After School Satan Club USA?

Greis Viladu from Facebook

The Satanic Temple and an After School Satan Club

Miami Harald July 31

BY KATHERINE STEWART Washington Post

Cited

'An After School Satan Club could be coming to your kid's elementary school'

Cited

'They're here plotting to bring their wisdom to the nation's public elementary school children. They point out that Christian evangelical groups already have infiltrated the lives of America's children through after-school religious programming in public schools, and they appear determined to give young students a choice: Jesus or Satan.' '

Cited

'"It's critical that children understand that there are multiple perspectives on all issues, and that they have a choice in how they think," said Doug Mesner, the Satanic Temple's co-founder.'

Cited

'On Monday, the group plans to introduce its After School Satan Club to public elementary schools, including one in Prince George's County, petitioning school officials to allow them to open immediately as the academic year starts. Chapter heads from New York, Boston, Utah and Arizona were in Salem on July 10 talking strategy, with others from Minneapolis, Detroit, San Jose, New Orleans, Pittsburgh and Florida'

Cited

'The Satanic Temple – which has been offering tongue-in-cheek support for the fallen angel in public arenas that have embraced prayer and parochial ceremonies – is bringing its fight over constitutional separation of church and state to the nation's schools.'

Cited

'The Temple rejects all forms of supernaturalism and is committed to the view that scientific rationality provides the best measure of reality. According to Mesner, who goes by the professional name of Lucien Greaves, "Satan" is just a "metaphorical construct" intended to represent the rejection of all forms of tyranny over the human mind. The curriculum for the proposed after-school clubs emphasizes the development of reasoning.'

I accept that is their view.

The view is typical of the secularism, naturalism and empiricism held today by many in Western society.

However, there is supernatural, Satanic worship, documented in Scripture.

The Antichrist in the temple, 'displaying himself as being God' (2 Thessalonians 2 4: New American Standard Bible). Satanic worship occurring by all those those whose names were not written in 'the book of life of the Lamb' (Jesus Christ) (Revelation 13-20).

There are also less direct examples, as in the use of supernatural powers of darkness, as in the secret arts of the Egyptian magicians in Exodus 7 from the Hebrew Bible,

Interestingly, Mounce reasons that the first beast (Antichrist), the second beast (false prophet) of Revelation 13, along with the Dragon (Satan) of Revelation,  make up a satanic 'evil triumvirate.' (258). Finite and corrupt, in contrast to the triune God, that is infinite and perfectly holy.

The Antichrist receives power and authority from the Dragon (Revelation 13: 4) and the false prophet glorifies the Antichrist (Revelation 13; 12). (258).

This parodies the Holy Trinity.

Only a human being that is spiritually insane would choose to worship the finite parody over the infinite reality which has the power of everlasting life, everlasting death and everlasting punishment (Revelation 20).

But worship, directly or indirectly of finite 'gods' is not unreasonable to imagine, as we can cite spiritual and philosophical insanity throughout today's world within various worldviews, religious and non-religious.

There is also often lack of theological clarity within the Christian Church.

Franklin Graham on Facebook stated:

Not his entire comment:

'Saturday The Washington Post reported that “After School Satan Clubs” could be coming to elementary schools across the country. The initiative is sponsored by The Satanic Temple which says they don’t worship Satan at all, but they are a voice for secularism.'

'...Let’s pray for this man’s eyes to be opened to the truth of the Gospel and his own personal need of a Savior. Pray for his heart to be touched and softened by the working of God’s Holy Spirit.'

Barcelona-trekearth

MOUNCE, ROBERT H. (1990) The Book of Revelation, Grand Rapids, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

The World's Five Most Valuable Sports Teams 2016

2007

I briefly researched the 'pit' imagery from the previous article (and archived posts) and did not find what I expected...

Yes, another 'dig' at a certain corporation discussed on this website over the years.
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The World's Five Most Valuable Sports Teams 2016

Forbes July 13

National Football League

1. Dallas Cowboys, 4 Billion, National Football League

With the continual rise of the women's movement, the Dallas Cowgirls should also be on this list.

This reads like discrimination!

Wait a minute...

Dallas Transgender?

With the continual rise of the medical and scientific evidence of concussion injuries associated with playing in the National Football League; should the United States government mandate that the Dallas Cowboys uniforms feature an alternative logo on their uniforms showing a concussed football player?

Real Madrid

2. Real Madrid, 3.65 Billion, La Liga, UEFA

This year winning their eleventh UEFA Champions League title.

This along with Portugal winning Euro 2016, and France choking on its home soil, gave Ronaldo two championship opportunities to take his shirt off in front of millions, broadcast live.

Phoney Madrid FC had another horrible year...

Fake Madrid logo: footballopod.com

FC Barcelona

'Fat Real Madrid' is back...

3. Barcelona 3.55 Billion, La Liga, UEFA

Real Madrid and Barcelona are now no longer considered the 'big two' in Spain, as Atletico Madrid lost the UEFA Champions League final to Real Madrid for the second time in three years.

There is now the 'big three' and the Barcelona logo, still has that 1970s look and still needs a diet...

To be fair, it could be a pregnant looking Real Madrid logo...as an academic, I should reasonably consider more than one intellectual option.

4. New York Yankees, 3.4 Billion, Major League Baseball

New York Yankees

Okay, remember I am Canadian...

This may be a dumb intellectual question, but if the South, the Confederacy, had won the American Civil War, would the New York Yankees instead be known as the...

New York Rednecks?

or

New York Good Ol' Boys?

 5. Manchester United, 3.32 Billion, English Premier League, UEFA

Manchester United

New and very successful manager, José Mourinho, should vastly improve the club. The club was ranked #1 for years by Forbes, but now are only the third highest ranked European football club.

A fundamentalist Christian could opine the club is in decline because the club is called the Red Devils. Although in our politically correct Western culture, it is better than being called the Redskins.

The Washington Reds to me seems a reasonable compromise club name.

Popularity fallacy revisited

gifbin.com

May 12, 2016: Dr RNM

I noted:

PIRIE, MADSEN (2006)(2015) How To Win Every Argument, Bloomsbury, London.

This fallacy is a particular irritant and was as well, before I was an academic. But I will attempt objectivity.

Quote

'The argumentum ad populum appeals to popular attitudes instead of presenting relevant material. In other words, it is based on prejudice. It exploits the known propensity of people to accept that which fits in comfortably with their preconceptions. The popular prejudices may or may not be justified, but the speaker who makes his case depend solely upon them is guilty of an ad populum fallacy. Pirie (165).

Further, the author explains that this fallacy can inflame passions and prejudices more appropriate to mass hysteria than to rational discourse. (165). Those that use this fallacy 'take the easy way out'. (165). Playing on the emotions of the multitude. (165). Or, trusting in that fallacious type of thinking in regard to personal preferences and convictions, as opposed to researching and asking God for truth, even if that is uncomfortable truth.

Blackburn agrees with Pirie, basically, stating that this fallacy is 'appealing to the prejudices of the people.' (24).
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Mr. Matt on Monday evening in Vancouver, mentioned the need to be humble in regard to receiving teaching from senior well-known, popular, respected Christian academics.

I agree, however:

Based on years of academic research, I think there are some well-educated bloggers, pastors and other teachers that have more intellectual insights than some well-known, popular, theologians and academics, including those reviewed in my British theses work.

On some points, not on every point.

At most points, humanly speaking in finite terms, I consider myself prinarily the student and submit to the teacher (s). Of course God in Scripture is the infinite teacher.

Isaiah 48:17-18 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

17 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, Who leads you in the way you should go. 18 “If only you had paid attention to My commandments! Then your [a]well-being would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.

Footnotes: Isaiah 48:18 Or peace

But there are times, with God's help, I may be placed in the teacher position and favour my own researched and reasoned views over popular ones.

Therefore, the argumentum ad populum should not be used.

BLACKBURN, SIMON (1996) Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, Oxford, Oxford University Press. 

PIRIE, MADSEN (2006)(2015) How To Win Every Argument, Bloomsbury, London.

Pinterest

Buzzfeed

Buzzfeed

I liked these as a child...

Wikipedia

Cited

'Popeye Cigarettes marketed using the Popeye character were sold for a while and had red tips (to look like a lit cigarette) before being renamed candy sticks and being manufactured without the red tip.'

Candy sticks

Walmart.ca: Apparently still on sale in some jurisdictions.

Eleven season tickets sold, seventy thousand seat stadium

Italia.it: Lazio, Rome

I heard a related story on Talk Sport...

Bravo.

The Independent July 20

Cited

'Lazio sell a mere eleven tickets on the opening day of sales as fans continue to protest against club president'

'Fans have grown disillusioned with the club following a disappointing season and the embarrassing resignation of Marcelo Bielsa'
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Legendary, two-time Serie A Champion, S.S. Lazio perhaps needs to be relocated to an unproven market in the southern United States.

Because it is 'good for the growth of the game.'

S.S. Viva Las Vegas?

Cited

'Serie A side Lazio were left red-cheeked after selling only 11 season tickets on the opening day of sales. The tickets went on sale on Monday but reports from La Gazetta dello Sport stated that less than a dozen applications had been made by the end of the day. This follows a disappointing year of sales in which the club sold less than 13,000 season tickets for the 2015/16 despite the fact their Stadio Olimpico home holds more than 70,000 people.'

Cited continued

'Fans have grown disillusioned with the club following an underwhelming season in which the side finished eighth in the league. Matters were made worse by the farcical situation involving Marcelo Bielsa. The Argentine manager was appointed as the permanent successor to previous boss Stefano Pioli but pulled out of the deal two days later. Reports suggest Bielsa withdraw from the role because the club had failed to sign a single player.'

Eighth? Imagine the riots if they had a club like the Vancouver Canucks?

Cited continued

'It seems that fans have now reached breaking point after taking to the streets of Rome last week to protest against club president Claudio Lotito.'

'The announcement that the club only sold 11 season tickets on Monday will further aggravate an already hostile situation.'
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Uncle Chuck and I attended a double header at BC.Place Stadium, last night:

The first was a friendly match with Crystal Palace (London) @ Vancouver Whitecaps FC, and was decently attended, with the top tier of seating closed. BC Place is a world-class stadium having been built prior to Expo 86 and then significantly renovated for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Caps v Palace

Two teams I had to look up online...Chuck too.

The second friendly match, with admittedly, not top notch clubs, looked like the UEFA crowd ban had been issued, or this was the upcoming golf tournament at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

I stated to Chuckles that I should be hired for marketing and public relations for the local football, as I could do better with my I.T. experience and sports knowledge. I think S.S. Lazio could likewise use marketing and public relations assistance with eleven season tickets sold for a seventy thousand seat stadium.