Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Philosophical thoughts related to recent 'cult' like group

Guadalupe Mountains, National Park, Texas (trekearth.com) 

1. I visited Carson City, Nevada several years ago with Saint Chucklins of Ditch. We were in a hockey draft with my brother in Reno. Being the good fundi-Menno Chuckles was not into gambling, and I was not into it either, having been told it was sin by a professor at Canadian Baptist Seminary and by a Mennonite professor at Columbia Bible College.;) Well, I actually am not into wasting money. We were therefore bored with Reno and found a lot of the hired help rude. 

In Carson City, I wondered where Johnny Carson was that day. We had to use the washroom and there was no public washroom, so we quickly dashed into a steakhouse restaurant in a fancy old building. I went but Cardinal Chucklins took longer. There was a sign stating that the facilities were for the use of patrons only. When were both done the owner chased us down the street threatening to have Pope Chucklins, the Innocent arrested. I said something along the lines of 'Go ahead we are from Canada'.:) 

The End 

2. I saw a couple of stories on this group on CNN.com and watched a couple of videos. I am no expert on the story or the cult. That is not primarily what this post is about. 

CNN 

To quote parts of the article:

Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- A group of 13 Salvadoran immigrants missing in southern California amid fears that they planned a cult-like mass suicide have been found alive, unhurt and upset to find they were the subjects of an extensive search. Authorities had been scouring the Palmdale area of northern Los Angeles County on horseback and by helicopter Sunday in search of the group, which included eight children between the ages of 3 and 17, said Steve Whitmore, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. A resident spotted one of the vehicles identified in the lookout at a park and notified the sheriff's department, he said.' 

The search began Saturday afternoon, when the husbands of two women in the group reported them missing, the Sheriff's Department said. One of the men said their wives were part of a "cult-like group" and had been "brainwashed" by its leader, and Whitmore said the wife left a purse with her husband and asked her "to pray over" it. When the husband opened the purse, he found money, mobile phones and notes that "talked about meeting Jesus, talked about deceased relatives soon to meet up," Whitmore told CNN earlier Sunday. 

That raised concerns that the group members planned to take their own lives, he said.' The husbands told investigators that the group had broken away from a Christian church in the Los Angeles area "and formed a separate group that included both traditional and non-traditional practices and beliefs," the Sheriff's Department said Saturday. Its leader, whom investigators identified as Reyna Marisol Chicas, had taken her followers on a similar outing six months ago "in the apparent belief that there was going to be a major earthquake."'

Quote from the Los Angeles Times: 


But she said some congregants would meet separately, in their own prayer groups outside the church, and among those groups beliefs could vary. Chicas, she said, never took on a leadership position at the church beyond greeter at Sunday services, but may have been more assertive within a prayer group. Chicas had slowly severed social ties with the couple -- no longer wanting to drink or go out as they used to. They last saw her at the church about six months ago.' End of citations. Now, with the following: 'he group had broken away from a Christian church in the Los Angeles area "and formed a separate group that included both traditional and non-traditional practices and beliefs,' 'But she said some congregants would meet separately, in their own prayer groups outside the church, and among those groups beliefs could vary.

Those of you that know me personally, and those of who read my blogs, thekingpin68 and satire and theology, will quite possibly realize I am a non-conformist, free-thinker and although I am teachable, I do not primarily let others do my Biblical Studies, theology and philosophy for me. However, I am still a traditionalist. At least in the sense that I reason the Scripture was inspired by God, presented historically through prophets, apostles and Scribes, and that the Word is the living God that also became incarnate and is the risen Lord. This living Lord does work through his Church. That is present tense. 

Based on this view, my Biblical work, theology and religious philosophy is historically grounded and therefore it has an objective aspect and is not primarily subject to my personal thoughts and interpretations. Of course I interpret but it is through a historical Biblical lens, with the assistance of the Church through scholarship, preaching, and personal interaction. I value the observations and views of others that share in the appreciation of Scripture in context, and I am not my own island when it comes to Biblical Studies, theology and philosophy of religion (the secular perspective on religious philosophy). I therefore do not favour a break away from the Christian Church with the formation of personalized little groups. I am against cult-like Christianity and cultic pseudo-Christianity.
In addition:

I do not have a problem with the formation of independent churches or new denominations when it is for the sake of Biblical truth. But, this needs to be done with a view that the worldwide unofficial Church of Christ should not be abandoned. Where there is agreement on essential doctrines there can still be fellowship, intellectual fellowship at least, even when there is disagreement on secondary issues.


Part of this movie is being filmed across the street Friday, and is why there is no parking...'exciting'.

4. Satirical and serious photos

 



Tuesday, September 07, 2010

Religious album covers, kind of

Bizarre Records,com
Browning, W. R. F (1997) Oxford Dictionary of the Bible, Oxford, Oxford University Pres

I have observed some Christian and non-Christian fashion blogs in my web searches. I in no way claim to be overly fashionable or a fashion expert. 

But here is my take on this cover. The females in white are doing fine. The older lady in the multi-coloured outfit may be colour blind and not realize that her dress looks like it was made of raked up leaves. The one guy is wearing a brown jacket with gray pants, and even I know that does not work well. The man wearing the red jacket with the blue pants looks like an American car salesman pushing deals and 'steals' on July 4th in live television ads. 
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These albums are all new to this blog. I have done other posts on this subject. 





Carol Channing: Bizarre Records.com
The year without a Santa Claus? For some fundamentalists is that not every year? But, I am no apologist for Santa. If I had children I would not build the Santa story as if it were real, and certainly would emphasize Christ in Christmas. At the same time, I would not suggest my children tell other children that Santa is fictional. Or that Santa is of Satan! I understand that Christ was not likely at all born on December 25.
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Browning states, that the early Church had no celebration for the birth of Christ. The date of the birth was unknown. Eventually, the birth of Christ within the calendar was given a single day of January 6. In the 4th century the Church designated December 25 as a good day for the celebration as it had been the pagan festival of Sol Invictus when the sun triumphed over darkness of winter as the days became longer again. Browning (1997: 63). To me, this issue is rather on the unimportant side theologically. The Church simply put aside a yearly day, and season to celebrate the birth of Christ. I reason the religious groups that place far too much emphasis on this issue are probably to some degree cultic and therefore have more serious theological problems concerning the nature of God, human salvation, law and grace they should be concerned with.
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Church of Christ preacher Ira North.
(Video deleted on Facebook, note June 21, 2020)

I do not know much about him. I have no firm opinion, but I can see the modern secular liberal critic looking at the cover and thinking, 'That fundamentalist was struggling with his sexuality and was considering having a sex change operation, but the repressive Church was condemning him for it and therefore he stayed a man'. He seemed quite conservative, but was trying to preach through a woman's perspective.

Imagine that, trying to understand the perspective of someone radically different in some ways.

How non-21st century is that?
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Ephesians 5:25-27 (New American Standard Bible) 25(A)Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and (B)gave Himself up for her, 26(C)so that He might sanctify her, having (D)cleansed her by the (E)washing of water with (F)the word, 27 that He might (G)present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be (H)holy and blameless.
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Santa's Helpers: Bizarre Records.com
Carl Preacher: Bizarre Records.com
The joke is on me. Christmas Eve 2000 in downtown Manchester, Pope Chucklins the Non-resistant and I were attacked by three men outside after dinner. They were actually part of a group of about thirty men. 

The three were losing in the fight against me and so one of them threw a bottle and took out my two front teeth and broke my nose. When I called home, my brother stated 'All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth'. I eventually received crowns in Manchester that had to be redone eventually in BC. The nose was 'fixed and straightened' by hand without anesthetic while I was in Manchester. That too had to be redone when I came home. My surgeon here said the doctors had made the nose worse in England. He joked that my nose internally was near my ears. 

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The black Bob Ross in a fancy white suit? There. I have no interest in it being just Jesus and me. And I have no interest in it being just Jesus and Carl. Carl, theologically there is no room for a fourth member of the Trinity.
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Does his desired 'feelin' have something to do with the overuse of some illegal or legal substance? No judgment here, I do not know anything about the man, but if not, I 'swear' he looks like some of the folks around here that use 'BC Bud'. By the way, someone in my complex, which is mainly 55 years and up, even though I am many years younger than that, smokes cigarillos many evenings after dinner. After midnight the type of cigarette changes to something that you cannot (yet anyway) buy at the grocery store. 

Bizarre Records.com
As well, in the park across from our complex some nights are pot smoking parties and they take place in the park down the road. That was park I had spotted the cougar walking into a few months ago. The cougar busting up a pot party. That would be funny to see.

Our society here in BC is quite liberal on the subject of marijuana.

No, I have never smoked anything and have no intention of doing so. I have put years into my brain and I have no intention of messing with it with smokes of any kind.  
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That puppet albums reminds me of that creepy film Magic (1978). I did not watch the movie but remember the disturbing television promotional ads as a child. 

I just do not 'get into' that type of puppetry, and so I guess Sesame Street is still my intellectual level for puppets. 
Magic (1978)

Bizarre Records.com