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| | Oracle DelphiFrom: "Middle-Weights"Interesting ("Quixotic") Topics in-between Short-Shorts & Long-Shots | |
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Taglines: | Let the exploration continue to expand ...!!! Oracle Delphi — the Oracle of Delphi is still mysterious indeed! |
by Paul Quek, from Singapore BBA (Hons), MAppSci (CompSci) [Bachelor of Business Administration, Honours]
[Master of Applied Science, Computing Science] Check this out: Cool Software! (New window opens)
| Incept Date: | | 10 September 2009 | | Rev'd Date: | | 18 November 2009 |
"The Mystery of the Delphi Oracle"
Uploaded to YouTube by: NationalGeographic Date of Upload: June 16, 2009 Description: Archaeologists try to uncover the truth behind a greek prophecy. Tags: delphi oracle greece greek ancient trance hallucinate
hallucination
 |  |  |  | Oracle Delphi Delphi
(Wikipedia)
Delphi ... is both an archaeological site and a modern town in Greece on the
south-western spur of Mount Parnassus in the valley of Phocis. Delphi was the site of the Delphic oracle, the most important oracle in the
classical Greek world, when it was a major site for the worship of the god
Apollo after he slew the Python, a deity who lived there and protected the
navel of the Earth. His sacred precinct in Delphi was a panhellenic sanctuary,
where every four years athletes from all over the Greek world competed in the
Pythian Games, one of the four panhellenic (or stephanitic) games, precursors
to the Modern Olympics.
Delphi was revered throughout the Greek world as the site of the omphalos
stone, the centre of the earth and the universe. In the inner hestia ("hearth") of the Temple of Apollo, an eternal flame
burned. After the battle of Plataea, the Greek cities extinguished their fires and
brought new fire from the hearth of Greece, at Delphi; in the foundation
stories of several Greek colonies, the founding colonists were first dedicated
at Delphi.
[...]
OracleDelphi is perhaps best-known for the oracle at the sanctuary that became
dedicated to Apollo during the classical period. According to Aeschylus in the
prologue of the Eumenides, it had origins in prehistoric times and the worship
of Gaia. In the last quarter of the 8th century BC there is a steady increase of
artifacts found at the settlement site in Delphi, which was a new,
post-Mycenaean settlement of the late 9th century. ...
The priestess of the oracle at Delphi was known as the Pythia. Apollo spoke through his oracle, who had to be an older woman of blameless
life chosen from among the peasants of the area. The sibyl or prophetess took
the name Pythia
and sat on a tripod seat over an opening in the earth. When Apollo slew Python, its body fell into this fissure, according to legend,
and fumes arose from its decomposing body. Intoxicated by the vapors, the sibyl
would fall into a trance, allowing Apollo to possess her spirit. In this state
she prophesied. It has been postulated that a gas high in ethylene came out of this opening
that is known to produce violent trances, though this theory remains debatable. While in a trance the Pythia "raved" - probably a form of ecstatic speech - and
her ravings were "translated" by the priests of the
temple into elegant hexameters. People consulted the Delphic oracle on
everything from important matters of public policy to personal affairs. The oracle could not be consulted during the winter months, for this was
traditionally the time when Apollo would live among the Hyperboreans. Dionysus
would inhabit the temple during his absence.
H.W. Parke writes that the foundation of Delphi and its oracle took place
before the times of recorded history and its origins are obscure, but dating to
the worship of the Great Goddess, Gaia.
[...]
The Oracle exerted considerable influence throughout the Greek world, and she
was consulted before all major undertakings: wars, the founding of colonies,
and so forth. She also was respected by the semi-Hellenic countries around the Greek world,
such as Lydia, Caria, and even Egypt.
The Oracle benefited by the Macedonian Kings. Later it was placed under the
protection of the Aetolians. After a brief period the Romans started to emerge,
who even protected it from a dangerous barbarian invasion in 109 B.C. and 105
B.C. A major reorganization was initiated which was interrupted by the wars of
Mithridatic Wars and Sulla who took many rich offerings from the Oracle. Barbarian invasions were the direct cause of harm, burning the Temple, which
had been damaged severely by an earthquake in 83 B.C. The result was that the
Oracle fell in decay and the surrounding area became impoverished. The small
population led to difficulties in finding the right people to fill the posts
required. Its credibility waned due to doubtful predictions. When Nero came to Greece in 66 AD, he took away over 500 of the best statues
from Delphi to Rome. Subsequent Roman emperors from the Flavian dynasty
contributed significantly
towards its restoration. Hadrian offered complete autonomy. Also Plutarch was a
significant factor by his presence as a chief priest. However, barbarian raids
during the reign of Marcus Aurelius and removal of statues and other riches
(practically looting) by Constantine the Great caused it to decay. The short
reign of Julian the Apostate was not capable to improve its situation. Despite
this, the Oracle existed until it was ordered to close by emperor Theodosius I
in 395 AD. The site was abandoned for almost 100 years, until Christians started to settle
permanently in the area and established a small town about 600 AD by the name Kastri.
[...]
Excavations
The site had been occupied by the village of Kastri since medieval times and
this had to be relocated before a systematic excavation of the site could be
undertaken, a relocation resisted by the residents. The opportunity to relocate the village was presented when it was substantially
damaged by an earthquake, with villagers offered a completely new village in
exchange for the old site. In 1893 the French Archaeological School removed vast quantities of soil from
numerous landslides to reveal both the major buildings and structures of the
sanctuary of Apollo and of Athena Proaea along with thousands of objects,
inscriptions and sculptures.
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Oracle Delphi
THE MYTH REGARDING THE DESTRUCTION OF
ANCIENT HELLENIC MONUMENTS BY CHRISTIANS By Protopresbyter fr. George Metallinos
f. Dean of the Athens University School of Theology Taken from the convention organized in Thessaloniki
by the Society for Orthodox
Studies,
on the topic of “Phenomena of neo-idolatry”
Adapted from:
www.oodegr.com/english/paganismos/diogmoi/katastr_nawn_mythos1.htm Among the high-sounding Neo-pagan arguments against Christianity is the one
that claims a supposed systematic and organized destruction of ancient Hellenic
monuments by Christians; an argument which has taken on the form of a
stereotyped myth that is reproduced according to prevailing circumstances. It
is a fact that, in the reciprocative passion of numerous “christians”, who in
the 4th century had moved on to a phase of retaliation, a destruction of
ancient Hellenic monuments which had preserved the worshipping of idols did
take place. But it is only within the mentalities of that era that one should
attempt any scientific research. It suffices for one to study the younger work
of Saint Athanasius the Great, “Against idols”, to comprehend the theological grounds for such actions. Besides, History does not preoccupy itself with damnations, but with
interpretations. A scientific approach of events is the only means that can
provide us with potentials for safer judgments and conclusions. We need to
invoke the findings of the research performed by acclaimed archaeologists, who
summarize the data arising from the extensive scientific research of their
colleagues as well as their own. In 1994, a study by Mrs. Polymnia Athanasiades, Athens University Professor was published, with the title “The twilight of the gods in the Eastern Mediterranean: Analytical data for
three individual regions”. With her profound knowledge and diligence, Mrs.
Athanasiades utilizes the findings of her area’s research on the contested
topic. She has firstly selected “three regions of the empire with a different geographical physiognomy,
historical background and demographic composition”, thus securing far more credibility to her research. These regions were
Hellas, Constantinople and Syria-Palestine. In this way, she easily tackles “Livanios’ generalizations”, as well as the “excessively large number of literary testimonies” by both Christian and gentile authors on the subject of destroyed temples,
which border on — in her words — “suspicious”! “In their attempt to make heroes out of various bishops and emperors, in a
period when religious fanaticism was considered a virtue, quite often certain
religious authors attributed imaginary destructions of temples to them; in the
best case, they would merely over-exaggerate their heroic feats”. On the other hand, there is a surplus of
gentiles’ threat-mongery, intended to present “themselves as martyrs, and their world-theory as the object of a systematic
and cruel persecution which was conducted illegally, in the framework of a
theoretically religiously tolerant empire”. This is why the author recommends a “cautious stance” towards every criticism. Besides, the religious tolerance of emperors, as
for example Constantine the Great, is already a proven fact! The transfer of idolatrous monuments into the new
capital (Constantinople/New Rome) for the purpose of adorning it may have deterred the continuation of local
worshipping, however, it also highlighted the artifacts even more, as they were
displayed within that very (eventually Christian) capital city. Nevertheless, Constantine the Great had “systematically striven to secure for his city the collaboration of all divine
powers”. Thus, apart from the Christian temples (Saint Irene, Holy Apostles), he also
dedicated two temples to gentile deities: the goddesses Rhea and Fortune. Mrs.
Athanasiades continues: “In places like Athens and Delphi, as a rule, the later strata had been
destroyed by the archaeologists themselves, in their attempt to reach as
quickly as possible to the classical substratum”. Archaeologists attribute the observed destructions to earthquakes, to the barbaric invasions (4th – 6th centuries) and to abandonment. The ancient monuments of Athens and Delphi were left untouched by the Christians. Their transformation into Christian
churches indisputably proves the peoples’ awareness of historical continuity,
as much as this may displease contemporary antiquity-lovers. As it is my custom
to say, Fathers such as the Three Hierarchs were not only Hellenes, but also
the bearers of the uppermost Hellenic education. They were not foreigners who
descended upon the Hellenic scene to “destroy and obliterate”; they were Hellenes, who knew how to objectively appreciate matters, without
any recourse to fanaticisms and wild extremes. Their criteria were spiritual.
They were acquainted with the fallacy of idolatry, but were incapable of acts
of violence. This awareness of historical continuance by the Hellene-Christians who had not
rejected the civilization of their ancestors but only their
religion — which was nothing more than a nostalgia for the ‘in
Christ Truth’ as pointed out by the Apostle Paul on the Rock of Mars in Athens — is also supported by Mrs. Athanasiades: "The churches and the chapels which were found scattered around and inside the temple of Apollo (at Delphi), underline the continuation of the religious tradition of the land." As religious and cultural specialists have also
admitted, if an ancient Hellene
were to “wake up” and find himself in the midst of a Christian festival, he would not feel like
a stranger in that environment. It is characteristic how nowadays, many critics
of Orthodox popular religiosity — especially the Hellenic
one — are inclined to resort to the aforementioned argument,
forgetting that Hellenic religiosity has remained intact and that only its
orientation has changed. Besides, Hellenic polytheism
was — according to many religious
experts (for example Philippides) — nothing more than a
religious hypostatizing of the attributes of the one deity. "The vandalizing of sacred objects (by Christian Hellenes) was a rare act in
Hellas", as Mrs. Athanasiades confirms. Instances of vandalizing were isolated. "The general impression in Hellas is that, despite the inherent intolerance of
their religion, the waning ancient faith inspired the neophyte Christians with
respect and often with a certain degree of sentimentality." Even the not-so-tolerant Constantios (337-361) “did not appear to have touched any temples”, and even “the refined Christians of the imperatorial environment looked upon the ancient
sanctums as works of art and not as residences of demons”. Fanatics of course were never absent, as in every era, but their exhortations
for destruction as a rule found no reciprocation. Up until the time of
Justinian, ancient national monuments continued to flow into Constantinople. It was only in places where there was “no contact with the urban education of the Hellenic-Roman world” — in other words, beyond the historical Hellenic
region — that the “traditional religion had much stronger roots” and where fanaticism was observed and destructions took place. This occurred to a larger degree in the East
(Syria-Phoenicia-Palestine). But Mrs. Athanasiades interprets these behaviors
with her scientific criteria, in other regions, such as Syria: "... Here, we do not have an unalloyed case of religious fanaticism, but an
outburst of social and racial hatred; a subconscious national movement in a
religious — naturally — guise". And this view is supported by research performed
by various specialists. It is with this, same criteria that later behaviours
can also be interpreted, without of course disregarding the provocations of
nationalist groups. Where provocations do not prevail, behaviours remain
unchecked. We have purposely exploited the research of our select colleague extensively,
because it offers us significant potentials to interpret and comprehend those
things that the mistrust, the malice and also the anti-Hellenic expediencies of
foreign circles systematically misinterpret.
[...]
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Cheers! Paul Quek
Webmeister
Woodlands, Singapore| Incept Date: | | 10 September 2009 | | Rev'd Date: | | 18 November 2009 |
| | | | This website is predicated on the basis of the following categorization of the
Sciences ... Four Categories of Science By Stanton T. Friedman (Former Nuclear Physicist)Some people have insisted that if I can't provide a piece of a [flying] saucer
or an alien body, there is nothing to support my claims. I was quite surprised
during my last visit with Carl Sagan in December 1992, when he claimed that the
essence of the scientific method was reproducibility. In actuality, as I wrote
Sagan later on, there are at least four different kinds of science: - [Category-1 Science] Yes, there is a lot of excellent science done by people who set up
an experiment in which they can control all the variables and equipment. They
make measurements and then publish their results, after peer review, and
describe their equipment, instruments, and activity in detail so that others
can duplicate the work and, presumably, come to the same conclusions. Such
science can be very satisfying, and certainly can contribute to the advancement
of knowledge. However, it is not the only kind of science.
- [Category-2 Science] A second kind of science involves situations in which one cannot
control all the variables, but can predict some. For example, I cannot prove
that on occasion the moon comes directly between the sun and the Earth and
casts a shadow of darkness on the Earth, because I cannot control the positions
of the Earth, moon, or sun. What can be done is predicting the times when such
eclipses will happen and being ready to make observations when they occur.
Hopefully the weather where I have my instruments will allow me to make lots of
measurements.
- [Category-3 Science] A third kind of science involves events that can neither be
predicted nor controlled, but one can be ready to make measurements if
something does happen. For example, an array of seismographs can be established
to allow measurements to be made at several locations in the event of an
earthquake. When I was at the University of Chicago, a block of nuclear
emulsion was attached to a large balloon that would be released when a
radiation detector indicated that a solar storm had occurred (something we
could neither produce nor predict). Somebody would rush to Stagg Field and
release the balloon. When the balloon was
retrieved, the emulsion would be carefully examined to measure the number,
direction, velocity, and mass characteristics of particles unleashed by the sun.
- [Category-4 Science] Finally, there is a fourth kind of science, still using the rules
to attack difficult problems. These are the events that involve intelligence,
such as airplane crashes, murders, rapes, and automobile accidents. We do not
know when or where they will occur, but we do know they will. In a typical year
more than 40,000 Americans will be killed in automobile accidents. We don't
know where or when, so rarely are TV cameras whirling when these events take
place. But we can, after the fact, collect and evaluate evidence. We can
determine if the driver had high levels of alcohol in his or her blood, whether
the brakes failed, whether the visibility was poor, where a skid started, and
so on. Observations of strange phenomena in the sky come under this last
category.
In all the category-4 events, we must obtain as much testimony from witnesses
as possible. Some testimony is worth more than other testimony, perhaps because
of the duration of observation, the nearness of the witnesses to the event, the
specialized training of the observer, the availability of corroborative
evidence such as videos and still photos, or the consistency of evidence when
there is testimony from more than one witness. Our entire legal system is based
on testimony — rarely is there conclusive proof such as DNA
matching. Judges and juries must decide, with appropriate cross-examination,
who is telling the truth. In some states, testimony from one witness can lead
to the death penalty
for the accused. We should take note of the fact that even instrument data is dependent on
testimony from the observer of the instruments, and on appropriate calibration
and validation under standardized circumstances. Also, our courts place limits
on requirements for testimony, such as that against one spouse by the other.
Furthermore, there are rules about hearsay testimony, and rules regarding legal
evidence are complex and detailed. When it comes to flying saucers, we must remember that the reason most
sightings can be determined to be relatively conventional phenomena, often seen
under unusual circumstances, is that most people are relatively good observers.
The problem comes with the interpretation of what was observed. People watching
the sky late at night may get excited about a very bright light that moved very
slowly. Checking on the position of the planets at that time may reveal that
that light was Venus, because we have good information as to the angle of
observation, the direction of the light from the observer, the relatively slow
rate of motion, the location of Venus at that time, and so on. On three
occasions, when living in Southern California, I was called by people who
described an unusual object moving rapidly. I tried to make sure that I
analyzed their observations, such as, what time was it? In what direction were
you looking? In what direction did it seem to be moving? Was there any sound?
What was its apparent size, say, as compared to the moon (just covered by an
aspirin held at arm's length)? Two of the people wanted to tell me that the object was just over the next
hill. I stressed that this was an interpretation, because even huge objects far
away can seem to be small objects nearby. In all three cases, I felt that what
was being described sounded similar to a rocket launched down the California
Coast when the sun had gone down, but while the object was high enough to still
be in sunlight. I had seen such a spectacular case once myself. I checked, in
all three cases, with Vandenberg Air Force Base, which launches many rockets
down the U.S. West Coast. Indeed, there had been a launch at the right time in
each case. One case was especially intriguing, because several witnesses were
looking out across the ocean from a beach area and described the thing they saw
as similar to a string of popcorn. It turned out to be the launch of a special
weather satellite with extra solid boosters being dropped off multiple times. The people were good observers. To say the least, it would be irrational to say
that people are good observers when their input allows us to identify the
object being observed, and yet poor observers if we can't identify the UFO as
something conventional. — Stanton T. Friedman (Nuclear Physicist)
Flying Saucers and Science
Subtitle — A Scientist Investigates the Mysteries of UFOs: Interstellar Travel, Crashes,
and Government Cover-Ups
(Chapter 1 - "The Case for the ET Origin of Flying Saucers")
(Franklin Lakes, NJ: New Page Books, 2008)   | | | | |
| | | | Nine Points to Note - Recently, we added a simple blog so that you would be apprised of the latest
changes to the Mysteries of the World Website. To get the updates automatically, CLICK HERE to subscribe to our RSS (you will get a new window or 'tab'). Thanks and cheers!
Warning to the unthinking (and to the control freaks and power junkies) ... You probably won't like the following 'thinking' observation ... But it's
an important part of any exploration, investigation, study, etc. of the Mysteries of the World ... SEVEN DOORS TO SEVEN ROOMS OF THOUGHT- Accept the statement of Eminent Authority without basis, without question.
- Disagree with the statement without basis, out of general contrariness.
- Perhaps the statement is true, but what if it isn't? How then to account for
the phenomenon?
- How much of the statement rationalizes to suit man's purpose that he and his
shall be ascendant at the centre of things?
- What if the minor should become major, the recessive dominant, the obscure
prevalent?
- What if the statement were reversible, that which is considered effect is
really cause?
- What if the natural law perceived in one field also operates unperceived in all
other phases of science? What if there be only one natural law manifesting
itself, as yet, to us in many facets because we cannot apperceive the whole, of
which we have gained only the most elementary glimpses, with which we can cope
only at the crudest level?
And are those still other doors, yet undefined, on down the corridor? |
- Please do not assume or conclude that, just because I present many views (in
the form of textual notes, pictures/stills, and audio and video
clips) — as well as many advertisements, some by me and some
automatically by Google Adsense and Amazon — on this website,
it does not
mean that I am in agreement with or that I believe in the views and/or ads
offered-proferred ... That would be displaying such a parochial and provincial
attitude, towards this website and towards me as well!
As an ex-military officer, I assure you that I am in the habit of reading,
viewing and digesting lots of stuff that I don't necessarily believe in ... We
call all the stuff we read, view and digest, 'military intelligence' ... The
same applies with 'business intelligence' in the business world, of course. Our aim, as usual, is to find out what others (including our friends, enemies,
competitors, suppliers, strategic partners, business partners, etc.) believe
in. In order to do that effectively, we have to 'get out of the way', so to
speak — we have to remove our humongous
ego! — else we will never ever really have gotten started in
our journey of exploration and discovery of the Mysteries of the World. Furthermore, similarly and additionally, as a "Charismatic Christian", there
are lots of stuff presented in this website that I do not believe in ... which
had even led some to label me as "Fundamentalist"! ... Whatever! Matthew 7 1Judge not, that ye be not judged.2For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye
mete, it shall be measured to you again. 3And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest
not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye;
and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt
thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. — Jesus the Christ
(Yahoshua ha Mashiach;
Yeshua/Yesua; Ieosus; Joshua),
"Sermon on the Mount"
If you want to hear the NIV — specifically, from The Visual Bible: Matthew (1993) — please click the audio player below:
In short, in this website, I present many things that, I am hopeful, would be
of interest to a student, explorer and investigator of the Mysteries of the World ... but this doesn't mean that I believe in any of the stuff presented. ... Got it? ... Right! - Here is a purpose that I am wholeheartedly in agreement with ...
[Mysteries, Monsters, Mutants, Myths, Miracles & Much More ...]Our purpose ... is to describe the rich variety of anomalous, unexplained,
sometimes totally bizarre phenomena that people have experienced in all times
and places and that are still occurring today. ... the nature of the world and
of our existence are quite different from that which we were taught at school.
The reality is far more interesting, humorous and expansive than any religious
or rational, scientific world-view can possibly accommodate. It is not our intention here to dispute anyone's beliefs or
theories — but we should like to point out their limitations.
There are things that happen in this world - and have occurred throughout the
whole of human experience - for which there has never been a lasting
explanation. Explanations are temporary products, coming and going in response
to fashions. Meanwhile, the happenings they are supposed to explain carry on as
mysteriously as ever. — John Michell and Bob Rickard
The Rough Guide to Unexplained Phenomena (Rough Guide Reference)
(New York, NY: Rough Guides Ltd, 2007) - Here is a sentiment that I am wholeheartedly in agreement with ...
As I sit down to redo this book for an American audience, what rises before me
is last night's dream: I'm in a broad and beautiful land among many trees. It's
night. I look up at a huge old tree that's dark against the starry sky in its
detail of twig and branch. There is room enough here for all of us, I realize,
here in this big, intricately textured park. But I see that some want to cut
down the trees and level it out, so huge throngs of people can gather to gaze
up at the sun's glare. I watch dark twigs fingering the remote, untouchable
stars. A voice speaks: "Don't turn this into a Copernican Garden." Waking up, I remember that I went to sleep wondering how to put this book
together. And I take "Copernican Garden" to mean a parking lot vista where
masses gather to honor the bright sun of traditional science with its old rules
as the center of the universe. So I will not cut down the trees and level this book out. It is between you and
me [or you and I], a conversation as we stroll along in a moonlit fractal
garden past webby connections of thought that merge to patterned insight. Here
hidden delights nestle in scaling patterns of self-similar but never quite
repeating beauty. Here the tree of life hold stars in its branches. No matter
how huge, this garden stays human-sized because we have a place in it, you and
I. No need to cut down the connective forest and level things out for that
bright Sol [sun] of left-brain logic whose daytime dazzle — so
close and glaring — can blind us to the myriad constellations
beyond. [...] — Katya Walter, Tao of Chaos
Sub-title: Merging East and West
(1994, 1996) - Here is an observation (adapted) made in the Acknowledgement page of a book ...
It takes many minds to produce a book [including an e-book, of course].
Although most authors [especially of non-fiction books and articles] would
prefer not to admit this fact, fundamentally they are merely 'synthesisers' of
accumulated knowledge. The process of synthesising may unveil a new reality map, or paradigm, which,
in due course, will be used by future pioneers to unveil further paradigms. This principle was summed up by Sir Isaac Newton when he remarked: "If I have
seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants". [...] — Christian von Nidda, Our Secret Planet
(2005) - Here is an observation about UFO-Aliens cover-up or conspiracy that may be of
general interest, although some readers would not agree with the observation
(e.g., they may say that some whistleblowers, such as Bob Lazar on the
Roswell-type flying saucers in secret Area-51 labs, have already come forward)
...
If any long-term coherent cover up of UFO information does exist, however, then
it must operate at all levels of government and the media. It must encompass
all the relevant written materials, from the briefest handwritten note in
government files to entries in squadron log books to letters in the personal
papers of members of the Establishment. Hundreds of politicians, service
personnel, police officers, clerks and officials, over half a century, would be
required to excise any reference to the reality of UFOs from official documents
and the media. The number of people who would have taken part in this cover up
would be vast, yet not one person has broken ranks to 'blow the whistle' on the
greatest story ever told. Meantime, millions of dollars are being spent every
day on space probes and radio telescopes that are searching for evidence of
alien life. Would there be any reason for a conspiracy of silence if that
evidence already existed? — Dr David Clarke and Andy Roberts, Out of the Shadows
(2002) - Even though I am a "Charismatic Christian", the views presented herewith, in
this Mysteries of the World Website, will NOT be colored by this fact of being a Charismatic Christian. Rather, where and
when I find it necessary (and usually, I would NOT find it necessary, since I find it tiresome to repeat myself, again and again
and again ..., ad infinitum ..., but if I should find it necessary to repeat myself), I will then state
what my Charismatic Christian beliefs lead me to believe
in — even though I am aware that my own Charismatic Christian
beliefs may or may not be the same as, or in accord with, those beliefs of
others who also may want to regard themselves as Charismatic Christians
(nb/note well: there appears to be so many varieties of Charismatic Christian
beliefs, including from those who are simultaneously of the
traditional-historical denominations — such as the Roman
Catholics, with their purgatories, mortal and venial sins, and their Mother
this and Mother that. Shudder! Shudder! Shudder!).
Thus, for example, I do not necessarily "believe" in "ghosts", even as I (will
later) examine the entire gamut of so-called "paranormal events or phenomena",
especially of those with a psychic bent (truly, these are bent!, as in
less-than-straight, aka "crooked", thinking variety). Many so-called "ghosts"
are probably some form of "fallen angels" or "demons" of the Biblical kind,
masquerading as either gods, demons, spirits, ghosts, or even "angels of light"
(when they are obviously "fallen" and are "angels of darkness", or "sons of
darkness" as used in one of the Dead Sea Scrolls, i.e. The War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness). Anyway, the author of 1 John, gave us a simple test against any "spirit" to see
whether that spirit is of light (God; Christ/Son of God; Holy Spirit of
God/Comforter/Advocate/Paraclete/The One; Jehovah/Yahveh/Yahweh/God the Father)
or of darkness (Satan, Lucifer, the Devil; the Anti-Christ; the False Prophet;
the Beast): 2This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges
that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the
spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is
already in the world. — First Epistle of John
(1 John 4:2-3; New
International Version/NIV)
(Note: many Catholics like NIV
and dislike KJV! Tough!) Whatever the case may be about "ghosts" and other "apparitions", in this
website, I have stated that we will be truth-based and science-based. Despite
this, definitely, I will not be ashamed of being a Charismatic Christian or of
God's Word:If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him
when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy
angels. (Spoken by Jesus and recorded in Luke 9:26; NIV)If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful
generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's
glory with the holy angels. (Spoken by Jesus and recorded in Mark 8:38; NIV) I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the
salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. (Apostle Paul, in his Epistle to the Romans; Romans 1:16; NIV)
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Check our Mysteries Blog to see the latest changes to our webpages and 'web articles' (click on the Mysteries Blog button on the LEFT NavBar)
As stated in our Mysteries Blog, the ' Mysteries of the World' Website does NOT aim to sensationalize any particular 'Mystery', although we
will examine and explore all possible viewpoints pertaining to each
'Mystery' — including the fringe AND the mainstream. We will, of course, come to a conclusion ( eventually!) about each 'Mystery' ... even if that conclusion may eventually turn out to
be 'as yet unresolved' or 'unexplained to our satisfaction'.
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