the social impact is
unacceptable," says the letter, which was read at the Quranic Society's
appeal to the Land and Environment Court yesterday.

"Our concern is the Quranic Society inevitably advocates a political
ideological position that is incompatible with the Australian way of life.
This includes promoting Quranic law as being superior to national laws and
regarding followers of any rival religion as inevitably at enmity with it."

The school proposal has split the Camden community.

The council voted unanimously to reject the original application for a
1200-pupil school "on planning grounds alone" last May.

After reducing its proposal to a school catering for 900 students, the
Quranic Society took its case to the Land and Environment Court.

Commissioner Graham Brown, who will decide the school's fate, visited the
site yesterday morning, along with lawyers, council officials and residents.
It is on a rural block on the corner of Cawdor and Burragarong roads.

The hearing continued at Camden Civic Centre in the afternoon, attended by
about 150 residents.

The hearing continues today.

from
http://www.smh.com.au/national/churches-oppose-islamic-school-20090421-ae1i.html

The Gospel of Thomas.

{ 3:12 PM, 25/4/2009 } { Posted in Bible Authorship } { 0 comments } { Link }

A little information about the Gospel of Thomas.

For more information see http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/thomas.html

I also recommend reading Elaine Pagels' book "The Gnostic Gospels"
(Penguin:1979).

My comments are added in *[...]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
from "Funk, Hoover & The Jesus Seminar "The Five Gospels" (Polebridge: 1993)

The Nag Hammadi library turned up in Egypt in 1945. *[Coptic translation]
.... Nag Hammadi has yielded a complete copy of the Gopel of Thomas, lost to
view for centuries. p.9

Thomas contains one hundred and fourteen sayings and parables ascribed to
Jesus; it has no narrative framework: no account of Jesus' trial, death, and
resurrection; no birth or childhood stories; and no narrateed account of his
public ministry in Gallilee and Judea. ... The Gospel of Thomas has forty
sevebn parallels to mark, forty parallels to Q, seventeen to Matthew, four
to Luke, and five to John. These numbers include sayings that have been
counted twice. About sixty-five sayings are unique to Thomas. ... These
materials, which many scholars take to represent a tradition quite
independent of thye other giospels, provide what scientists call a "control
group" for the analysis of sayings and parables that appear in the other
gospels. p.15

[The following are the verses from the Gospel of Thomas which the Jesus
Seminar scholars coded as:

RED - I would include this item unequivically in the database for
determining who Jesus was / Jesus undoubtedly said this or something very
like it.

PINK - I would include this item with reservations (or modifications) in the
database / Jesus probably said somthing like this.

I give Chapter and Verse and have only included the actual words rather than
the full verse. This is found in "The Five Gospels" pp 471 - 532]

*[RED SAYINGS - I would include this item unequivically in the database for
determining who Jesus was / Jesus undoubtedly said this or something very
like it.]

20:2 8 *[Heaven's imperial rule] "It's like a mustard seed. (It's) the
smallest of all seeds, but when it falls on prepared soil, it produces a
large plant and becomes a shelter for birds of the sky."

54:1 "Congratulations to the poor, for to you belongs Heaven's domain."

100:2 "Give the emperor what belongs to the emperor, give God waht belongs
to God."

[*PINK SAYINGS- I would include this item with reservations (or
modifications) in the database / Jesus probably said somthing like this]

2:1 "Those who seek should not stop seeking until they find.

5:2 "For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed."

6:5 "After all, there is nothing hidden that will notb be revealed."

9:1-5 "Look, the sower went out, took a handful(of seeds), and scattered
(them). Some fell on the road, and the birds came and gathered them. Others
fell on rock, and they didn't take root in the soil and didn't produce heads
of grain. Others fell on thorns, and they choked the seeds and worms ate
them. And others fell on good soil, and it produced a good crop: it yielded
sixty per measure and one hundred twenty per measure."

10:1 "I have cast fire upon the world, and look, I'm guarding it till it
blazes."

14: 4-5 "When you go into any region and walk about in the countryside, when
people take you in, eat what they serve you .... After all, waht goes into
your mouth will not defile you; rather, it's what comes out of your mouth
that will defile you."

26:1-2 "You see the sliver in your friend's eye, but you don't see the
timber in your own eye. When you take the timber out of your own eye, then
you will see well enough to remove the sliver from your friend's eye."

31:1 "No prophet is welcome on his home turf ..."

32:1 "A city built on a high hill and fortified cannot fall, nor can it be
hidden."

33: 2-3 "After all, no one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, nor
does one put it in a hidden place. rather, one puts it on a lampstand so
that all who come and go will see its light."

35:1-2 "One can't enter a strong person's house and take it by force without
tying his hands. Then one can loot his house."

36:1-2 "Do not fret from morning to evening and from evening to morning,
(about your food - what you're going to eat, or about your clothing - ) what
you are going to wear. (You're much better than the lillies, which neither
card nor spin. ...)"

39:3 "As for you, be as sly as snakes and as simple as doves."

41:1-2 "Whoever has something in hand will be given more, and whoever has
nothing will be deprived of even the little they have."

45:1 "Grapes are not harvested from thorn trees, nor are figs gathered from
thistles ..."

47:2-4 "And a slave cannot serve two masters, otherwise that slave will
honour the one and offend the other. Nobody drinks aged wine and immediately
wants to drink young wine. Young wine is not poured into old wineskins, or
they might break, and aged wine is not poured into a new wineskin, or it
might spoil."

62:2 "Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing."

63:13 There was a rich person who had a great deal of money. He said, "I
shall invest my money so that I may sow, reap, plant, and fill my
storehouses with produce, that I may lack nothing." These were the things he
was thinking in his heart, but that very night he died."

64:1-11 A person was receiving guests. When he had prepared the dinner, he
sent his slave to invite the guests. The slave went to the first and said to
that one,"My master invites you." That one said, "Some merchants owe me
money; they are coming to me tonight. I have to go and give them
instructions. Please excuse me from dinner." The slave went to another and
said to that one, "My master has invited you." That one said to the slavve,
"I have bought a house and I have been called away for a day. I shall have
no time." The slave went to another and said to that one, "My master invites
you." That one said to the slave, "My friend is to be married, and i am to
arrange the banquet. I shall not be able to come. Please excuse me from
dinner." The slave went to another and said to that one, "My master invites
you." Tyhat one said to the slave, "I have bought an estate, and I am going
to collect the rent. I shall not be able to come. Please excuse me." The
slave returned and said to his master,"Those whom you invited to dinner have
been asked to be excused. The master said to his slave, "Go out on the
streets and bring back whomever you find to dinner."

65:1-7 A ... person owned a vineyard and rented it to some farmers, so they
could work it and he could collect its crop from them. He sent his slave so
the farmers would give him the vineyard's crop. They grabbed him, beat him,
and almost killed him, and the slave returned and told his master. His
master said, "Perhaps he didn't know them." he sent another slave, and the
farmers beat this one as well. Then the master sent his son and said,
"Perhaps they'll show my son some respect." Because the farmers knew that he
was heir to the vineyard, they grabbed him and killed him."

69:2 "Congratulations to those who go hungry, so the stomach of the one in
want may be filled."

76: 1-2 The father's imperial rule is like a merchant who had a supply of
merchandise and then found a pearl. That merchant was prudent; he sold the
merchandise and bought the single pearl for himself."

78:1-2 "Why have you come to the countryside? To see a reed shaken by the
wind? And to see a person dressed in soft clothes, (like your) rulers and
powerful ones? ..."

86:1 "(Foxes have) their dens and birds have their nests, but human beings
have no place to lay down and rest."

89:1-2 "Why do you wash the outside of the cup? Don't you understand that
the one who made the inside is also the one who made the outside?"

92:1 "Seek and you will find."

94: 1-2 "One who seeks will find, and for (one who knocks) it will be
opened."

95: 1-2 "If you have money, don't lend it at interest. Rather, give (it) to
someone from whom you won't get it back."

96:1-2 "The father's imperial rule is like (a) woma. She took a little
leaven, (hid) it in dough, and made it into large loaves of bread."

97: 14 "The (Father's) imperial rule is like a woman who was carrying a
(jar) full of meal. While she was walking along (a) distant road, the handle
of the jar broke and the meal spilled behind her (along) the road. She
didn['t know it; she hadn't noticed a problem. When she reached home, she
put the jar down and discovered it was empty."

98:1-3 "The Father's imperial rule is like a person who wanted to kill
someone powerful. While still at home he drew his sword and thrust it into
the wall to find out whether his hand would go in. Then he killed the
powerful one."

99: 2 "Those here who do what my Father wants are my brothers and my mother.
..."

109 "The (Father's) imperial rule is like a person who had a treasure hidden
in his field but did not know it. And (when) he died he left it to his
(son). The son (did) not know (about it either). He took over the field and
sold it. The buyer went plowing, (discovered) the treasure, and began to
lend money at interest to whomever he wished."

113: 2-4 [Father's imperial rule] "It will not come by watching for it. it
will not be said, "Look, here!' or "look, there!' Rather, the Father's
imperial rule is spread out upon the earth, and people don't see it."

"Seven Principles of Cosmic Spirituality" - Tom Harpur

{ 3:10 PM, 25/4/2009 } { Posted in Christianity } { 0 comments } { Link }

Seven Principles of Cosmic Spirituality

1.. The entire cosmos is the manifestation of Divine Mind-every molecule,
every cell, every creature, every rock, tree, mountain, planet, blazing
star, whirling galaxy and universe of galaxies.
2.. We are all an integral, interconnected part of the whole cosmos and
our own inner world is a holograph of the cosmos within us.
3.. One basic datum underlies every religion under the sun, the principle
of Incarnation. The Word or Logos, God's self-expression made manifest, has
given the light of its divine spark to every mind/soul coming into the
world. Christians call this the Christ or "Christ in us." Other faiths have
different names or modes of expression for this same inner reality.
4.. Every religion whose ethical core is summed up by the word
"compassion" or "loving-kindness" to all other creatures without exception
has a vision of the truth and is a valid "way" to Transcendence.
5.. No one faith or religion-whatever its claims may be, alone has The
Truth.
6.. True cosmic spirituality is steeped in, flows from, and derives its
most powerful analogies and metaphors from the natural world -- from the
tiniest bit of dust to the spiraling stars above.
7.. The core aim of cosmic spirituality is radical transformation, both
personal and societal.
'

from http://www.tomharpur.com/visionstatement.asp

Bishop Lucifer!

{ 3:08 PM, 25/4/2009 } { Posted in Church } { 0 comments } { Link }

Lucifer of Cagliari
(LUCIFER CALARITANUS)

A bishop, who must have been born in the early years of the fourth century;
died in 371. His birthplace and the circumstances of his youth are unknown.
He first appears in ecclesiastical history, in full maturity of strength and
abilities, in 354 when he was deputed by Pope Liberius, with the priest
Pancratius and the deacon Hilary, to request the Emperor Constantius to
convene a council, to deal with the accusations directed against St.
Athanasius and his previous condemnation. This council was convened at
Milan. Lucifer there defended the Bishop of Alexandria with much passion and
in very violent language, thus furnishing the adversaries of the great
Alexandrian with a pretext for resentment and further violence, and causing
a new condemnation of Athanasius. Constantius, unaccustomed to independence
on the part of the bishops, grievously maltreated Lucifer and his colleague,
Eusebius of Vercelli. Both were exiled, Lucifer being sent to Germanica, in
Syria, and thence to Eleutheropolis in Palestine; he was finally relegated
to the Thebaid.

from http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09410b.htm

"Like A Mighty Wind" Mel Tari

{ 3:07 PM, 25/4/2009 } { Posted in Fundamentalism } { 0 comments } { Link }

It is unfortunately true that Christians who refuse to use their God-given
minds and who desperately WANT to believe in miracles are easily conned. Mel
Tari's "Like A Mighty Wind" is a case in point.

http://www.amazon.com/Like-Mighty-Wind-Mel-Tari/dp/0892211210

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE MYTH:

In Indonesia, God sends a group of Pentecostal children on an evangelism
trip to a neighboring village (apparently without parental supervision). God
tells the children to go straight to the village without stopping, but, on
the way, the children pass a fruit tree and decide to stop and eat some
fruit. They take off their nice clothes first so as not to get them dirty
while climbing the fruit tree.

Soon, the children are playing and munching happily, but all that comes to a
crashing halt when they look around and discover that their clothes are
gone. Then they see the clothes--way up in the top of a huge tree that they
cannot climb.

God is punishing the children for their disobedience. The children cry and
pray and repent, and so God speaks to them and tells them to send one of the
boys to climb the tree. The boy doesn't think he can do it, but when he
starts climbing the tree, his hands and feet stick to the bark like a
spider. He scampers up the tree and retrieves the clothes, and the children
continue their evangelism trip.

COMMENTS:

This whopper appears to have originated in the twisted mind of Mr. Mel Tari.
It is one of many, many ghastly lies promoted in his books Like a Mighty
Wind and Gentle Breeze of Jesus. According to Mel, there was a Great Revival
in Indonesia, during which people were raised from the dead, evangelists
walked on water, amazing healings occurred, and water was turned into
special God-brewed nonalcoholic wine. Too bad nobody got any pictures.

The most disturbing thing about this story is that it reveals Mr. Tari's
twisted concept of God. In this story, God sounds like a schoolyard bully,
stealing little kids' clothes and holding them out of reach until the
children start to cry.

And the spider-boy? That's just weird.

Side note: In 1994, evangelist Mel Tari was convicted of fraud in a
California courtroom and ordered to repay hundreds of thousands of dollars
that he stole from a former supporter. During the court proceedings,
excerpts from Tari's books were read and the victim testified that these had
led her to trust Tari, believing that he could perform "physical and
financial miracles".

To see an article on Tari's fraud conviction in Christianity Today archives,
click on the link below:
http://www.ctlibrary.com/ct/1994/august15/4t950b.html

from http://www.pentecostalfreedom.org/forbidden_fruit.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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MarkT

Islamic school would breed terrorists: resident

Churches oppose Islamic school

The Gospel of Thomas.

"Seven Principles of Cosmic Spirituality" - Tom Harpur

Bishop Lucifer!

"Like A Mighty Wind" Mel Tari

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