Reading between the lines, and thinking outside the box . . .
The secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith told biblical scholars that false ideas of Christ are rampant, and that the Church needs to rediscover the image of the true Jesus.
Some 200 scholars, priests and bishops gathered to discuss this year's theme: "Jesus of Nazareth: Who Do The People Say I Am?" The conference addressed Christological reflections in light of Benedict XVI's book "Jesus of Nazareth."
The Archbishop rated the situation of the Church as "critical" and in need of "a rapid healing therapy" due to erroneous positions about Jesus that are currently being spread.
[WAR: It's kind of ironic that the institution that has a corner-on-the-market in the spirit of antichrist wants to address the "erroneous positions" about the Messiah. The Whore (and her pimp, Satan) wants to make sure that people believe in their paganized version that's presented to the world: "Jesus Christ" -- the supposed "God in the flesh" god-man, who was "fully God and fully man."]
Finally, some truth!...
A bishop described as "one of the most formidable figures in the world of Christian thought" is now challenging the widely held belief that Christians go to heaven when they die.
N.T. "Tom" Wright, the 4th most senior cleric in the Church of England who has been praised for his staunch defense of the literal resurrection of Jesus Christ, has published a new book in which he says people do not ascend to God's dwelling place. Instead, deceased believers are in a sleep-like state until God comes back to Earth.
Never at any point do the Gospels or Paul say Jesus has been raised, therefore we are we are all going to heaven. In the Bible we are told that you die, and enter an intermediate state. Paul is very clear that Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead already, but that nobody else has yet."
While Wright's view may seem stunning to many of today's Christians, similar views were held by some famous names in the Protestant Reformation.
In 1520, Martin Luther blasted Catholic ideas "that the soul is immortal; and all these endless monstrosities in the Roman dunghill of decretals."
A decade later, English Bible translator and martyr William Tyndale echoed the idea Christians are completely dead until Jesus returns, as he voiced opposition to "heathen" ideas of people having immortal souls:
"The heathen philosophers, denying that [resurrection], did set forth that the souls did ever live. And the pope joineth the spiritual doctrine of Christ and the fleshly doctrine of philosophers together; things so contrary that they cannot agree. And because the fleshly-minded pope consenteth unto heathen doctrine, therefore he corrupteth the Scripture to stablish it."
(And: Full article in Time)
Dedicated to caring for pilgrims and the poor and the sick, the Order of Malta (the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta) emerged in Palestine in about 1100, during the Crusades, and took up arms to defend the Holy Land. It continued its war against Islam, first from Rhodes and then from Malta, whence it was evicted by Napoleon in 1798.
Since 1834 its headquarters has been the Palazzo Magistrale in Rome, which constitutes the world's smallest sovereign state; the Order exchanges ambassadors with many countries and issues its own passports.
Membership is largely restricted to Catholics with proofs of nobility, although there is an increasing element from among the new elite. In Catholic Europe it is the last bastion of the old establishment.
As early as the 15th century the Grand Master wore the gilded armour of royalty, while in 1607 he was made, ex officio, a Prince of the Holy Roman Empire. After 1630 his rank at Rome was equated with that of a cardinal-deacon - hence the style "Most Eminent Highness".
By the end of the 17th century he had acquired all the attributes of a sovereign, addressing kings as "Cousin".
Two great states and empires confronted each other across boundaries of imagination as well as arms between the 14th and 17th centuries in Europe. As conflict receded so the vision of the enemy changed. How did this happen, and what are the lessons for today?
Chancellor Merkel rejected a proposal from Ankara to provide Turkish-trained teachers on secondment to educate minority children in German public schools. The Turkish proposal prompted an outcry from both the left and right in the country.
German banks may soon have to obtain permission from borrowers before they resell their mortgages to other financial brokers.
Bavaria's conservative Christian Social Union is contemplating legislation that would require banks to offer more transparency in the resale of loans to international investors.
The party says new legislation is needed to protect borrowers, who could be subject to a quicker foreclosure with new mortgage owners than they might face with their own banks.
[Europress] [Russopress]
Exorcism -- the church rite of expelling evil spirits from tortured souls -- is making a comeback in Catholic regions of Europe.
Politicians on the Right called upon Shas to leave the government immediately on Sunday after The Jerusalem Post revealed that secret talks were taking place with the Palestinians in which Foreign Minister Livni had made concessions on Jerusalem.
As reported in Sunday's Post, a senior Palestinian Authority official said that the Palestinian negotiating team had been holding "secret talks" with Livni and other government officials over the past few weeks.
"The main progress has been achieved during the secret talks, particularly on the issue of Jerusalem. Today we can say that Israel is prepared to withdraw from almost all the Arab neighborhoods and villages in Jerusalem. Israel is prepared to redivide Jerusalem, and this is a positive development."
An 8-year-old boy lost his leg in a Palestinian rocket attack on the Israeli town of Sderot, heaping pressure on Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to launch full-scale retaliation. One opposition MP called for Israel's military to "wipe a neighbourhood in Gaza off the map".
[WAR: So how many people/reporters are going to scream bloody-murder over this comment about wiping a neighborhood "off the map"? Ahmadinejad was only accused, via a mistranslation, of saying he wanted to "wipe Israel off the map" and look at the reaction that ensued. They double-standard hypocrisy continues...]
Afghanistan is a failed state and time is running out before a majority of people in the country want to see NATO troops leave, Lord Ashdown has warned. "I think Afghanistan is a failed state, I don't think it is on the edge of it. The question is are we on the edge of losing this battle?"
The US has urged European leaders as well as the public to be more supportive of NATO-led mission in Afghanistan, a cornerstone of the US war on terror, or the alliance will be "effectively destroyed" by a failure in the central Asian country.
[WAR: I've often mentioned about Germany becoming politically and economically free by the coming collapse of the EU and the euro. So the collapse of NATO would also allow Germany to become militarily free -- able to pursue its own course for its own agenda, without consulting any burdensome "allies."]
The West remains at constant risk of large-scale al-Qa'eda terrorist attacks because the Pakistani military requires years of training before it will be able to combat militancy, a Western military official has warned.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, kicking off a 3-nation African tour, Sunday pledged his country's help to support former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's mediation effort in Kenya.
French imperialism is increasingly outclassed by other imperialist powers in its struggle to maintain economic and political control of its former African colonies, as China and the US increase their influence.
France fell behind Germany (in 2002) and then China (in 2004) as a source of African imports. China in particular has emerged as a new presence in Africa, seeking contracts especially for oil and raw materials.
At the same time, the destabilisation of Chad would further undermine French influence and risk exporting the Darfur conflict, already affecting eastern Chad and the Central African Republic, towards Cameroon and Nigeria, the centre of West Africa's oil industry.
Thousands of refugees fleeing attacks by Arab militias and Sudanese Army bombs in the ravaged western region of Darfur have flooded into neighboring Chad, the UN said, and many more may be on their way as Sudan strikes back at a rebel offensive in the area.
The attacks throw a region sundered by conflict into still deeper chaos as a volatile mix of rebels, government forces and ethnic militias jockey to control a vast and unforgiving stretch of semidesert that straddles the two troubled countries.
The new fighting will further complicate the long-awaited deployment of a UN and African Union joint peacekeeping force in Darfur. The morass of conflict engulfing the region has become more complex and difficult to control.
Olmert's visit comes at particularly sensitive moment in German-Israeli relations. In March, the German cabinet, including Chancellor Merkel, will travel to Israel to hold a special cabinet session in celebration of Israel's 60th anniversary, yet many critics assert that Germany is failing to embrace a confrontational posture with Iran.
Jewish organizations in Europe have voiced their concern over Germany's ties with Iran.
Germany maintains strong economic ties to Iran, and remains the #1 European export partner for the Iranian economy. Some two-thirds of Iranian industry relies on German engineering products.
"The German business relationship with Iran has not changed. Business as usual continues. They have become smarter and conceal the relationship."
While in Germany, Olmert is planning to lobby for tougher measures to force Iran to curb a nuclear program he has called a threat to Israel's existence. "The issues we will discuss in Germany are important for Israel's security," Olmert told reporters on the flight to Berlin.
A senior Israeli official said the time had come "to upgrade the economic and diplomatic pressure" on Iran.
Olmert is to meet Merkel today, and then again on Tuesday. He is also to meet President Koehler and members of the Bundestag, the German lower house of parliament.
President Ahmadinejad says Iran will not retreat an inch over its nuclear program and will defend its inalienable rights to the last, he told a huge rally of Iranians marking the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Tehran today.
Iran is to launch 2 more rockets into space in the next few months, President Ahmadinejad announced today. "Two other rockets will be launched so that we can then send a satellite into space. We hope that Iran's first home-produced satellite will be launched in the summer."
EU officials furious over extra data on all air passengers
The US administration is pressing the 27 governments of the EU to sign up for a range of new security measures for transatlantic travel, including allowing armed guards on all flights from Europe to America by US airlines.
The demand to put armed air marshals on to the flights is part of a travel clampdown by the Bush administration that officials in Brussels described as "blackmail" and "troublesome", and could see west Europeans and Britons required to have US visas if their governments balk at Washington's requirements.
Brussels is pressing European governments not to sign the bilateral deals with the Americans to avoid weakening the EU bargaining position.
A senior EU official said the Americans could get "a gung-ho frontrunner" to sign up to the new regime and then use that agreement "as a rod to beat the other member states with".
If you think the election and the prospect of a change in Washington means a change in our foreign policy of global aggression, then think again – because it doesn't.
Remember, anything can happen between now and the inauguration of the next president.Whether it's war with Iran, a surprise intervention in Pakistan, or a sudden "crisis" somewhere else, would anyone be surprised if this administration takes full advantage of its remaining months in office to really stick us with their agenda of perpetual war?
Even by the dismal standards of what passes for a national debate on intelligence and civil liberties, last week was a really bad week.
As each day passes, our government at all levels becomes increasingly secretive. For our own collective good, of course.
Space prohibits going into the clandestine activities taking place in and around Sodom on the Potomac, but it is not only the CIA keeping people in the dark.
The Constitution has become a historic relic and is turning out to be, as its critics have noted, a "political document."
Congress has relinquished its duties to the Imperial Presidency and the last thing between the people and totalitarian government is the court system.
As I noted in my last post, the withdrawal of both Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson would spur neo-conservatives and their closest aggressive nationalist friends, like John Bolton, to rally behind John McCain as their preferred candidate.
Of course, now that Romney himself has withdrawn, there hasn't really much of an alternative, notwithstanding Mike Huckabee's ardent Christian Zionism.
(And: The Bush-McCain relationship)
(Cartoon: Tornado season)
(And: What choice do voters have?)
In stunning fashion, the California Democratic primary signaled that the future has arrived with dramatic implications for the entire nation. There has never been an important election like this where a candidate failed to win African Americans and whites but won overall -- as Clinton did in California.
Once again, California flipped the script. Latinos and Asians carried Hillary to victory in California on their backs and quite likely salvaged her entire campaign. The national media has now come around to the idea of Latinos as a "sleeping giant."
This is a turning point in US political history: no serious candidate for the presidency from here on out can ignore the mandate to build a multiracial coalition.
Former CO governor Lamm:
I have a secret plan to destroy America. If you believe, as many do, that America is too smug, too white bread, too self-satisfied, too rich, let's destroy America. It is not that hard to do..
1. We must first make America a bilingual-bicultural country. It is a blessing for an individual to be bilingual; it is a curse for a society to be bilingual.
2. I would then invent "multiculturalism" and encourage immigrants to maintain their own culture.
3. We can make the US a "Hispanic Quebec" without much effort. The key is to celebrate diversity rather than unity.
4. Having done all this, I would make our fastest-growing demographic group the least educated.
5. I would then get the big foundations and big business to give these efforts lots of money.
6. I would establish dual citizenship and promote divided loyalties. I would "celebrate diversity."
7. Then I would place all these subjects off-limits–make it taboo to talk about.
Worries about a deeper global economic slowdown than had been expected battered equities today and hit the dollar. Meanwhile, commodity prices soared, adding fears of inflation to the mix.
President Hugo Chavez on Sunday threatened to cut off oil sales to the United States in an "economic war" if Exxon Mobil Corp. wins court judgments to seize billions of dollars in Venezuelan assets.
Exxon Mobil has gone after the assets of state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA in US, British and Dutch courts as it challenges the nationalization of a multibillion dollar oil project by Chavez's government. A British court has issued an injunction "freezing" as much as $12 billion in assets.
"If you end up freezing (Venezuelan assets) and it harms us, we're going to harm you," Chavez said. "Hello, President. Do you know how? We aren't going to send oil to the United States. Take note, Mr. Bush, Mr. Danger."
Venezuela accounted for about 12% of US crude oil imports in November. The 1.23 million barrels a day from Venezuela makes that country the US's 4th-biggest oil importer behind Canada, Saudi Arabia and Mexico.
Many financial institutions will not have access to the kinds of trades that traditionally have helped plump their earnings in the short term. Even with the Fed on the case, a quick turnaround in the crucial financial sector is looking less likely.
The talking heads on CNBC can debate whether the US economy is currently in a recession, but it sure feels like one. In fact, the numbers at Shadow Government Statistics indicate the US economy has been in a recession since the 4th quarter of 2004.
Seeing the light?...
Many ordinary Americans have long been suspicious of free trade, seeing it as a destroyer of good-paying jobs.
But something momentous is happening inside the church of free trade: Doubts are creeping in. We're not talking wholesale, dramatic repudiation of the theory.
Economists are, however, noting that their ideas can't explain the disturbing stagnation in income that much of the middle class is experiencing. They also fear a protectionist backlash unless more is done to help those who are losing out.
It's been over 6 years since 9/11, but US regulatory entities have been slow to follow through with reports about the complex financial transactions that occurred just prior to and following the attacks.
Such research could shed light on such questions as who was behind them—and who benefited—and could help lay to rest the rumors that have been festering. Warning bells about anomalies in the fiscal sector were sounded in the summer of 2001, but not heeded.
Among those who has since raised questions was Bill Bergman. As a financial market analyst for the Federal Reserve, he was assigned in 2003 to review the record of July and August of 2001.
He noticed an unusual surge in the currency component of the M1 money supply (cash circulating outside of banks) during that period. The surge totaled over $5 billion above the norm for a 2-month increase. The increase in August alone was the 3rd largest single monthly increase since 1947, even after a significantly above-average month in July.
Surges in the currency component of M1 are often the result of people withdrawing their cash to protect themselves lest some anticipated disaster befall the economy. Bergman asked about this anomaly—and was removed from his investigative duties.
The world's rubbish dump:
A "plastic soup" of waste floating in the Pacific Ocean is growing at an alarming rate and now covers an area twice the size of the continental US, scientists have said.
The vast expanse of debris – in effect the world's largest rubbish dump – is held in place by swirling underwater currents. This drifting "soup" stretches from about 500 nautical miles off the Californian coast, across the northern Pacific, past Hawaii and almost as far as Japan.
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