Satanic Panic
www.wm3.org
If memory serves, it was in August of 1996 that I received an e-mail from my friend Cheryl in Los Angeles. She said there was an episode of HBO’s “America Undercover” that Friday called “Paradise Lost” and I had to see it. Cheryl is my pal. If she says watch, I watch. I wasn’t expecting what unfolded. Within the first few minutes of the program I found myself deeply disturbed by the way one parent smiled while discussing her son’s murder and mutilation and shocked that anyone could land on death row without a shred of real evidence. I’ve been following this case since.
We tell ourselves we’re too sophisticated for something like the Salem Witch Trials to ever happen again, yet, here it is. Three innocents blamed for an evil that one small town felt could only come from the devil. All three teens were surrounded by either friends or family during the time allotted for their supposed criminal actions, but that doesn’t matter. They went to trial with evidence that was sketchy at best. To the world at large, it would seem their only “real” crime was being a little bit different.
On May 5th, 1993 three 8-year-old boys, Michael Moore, Steve Branch and Christopher Byers, went missing in West Memphis, Arkansas. The search was launched in a wooded area known as “Robin Hood Hills,” where the boys often played. The very next day their bodies were found in that same area, beneath about two feet of water. All three boys were tied, wrist to ankle, with their own shoelaces. All three boys had been beaten. One boy died of blood loss due to heavy injuries, which would seem to make him the focus of the attack. The other two boys drown, presumably in that very ditch. The medical examiner didn’t think it important to make certain. Weeks later, very little blood would be found via Luminol test at the site. All that was found should have been attributed to the officers pulling the bodies from the water and resting them on the banks. I’m not a cop. I’m not a criminology student. But I’ve read enough books by Robert Ressler to know you don’t move the bodies, you drain the ditch.
Allow me to draw you a picture of West Memphis, Arkansas based on data from AreaConnect: Population 27,666 (I kid you not.), 42% white, 56% black, the other two percent is a smattering of about everything with .21% American Indian. You’ll understand the relevance of that tiny number later. The median age is 31 and women outnumber the men by 2,000. The crime level in West Memphis is higher than the national average. Theft is their offense of choice, numbering 814 in 2001. There are 29 churches, primarily Baptist with one Catholic. I now understand why it’s called the “bible belt.” My own town has roughly three times as many people but barely twice as many churches, evenly distributed by denomination. Murders? We had one, they had two.
What happens when children are murdered in a small southern town? These simple people, unable to conceive of such a crime, began grasping at any and every straw to make some kind of sense out of this act. Given a police department that was ill equipped and untrained to deal with such a case, you’d point the finger at a local “weirdo,” Damien Echols (18 years old), you’d rope in his best friend, Jason Baldwin (16 years old), and you’d bully a third kid, Jessie Misskelley (17 years old), into “confessing.” Local investigators fumbled along destroying, losing and ignoring much needed evidence.
A juvenile probation officer, who would later be in trouble with the law himself, showed up as West Memphis police worked the scene and launched a rumor that would take the town by storm. He brought up the name of Damien Echols as one likely to perpetrate such an evil. He claimed Damien had spoken with him about starting a cult. Thus the match was struck and the fire of Satanic Panic consumed the town. Rumors flew like a flock of starlings and suddenly everyone had a “Damien story.” I pulled a few gems from the www.wm3.org website: One man claimed that Damien levitated him during a "devil meeting." Another person claimed that they saw Damien wearing "dog entrails like a necktie." Another West Memphis resident stated that human skulls with skin still attached were found in Damien's closet. Another local person stated that they watched Damien kill a dog and eat the heart during a satanic orgy/ritual. Another version of this rumor specifies that he ate the dog's leg. If these people were close enough to have such detail, that is, to know the entrails were from a dog, surely they participated. Why weren’t they on trial? If they didn’t participate then why didn’t they go to authorities with such a story immediately, potentially saving the lives of these children?
One of the earliest and most heinous rumors actually began with a parent of one of the murdered children. John Mark Byers told reporters his child’s testicles were found in a jar of alcohol under Damien’s bed. What kind of parent floats such a rumor? Who in their right mind would want their child remembered this a way? I recommend you view the two documentaries on this case: “Paradise Lost: the Child Murders in the Robin Hood Hills” and “Paradise Lost 2: Revelations” for a better understanding.
On June 3, 1993 these teens were arrested for the murder of the three children. Later they would be convicted. Evidence exists to prove their innocence, however, it has been dismissed because the judge does not understand Forensic Odontology. They’re young men now, having been imprisoned for 13 years. Damien Echols, the supposed “ringleader,” is serving his time on death row.
I don’t know about you, but one month seems awfully fast to me. Especially when, as you’ll see below, much of that time was spent chasing a rumor, rather than actually gathering evidence in an attempt to find the real murderer(s). In the Laci Peterson case, police gathered evidence for 4 months, regardless of the “tremendous pressure” involved, before making an arrest.
Just by skimming a few books on cults at the library I learned cults kill their own. Reality is very unlike the media portrayal of cults cleaning our streets up of the indigent or snatching children off dirt roads. If they need to kill someone, they draw someone in then cut them from family and friends so they will not be missed. If they want a child sacrifice, they impregnate one of their own.
I asked a local cult expert what one might find in a wooded area where cult activities were supposedly performed. He commented that different things would be found with different types of cults. I explained that the accusation was of a satanic cult. I was surprised by his answer. Learn something new every day! Let me summarize what he said:
First you have to classify them in the correct way. Satanism is not devil worship. They don’t go into the woods, they’re too controlling. They keep to themselves. They’re more interested in orgies and the like. Satanism isn’t worshipping satan. They are their own gods.
Different sects of satanism may intermingle with devil worship or demon worship. With devil worship you’d find demonic symbols, rune script or satanic script carved in the area, a burnt out fire area and candle wax but no sacrificial knives.
The expert asked point blank what the question referred to. I told him there were three young men in jail, convicted of the “satanic sacrifice” of three children. He asked on what evidence and all I could tell him was none. Not a shred. He asked what symbols had been carved into the victims. Symbols?
“There would have been demonic symbols carved on the victims.”
Really??!! (I didn’t bother to mention what the prosecution’s “occult specialist” [see below] said in court. I didn’t want him to choke on his lunch.)
Knowing full well he was innocent, trusting in the judicial system, and seeming to enjoying the spotlight, Damien was all too eager to give information about himself quite freely. That information would later be used against him. Damien professed to be a practitioner, or student, of Wicca at that time. He would state emphatically that he was never part of any group. However, the prosecution would use this against him, equating the earth-centered religion to satanism.
I had planned on interviewing a practicing Wiccan for my article. I thought it would be great to get some information from an active source on their beliefs. However, I just haven’t been able to get one to volunteer. With what I know about this particular case, I understand why. None of them would want to end up on death row. The very basic principles of Wicca are “Harm none” which is self-explanatory and The Three Fold Law. That is to say, anything you put out into the universe comes back to you three fold. If you case a love spell, three will be cast upon you. (Whew, let’s hope he’s not ugly!) If you murder three children 9 close to you will be murdered.
The prosecution would call upon Dale Griffis as an expert in the occult. He pointed to Damien’s particular style of dressing in black as evidence of his occult practices. They actually held up a concert t-shirt in court as proof of his cult status. I surveyed 6 ladies in my monthly Bible Study group. Three had black jeans in their closets. All six had black t-shirts, two mentioned specific concert tees. Other “evidence” mentioned in court as proof of Damien’s cult activities were books he read and music he listened to. I asked about those specific writers and bands used against Damien in court and found two of my ladies have also read Stephen King and two had Pink Floyd albums in their CD collections. One young lady mentioned having seen a movie made of a Stephen King novel. She makes a good point. I bet more than 50% of the people in that courtroom had seen “The Shining.”
Much was made of the just the name Damien. He was actually born Michael. His stepfather introduced him to church. Eventually he would join West Memphis’s only Catholic church and be confirmed taking the name of Damien after Fr. Damien of Molokai. But the people of West Memphis had seen “The Omen” one too many times and would insist he took the name under darker pretenses.
Had Damien lived in California, he would have numbered among the hundreds upon thousands of average teenagers. Moody, loved heavy metal music, dressed in black and oozing of teen angst. During the trial, comments were made about his long black hair. People said he dyed it as part of his “cult persona.” Damien is part American Indian. His hair is naturally black, stick straight and at that time he wore it long. He is also rather pale. A physical appearance “Goth” kids around here strive for. But Damien isn’t from around here. He’s from a hick town in the Bible belt.
As I read Mara Leveritt’s interview with Damien from the archives of the Arkansas Times, one thing hit me hard. This kid has both a monastic and ecumenical heart. He seems a lot more like Thomas Merton or Bede Griffiths than Anton LeVey (who, by the way, never advocated human sacrifice by any means). I was also shocked to read in that same interview that the probation officer who launched the “cult campaign” viewed speaking and reading Latin as satanic. Imagine a worst-case scenario. This kid continued on his path to Catholicism and at some point discovers the “Rule of St. Benedict.” He is drawn to monastic life and becomes a Benedictine Oblate, which is a third order or secular monk. He takes the oblate habit, black hooded robes. He learns to chant the psalms, with his intelligence and love of study probably memorizes them in Latin. If these things had come to pass, there wouldn’t have been a trial. There would have been a lynching.
It should be mentioned that Damien named his first born, Azariah. A good sound biblical name. However, the townspeople were apparently ignorant of the Bible and decided it was a demonic name. In the Book of Tobit: Azariah is the name the Archangel Raphael gives, to hide his true identity, when he comes in answer to a man’s prayer. In 1 and 2 Kings, Azariah is the king of Judah (one of the 12 tribes of Israel.) In 2 Chronicles, Azariah is a prophet of God. In Daniel, Azariah is the name of one of the boys who survives the “firey furnace.”
A well known wiccan author recently told me, “Ignorance coupled with power is evil.”
It isn’t bad enough that Damien is on death row with literally no evidence linking him to the crime. We have Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley who really are collateral damage. Simply put, the way to “get” Damien. Reading interviews and watching the documentaries on the case, it’s easy to see why Damien and Jason were best friends. Jason is a happy kid with a ready smile, even in the midst of accusations and small town belligerence. His bright and cheery personality must have alleviated much of Damien’s angst. Jason’s defense attorney claimed it was simply ‘guilt by association.’ Although it’s a true statement, I find it sad that he made it seem as if he actually believed Damien was guilty.
Jessie Misskelley was to be the “tool” police in West Memphis used to “get” Damien. Jessie is another sweet, smiling kid who wants nothing more than to make people happy. A woman he knew who was in trouble with the cops pointed the finger at Jessie as someone who knew something. Police had offered to help her clean things up if she would help them get their man, I mean - teenager. They picked him up on June 3, 1993, for questioning. Jessie didn’t know Damien, and Jessie wasn’t even in town the night of the murders. He was badgered, bullied and shown horrid photos until he coughed up what was thought to be enough material to put Damien behind bars. In a desperate attempt to tell them what they wanted so he could get out and go home, he accidentally implicated himself. After 12 hours in the interrogation room, a very tiny segment of what Jessie said was put to tape as his “confession.”
Much has been made about Jessie’s I.Q. as a reason for his “confession.” However, people falsely confess to crimes all the time. That is one essential reason police don’t tell all the elements of a crime to the media. They need to hold on to enough that if someone confesses the key will be in elements of the crime undisclosed to the media. It is then up to police to research the confession. What is real, and what is bogus. Take the case of Jack the Ripper. Police received hundreds of letters, both mocking and confessing, yet only a one marked “From Hell” would stand out.
Jessie gave police all that he could remember from what he’d read in papers. Some very important details were so blatantly wrong it’s surprising that police would even try to use this so called confession. Jessie would state the children were taken and killed at a time when they were still in school. Jessie would claim the children were tied with brown rope when they were actually tied with their own shoelaces. Police would make excuses for details that didn’t fit, but be adamant about what did. In the end, Jessie refused to allow his bogus confession to be used against Damien and Jason even after being offered a reduced sentence for himself.
Criminal Profiler, Brent Turvey, joined the defense team around 1997. Upon viewing the autopsy and crime scene photos, one thing stood out to him. Human bite marks on one of the victims. He dismissed claims of cult sacrifice and stated that this killing was punitive in nature, aimed at one child specifically. The other two children, seemingly, were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Dental impressions were taken of Damien, Jason and Jessie. These impressions did not match bite marks on the child’s face thereby showing the teens factually innocent. So why are these kids still in jail? Because the judge doesn’t understand “forensic odontology.”
The devil runs rampant. More and more highly educated people believe. Exorcism and deliverance are on the rise. 10 years ago, the global Catholic Church had 6 active exorcists. As of three years ago, the US alone has over 300. In 2005, the Holy See gave a class in exorcism that proved so popular they had to turn away potential students and schedule a second class. My own local exorcist, a Franciscan monk, has more work than he can handle. He repeatedly sends out requests for prayer.
Deliverance Ministry is one of Protestants most popular at the moment. What is the difference between exorcism and deliverance? Exorcism is a Catholic rite, involving use of the Roman Ritual of Exorcism and done only with the approval of one’s bishop. Exorcism is done only after certain criteria have been established. Everything else, including priests and secular individuals not using the rite, is deliverance. In 1999 the Pope updated the rite, De Exorcismis et Supplicationibus Quibusdam ("Of Exorcisms and Certain Supplications"). The rite was first written in 1523 with its last revision being made in 1614. Books on demons, and casting them out, ride the bestseller lists with such titles as “American Exorcism,” “Hostage to the Devil,” and “They Shall Expel Demon.” Even the Vatican’s own official exorcist, Gabriel Amorth has written two books on the subject.
The devil not only makes an appearance to incarcerate the innocent, but his name is also tossed around in attempts to free the guilty. The “I was possessed” plea used by Ronald DeFeo, Jr. and “It wasn’t Scott, it was a satanic cult” defense about to be used in the Laci Peterson case.
In conclusion, I can honestly say the West Memphis Police Department desperately needs a copy of the CSI first season DVD. It sounds like a joke but if they had such an item, three innocent teens would not have spent the last 13 years in prison. The PD’s own medical examiner was in trouble with Rhode Island for selling body parts and their forensic pathologist flubbed in court as to which day he examined the bodies of the three children. He didn’t see the importance of taking core temperatures of the bodies to establish time of death. He would also change his testimony many times.
I would encourage you to go to the West Memphis Three web site and read the information given. Hope is not lost. Rick Walker, who had been incarcerated for 12 years was finally freed due to family, friends and one determined attorney.
May is West Memphis Three Awareness Month. Hence the reposting of this article. Spread the word. Get active! FREE THE WEST MEMPHIS THREE!
Monday, December 11, 2006
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Yum Yummy.
Yesterday I mentioned my new cook book. "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World." I'm having a BLAST with this book.
These are the Simple Agave Cupcakes. I had a bit of trouble because I couldn't find my hand mixer. So you'll see, the top of the cake is dimpled.
When making the frosting, I discovered I was missing an ingredient. Powdered Soy Milk. So I used the same amount of Berry flavored Vega. What a GLORIOUS mistake that turned out to be. While it turned my carmel colored frosting "pond scum green" - it lent a delightful berry flavor!
I figured the cakes topped with green may not be so delightful to look at and might discourage eating them. So once frosted, I pressed them into coconut. They look like snowballs!
These are sugar free. Agave is a diabetic approved sugar substitute. And so YUMMY.
Yesterday I mentioned my new cook book. "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World." I'm having a BLAST with this book.
These are the Simple Agave Cupcakes. I had a bit of trouble because I couldn't find my hand mixer. So you'll see, the top of the cake is dimpled.
When making the frosting, I discovered I was missing an ingredient. Powdered Soy Milk. So I used the same amount of Berry flavored Vega. What a GLORIOUS mistake that turned out to be. While it turned my carmel colored frosting "pond scum green" - it lent a delightful berry flavor!
I figured the cakes topped with green may not be so delightful to look at and might discourage eating them. So once frosted, I pressed them into coconut. They look like snowballs!
These are sugar free. Agave is a diabetic approved sugar substitute. And so YUMMY.
Monday, November 13, 2006
Friday was my birthday. My office was celebrating Veteran's Day so we had the day off. I woke up around 6am. As is my usual habit, I sat in bed, praying and cuddling my cat.
Then I got up, put on the coffee and toddled off to pray the Liturgy of the Hours while it brewed. There's just something about knowing hundreds of Catholics in my time zone are praying with me that's COOL! Most monasteries, abbeys, convents and cloisters pray Laudes between 6am and 6:30am. Yeah me!
Prayer accomplished, I set off to get my coffee. I flipped on the tube, which was still on channel 44 as I'd managed to catch the tail end of my one and only TV show, "Supernatural" the night before. Low and behold, there's Stephen Baldwin and his lovely wife on some Christian program I've never seen before talking about their conversion.
Whoa...
Now, I'd recently rented a film called "Six: The Mark Unleashed" - check out the link...
http://themoviesix.com/index.htm
Stephen Baldwin was in it. I thought it was a little "out of character" which is funny because isn't that what acting is all about? LOL! I thought he was the flakey Baldwin. I may not agree with his brother Alec's politics, but I certainly appreciate all he does for animal rights. Someone has to stand up for the innocent. It's seemed to me that baby brother was more self-centered.
That was the old Stephen. New Stephen is a changed man. The interview was very short. Only 4 or 5 minutes. I was lucky to have caught that much. He talked about his new book, "The Unusual Suspect," he talked about being on fire for Christ, he talked about extreme sports. What a concept. Extreme Jesus! Sounded a little Fr. Stan Fortuna to me. I had to check it out.
I had breakfast then toddled off to The Door in San Carlos. Here's the funny part. I had planned on taking the train to San Jose and checking out Our Lady of Peace and the shop there. I love Our Lady of Peace. Great church, great religious. GREAT Christian store! But I woke up with a SPLITTING headache. So I just wasn't up to it. After a long shower and a good brekkie, the headache was a bit better. But I still wasn't up for a train ride and a long walk. The Door was easier to get to.
Sadly, The Door has lost a lot of it's verve for me. Their shelves were stocked but it seemed to be a lot of repetition. And no Stephen Baldwin book. Off I went. I figured I'd try two cities down and their Christian book store.
I just missed the bus. It was one of those things where, I was about 3 feet away from the stop but I didn't look up, so the bus blew right on past me. Dag-Nab-It! I figured, it was a lovely day, 20 minutes to the next bus. I'd walk on down one or two stops depending on how long it took. I'd gotten about half way along to the next stop when I noticed a folded bill in a driveway. I figured it would be a dollar, or maybe a 5. I picked it up and it was a $100 bill!
My second WHOA of the day. I was certain it was fake. I looked and look trying to spot a flaw.
I called my best bud on the spot and told her I was taking her to dinner, courtesy of The Almighty. Nothing like an affirmation that you are right where He wants you.
I ended up finding the book at Barnes and Noble. Why don't the Christian stores have it yet? It's GREAT! I plowed through it. Dragged poor Stevie B. around with me everywhere all weekend. To the grocery store. To church. To the mall. Reading and walking.
Highly recommend it. Is your faith a little lack luster? Are you usually pretty high energy? This book is no Juan de la Cruz's "Dark Night of the Soul." This is Extreme Jesus. Baldwin peppers his story with humor and fun.
So few Christians I know really "get it." Get what Christianity is all about. I went to this Pro Life deal on Thursday. Out of 13 people in the room, two of them were complete jerks, and one of those two is the leader for my county. UGH. They pooh-poohed a couple of our legislators who, while doing a lot of good, don't have their same views. They Boo-Hissed the help undocumented immigrants are getting. Would you rather they die in the streets? What is WRONG with people???
Throughout his book good ol Stevie B. pokes fun at himself. Calls himself less than smart. But ya know what? Biblically speaking, God tells all the good stuff to the simple people. The people willing to trust in His will rather than their own knowledge. God bless them! As such, Stevie B. really gets it. Gets what being a Christian is all about.
Best birthday EVER!
Then I got up, put on the coffee and toddled off to pray the Liturgy of the Hours while it brewed. There's just something about knowing hundreds of Catholics in my time zone are praying with me that's COOL! Most monasteries, abbeys, convents and cloisters pray Laudes between 6am and 6:30am. Yeah me!
Prayer accomplished, I set off to get my coffee. I flipped on the tube, which was still on channel 44 as I'd managed to catch the tail end of my one and only TV show, "Supernatural" the night before. Low and behold, there's Stephen Baldwin and his lovely wife on some Christian program I've never seen before talking about their conversion.
Whoa...
Now, I'd recently rented a film called "Six: The Mark Unleashed" - check out the link...
http://themoviesix.com/index.htm
Stephen Baldwin was in it. I thought it was a little "out of character" which is funny because isn't that what acting is all about? LOL! I thought he was the flakey Baldwin. I may not agree with his brother Alec's politics, but I certainly appreciate all he does for animal rights. Someone has to stand up for the innocent. It's seemed to me that baby brother was more self-centered.
That was the old Stephen. New Stephen is a changed man. The interview was very short. Only 4 or 5 minutes. I was lucky to have caught that much. He talked about his new book, "The Unusual Suspect," he talked about being on fire for Christ, he talked about extreme sports. What a concept. Extreme Jesus! Sounded a little Fr. Stan Fortuna to me. I had to check it out.
I had breakfast then toddled off to The Door in San Carlos. Here's the funny part. I had planned on taking the train to San Jose and checking out Our Lady of Peace and the shop there. I love Our Lady of Peace. Great church, great religious. GREAT Christian store! But I woke up with a SPLITTING headache. So I just wasn't up to it. After a long shower and a good brekkie, the headache was a bit better. But I still wasn't up for a train ride and a long walk. The Door was easier to get to.
Sadly, The Door has lost a lot of it's verve for me. Their shelves were stocked but it seemed to be a lot of repetition. And no Stephen Baldwin book. Off I went. I figured I'd try two cities down and their Christian book store.
I just missed the bus. It was one of those things where, I was about 3 feet away from the stop but I didn't look up, so the bus blew right on past me. Dag-Nab-It! I figured, it was a lovely day, 20 minutes to the next bus. I'd walk on down one or two stops depending on how long it took. I'd gotten about half way along to the next stop when I noticed a folded bill in a driveway. I figured it would be a dollar, or maybe a 5. I picked it up and it was a $100 bill!
My second WHOA of the day. I was certain it was fake. I looked and look trying to spot a flaw.
I called my best bud on the spot and told her I was taking her to dinner, courtesy of The Almighty. Nothing like an affirmation that you are right where He wants you.
I ended up finding the book at Barnes and Noble. Why don't the Christian stores have it yet? It's GREAT! I plowed through it. Dragged poor Stevie B. around with me everywhere all weekend. To the grocery store. To church. To the mall. Reading and walking.
Highly recommend it. Is your faith a little lack luster? Are you usually pretty high energy? This book is no Juan de la Cruz's "Dark Night of the Soul." This is Extreme Jesus. Baldwin peppers his story with humor and fun.
So few Christians I know really "get it." Get what Christianity is all about. I went to this Pro Life deal on Thursday. Out of 13 people in the room, two of them were complete jerks, and one of those two is the leader for my county. UGH. They pooh-poohed a couple of our legislators who, while doing a lot of good, don't have their same views. They Boo-Hissed the help undocumented immigrants are getting. Would you rather they die in the streets? What is WRONG with people???
Throughout his book good ol Stevie B. pokes fun at himself. Calls himself less than smart. But ya know what? Biblically speaking, God tells all the good stuff to the simple people. The people willing to trust in His will rather than their own knowledge. God bless them! As such, Stevie B. really gets it. Gets what being a Christian is all about.
Best birthday EVER!
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
I'm sure you've all seen that e-mail pass-around that comes regularly. The one about the grease gathered up in barrels from restaraunts that ends up in your pet food. We'd all like to pretend it isn't true. But the other day I was waiting for my morning bus when Salinas Tallow came by to pick up the barrels of disguarded grease from the Taxi's on my corner.
Do you really want to know why your dog has "hot spots" and other horrible allergies? He was not designed to digest french fry grease.
Each year factory farms produce 3 million tons of tallow and grease, 2 million tons of bone and 300,000 tons of feathers. It's considered trash. But we pet owners pay a small fortune for it in "top quality" pet foods.
In my links section, you'll find a link to "Feline Future." It's a company that produces a supplement to add to raw meat for cats. They have a dog supplement too. Check it out.
I can tell you from experience that using Feline Future in raw meat is far more healthy for pets than store bought kibble. I am coming up on the one year anniversary of losing one of my best friends.
Murphy Patrick O'Brian
Color me biased, but Murp was one of the best cats this world has ever seen. I rescued him from the local pound. So painfully thin with this enormous head. I almost named him Pumkinhead for his resemblance to the horror film monster. But he lucked out and got adopted on St. Paddy's Day. He was with me for the next 12 years. He was around 16 years old when he left me for greener pastures.
Just about two months after the sudden death of his "big" little brother Yoshi...
Murp-o got very sick. It was determined that he had kidney failure. The vet recommended, due to his blood toxicity, that he be immediately put down. Murp was not having any of that. He was his standard trouble-making self, albeit sulky and a lot thinner than normal.
I asked the vet for two weeks. I discovered Feline Future and put Moo on the raw meat diet. His first trip back for a blood panel saw an immediate reduction in his blood toxicity. By the next test he was almost back to normal.
So it works. Don't settle for junk pet foods. I don't mean Friskys either. Iams, Nutro. That expensive stuff you pay for? Junk. Loaded in toxins and things your pet can't digest. Give them the good stuff. They deserve it.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Such maturity from a professor. All while he points his finger and calls Christians close-minded biggots.
Friday July 28, 2006
Psych Prof Advocates Human/Chimp Hybrids – But only to Offend Christians
By Hilary White
WASHINGTON, July 28, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In an op ed piece in the LA Times, David P. Barash, a professor of psychology at the University of Washington, says that reproductive facilities should work towards creating a race of human/chimpanzee hybrids, but, he admits, only because it would offend Christians.
Some geneticists have postulated that their distant evolutionary ancestors may have interbred with those of chimps, and Barash argues that this means there is no moral difference between a human being and a chimpanzee, or indeed, between a human being and a sea sponge.
The psychology professor looks forward to the day when IVF facilities will create human/animal hybrids. He reveals, however, that his motivation is not a pure interest in advancing science, but his hatred for “know-nothing anti-evolutionism,” and “religious fundamentalists,” who hold human life to be sacred.
Barash says he advocates interbreeding humans with animals not because it would be a good idea in itself, but because it would offend believers. “In these dark days of know-nothing anti-evolutionism,” he writes, “with religious fundamentalists occupying the White House, controlling Congress and attempting to distort the teaching of science in our schools, a powerful dose of biological reality would be healthy indeed.”
Barash says that creating animal/human hybrids would effectively quash the belief that “the human species, unlike all others, possesses a spark of the divine and that we therefore stand outside nature.”
“Should geneticists and developmental biologists succeed once again in joining human and nonhuman animals in a viable organism,” Barash writes, “it would be difficult and perhaps impossible for the special pleaders to maintain the fallacy that Homo sapiens is uniquely disconnected from the rest of life.”
One of the ideological offshoots of Darwinsim is radical environmentalism, advocates of which hold that human beings are a kind of virus threatening the earth’s ecosystems. According to the pure materialist philosophy, the environmental threat is directly the fault of “a bogus ‘faith based’ worldview,” the “Judeo-Christian proclamation of radical discontinuity between people and the rest of ‘creation.’”
Such shrill anti-religious polemics are increasingly being challenged from within the scientific community as bigotry, however, and recent revelations have indicated that Barash’s pure Darwinian faith may be going the way of the dodo.
In a new book, “The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief,” Francis Collins, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, asks scientific skeptics to approach religious belief God with a more open mind. Collins is among a growing movement in the science world that asserts there is no necessary rift between real science and religious belief.
Collins is far from the stereotype religious “know-nothing” presented by anti-religious Darwinists. One of the world’s leading geneticists, he led the international Human Genome Project that mapped the 3.1 billion chemical base pairs in humanity's DNA. He now runs the government research foundation guiding work in the medical applications of this historic international project.
Collins attributed his rejection of the atheistic position to the writings of Christian apologist C.S. Lewis, the early 20th century English professor known and loved around the world for his ironclad logic in explaining Christian doctrines and debunking modern liberal atheism.
At a conference sponsored by the C.S. Lewis Foundation, Collins said, “For a scientist, it's uncomfortable to admit there are questions that your scientific method isn't going to be able to address.”
Collins refutes the Darwinists’ out-of-hand rejection of religion. An article in the Washington Post quotes him saying scientists are “not supposed to decide something is true until [they’ve] looked at the data. And yet I had become an atheist without ever looking at the evidence whether God exists or not."
Collins decries both the anti-religious materialists who dominate his profession, and the Christian reaction that, he says, attempts to ignore hard scientific evidence. Both approaches, he said, are “profoundly dangerous. Both deny truth. Both will diminish the nobility of humankind. Both will be devastating to our future. And both are unnecessary.”
Read Washington Post article:
God, Under a Microscope
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07...
Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Evolution/Creation Debate Now Science vs. Science not Science vs. Religion
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/oct/05100605.html
Over 400 Eminent Scientists Sign “A Scientific Dissent From Darwinism”
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/jul/05072204.html
Discovery of Complex, Precise DNA Language Points to Intelligent Design of Life
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/may/05052407.html
(c) Copyright: LifeSiteNews.com is a production of Interim Publishing. Permission to republish is granted (with limitation*) but acknowledgement of source is *REQUIRED* (use LifeSiteNews.com).
Friday July 28, 2006
Psych Prof Advocates Human/Chimp Hybrids – But only to Offend Christians
By Hilary White
WASHINGTON, July 28, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In an op ed piece in the LA Times, David P. Barash, a professor of psychology at the University of Washington, says that reproductive facilities should work towards creating a race of human/chimpanzee hybrids, but, he admits, only because it would offend Christians.
Some geneticists have postulated that their distant evolutionary ancestors may have interbred with those of chimps, and Barash argues that this means there is no moral difference between a human being and a chimpanzee, or indeed, between a human being and a sea sponge.
The psychology professor looks forward to the day when IVF facilities will create human/animal hybrids. He reveals, however, that his motivation is not a pure interest in advancing science, but his hatred for “know-nothing anti-evolutionism,” and “religious fundamentalists,” who hold human life to be sacred.
Barash says he advocates interbreeding humans with animals not because it would be a good idea in itself, but because it would offend believers. “In these dark days of know-nothing anti-evolutionism,” he writes, “with religious fundamentalists occupying the White House, controlling Congress and attempting to distort the teaching of science in our schools, a powerful dose of biological reality would be healthy indeed.”
Barash says that creating animal/human hybrids would effectively quash the belief that “the human species, unlike all others, possesses a spark of the divine and that we therefore stand outside nature.”
“Should geneticists and developmental biologists succeed once again in joining human and nonhuman animals in a viable organism,” Barash writes, “it would be difficult and perhaps impossible for the special pleaders to maintain the fallacy that Homo sapiens is uniquely disconnected from the rest of life.”
One of the ideological offshoots of Darwinsim is radical environmentalism, advocates of which hold that human beings are a kind of virus threatening the earth’s ecosystems. According to the pure materialist philosophy, the environmental threat is directly the fault of “a bogus ‘faith based’ worldview,” the “Judeo-Christian proclamation of radical discontinuity between people and the rest of ‘creation.’”
Such shrill anti-religious polemics are increasingly being challenged from within the scientific community as bigotry, however, and recent revelations have indicated that Barash’s pure Darwinian faith may be going the way of the dodo.
In a new book, “The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief,” Francis Collins, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, asks scientific skeptics to approach religious belief God with a more open mind. Collins is among a growing movement in the science world that asserts there is no necessary rift between real science and religious belief.
Collins is far from the stereotype religious “know-nothing” presented by anti-religious Darwinists. One of the world’s leading geneticists, he led the international Human Genome Project that mapped the 3.1 billion chemical base pairs in humanity's DNA. He now runs the government research foundation guiding work in the medical applications of this historic international project.
Collins attributed his rejection of the atheistic position to the writings of Christian apologist C.S. Lewis, the early 20th century English professor known and loved around the world for his ironclad logic in explaining Christian doctrines and debunking modern liberal atheism.
At a conference sponsored by the C.S. Lewis Foundation, Collins said, “For a scientist, it's uncomfortable to admit there are questions that your scientific method isn't going to be able to address.”
Collins refutes the Darwinists’ out-of-hand rejection of religion. An article in the Washington Post quotes him saying scientists are “not supposed to decide something is true until [they’ve] looked at the data. And yet I had become an atheist without ever looking at the evidence whether God exists or not."
Collins decries both the anti-religious materialists who dominate his profession, and the Christian reaction that, he says, attempts to ignore hard scientific evidence. Both approaches, he said, are “profoundly dangerous. Both deny truth. Both will diminish the nobility of humankind. Both will be devastating to our future. And both are unnecessary.”
Read Washington Post article:
God, Under a Microscope
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07...
Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Evolution/Creation Debate Now Science vs. Science not Science vs. Religion
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/oct/05100605.html
Over 400 Eminent Scientists Sign “A Scientific Dissent From Darwinism”
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/jul/05072204.html
Discovery of Complex, Precise DNA Language Points to Intelligent Design of Life
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/may/05052407.html
(c) Copyright: LifeSiteNews.com is a production of Interim Publishing. Permission to republish is granted (with limitation*) but acknowledgement of source is *REQUIRED* (use LifeSiteNews.com).
Thursday, July 20, 2006
DAY OF PRAYER AND PENANCE FOR PEACE IN MIDDLE EAST
VATICAN CITY, JUL 20, 2006 (VIS) - Faced with worsening situation in the Middle East, the Holy See Press Office has been directed to communicate the following:
"The Holy Father is following with great concern the destinies of all the peoples involved and has proclaimed this Sunday, July 23, as a special day of prayer and penance, inviting the pastors and faithful of all the particular Churches, and all believers of the world, to implore from God the precious gift of peace.
"In particular, the Supreme Pontiff hopes that prayers will be raised to the Lord for an immediate cease-fire between the sides, for humanitarian corridors to be opened in order to bring help to the suffering peoples, and for reasonable and responsible negotiations to begin to put an end to objective situations of injustice that exist in that region; as already indicated by Pope Benedict XVI at the Angelus last Sunday, July 16.
"In reality, the Lebanese have the right to see the integrity and sovereignty of their country respected, the Israelis the right to live in peace in their State, and the Palestinians have the right to have their own free and sovereign homeland.
"At this sorrowful moment, His Holiness also makes an appeal to charitable organizations to help all the people struck by this pitiless conflict."
VATICAN CITY, JUL 20, 2006 (VIS) - Faced with worsening situation in the Middle East, the Holy See Press Office has been directed to communicate the following:
"The Holy Father is following with great concern the destinies of all the peoples involved and has proclaimed this Sunday, July 23, as a special day of prayer and penance, inviting the pastors and faithful of all the particular Churches, and all believers of the world, to implore from God the precious gift of peace.
"In particular, the Supreme Pontiff hopes that prayers will be raised to the Lord for an immediate cease-fire between the sides, for humanitarian corridors to be opened in order to bring help to the suffering peoples, and for reasonable and responsible negotiations to begin to put an end to objective situations of injustice that exist in that region; as already indicated by Pope Benedict XVI at the Angelus last Sunday, July 16.
"In reality, the Lebanese have the right to see the integrity and sovereignty of their country respected, the Israelis the right to live in peace in their State, and the Palestinians have the right to have their own free and sovereign homeland.
"At this sorrowful moment, His Holiness also makes an appeal to charitable organizations to help all the people struck by this pitiless conflict."
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
How do I make this message stand out more? Catholics are slow on the whole environmental thing. It seems, in general, that we've incorrectly assigned environmentalism to our Pagan friends. Which is just plain wrong. God created this planet before he created us. We understand stewardship of our churches. How much more important is stewardship of this planet? Think of it as the catheral He built himself.
Going vegetarian - or just cutting back on the amount of animal product you consume - will help more than cutting back on driving.
I LOVE MY GERMAN SHEPHERD!
Orthodox, Catholics Unite in Conserving Creation
MANAUS, Brazil, JULY 18, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI sent a message
encouraging Christians to collaborate in the protection of the
environment.
The message went to the 6th symposium on "Religion, Science and the
Environment," organized by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople,
Bartholomew I.
The conference is being held in the northern Amazon region of Manaus,
Brazil, on "The Amazon: Source of Life."
Benedict XVI's message expresses his appreciation for the values which
inspire the symposium, maintaining that religion has a decisive role to
play in the protection of the environment.
Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, president emeritus of the Pontifical
Councils of Justice and Peace and "Cor Unum," participating in the event,
transmitted the Pope's words.
There are "practical objectives and (the objective) of man's survival
that can and must bring together all people of good will," said the Pope
in his message, which was quoted on Vatican Radio.
Ecumenical collaboration
In the task of protecting creation, the Holy Father makes reference to
the common commitment of Catholics and Orthodox, seen as "an example of
that collaboration" that they must both "seek with constancy to respond
to the call to a common testimony."
"This implies that all Christians must cultivate at the very least
openness of spirit that is dictated by charity and sinks its roots in
faith. In this way they will be able to offer together to the world a
credible testimony of their sense of responsibility for the protection of
Creation."
According to Vatican Radio, Bartholomew I very much appreciated these
words and wished to announce the Pope's visit to Turkey at the end of
November.
The present symposium, which began in Manaus, gives participants the
opportunity to visit traditional communities, get to know the local
reality and meet with specialists who work in the region.
On boat trips on the Amazon river, local representatives have the time
to debate on topics relating to environmental ethics and issues of
importance to Amazonia, such as the loss of biodiversity, deforestation,
the challenges facing indigenous peoples, etc.
It is the sixth of a series of symposiums, held also in ships that
navigated the waters of the Aegean (1995), the Black Sea (1997), the
Adriatic (2002), the Baltic (2003) and the Danube River (1999).
It is organized by the NGO "Religion, Science and the Environment,"
linked to the Orthodox Church, and cosponsored by U.N. Secretary General
Kofi Annan.
ZE06071809
Going vegetarian - or just cutting back on the amount of animal product you consume - will help more than cutting back on driving.
I LOVE MY GERMAN SHEPHERD!
Orthodox, Catholics Unite in Conserving Creation
MANAUS, Brazil, JULY 18, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI sent a message
encouraging Christians to collaborate in the protection of the
environment.
The message went to the 6th symposium on "Religion, Science and the
Environment," organized by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople,
Bartholomew I.
The conference is being held in the northern Amazon region of Manaus,
Brazil, on "The Amazon: Source of Life."
Benedict XVI's message expresses his appreciation for the values which
inspire the symposium, maintaining that religion has a decisive role to
play in the protection of the environment.
Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, president emeritus of the Pontifical
Councils of Justice and Peace and "Cor Unum," participating in the event,
transmitted the Pope's words.
There are "practical objectives and (the objective) of man's survival
that can and must bring together all people of good will," said the Pope
in his message, which was quoted on Vatican Radio.
Ecumenical collaboration
In the task of protecting creation, the Holy Father makes reference to
the common commitment of Catholics and Orthodox, seen as "an example of
that collaboration" that they must both "seek with constancy to respond
to the call to a common testimony."
"This implies that all Christians must cultivate at the very least
openness of spirit that is dictated by charity and sinks its roots in
faith. In this way they will be able to offer together to the world a
credible testimony of their sense of responsibility for the protection of
Creation."
According to Vatican Radio, Bartholomew I very much appreciated these
words and wished to announce the Pope's visit to Turkey at the end of
November.
The present symposium, which began in Manaus, gives participants the
opportunity to visit traditional communities, get to know the local
reality and meet with specialists who work in the region.
On boat trips on the Amazon river, local representatives have the time
to debate on topics relating to environmental ethics and issues of
importance to Amazonia, such as the loss of biodiversity, deforestation,
the challenges facing indigenous peoples, etc.
It is the sixth of a series of symposiums, held also in ships that
navigated the waters of the Aegean (1995), the Black Sea (1997), the
Adriatic (2002), the Baltic (2003) and the Danube River (1999).
It is organized by the NGO "Religion, Science and the Environment,"
linked to the Orthodox Church, and cosponsored by U.N. Secretary General
Kofi Annan.
ZE06071809
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
I am fascinated by the stigmata. Not surprised so many Franciscans have been given this gift, since we are people of the Crucifixion.
One such stigmatist is Marie Julie Jahenny. She was a Third Order Franciscan. As a stigmatist she is approved by the church. While little is known about her, I believe her "memorial" day is March 4th. However, she's not in my Franciscan supplement to the Liturgy of the Hours.
Marie Julie had the gift of prophecy. I copied this out of a small book about her life.
"During the time of the approach of the punishments announced at La Salette, an unlimited amount of false revelations will arise from hell like a swarm of flies: a last attempt of Satan to choke and destroy the belief in the true revelations by false ones."
This sounds an awful lot like what is going on in Medjugorje. Never in the history of the Catholic Church has there been an apparition that has lasted so long, given so many trite, anti-Catholic and often ridiculous messages. Never has an apparition SPAWNED OTHER SEERS. Multitudes of people go there and come back seeing visions. I have a friend who visited there and now has visions of death. And she thinks it's cool.
35,000 messages in 25 years. More and more seers popping up every day. One of them proved so dangerous she was officially denounced by the Holy See. By the man who is now our pope! And yet people - good Catholic people - still follow her. Many of these false prophets, even one of the original seers - have been busted for criminal activity.
Then why do people blindly follow?
One of the best movies I've ever seen is Kingdom of Heaven - by Ridley Scott. His version of the Leper King - Baldwin IV says something along the lines of: When you stand before God you have to account for your own actions. You won't be able to say 'he told me to do that,' 'she told me to go there.'
How wonderful would our world be if more people understood this!!!
Take an unbiased look at approved apparitions in church history. The Blessed Mother really appears, she tells the seer when and where to return. She is not CONJURED - when ever - and - where ever - these alleged seers (or their progeny) happen to be.
Tell me - does the true Queen of Peace appear on demand? No. She calls US!
One such stigmatist is Marie Julie Jahenny. She was a Third Order Franciscan. As a stigmatist she is approved by the church. While little is known about her, I believe her "memorial" day is March 4th. However, she's not in my Franciscan supplement to the Liturgy of the Hours.
Marie Julie had the gift of prophecy. I copied this out of a small book about her life.
"During the time of the approach of the punishments announced at La Salette, an unlimited amount of false revelations will arise from hell like a swarm of flies: a last attempt of Satan to choke and destroy the belief in the true revelations by false ones."
This sounds an awful lot like what is going on in Medjugorje. Never in the history of the Catholic Church has there been an apparition that has lasted so long, given so many trite, anti-Catholic and often ridiculous messages. Never has an apparition SPAWNED OTHER SEERS. Multitudes of people go there and come back seeing visions. I have a friend who visited there and now has visions of death. And she thinks it's cool.
35,000 messages in 25 years. More and more seers popping up every day. One of them proved so dangerous she was officially denounced by the Holy See. By the man who is now our pope! And yet people - good Catholic people - still follow her. Many of these false prophets, even one of the original seers - have been busted for criminal activity.
Then why do people blindly follow?
One of the best movies I've ever seen is Kingdom of Heaven - by Ridley Scott. His version of the Leper King - Baldwin IV says something along the lines of: When you stand before God you have to account for your own actions. You won't be able to say 'he told me to do that,' 'she told me to go there.'
How wonderful would our world be if more people understood this!!!
Take an unbiased look at approved apparitions in church history. The Blessed Mother really appears, she tells the seer when and where to return. She is not CONJURED - when ever - and - where ever - these alleged seers (or their progeny) happen to be.
Tell me - does the true Queen of Peace appear on demand? No. She calls US!
Excellent Article
A HOLY SITE'S 'FLAKE DIMENSION'
by BILL SAMMON
Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina - If anyone wanted to believe in the mysteries of Medjugorje, it was the Rev Philip Pavich.
The American priest turned his life upside down 10 years ago to wrangle an assignment at St James Catholic Church in Medjugorje, where millions of religious pilgrims from around the world have been drawn by reported sightings of Mary, the virgin mother of Jesus.
It was a dream job for Pavich, who had relatives in the former Yugoslavia - the birthplace of his Croatian parents. He began his new assignment with gusto, faithfully preaching the messages that Mary is said to deliver to local visionaries.
But somewhere along the line, Pavich's devotion has turned to disillusionment.
He has begun to see what he calls a 'flake dimension' to the hordes of pilgrims, some of whom go partially blind after starting at the 'miracle of the sun'. He has become uncomfortable with the 'cult leader' status of 'professional visionaries who are living off the profits' of the booming tourist trade, he said. He has even entertained serious reservations about the authenticity of the apparitions, he acknowledged.
In short, Pavich has become self-described 'Doubting Thomas' of Medjugorje.
"I was suckered into this country by my own desire," said Pavich, who worked for 11 years in Israel before securing a transfer to Bosnia. "I believed the apparitions when I came. If anybody wanted it to be true, I did.
"So I preached the messages. I have out tapes and talks and went to a couple of conferences. There are literally hundreds of Medjugorje conferences around the States."
It was at those conferences that Pavich began to realise the magnitude of the multi-million dollar industry that has sprung up around the village of Medjugorje since six youths claim they saw Mary on a rocky hillside in 1981. Some pilgrims who visit Medjugorje return to their home countries and claim to experience visions of their own.
"Medjugorje has spawned 400 visionaries in the United States," said Pavich, a balding, grey-bearded priest in a brown Franciscan robe. "They got 'em in every state. It's a ridiculous, pandemic situation. It's totally out of control.
"I mean, it is a sick visionary world. Canada, the United States, Australia … everybody that has touched Medjugorje has spawned a whole new petri dish of visionaries."
Pavich has grown especially disenchanted with the six original visionaries, most of whom still live in Medjugorje. Two of them said they stopped having daily visions of Mary within a few years of the initial apparitions.
"The other four are active visionaries, so they travel the world," Pavich said. "Ivan (Dragicevic) married a Massachusetts beauty queen - was Miss Massachusetts twice - and basically lives in Boston. He's on a world tour.
"Oh man, they bring home lots of money," Pavich said of the visionaries. "People give unbelievably. It's like a cult. They're like little cult leaders, little cult characters. And they collect, man, bit time.
"They've got second houses; they've got perks," Pavich noted. "They're professional visionaries who are living off the profits."
Pavich complained that people 'just pour' money on Medjugorje visionaries.
Some wealthy Croat tour leader will put down 80,000 bucks, build a house for a visionary, and then she'll sucker her pilgrims into coming by saying "When you come you'll get to stay with a visionary," said Pavich, who noted the beauty of the visionaries' houses. "They're a scandal to a lot of people because they (the visionaries) are in on the take - big time."
There's no denying that the visionaries' well-kept, two-storey homes stand out in this largely peasant country that was ravaged by 3½ years of civil war. One visionary, Jakov Colo, has a stately, salmon-coloured house with a satellite dish and spacious yard.
Asked what he does for a living, Colo joked that he baby-sits his two young children. Pressed for his occupation, the 25 year old said he works at St James Church - a claim denied by Pavich.
"He's a professional visionary," Pavich said. "That's all fluff. They don't work, they never work. They just collect money."
Visionary Marija Pavlovic lives in an even more impressive house, although Pavich acknowledges that Pavlovic is the only visionary to have learned a trade - hairdressing. Pavlovic is considered the most important visionary because she is the one who first heard Mary's call for peace in 1981. She is also the one who reveals a seven-line message from Mary on the 25th day of each month.
"Little children, I am your mother and I desire to reveal to you the God of love and the God of peace," Pavlovic quoted Mary as having said on Christmas day. "I do not desire for you life to be in sadness but that it be realised in joy for eternity, according to the gospel ….."
Pavich used to perpetuate these messages through his sermons at Mass. Now he dismisses "the idea that the mother of God comes and just gives a seven-line message once a month, but has daily encounters with four visionaries".
"In 31 days you got 124 encounters," Pavich said. "Now out of those 124 encounters we get a seven-line message? That don't stack up with me.
"It's too much of a spirit guide mentality; "I will lead you; I will do this. I will do that. Be messengers of my messages."
"I'm trained the other way. I'm not gonna be a missionary of your messages - sorry about that. I'm a missionary of Jesus Christ. I'm sent by him. I'm not sent by some dubious-claim apparition. I'm not an envoy of an unapproved visionary entity."
As a result, Pavich no longer preaches the messages revealed by Pavlovic.
"I have serious reservations about the authenticity of the apparitions," Pavich said. "I could not subscribe in a free-hand way to: 'Yes, I believe this is the mother of God' - although I came her with that idea." Still, Pavich stops short of calling the visionaries liars.
"Oh, I'm not saying that they didn't see something, that they didn't claim to see something," Pavich said. "I'm not saying that they're lying of hallucinating. They are in touch, definitely, with some entity and a powerful energy. Whether it's the mother of God - I'm not ready to say that."
Colo said he is not fazed by sceptics.
"There have always been such kinds of people, especially at the beginning," Colo said. "When I was just 10 years old, it was hard for me when people didn't believe me. But I know I saw something.
"Nobody can force you to believe. We can only pray for all non-believers."
Pavich's boss at St James, the Rev Slavko Barbaric, said he also believes in the visions. But Barbaric, who has written several books on the apparitions, acknowledges that the Vatican is waiting for more evidence before sanctioning Medjugorje as a bona fide pilgrimage site. He added that Pope John Paul personally endorses the site, although 'not officially'.
"That's all anecdotal evidence," said Pavich. "That's all nice wishful thinking. The Pope also personally put the toughest possible bishop in Mostar to be hard on Medjugorje. But you never hear them quote that. You only hear them quote: "Oh, the Pope said he would be in Medjugorje."
"Nice little anecdotal story, based on third-hand information. But he (the Pope) has never put his name to anything. No way. Nothing counts until its got a signature on it. Hearsay doesn't count except for nice, naïve people."
While the Vatican has not condemned Medjugorje, in 1984 it ordered Catholic priests and bishops to stop organising official pilgrimages to the village. It was a clear signal that the Vatican did not consider Medjugorje in the same league as officially holy sites, such as Rome, Lourdes and Fatima.
That same year, local bishops ordered the visionaries to stop meeting inside St James Church, where they had grown accustomed to gathering for their daily apparitions. The visionaries now claim Mary makes her daily apparitions to them wherever they happen to be.
Further doubt was cast on Medjugorje in 1991, when a group of 20 Croatian bishops in the former Yugoslavia issued a report on the apparitions.
"They said on the basis of evidence up to this point, it cannot be established that one is dealing with supernatural apparitions and messages," Pavich explained. "So all we can say is people are permitted to come. We are permitted to give them pastoral care, confession, counsel, prayer guidance."
The report reflected the regional church's long-standing wariness toward Medjugorje.
"The bishops have never been favourable to it because it's not got any church approval in any official sense," Pavich said. "The Croatian hierarchy and bishops are basically cool toward Medjugorje. The basic Catholic press in this country is cool toward Medjugorje …… It's too sticky, too problematic.
"This has no status as a pilgrimage place," Pavich said. "This is private religious tourism, basically. Faith-motivated tourism - or whatever motivates you - some worth, some unworthy."
One of the most intriguing attraction for tourists is the notion that Mary told the children - who ranged in age from 10 to 16 when the visions began - that she would impart to them ten secrets that cannot be revealed to the world until she gives them a sign. The two visionaries who longer see apparitions already know the ten secrets. The remaining four visionaries only know nine.
"They're playing a game," Pavich said. "Now they're on nine secrets for 10 years already. I don't like it. I mean, why don't they bingo out and finish the ten secrets? Because if they did, then the jig is up."
Pavich believes the revelation of the secrets, which some people expect to occur at the close of the millennium, will end the mysteries of Medjugorje. That will bring a halt to the flow of pilgrims causing economic disaster in the village, he added.
"If this thing falls apart, there's gonna be murder around here. They've invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in real estate that demands a flow of pilgrims and if they don't come" - Pavich whistles - "I don't wanna be around here."
Medjugorje, more than most Bosnian villages, is filled with immaculate inns and cosy cafes. Silk-linen restaurants served imported lobster. Scores of elaborate souvenir shops sell an astonishing assortment of religious merchandise, including rosaries, statues and paintings. Mary's visage is plastered on everything from candlesticks to key fobs.
"I wonder if the virgin mother of God would approve of all these souvenir shops," muttered a pilgrim from the United States.
"The locals have milked this thing for millions of dollars; therefore, they have a very big vested interest," Pavich said. "For them this is a lifeline, a boomtown, an industry driving the whole thing."
"I think I have a little more objective view. I have no vested interest, no books to sell, nothing to make."
Pavich's disillusionment peaked two years ago. "I decided to quit," said Pavich, who obtained a transfer to Chicago. "I'd had enough. People trashed me for my opposition to this stuff. I was kind of a pariah."
But as he was packing his belongings, a regional church official intervened, telling Pavich about numerous letters and calls the church had received from parishioners who wanted the American priest to stay. Pavich reluctantly agreed to remain a little longer, although he said he will probably leave soon. While other priests have their offices in St James modern rectory, Pavich is relegated to a battered orange trailer in the parking lot.
"So I'm in a sort of second life here," mused Pavich, one of eight priests in St James. I've died and haven't gone home yet. I'm still in the penalty box. I'm ostracised. Sometimes they don't talk to me. So my time is over."
Not exactly. Pavich still performs the various sacraments and is particularly devoted to hearing confessions. During Mass, instead of preaching the messages of Mary, he discusses such topics as the courage of demonstrators in Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
And despite his doubts about Medjugorje, he acknowledges that plenty of good is accomplished in the village. Regardless of the validity of the apparitions, millions of Catholics end up praying, fasting and generally growing closer to God, which is a tremendous achievement, Pavich said.
He cited the case of a young Wall Street millionaire who was so moved by Medjugorje that he gave away his fortune to become a priest who enthusiastically embraced a life of 'radical poverty'.
"I know the graces people have received through the sacraments, through confessions and so on," Pavich said. "I also know some of the flaky side that isn't complimentary - like guys who get their retinas burned while looking at the so-called miracle of the sun."
Perhaps because Mary appears only to a small group of select visionaries, some pilgrims seem desperate to witness any kind of supernatural even at Medjugorje. Many have taken to staring directly at the sun, which seems to dance and shimmer as their eyes become locked on.
"This is incredible!" said Kate O'Brien as she stared at the sun while descending Apparition Hill recently. "It's like a vision!"
When it was suggested she might be damaging her retinas, the 20 year old college student from Steubenville, Ohio, kept right on staring at the sun.
"That's a really spooky, sub-cultural spin-off - this craze to see the so-called miracle of the sun," Pavich said. "Ain't no more miracle of the sun than the man on the moon! The sun ain't doing nothing up there. Your eyeball's doing it!"
Pavich tells of one man who stared at the sun for an hour and 45 minutes, only to realise he had burned a permanent 'black spot' in his vision which made it impossible for him to do his job at a computer. Several ophthalmology magazines have warned of the dangers of the practice and specifically cited Medjugorje, Pavich said.
Other pilgrims claim their rosaries turned to gold when they reached the summit of Apparition Hill or nearby Cross Mountain, which Pavich calls 'two great stage props'.
"We get things like that," Pavich said. "Flying lights and bouncing balls and streaks of light flowing through the church. I never saw any of that stuff. I mean, where are these people coming from?
"There is a flake dimension to Medjugorje. There is a freaky, sub-culture aspect that isn't healthy, frankly. I've seen it, man, and I'm hard nosed on it. I've got a bad reputation because I don't put up with nonsense."
A HOLY SITE'S 'FLAKE DIMENSION'
by BILL SAMMON
Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina - If anyone wanted to believe in the mysteries of Medjugorje, it was the Rev Philip Pavich.
The American priest turned his life upside down 10 years ago to wrangle an assignment at St James Catholic Church in Medjugorje, where millions of religious pilgrims from around the world have been drawn by reported sightings of Mary, the virgin mother of Jesus.
It was a dream job for Pavich, who had relatives in the former Yugoslavia - the birthplace of his Croatian parents. He began his new assignment with gusto, faithfully preaching the messages that Mary is said to deliver to local visionaries.
But somewhere along the line, Pavich's devotion has turned to disillusionment.
He has begun to see what he calls a 'flake dimension' to the hordes of pilgrims, some of whom go partially blind after starting at the 'miracle of the sun'. He has become uncomfortable with the 'cult leader' status of 'professional visionaries who are living off the profits' of the booming tourist trade, he said. He has even entertained serious reservations about the authenticity of the apparitions, he acknowledged.
In short, Pavich has become self-described 'Doubting Thomas' of Medjugorje.
"I was suckered into this country by my own desire," said Pavich, who worked for 11 years in Israel before securing a transfer to Bosnia. "I believed the apparitions when I came. If anybody wanted it to be true, I did.
"So I preached the messages. I have out tapes and talks and went to a couple of conferences. There are literally hundreds of Medjugorje conferences around the States."
It was at those conferences that Pavich began to realise the magnitude of the multi-million dollar industry that has sprung up around the village of Medjugorje since six youths claim they saw Mary on a rocky hillside in 1981. Some pilgrims who visit Medjugorje return to their home countries and claim to experience visions of their own.
"Medjugorje has spawned 400 visionaries in the United States," said Pavich, a balding, grey-bearded priest in a brown Franciscan robe. "They got 'em in every state. It's a ridiculous, pandemic situation. It's totally out of control.
"I mean, it is a sick visionary world. Canada, the United States, Australia … everybody that has touched Medjugorje has spawned a whole new petri dish of visionaries."
Pavich has grown especially disenchanted with the six original visionaries, most of whom still live in Medjugorje. Two of them said they stopped having daily visions of Mary within a few years of the initial apparitions.
"The other four are active visionaries, so they travel the world," Pavich said. "Ivan (Dragicevic) married a Massachusetts beauty queen - was Miss Massachusetts twice - and basically lives in Boston. He's on a world tour.
"Oh man, they bring home lots of money," Pavich said of the visionaries. "People give unbelievably. It's like a cult. They're like little cult leaders, little cult characters. And they collect, man, bit time.
"They've got second houses; they've got perks," Pavich noted. "They're professional visionaries who are living off the profits."
Pavich complained that people 'just pour' money on Medjugorje visionaries.
Some wealthy Croat tour leader will put down 80,000 bucks, build a house for a visionary, and then she'll sucker her pilgrims into coming by saying "When you come you'll get to stay with a visionary," said Pavich, who noted the beauty of the visionaries' houses. "They're a scandal to a lot of people because they (the visionaries) are in on the take - big time."
There's no denying that the visionaries' well-kept, two-storey homes stand out in this largely peasant country that was ravaged by 3½ years of civil war. One visionary, Jakov Colo, has a stately, salmon-coloured house with a satellite dish and spacious yard.
Asked what he does for a living, Colo joked that he baby-sits his two young children. Pressed for his occupation, the 25 year old said he works at St James Church - a claim denied by Pavich.
"He's a professional visionary," Pavich said. "That's all fluff. They don't work, they never work. They just collect money."
Visionary Marija Pavlovic lives in an even more impressive house, although Pavich acknowledges that Pavlovic is the only visionary to have learned a trade - hairdressing. Pavlovic is considered the most important visionary because she is the one who first heard Mary's call for peace in 1981. She is also the one who reveals a seven-line message from Mary on the 25th day of each month.
"Little children, I am your mother and I desire to reveal to you the God of love and the God of peace," Pavlovic quoted Mary as having said on Christmas day. "I do not desire for you life to be in sadness but that it be realised in joy for eternity, according to the gospel ….."
Pavich used to perpetuate these messages through his sermons at Mass. Now he dismisses "the idea that the mother of God comes and just gives a seven-line message once a month, but has daily encounters with four visionaries".
"In 31 days you got 124 encounters," Pavich said. "Now out of those 124 encounters we get a seven-line message? That don't stack up with me.
"It's too much of a spirit guide mentality; "I will lead you; I will do this. I will do that. Be messengers of my messages."
"I'm trained the other way. I'm not gonna be a missionary of your messages - sorry about that. I'm a missionary of Jesus Christ. I'm sent by him. I'm not sent by some dubious-claim apparition. I'm not an envoy of an unapproved visionary entity."
As a result, Pavich no longer preaches the messages revealed by Pavlovic.
"I have serious reservations about the authenticity of the apparitions," Pavich said. "I could not subscribe in a free-hand way to: 'Yes, I believe this is the mother of God' - although I came her with that idea." Still, Pavich stops short of calling the visionaries liars.
"Oh, I'm not saying that they didn't see something, that they didn't claim to see something," Pavich said. "I'm not saying that they're lying of hallucinating. They are in touch, definitely, with some entity and a powerful energy. Whether it's the mother of God - I'm not ready to say that."
Colo said he is not fazed by sceptics.
"There have always been such kinds of people, especially at the beginning," Colo said. "When I was just 10 years old, it was hard for me when people didn't believe me. But I know I saw something.
"Nobody can force you to believe. We can only pray for all non-believers."
Pavich's boss at St James, the Rev Slavko Barbaric, said he also believes in the visions. But Barbaric, who has written several books on the apparitions, acknowledges that the Vatican is waiting for more evidence before sanctioning Medjugorje as a bona fide pilgrimage site. He added that Pope John Paul personally endorses the site, although 'not officially'.
"That's all anecdotal evidence," said Pavich. "That's all nice wishful thinking. The Pope also personally put the toughest possible bishop in Mostar to be hard on Medjugorje. But you never hear them quote that. You only hear them quote: "Oh, the Pope said he would be in Medjugorje."
"Nice little anecdotal story, based on third-hand information. But he (the Pope) has never put his name to anything. No way. Nothing counts until its got a signature on it. Hearsay doesn't count except for nice, naïve people."
While the Vatican has not condemned Medjugorje, in 1984 it ordered Catholic priests and bishops to stop organising official pilgrimages to the village. It was a clear signal that the Vatican did not consider Medjugorje in the same league as officially holy sites, such as Rome, Lourdes and Fatima.
That same year, local bishops ordered the visionaries to stop meeting inside St James Church, where they had grown accustomed to gathering for their daily apparitions. The visionaries now claim Mary makes her daily apparitions to them wherever they happen to be.
Further doubt was cast on Medjugorje in 1991, when a group of 20 Croatian bishops in the former Yugoslavia issued a report on the apparitions.
"They said on the basis of evidence up to this point, it cannot be established that one is dealing with supernatural apparitions and messages," Pavich explained. "So all we can say is people are permitted to come. We are permitted to give them pastoral care, confession, counsel, prayer guidance."
The report reflected the regional church's long-standing wariness toward Medjugorje.
"The bishops have never been favourable to it because it's not got any church approval in any official sense," Pavich said. "The Croatian hierarchy and bishops are basically cool toward Medjugorje. The basic Catholic press in this country is cool toward Medjugorje …… It's too sticky, too problematic.
"This has no status as a pilgrimage place," Pavich said. "This is private religious tourism, basically. Faith-motivated tourism - or whatever motivates you - some worth, some unworthy."
One of the most intriguing attraction for tourists is the notion that Mary told the children - who ranged in age from 10 to 16 when the visions began - that she would impart to them ten secrets that cannot be revealed to the world until she gives them a sign. The two visionaries who longer see apparitions already know the ten secrets. The remaining four visionaries only know nine.
"They're playing a game," Pavich said. "Now they're on nine secrets for 10 years already. I don't like it. I mean, why don't they bingo out and finish the ten secrets? Because if they did, then the jig is up."
Pavich believes the revelation of the secrets, which some people expect to occur at the close of the millennium, will end the mysteries of Medjugorje. That will bring a halt to the flow of pilgrims causing economic disaster in the village, he added.
"If this thing falls apart, there's gonna be murder around here. They've invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in real estate that demands a flow of pilgrims and if they don't come" - Pavich whistles - "I don't wanna be around here."
Medjugorje, more than most Bosnian villages, is filled with immaculate inns and cosy cafes. Silk-linen restaurants served imported lobster. Scores of elaborate souvenir shops sell an astonishing assortment of religious merchandise, including rosaries, statues and paintings. Mary's visage is plastered on everything from candlesticks to key fobs.
"I wonder if the virgin mother of God would approve of all these souvenir shops," muttered a pilgrim from the United States.
"The locals have milked this thing for millions of dollars; therefore, they have a very big vested interest," Pavich said. "For them this is a lifeline, a boomtown, an industry driving the whole thing."
"I think I have a little more objective view. I have no vested interest, no books to sell, nothing to make."
Pavich's disillusionment peaked two years ago. "I decided to quit," said Pavich, who obtained a transfer to Chicago. "I'd had enough. People trashed me for my opposition to this stuff. I was kind of a pariah."
But as he was packing his belongings, a regional church official intervened, telling Pavich about numerous letters and calls the church had received from parishioners who wanted the American priest to stay. Pavich reluctantly agreed to remain a little longer, although he said he will probably leave soon. While other priests have their offices in St James modern rectory, Pavich is relegated to a battered orange trailer in the parking lot.
"So I'm in a sort of second life here," mused Pavich, one of eight priests in St James. I've died and haven't gone home yet. I'm still in the penalty box. I'm ostracised. Sometimes they don't talk to me. So my time is over."
Not exactly. Pavich still performs the various sacraments and is particularly devoted to hearing confessions. During Mass, instead of preaching the messages of Mary, he discusses such topics as the courage of demonstrators in Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
And despite his doubts about Medjugorje, he acknowledges that plenty of good is accomplished in the village. Regardless of the validity of the apparitions, millions of Catholics end up praying, fasting and generally growing closer to God, which is a tremendous achievement, Pavich said.
He cited the case of a young Wall Street millionaire who was so moved by Medjugorje that he gave away his fortune to become a priest who enthusiastically embraced a life of 'radical poverty'.
"I know the graces people have received through the sacraments, through confessions and so on," Pavich said. "I also know some of the flaky side that isn't complimentary - like guys who get their retinas burned while looking at the so-called miracle of the sun."
Perhaps because Mary appears only to a small group of select visionaries, some pilgrims seem desperate to witness any kind of supernatural even at Medjugorje. Many have taken to staring directly at the sun, which seems to dance and shimmer as their eyes become locked on.
"This is incredible!" said Kate O'Brien as she stared at the sun while descending Apparition Hill recently. "It's like a vision!"
When it was suggested she might be damaging her retinas, the 20 year old college student from Steubenville, Ohio, kept right on staring at the sun.
"That's a really spooky, sub-cultural spin-off - this craze to see the so-called miracle of the sun," Pavich said. "Ain't no more miracle of the sun than the man on the moon! The sun ain't doing nothing up there. Your eyeball's doing it!"
Pavich tells of one man who stared at the sun for an hour and 45 minutes, only to realise he had burned a permanent 'black spot' in his vision which made it impossible for him to do his job at a computer. Several ophthalmology magazines have warned of the dangers of the practice and specifically cited Medjugorje, Pavich said.
Other pilgrims claim their rosaries turned to gold when they reached the summit of Apparition Hill or nearby Cross Mountain, which Pavich calls 'two great stage props'.
"We get things like that," Pavich said. "Flying lights and bouncing balls and streaks of light flowing through the church. I never saw any of that stuff. I mean, where are these people coming from?
"There is a flake dimension to Medjugorje. There is a freaky, sub-culture aspect that isn't healthy, frankly. I've seen it, man, and I'm hard nosed on it. I've got a bad reputation because I don't put up with nonsense."
Friday, June 23, 2006
Notice that all but one of the recalled chocolate bars contains "dairy" in its name. The "freddo" is made with dairy milk.
Cadbury recalls over 1 mln chocolate bars
Fri Jun 23, 11:13 AM ET
LONDON (Reuters) - Cadbury Schweppes Plc said on Friday it had recalled over 1 million chocolate bars in the UK and Irish markets in a precautionary move, because they could contain minute traces of salmonella.
"There are minute traces of salmonella, which are significantly below those (levels) which scientific standards say present any hazard," a spokeswoman for the world's biggest confectionery group said.
"There's no connection between our product and anybody becoming ill from it," she added.
The company said it had identified the source of the problem and rectified it and was taking steps to ensure these products are no longer available for sale.
The precautionary recall involves seven products -- 250 gram bars of Dairy Milk Turkish, Dairy Milk Caramel and Dairy Milk Mint; Dairy Milk 8 chunk; 1 kilogram bars of Dairy Milk: Diary Milk Button Easter Eggs (105 grams); and Cadbury Freddo 10p.
"We've been making chocolate for over 100 years, and quality has always come first," UK Managing Director Simon Baldry said in a statement.
"We've taken this precautionary step because our consumers are our highest priority. We apologize for any inconvenience caused," Baldry added.
The company said the decision to recall the chocolate bars had been made in consultation with the Food Standards Agency.
Shares in Cadbury were down 0.5 percent at 519 pence at 1450 GMT.
Cadbury recalls over 1 mln chocolate bars
Fri Jun 23, 11:13 AM ET
LONDON (Reuters) - Cadbury Schweppes Plc said on Friday it had recalled over 1 million chocolate bars in the UK and Irish markets in a precautionary move, because they could contain minute traces of salmonella.
"There are minute traces of salmonella, which are significantly below those (levels) which scientific standards say present any hazard," a spokeswoman for the world's biggest confectionery group said.
"There's no connection between our product and anybody becoming ill from it," she added.
The company said it had identified the source of the problem and rectified it and was taking steps to ensure these products are no longer available for sale.
The precautionary recall involves seven products -- 250 gram bars of Dairy Milk Turkish, Dairy Milk Caramel and Dairy Milk Mint; Dairy Milk 8 chunk; 1 kilogram bars of Dairy Milk: Diary Milk Button Easter Eggs (105 grams); and Cadbury Freddo 10p.
"We've been making chocolate for over 100 years, and quality has always come first," UK Managing Director Simon Baldry said in a statement.
"We've taken this precautionary step because our consumers are our highest priority. We apologize for any inconvenience caused," Baldry added.
The company said the decision to recall the chocolate bars had been made in consultation with the Food Standards Agency.
Shares in Cadbury were down 0.5 percent at 519 pence at 1450 GMT.
Sometimes the smallest thing can really make your year. Sometimes it's good to listen to that little voice in your head. Mine pays off regularly. Last night I was kicking back. Ready to put my jammies on and call it a night. But that voice said - Get up. Go to the store. Now.
I have a friend at work. He wears a Miraculous Medal. The day he started here, he saw my medal and knew I was someone he could count on for prayers. We talk about God and the beauty of prayer every time we bump into each other.
A few days ago he had a line on an apartment. He asked me to pray for him. So I did. Yesterday he told me he got the place. I knew he was starting fresh, so I asked him what he needed and explained that I seemed to be really good at rounding up free furnishings.
"Oh gosh," he said, shuffing his feet. "I need everything."
So last night, at the behest of that voice in my head, I went to Cost Plus. I got lucky. They were having a great sale. I picked up two place settings, some cooking utensils, kitchen towels and a pot scrubber.
I asked the other folks in my office if they'd like to make it from all of us. Since we enjoy this fellow so much. They agreed.
We made this little presentation. He was all undone. Had to go outside to try to breathe. A little while later he came by and told me all his life people have treated him like an animal. Then God turned his life around. No one had ever done such a thing for him. He is still struggling with how to handle it.
It's so easy to see why God loves those who are poor in spirit.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Medjugorje.
What is it about the place that illicits such strong feelings - both for and against?
I have a friend who is Croatian. As such he has a love for the apparitions. I understand this. When I told him via e-mail that I had been doing some research and wanted to talk with him about it. I asked if we could meet for coffee as there were some things I'd found that might hurt him and shouldn't be said via e-mail. He shot right back calling me judgmental and disparaging.
When I asked him how he could say these things to me without even hearing what I had to say, he apologized. When I asked him to pray for the Franciscans there he called me ignorant.
Spewing accusations is not of God. If he ever wanted to convince me that the apparitions are valid - he totally blew it. He knows me well enough to know I am none of the things he's called me. I do my homework. A year's worth before even attempting dialog about it.
And my attempt at dialog is rebuffed. Viciously. So not of God.
But this is what you find when examining Medjugorje very closely. The surface layer is all fluff and nice. The next layer is dirty. The layer below that, down right vile.
Medjugorje supporters state that Pope John Paul II was in support of them and called the apparitions the completion of Fatima - yet this is an outright lie. What happened to Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness??
Pope John Paul himself called for the removal of one of the stray friars at Medjugorje. Some 40 friars at Medjugorje refuse to be obedient to the pope. Surely if the Blessed Mother was appearing there - she would tell them that this is a great evil. God loves obedience over all things. And yet, the apparitions tell the friars to do as they please. It's all good...
Medjugorje supporters will say their fruits lay claim to validity of the apparitions. But think about it. Wouldn't the devil advocate the "conversion" of a few lost souls to aid in bringing down 40 of God's most faithful? At the risk of sounding very very vain - it has long been said the Franciscans are God's most favorite order. Hence it would seem they are a prime target for the evil one.
What is it about the place that illicits such strong feelings - both for and against?
I have a friend who is Croatian. As such he has a love for the apparitions. I understand this. When I told him via e-mail that I had been doing some research and wanted to talk with him about it. I asked if we could meet for coffee as there were some things I'd found that might hurt him and shouldn't be said via e-mail. He shot right back calling me judgmental and disparaging.
When I asked him how he could say these things to me without even hearing what I had to say, he apologized. When I asked him to pray for the Franciscans there he called me ignorant.
Spewing accusations is not of God. If he ever wanted to convince me that the apparitions are valid - he totally blew it. He knows me well enough to know I am none of the things he's called me. I do my homework. A year's worth before even attempting dialog about it.
And my attempt at dialog is rebuffed. Viciously. So not of God.
But this is what you find when examining Medjugorje very closely. The surface layer is all fluff and nice. The next layer is dirty. The layer below that, down right vile.
Medjugorje supporters state that Pope John Paul II was in support of them and called the apparitions the completion of Fatima - yet this is an outright lie. What happened to Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness??
Pope John Paul himself called for the removal of one of the stray friars at Medjugorje. Some 40 friars at Medjugorje refuse to be obedient to the pope. Surely if the Blessed Mother was appearing there - she would tell them that this is a great evil. God loves obedience over all things. And yet, the apparitions tell the friars to do as they please. It's all good...
Medjugorje supporters will say their fruits lay claim to validity of the apparitions. But think about it. Wouldn't the devil advocate the "conversion" of a few lost souls to aid in bringing down 40 of God's most faithful? At the risk of sounding very very vain - it has long been said the Franciscans are God's most favorite order. Hence it would seem they are a prime target for the evil one.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Today from Zenit - about my name saint and the Militia Immaculata.
Militia of the Immaculata
Founded by Maximilian Kolbe
VATICAN CITY, JUNE 15, 2006 (ZENIT.org).- Here is the description of the Militia of the Immaculata which appears in the Directory of International Associations of the Faithful, published by the Pontifical Council for the Laity.
* * *
Official name: Militia of the Immaculata
Acronym: M.I. (Militia Immaculatae)
Established: 1917
History: M.I. was founded in Rome at the International College of the Conventual Franciscans -- which at that time was the "St. Bonaventure" Pontifical Theological Faculty -- by Father Maximilian Kolbe (1894-1941), a Conventual Franciscan and martyr of charity at Auschwitz who was beatified by Paul VI and canonized by John Paul II.
Established as a pious union on Jan. 2, 1922, by the Vicariate of Rome through Cardinal Basilio Pompilj, M.I. was given special attention and care by the popes in the course of its history.
In a brief issued on Dec. 18, 1926, Pius XI granted it indulgences and privileges, and on April 23, 1927, it was elevated to the rank of a primary pious union with the brief "Die XVIII mensis Decembris."
Under the "altius moderamen" of the minister general of the Order of the Conventual Franciscan Friars Minor, and consistent with the magisterium of the Church, the association grew and spread to different countries.
On Oct. 16, 1997, the Pontifical Council for the Laity decreed the Milizia dell'Immacolata to be an international association of the faithful of pontifical right.
Identity: Father Kolbe presented M.I. as a "global vision of Catholic life in a new form, consisting of the link with Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, universal mediatrix with Jesus."
The association sets out to promote the expansion of the Kingdom of God throughout the world through the work of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, stimulating all to place themselves at her service in her mission as Mother of the Church.
The focus of the spirituality and formation in M.I. is the consecration to Mary, which Father Kolbe intended as "transformation into her": a style of Christian life which achieves the extreme consequences of love.
There are three key ideas: Mary Immaculate, love, and the mission, to provide formation which commits Christians to grow in an existential dimension (the primacy of the vocation to holiness), an ecclesial dimension (love for the Church and bearing witness to the Catholic faith), a missionary vocation (Christian formation of consciences and the New Evangelization), and a cultural dimension (promoting life by serving people in the Franciscan manner of fraternity, joy, simplicity and hospitality).
The specific areas of unity of M.I. are catechesis, town and city missions, religious instruction courses, updating, Marian culture, publishing, radio broadcasting and Informatics.
Organization: By its nature, M.I. is a unitary association. The organization comprises the Young Knights, the Youth Movement, and Adults.
It is structured into three levels:
-- M.I./1 is the movement, with no strict organizational structure where the members mostly act individually and spontaneously, according to the founder's original project;
-- M.I./2 is the movement broken down into groups, whose members work according to the official programs of the movement;
-- M.I./3 is the movement at its highest level, at which the Knights choose to fully and unconditionally give themselves to Mary Immaculate, devoted solely to her cause: in the missionary apostolate, in parish service, alone or in active or contemplative life communities, using all legitimate means. This rank is specific to the City of the Immaculate, the executive centers, and the institutes inspired by Father Kolbe.
A significant presence of the association are those who suffer from sickness, poverty, marginalization and disabilities. They form the M.I. under the Cross. So much suffering, offered as a gesture of consecration to Mary Immaculate, enables the whole association to participate in the mystery of Christ's redemption and renews the missionary effort.
Although legally autonomous, at the pastoral level, all the institutes (secular and religious) inspired by Father Kolbe share the same aims and apostolic commitment: the Franciscan Sisters of the M.I., the Sisters Minor of Mary Immaculata, the Franciscan Sisters of the Militia of the Immaculata, the Franciscan Brothers of the Immaculata, the Missionaries-M.I., the Missionary Sister Crusaders of the Immaculata, the Kolbe Missionary Sisters of the Immaculata, the Kolbe Teaching Missionaries.
Membership: M.I. has more than 3 million members in 48 countries around the world.
Works: M.I. does not have any institutionalized works of its own. When necessary it provides voluntary services to meet specific environmental and social needs: for example, the social recovery of alcoholics and drug addicts, and assisting AIDS sufferers, providing medical and nursing care in poor districts, humanitarian care for young needy mothers,
literacy courses for adults, after-school activities, and parish catechesis.
It systematically conducts evangelization through the Rede Mariana de Radio e Televisao at Santo Andre (Sao Paulo, Brazil), the printing shop and publishing center Jardim da Imaculada at Cidade Ocidental (Brazil), the Mary town training and dissemination center at Libertyville, Illinois.
Publications: Miles Immaculatae, a six-monthly magazine of Marian culture and Kolbian formation. Founded by St. Maximilian Kolbe, specifically for priests and pastoral workers, it is now the official organ of the
International Center.
There are more than 30 periodicals being published to support the apostolate of M.I. in different countries, the majority of which bear the name "Knight of the Immaculata," as an act of homage to the first one founded by Father Kolbe in Poland (Rycerz Niepokalanej) and subsequently in Japan (Seibo no Kishi).
Web site: www.mi-international.org
Headquarters:
Centro Internazionale Milizia dell'lmmacolata
Via San Teodoro, 42/44
00186 Roma -- Italy
Tel. (39) 06.679.3828 -- Fax 06.6994.1017
E-mail: Mlinternational@ofmconv.org
Militia of the Immaculata
Founded by Maximilian Kolbe
VATICAN CITY, JUNE 15, 2006 (ZENIT.org).- Here is the description of the Militia of the Immaculata which appears in the Directory of International Associations of the Faithful, published by the Pontifical Council for the Laity.
* * *
Official name: Militia of the Immaculata
Acronym: M.I. (Militia Immaculatae)
Established: 1917
History: M.I. was founded in Rome at the International College of the Conventual Franciscans -- which at that time was the "St. Bonaventure" Pontifical Theological Faculty -- by Father Maximilian Kolbe (1894-1941), a Conventual Franciscan and martyr of charity at Auschwitz who was beatified by Paul VI and canonized by John Paul II.
Established as a pious union on Jan. 2, 1922, by the Vicariate of Rome through Cardinal Basilio Pompilj, M.I. was given special attention and care by the popes in the course of its history.
In a brief issued on Dec. 18, 1926, Pius XI granted it indulgences and privileges, and on April 23, 1927, it was elevated to the rank of a primary pious union with the brief "Die XVIII mensis Decembris."
Under the "altius moderamen" of the minister general of the Order of the Conventual Franciscan Friars Minor, and consistent with the magisterium of the Church, the association grew and spread to different countries.
On Oct. 16, 1997, the Pontifical Council for the Laity decreed the Milizia dell'Immacolata to be an international association of the faithful of pontifical right.
Identity: Father Kolbe presented M.I. as a "global vision of Catholic life in a new form, consisting of the link with Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, universal mediatrix with Jesus."
The association sets out to promote the expansion of the Kingdom of God throughout the world through the work of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, stimulating all to place themselves at her service in her mission as Mother of the Church.
The focus of the spirituality and formation in M.I. is the consecration to Mary, which Father Kolbe intended as "transformation into her": a style of Christian life which achieves the extreme consequences of love.
There are three key ideas: Mary Immaculate, love, and the mission, to provide formation which commits Christians to grow in an existential dimension (the primacy of the vocation to holiness), an ecclesial dimension (love for the Church and bearing witness to the Catholic faith), a missionary vocation (Christian formation of consciences and the New Evangelization), and a cultural dimension (promoting life by serving people in the Franciscan manner of fraternity, joy, simplicity and hospitality).
The specific areas of unity of M.I. are catechesis, town and city missions, religious instruction courses, updating, Marian culture, publishing, radio broadcasting and Informatics.
Organization: By its nature, M.I. is a unitary association. The organization comprises the Young Knights, the Youth Movement, and Adults.
It is structured into three levels:
-- M.I./1 is the movement, with no strict organizational structure where the members mostly act individually and spontaneously, according to the founder's original project;
-- M.I./2 is the movement broken down into groups, whose members work according to the official programs of the movement;
-- M.I./3 is the movement at its highest level, at which the Knights choose to fully and unconditionally give themselves to Mary Immaculate, devoted solely to her cause: in the missionary apostolate, in parish service, alone or in active or contemplative life communities, using all legitimate means. This rank is specific to the City of the Immaculate, the executive centers, and the institutes inspired by Father Kolbe.
A significant presence of the association are those who suffer from sickness, poverty, marginalization and disabilities. They form the M.I. under the Cross. So much suffering, offered as a gesture of consecration to Mary Immaculate, enables the whole association to participate in the mystery of Christ's redemption and renews the missionary effort.
Although legally autonomous, at the pastoral level, all the institutes (secular and religious) inspired by Father Kolbe share the same aims and apostolic commitment: the Franciscan Sisters of the M.I., the Sisters Minor of Mary Immaculata, the Franciscan Sisters of the Militia of the Immaculata, the Franciscan Brothers of the Immaculata, the Missionaries-M.I., the Missionary Sister Crusaders of the Immaculata, the Kolbe Missionary Sisters of the Immaculata, the Kolbe Teaching Missionaries.
Membership: M.I. has more than 3 million members in 48 countries around the world.
Works: M.I. does not have any institutionalized works of its own. When necessary it provides voluntary services to meet specific environmental and social needs: for example, the social recovery of alcoholics and drug addicts, and assisting AIDS sufferers, providing medical and nursing care in poor districts, humanitarian care for young needy mothers,
literacy courses for adults, after-school activities, and parish catechesis.
It systematically conducts evangelization through the Rede Mariana de Radio e Televisao at Santo Andre (Sao Paulo, Brazil), the printing shop and publishing center Jardim da Imaculada at Cidade Ocidental (Brazil), the Mary town training and dissemination center at Libertyville, Illinois.
Publications: Miles Immaculatae, a six-monthly magazine of Marian culture and Kolbian formation. Founded by St. Maximilian Kolbe, specifically for priests and pastoral workers, it is now the official organ of the
International Center.
There are more than 30 periodicals being published to support the apostolate of M.I. in different countries, the majority of which bear the name "Knight of the Immaculata," as an act of homage to the first one founded by Father Kolbe in Poland (Rycerz Niepokalanej) and subsequently in Japan (Seibo no Kishi).
Web site: www.mi-international.org
Headquarters:
Centro Internazionale Milizia dell'lmmacolata
Via San Teodoro, 42/44
00186 Roma -- Italy
Tel. (39) 06.679.3828 -- Fax 06.6994.1017
E-mail: Mlinternational@ofmconv.org
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Saint of the Day
CASTORA GABRIELLI
Memorial: 14 June
Died: 1391
Patronage: difficult marriages, widows
Profile: Castora was a lay woman of the Catholic Curch. She was wife and widow to Santuccio Sanfonerio, a lawyer at Sant'Angelo in Vado, Umbria, Italy. She was also a Franciscan tertiary (SFO). Castora is remembered for the sanctity she brought to her every day work.
CASTORA GABRIELLI
Memorial: 14 June
Died: 1391
Patronage: difficult marriages, widows
Profile: Castora was a lay woman of the Catholic Curch. She was wife and widow to Santuccio Sanfonerio, a lawyer at Sant'Angelo in Vado, Umbria, Italy. She was also a Franciscan tertiary (SFO). Castora is remembered for the sanctity she brought to her every day work.
Anti-Catholicism. The last acceptable bigotry.
It would seem that Canada isn't the only place to want limits on Catholicism.
Source URL: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/mar/06032203.html
LifeSiteNews.com
Wednesday March 22, 2006
San Francisco City Government Calls Catholics 'Hateful, Discriminatory, Insulting, Ignorant'
Top Cardinal is "decidedly unqualified", says resolution
By John-Henry Westen
SAN FRANCISCO, March 22, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In one of the most startling attacks on the Catholic Church coming from a governmental body in the United States in half a century, the governing body of the city of San Francisco - the Board of Supervisors - voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a non-binding resolution blasting the Catholic Church for its opposition to homosexual adoption.
While many city's residents agree with the Church's stand against homosexual adoption, the resolution stated "It is an insult to all San Franciscans when a foreign country, like the Vatican, meddles with and attempts to negatively influence this great city's existing and established customs and traditions, such as the right of same-sex couples to adopt and care for children in need."
The city supervisors levelled an ad hominem attack on former San Francisco Archbishop William Levada, who has been appointed to head the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), one of the most senior posts in the Church. " Cardinal Levada is a decidedly unqualified representative of his former home city, and of the people of San Francisco and the values they hold dear,'' the resolution stated.
The supervisors also demonstrated their childishness as they attempted another dig at the Cardinal by indicating in the resolution that the CDF was once known as the Office of the Inquisition. "That the Board of Supervisors urges Cardinal William Levada, in his capacity as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at the Vatican (formerly known as Holy Office of the Inquisition), to withdraw his discriminatory and defamatory directive that Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of San Francisco stop placing children in need of adoption with homosexual households," reads the resolution.
The resolution attacked the teaching of the Catholic Church that homosexual adoption does "violence" to children since they would be placed in an environment that is not conducive to their full human development. The resolution blasted the teaching as "hateful and discriminatory rhetoric (that) is both insulting and callous, and shows a level of insensitivity and ignorance which has seldom been encountered by this Board of Supervisors.''
Demonstrating their own profound ignorance, at least in terms of biological realities, the supervisors contend, "Same-sex couples are just as qualified to be parents as are heterosexual couples."
Concluding, the board urged current San Francisco "Archbishop Neiderauer and the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of San Francisco to defy all discriminatory directives of Cardinal Levada."
Members of the Board of Supervisors and their contact information follow:
Jake McGoldrick
http://www.sfgov.org/site/bdsupvrs_index.asp?id=4635
Michela Alioto-Pier
http://www.sfgov.org/site/bdsupvrs_index.asp?id=22396
Aaron Peskin
http://www.sfgov.org/site/bdsupvrs_index.asp?id=4637
Fiona Ma
http://www.sfgov.org/site/bdsupvrs_index.asp?id=12725
Ross Mirkarimi
http://www.sfgov.org/site/bdsupvrs_index.asp?id=29087
Chris Daly
http://www.sfgov.org/daly
Sean Elsbernd
http://www.sfgov.org/site/bdsupvrs_index.asp?id=26661
Bevan Dufty
http://www.sfgov.org/site/bdsupvrs_index.asp?id=12723
Tom Ammiano
http://www.sfgov.org/site/bdsupvrs_index.asp?id=7251
Sophie Maxwell
http://www.sfgov.org/site/bdsupvrs_index.asp?id=4641
Gerardo Sandoval
http://www.sfgov.org/site/bdsupvrs_index.asp?id=4643
It would seem that Canada isn't the only place to want limits on Catholicism.
Source URL: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/mar/06032203.html
LifeSiteNews.com
Wednesday March 22, 2006
San Francisco City Government Calls Catholics 'Hateful, Discriminatory, Insulting, Ignorant'
Top Cardinal is "decidedly unqualified", says resolution
By John-Henry Westen
SAN FRANCISCO, March 22, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In one of the most startling attacks on the Catholic Church coming from a governmental body in the United States in half a century, the governing body of the city of San Francisco - the Board of Supervisors - voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a non-binding resolution blasting the Catholic Church for its opposition to homosexual adoption.
While many city's residents agree with the Church's stand against homosexual adoption, the resolution stated "It is an insult to all San Franciscans when a foreign country, like the Vatican, meddles with and attempts to negatively influence this great city's existing and established customs and traditions, such as the right of same-sex couples to adopt and care for children in need."
The city supervisors levelled an ad hominem attack on former San Francisco Archbishop William Levada, who has been appointed to head the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), one of the most senior posts in the Church. " Cardinal Levada is a decidedly unqualified representative of his former home city, and of the people of San Francisco and the values they hold dear,'' the resolution stated.
The supervisors also demonstrated their childishness as they attempted another dig at the Cardinal by indicating in the resolution that the CDF was once known as the Office of the Inquisition. "That the Board of Supervisors urges Cardinal William Levada, in his capacity as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at the Vatican (formerly known as Holy Office of the Inquisition), to withdraw his discriminatory and defamatory directive that Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of San Francisco stop placing children in need of adoption with homosexual households," reads the resolution.
The resolution attacked the teaching of the Catholic Church that homosexual adoption does "violence" to children since they would be placed in an environment that is not conducive to their full human development. The resolution blasted the teaching as "hateful and discriminatory rhetoric (that) is both insulting and callous, and shows a level of insensitivity and ignorance which has seldom been encountered by this Board of Supervisors.''
Demonstrating their own profound ignorance, at least in terms of biological realities, the supervisors contend, "Same-sex couples are just as qualified to be parents as are heterosexual couples."
Concluding, the board urged current San Francisco "Archbishop Neiderauer and the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of San Francisco to defy all discriminatory directives of Cardinal Levada."
Members of the Board of Supervisors and their contact information follow:
Jake McGoldrick
http://www.sfgov.org/site/bdsupvrs_index.asp?id=4635
Michela Alioto-Pier
http://www.sfgov.org/site/bdsupvrs_index.asp?id=22396
Aaron Peskin
http://www.sfgov.org/site/bdsupvrs_index.asp?id=4637
Fiona Ma
http://www.sfgov.org/site/bdsupvrs_index.asp?id=12725
Ross Mirkarimi
http://www.sfgov.org/site/bdsupvrs_index.asp?id=29087
Chris Daly
http://www.sfgov.org/daly
Sean Elsbernd
http://www.sfgov.org/site/bdsupvrs_index.asp?id=26661
Bevan Dufty
http://www.sfgov.org/site/bdsupvrs_index.asp?id=12723
Tom Ammiano
http://www.sfgov.org/site/bdsupvrs_index.asp?id=7251
Sophie Maxwell
http://www.sfgov.org/site/bdsupvrs_index.asp?id=4641
Gerardo Sandoval
http://www.sfgov.org/site/bdsupvrs_index.asp?id=4643
Monday, June 12, 2006
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
I am a modest dresser. When I wear skirts they're usually long. I'm pretty well covered.
Our culture sells sex. So all the clothing folks wear these days is tight and revealing. Yet, so many people, both men and women, compliment me on my clothing. Long clothing is slimming. Cropped pants paired with a 3/4 length sleeve top isn't pretty. It just makes you look like you can't work a dryer properly and shrunk your clothes. If you're short they make you look shorter. If you're a size 10 trying to cram into a size 8, just realize you'll look like a sausage. It's not flattering. We wonder why the teen pregnancy rate is so high while we let our kids walk the streets looking like prostitutes. Spaghetti strap tanks in winter. Jeans so tight you can tell if the quarter in their back pocket is heads or tails. Might as well just put them in a sandwhich board that says "molest me."
In hot weather. My friends stand there turning into lobsters in their tanks and shorts. Fanning themselves and panting. Here I am in my long sleeves, long skirts and hats. Cool as a cucumber. How do you do it? they ask. Look at the desert dwellers. They all go out fully covered. Their clothing is a portable tent, keeping them cool. Folks look at me as if I've just announced I'm the antichrist, then totally ignore what I have to say. Even though the proof is standing right infront of them.
I recently discovered Shukr, a website for Islamic clothing. I had visited a blog not long ago, by a recent Christian writer on modesty in dress. Shukr was among her links page. Months later I placed my first order. I caught the most wonderful sale. Most of what I bought was one third it's original price. I bought enough stuff to get free shipping and a free hijab (head covering). What does a Christian woman need with a hijab? Our Islamic sisters aren't the only ones covering their heads. We Catholic women should still be wearing chapel veils. But due to a slip of the tongue by a bishop at the end of Vatican II and an overzealous media bliz, most Catholic women chucked their veils.
Back to Shukr. I bought 4 skirts. They fit wonderfully! Good sturdy construction which is essential for me since I don't drive and am either walking, biking or taking public transportation. Shipping was fast (and free due to the amount I spent). Communication by the seller was excellent. Highly recommend them to anyone!
I've added them to my links section as well as a link to one of my favorite websites about the chapel veil.
Our culture sells sex. So all the clothing folks wear these days is tight and revealing. Yet, so many people, both men and women, compliment me on my clothing. Long clothing is slimming. Cropped pants paired with a 3/4 length sleeve top isn't pretty. It just makes you look like you can't work a dryer properly and shrunk your clothes. If you're short they make you look shorter. If you're a size 10 trying to cram into a size 8, just realize you'll look like a sausage. It's not flattering. We wonder why the teen pregnancy rate is so high while we let our kids walk the streets looking like prostitutes. Spaghetti strap tanks in winter. Jeans so tight you can tell if the quarter in their back pocket is heads or tails. Might as well just put them in a sandwhich board that says "molest me."
In hot weather. My friends stand there turning into lobsters in their tanks and shorts. Fanning themselves and panting. Here I am in my long sleeves, long skirts and hats. Cool as a cucumber. How do you do it? they ask. Look at the desert dwellers. They all go out fully covered. Their clothing is a portable tent, keeping them cool. Folks look at me as if I've just announced I'm the antichrist, then totally ignore what I have to say. Even though the proof is standing right infront of them.
I recently discovered Shukr, a website for Islamic clothing. I had visited a blog not long ago, by a recent Christian writer on modesty in dress. Shukr was among her links page. Months later I placed my first order. I caught the most wonderful sale. Most of what I bought was one third it's original price. I bought enough stuff to get free shipping and a free hijab (head covering). What does a Christian woman need with a hijab? Our Islamic sisters aren't the only ones covering their heads. We Catholic women should still be wearing chapel veils. But due to a slip of the tongue by a bishop at the end of Vatican II and an overzealous media bliz, most Catholic women chucked their veils.
Back to Shukr. I bought 4 skirts. They fit wonderfully! Good sturdy construction which is essential for me since I don't drive and am either walking, biking or taking public transportation. Shipping was fast (and free due to the amount I spent). Communication by the seller was excellent. Highly recommend them to anyone!
I've added them to my links section as well as a link to one of my favorite websites about the chapel veil.
Thursday, May 25, 2006
On the infamous DaVinci Code...
I never read the book. I went to see the film, opening day, with a non-Christian friend. I thought she might have questions. Turns out I did!!
Much of it didn't add up. One plus one equals 3. I think the kind of folks who would believe this obviously fictional story is real must also believe most of the stories in papers like the Star or National Enquirer.
We have, from the very beginnng of Christianity, had a woman of elivated status in the church. The Blessed Virgin. The idea that the church would be afraid of such a woman is laughable! Go open the yellow pages. Look up Catholic churches. Count how many begin with Our Lady...
The church teaches that The Blessed Mother is the new Ark of the Covenant - because she carried the Word Incarnate in her womb. Our Greek brethren gave her the title Theotokos which means Christ Bearer.
So much for the church divesting itself of the sacred feminine. BAAAHAHAHAHA!!!
For our Protestant cousins, it's a whole other story...
The church didn't demonize Mary Magdalen. Hollywood did. Hollywood portrays her as a prostitute. Not the Holy See. The church doesn't build basilica's for prostitutes. Her relics rest in a massive basilica in France. Yes, we actually know where her body is.
Magdalene, is a Hebrew term for an adulteress. She has regularly been thought of as "the woman caught in adultery" as portrayed in "The Passion of the Christ." If she was an adulteress, then she was already married and couldn't have married Jesus. Some believe she is called the Magdalen because she came from Magdala in Galilea. Some believe she was the Mary of the Lazarus story. Mary and Martha are the sisters of Lazarus.
We also have the "Holy Grail." The Santa Caliz is in a cathedral in Spain.
The church has always taught that Jesus is fully human and fully divine. How would his having children be problematic to these teachings?
How would testing the DNA of Mary Magdalen prove that these people were descendents of Jesus? It would only prove that they were HER descendents. The story would have been a lot more plausible if Brown had made mention of the Holy Blood in the cathedral in Bruges. Yes, Holy Blood that Mary Magdalen caught in a cup - maybe THE cup - I don't know - at the crucifixion. I believe the Knights Templar brought it to Bruges. Not certain though.
DaVinci's painting may be called The Last Supper. But it isn't a painting of The Last Supper. It is of a meal days before The Passion, wherein Jesus again tells the desciples one of them will "offer him up" (the Aramaic term which we translated into betray), Peter, pulls John (the beloved disciple) to one side and begs him to learn from Jesus who the betrayer will be.
Why use the name of a real lay-organization within the church to signify a false order of monks? That's just silly. And why put a Franciscan robe on a non-Franciscan?
How is it even remotely possible that these people so deeply devoted to Jesus that they would injure themselves in severe penances for their sins could kill his children? Such an act would permanently remove them from His beloved presense. As such it would be an incomprehensible act to them.
I did enjoy the film. Largely because Tom Hanks, Ian McKellen and Audrey Tautou are wonderful. In short, I really don't see what all the fuss is about.
I never read the book. I went to see the film, opening day, with a non-Christian friend. I thought she might have questions. Turns out I did!!
Much of it didn't add up. One plus one equals 3. I think the kind of folks who would believe this obviously fictional story is real must also believe most of the stories in papers like the Star or National Enquirer.
We have, from the very beginnng of Christianity, had a woman of elivated status in the church. The Blessed Virgin. The idea that the church would be afraid of such a woman is laughable! Go open the yellow pages. Look up Catholic churches. Count how many begin with Our Lady...
The church teaches that The Blessed Mother is the new Ark of the Covenant - because she carried the Word Incarnate in her womb. Our Greek brethren gave her the title Theotokos which means Christ Bearer.
So much for the church divesting itself of the sacred feminine. BAAAHAHAHAHA!!!
For our Protestant cousins, it's a whole other story...
The church didn't demonize Mary Magdalen. Hollywood did. Hollywood portrays her as a prostitute. Not the Holy See. The church doesn't build basilica's for prostitutes. Her relics rest in a massive basilica in France. Yes, we actually know where her body is.
Magdalene, is a Hebrew term for an adulteress. She has regularly been thought of as "the woman caught in adultery" as portrayed in "The Passion of the Christ." If she was an adulteress, then she was already married and couldn't have married Jesus. Some believe she is called the Magdalen because she came from Magdala in Galilea. Some believe she was the Mary of the Lazarus story. Mary and Martha are the sisters of Lazarus.
We also have the "Holy Grail." The Santa Caliz is in a cathedral in Spain.
The church has always taught that Jesus is fully human and fully divine. How would his having children be problematic to these teachings?
How would testing the DNA of Mary Magdalen prove that these people were descendents of Jesus? It would only prove that they were HER descendents. The story would have been a lot more plausible if Brown had made mention of the Holy Blood in the cathedral in Bruges. Yes, Holy Blood that Mary Magdalen caught in a cup - maybe THE cup - I don't know - at the crucifixion. I believe the Knights Templar brought it to Bruges. Not certain though.
DaVinci's painting may be called The Last Supper. But it isn't a painting of The Last Supper. It is of a meal days before The Passion, wherein Jesus again tells the desciples one of them will "offer him up" (the Aramaic term which we translated into betray), Peter, pulls John (the beloved disciple) to one side and begs him to learn from Jesus who the betrayer will be.
Why use the name of a real lay-organization within the church to signify a false order of monks? That's just silly. And why put a Franciscan robe on a non-Franciscan?
How is it even remotely possible that these people so deeply devoted to Jesus that they would injure themselves in severe penances for their sins could kill his children? Such an act would permanently remove them from His beloved presense. As such it would be an incomprehensible act to them.
I did enjoy the film. Largely because Tom Hanks, Ian McKellen and Audrey Tautou are wonderful. In short, I really don't see what all the fuss is about.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
On May 8th I lost one of the best friends I've ever had. Best friend, adopted dad, spiritual director, constant prankster. He was very well known in some circles. He spent 28 days in a house in Amityville. When I first met him, I was fumbling my way back to a church I'd left long ago. A silly priest had called me a witch and said I didn't belong in "his" church. I was just a kid. I didn't know any better. Now I know I have gifts. Charisms of the Spirit. The church - God's church - is right where I belong. Lee and St. Pio helped me to see that. We often wondered if St. Pio brought us together. St. Pio made an appearance at the house, and to Fr. Ray - the priest helping them through it all. That remains one of the theories as to why activity in the house settled down. St. Pio had phenomenal gifts over evil.
As such, Lee became my greatest spiritual advisor. He held my hand going back into the church. Supported me in joining the Secular Franciscan Order. Through a fit when I told him I was commited to a celibate single life. He always wanted to marry me off to someone.
I love my dad. He's a great guy. Independent. Original. Kind. But Dad's independence often has him forgetting he has kids. Lee was the dad I always wanted. If he didn't hear from me for a few days he was on the phone. "Where've you been?" He was bossy. Always ordering me around. Laughing like a child when I refused to obey or told him to stop being a pill.
Above all he was a good listener. Gave insight when needed. Always supportive.
He put together a family. Collected from 4 corners. Each loving the other as much as he loved us. At his passing, we grabbed on to each other. For support. To support. We laughed. We cried. We ate good food and as Lee would have loved - drank ice coffee.
At his memorial service, I could hear him yelling at me. Why are you sad? You know where I am. Get over it. Get up there and say something nice about me.
As such, Lee became my greatest spiritual advisor. He held my hand going back into the church. Supported me in joining the Secular Franciscan Order. Through a fit when I told him I was commited to a celibate single life. He always wanted to marry me off to someone.
I love my dad. He's a great guy. Independent. Original. Kind. But Dad's independence often has him forgetting he has kids. Lee was the dad I always wanted. If he didn't hear from me for a few days he was on the phone. "Where've you been?" He was bossy. Always ordering me around. Laughing like a child when I refused to obey or told him to stop being a pill.
Above all he was a good listener. Gave insight when needed. Always supportive.
He put together a family. Collected from 4 corners. Each loving the other as much as he loved us. At his passing, we grabbed on to each other. For support. To support. We laughed. We cried. We ate good food and as Lee would have loved - drank ice coffee.
At his memorial service, I could hear him yelling at me. Why are you sad? You know where I am. Get over it. Get up there and say something nice about me.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Satanic Panic
If memory serves, it was in August of 1996 that I received an e-mail from my friend Cheryl in Los Angeles. She said there was an episode of HBO’s “America Undercover” that Friday called “Paradise Lost” and I had to see it. Cheryl is my pal. If she says watch, I watch. I wasn’t expecting what unfolded. Within the first few minutes of the program I found myself deeply disturbed by the way one parent smiled while discussing her son’s murder and mutilation and shocked that anyone could land on death row without a shred of real evidence. I’ve been following this case since.
We tell ourselves we’re too sophisticated for something like the Salem Witch Trials to ever happen again, yet, here it is. Three innocents blamed for an evil that one small town felt could only come from the devil. All three teens were surrounded by either friends or family during the time allotted for their supposed criminal actions, but that doesn’t matter. They went to trial with evidence that was sketchy at best. To the world at large, it would seem their only “real” crime was being a little bit different.
On May 5th, 1993 three 8-year-old boys, Michael Moore, Steve Branch and Christopher Byers, went missing in West Memphis, Arkansas. The search was launched in a wooded area known as “Robin Hood Hills,” where the boys often played. The very next day their bodies were found in that same area, beneath about two feet of water. All three boys were tied, wrist to ankle, with their own shoelaces. All three boys had been beaten. One boy died of blood loss due to heavy injuries, which would seem to make him the focus of the attack. The other two boys drown, presumably in that very ditch. The medical examiner didn’t think it important to make certain. Weeks later, very little blood would be found via Luminol test at the site. All that was found should have been attributed to the officers pulling the bodies from the water and resting them on the banks. I’m not a cop. I’m not a criminology student. But I’ve read enough books by Robert Ressler to know you don’t move the bodies, you drain the ditch.
Allow me to draw you a picture of West Memphis, Arkansas based on data from AreaConnect: Population 27,666 (I kid you not.), 42% white, 56% black, the other two percent is a smattering of about everything with .21% American Indian. You’ll understand the relevance of that tiny number later. The median age is 31 and women outnumber the men by 2,000. The crime level in West Memphis is higher than the national average. Theft is their offense of choice, numbering 814 in 2001. There are 29 churches, primarily Baptist with one Catholic. I now understand why it’s called the “bible belt.” My own town has roughly three times as many people but barely twice as many churches, evenly distributed by denomination. Murders? We had one, they had two.
What happens when children are murdered in a small southern town? These simple people, unable to conceive of such a crime, began grasping at any and every straw to make some kind of sense out of this act. Given a police department that was ill equipped and untrained to deal with such a case, you’d point the finger at a local “weirdo,” Damien Echols (18 years old), you’d rope in his best friend, Jason Baldwin (16 years old), and you’d bully a third kid, Jessie Misskelley (17 years old), into “confessing.” Local investigators fumbled along destroying, losing and ignoring much needed evidence.
A juvenile probation officer, who would later be in trouble with the law himself, showed up as West Memphis police worked the scene and launched a rumor that would take the town by storm. He brought up the name of Damien Echols as one likely to perpetrate such an evil. He claimed Damien had spoken with him about starting a cult. Thus the match was struck and the fire of Satanic Panic consumed the town. Rumors flew like a flock of starlings and suddenly everyone had a “Damien story.” I pulled a few gems from the www.wm3.org website: One man claimed that Damien levitated him during a "devil meeting." Another person claimed that they saw Damien wearing "dog entrails like a necktie." Another West Memphis resident stated that human skulls with skin still attached were found in Damien's closet. Another local person stated that they watched Damien kill a dog and eat the heart during a satanic orgy/ritual. Another version of this rumor specifies that he ate the dog's leg. If these people were close enough to have such detail, that is, to know the entrails were from a dog, surely they participated. Why weren’t they on trial? If they didn’t participate then why didn’t they go to authorities with such a story immediately, potentially saving the lives of these children?
One of the earliest and most heinous rumors actually began with a parent of one of the murdered children. John Mark Byers told reporters his child’s testicles were found in a jar of alcohol under Damien’s bed. What kind of parent floats such a rumor? Who in their right mind would want their child remembered this a way? I recommend you view the two documentaries on this case: “Paradise Lost: the Child Murders in the Robin Hood Hills” and “Paradise Lost 2: Revelations” for a better understanding.
On June 3, 1993 these teens were arrested for the murder of the three children. Later they would be convicted. Evidence exists to prove their innocence, however, it has been dismissed because the judge does not understand Forensic Odontology. They’re young men now, having been imprisoned for 13 years. Damien Echols, the supposed “ringleader,” is serving his time on death row.
I don’t know about you, but one month seems awfully fast to me. Especially when, as you’ll see below, much of that time was spent chasing a rumor, rather than actually gathering evidence in an attempt to find the real murderer(s). In the Laci Peterson case, police gathered evidence for 4 months, regardless of the “tremendous pressure” involved, before making an arrest.
Just by skimming a few books on cults at the library I learned cults kill their own. Reality is very unlike the media portrayal of cults cleaning our streets up of the indigent or snatching children off dirt roads. If they need to kill someone, they draw someone in then cut them from family and friends so they will not be missed. If they want a child sacrifice, they impregnate one of their own.
I asked a fellow who was well educated about cults what one might find in a wooded area where cult activities were supposedly performed. He commented that different things would be found with different types of cults. I explained that the accusation was of a satanic cult. I was surprised by his answer. Learn something new every day! Let me summarize what he said:
First you have to classify them in the correct way. Satanism is not devil worship. They don’t go into the woods, they’re too controlling. They keep to themselves. They’re more interested in orgies and the like. Satanism isn’t worshipping satan. They are their own gods.
Different sects of satanism may intermingle with devil worship or demon worship. With devil worship you’d find demonic symbols, rune script or satanic script carved in the area, a burnt out fire area and candle wax but no sacrificial knives.
The expert asked point blank what the question referred to. I told him there were three young men in jail, convicted of the “satanic sacrifice” of three children. He asked on what evidence and all I could tell him was none. Not a shred. He asked what symbols had been carved into the victims. Symbols?
“There would have been demonic symbols carved on the victims.”
Really??!! (I didn’t bother to mention what the prosecution’s “occult specialist” [see below] said in court. I didn’t want him to choke on his lunch.)
Knowing full well he was innocent, trusting in the judicial system, and seeming to enjoying the spotlight, Damien was all too eager to give information about himself quite freely. That information would later be used against him. Damien professed to be a practitioner, or student, of Wicca at that time. He would state emphatically that he was never part of any group. However, the prosecution would use this against him, equating the earth-centered religion to satanism.
I had planned on interviewing a practicing Wiccan for my article. I thought it would be great to get some information from an active source on their beliefs. However, I just haven’t been able to get one to volunteer. With what I know about this particular case, I understand why. None of them would want to end up on death row. The very basic principles of Wicca are “Harm none” which is self-explanatory and The Three Fold Law. That is to say, anything you put out into the universe comes back to you three fold. If you case a love spell, three will be cast upon you. (Whew, let’s hope he’s not ugly!) If you murder three children 9 close to you will be murdered.
The prosecution would call upon Dale Griffis as an expert in the occult. He pointed to Damien’s particular style of dressing in black as evidence of his occult practices. They actually held up a concert t-shirt in court as proof of his cult status. I surveyed 6 ladies in my monthly Bible Study group. Three had black jeans in their closets. All six had black t-shirts, two mentioned specific concert tees. Other “evidence” mentioned in court as proof of Damien’s cult activities were books he read and music he listened to. I asked about those specific writers and bands used against Damien in court and found two of my ladies have also read Stephen King and two had Pink Floyd albums in their CD collections. One young lady mentioned having seen a movie made of a Stephen King novel. She makes a good point. I bet more than 50% of the people in that courtroom had seen “The Shining.”
Much was made of the just the name Damien. He was actually born Michael. His stepfather introduced him to church. Eventually he would join West Memphis’s only Catholic church and be confirmed taking the name of Damien after Fr. Damien of Molokai. But the people of West Memphis had seen “The Omen” one too many times and would insist he took the name under darker pretenses.
Had Damien lived in California, he would have numbered among the hundreds upon thousands of average teenagers. Moody, loved heavy metal music, dressed in black and oozing of teen angst. During the trial, comments were made about his long black hair. People said he dyed it as part of his “cult persona.” Damien is part American Indian. His hair is naturally black, stick straight and at that time he wore it long. He is also rather pale. A physical appearance “Goth” kids around here strive for. But Damien isn’t from around here. He’s from a hick town in the Bible belt.
As I read Mara Leveritt’s interview with Damien from the archives of the Arkansas Times, one thing hit me hard. This kid has both a monastic and ecumenical heart. He seems a lot more like Thomas Merton or Bede Griffiths than Anton LeVey (who, by the way, never advocated human sacrifice by any means). I was also shocked to read in that same interview that the probation officer who launched the “cult campaign” viewed speaking and reading Latin as satanic. Imagine a worst-case scenario. This kid continued on his path to Catholicism and at some point discovers the “Rule of St. Benedict.” He is drawn to monastic life and becomes a Benedictine Oblate, which is a third order or secular monk. He takes the oblate habit, black hooded robes. He learns to chant the psalms, with his intelligence and love of study probably memorizes them in Latin. If these things had come to pass, there wouldn’t have been a trial. There would have been a lynching.
It should be mentioned that Damien named his first born, Azariah. A good sound biblical name. However, the townspeople were apparently ignorant of the Bible and decided it was a demonic name. In the Book of Tobit: Azariah is the name the Archangel Raphael gives, to hide his true identity, when he comes in answer to a man’s prayer. In 1 and 2 Kings, Azariah is the king of Judah (one of the 12 tribes of Israel.) In 2 Chronicles, Azariah is a prophet of God. In Daniel, Azariah is the name of one of the boys who survives the “firey furnace.”
A well known wiccan author recently told me, “Ignorance coupled with power is evil.”
It isn’t bad enough that Damien is on death row with literally no evidence linking him to the crime. We have Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley who really are collateral damage. Simply put, the way to “get” Damien. Reading interviews and watching the documentaries on the case, it’s easy to see why Damien and Jason were best friends. Jason is a happy kid with a ready smile, even in the midst of accusations and small town belligerence. His bright and cheery personality must have alleviated much of Damien’s angst. Jason’s defense attorney claimed it was simply ‘guilt by association.’ Although it’s a true statement, I find it sad that he made it seem as if he actually believed Damien was guilty.
Jessie Misskelley was to be the “tool” police in West Memphis used to “get” Damien. Jessie is another sweet, smiling kid who wants nothing more than to make people happy. A woman he knew who was in trouble with the cops pointed the finger at Jessie as someone who knew something. Police had offered to help her clean things up if she would help them get their man, I mean - teenager. They picked him up on June 3, 1993, for questioning. Jessie didn’t know Damien, and Jessie wasn’t even in town the night of the murders. He was badgered, bullied and shown horrid photos until he coughed up what was thought to be enough material to put Damien behind bars. In a desperate attempt to tell them what they wanted so he could get out and go home, he accidentally implicated himself. After 12 hours in the interrogation room, a very tiny segment of what Jessie said was put to tape as his “confession.”
Much has been made about Jessie’s I.Q. as a reason for his “confession.” However, people falsely confess to crimes all the time. That is one essential reason police don’t tell all the elements of a crime to the media. They need to hold on to enough that if someone confesses the key will be in elements of the crime undisclosed to the media. It is then up to police to research the confession. What is real, and what is bogus. Take the case of Jack the Ripper. Police received hundreds of letters, both mocking and confessing, yet only a one marked “From Hell” would stand out.
Jessie gave police all that he could remember from what he’d read in papers. Some very important details were so blatantly wrong it’s surprising that police would even try to use this so called confession. Jessie would state the children were taken and killed at a time when they were still in school. Jessie would claim the children were tied with brown rope when they were actually tied with their own shoelaces. Police would make excuses for details that didn’t fit, but be adamant about what did. In the end, Jessie refused to allow his bogus confession to be used against Damien and Jason even after being offered a reduced sentence for himself.
Criminal Profiler, Brent Turvey, joined the defense team around 1997. Upon viewing the autopsy and crime scene photos, one thing stood out to him. Human bite marks on one of the victims. He dismissed claims of cult sacrifice and stated that this killing was punitive in nature, aimed at one child specifically. The other two children, seemingly, were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Dental impressions were taken of Damien, Jason and Jessie. These impressions did not match bite marks on the child’s face thereby showing the teens factually innocent. So why are these kids still in jail? Because the judge doesn’t understand “forensic odontology.”
The devil runs rampant. More and more highly educated people believe. Exorcism and deliverance are on the rise. 10 years ago, the global Catholic Church had 6 active exorcists. As of three years ago, the US alone has over 300. In 2005, the Holy See gave a class in exorcism that proved so popular they had to turn away potential students and schedule a second class. My own local exorcist, a Franciscan monk, has more work than he can handle. He repeatedly sends out requests for prayer.
Deliverance Ministry is one of Protestant's most popular at the moment. What is the difference between exorcism and deliverance? Exorcism is a Catholic rite, involving use of the Roman Ritual of Exorcism. It is done only with the approval of one’s bishop and only after certain criteria have been established. Everything else, including priests and secular individuals not using the rite, is deliverance.
In 1999 the Pope updated the rite, De Exorcismis et Supplicationibus Quibusdam ("Of Exorcisms and Certain Supplications"). The rite was first written in 1523 with its last revision being made in 1614. Books on demons, and casting them out, ride the bestseller lists with such titles as “American Exorcism,” “Hostage to the Devil,” and “They Shall Expel Demon.” Even the Vatican’s own official exorcist, Gabriel Amorth has written two books on the subject.
The devil not only makes an appearance to incarcerate the innocent, but his name is also tossed around in attempts to free the guilty. The “I was possessed” plea used by Ronald DeFeo, Jr. and “It wasn’t Scott, it was a satanic cult” defense used in the Laci Peterson case.
More recently, Diane Moore, Michael Moore's mother, is now in jail for vehicular manslaughter. She ran down and killed a 26 year old woman. John Mark Byers, Christopher Byers's step-father, is in jail for numerous reasons. Terry Hobbs, Steve Branch’s step-father, is also in jail. He shot his brother-in-law. Byers and Hobbs spent an awful lot of time searching those woods alone. Factor in the mysterious death of Melissa Byers. Christopher Byers’s mother.
In conclusion, I can honestly say the West Memphis Police Department desperately needs a copy of the CSI first season DVD. It sounds like a joke but if they had such an item, three innocent teens would not have spent the last 13 years in prison. The PD’s own medical examiner was in trouble with Rhode Island for selling body parts and their forensic pathologist flubbed in court as to which day he examined the bodies of the three children. He didn’t see the importance of taking core temperatures of the bodies to establish time of death. He would also change his testimony many times.
I would encourage you to go to the West Memphis Three web site and read the information given. Hope is not lost. Rick Walker, who had been incarcerated for 12 years was finally freed due to family, friends and one determined attorney.
May is West Memphis Three Awareness Month. Hence the reposting of this article. Spread the word. Get active! FREE THE WEST MEMPHIS THREE! www.wm3.org
If memory serves, it was in August of 1996 that I received an e-mail from my friend Cheryl in Los Angeles. She said there was an episode of HBO’s “America Undercover” that Friday called “Paradise Lost” and I had to see it. Cheryl is my pal. If she says watch, I watch. I wasn’t expecting what unfolded. Within the first few minutes of the program I found myself deeply disturbed by the way one parent smiled while discussing her son’s murder and mutilation and shocked that anyone could land on death row without a shred of real evidence. I’ve been following this case since.
We tell ourselves we’re too sophisticated for something like the Salem Witch Trials to ever happen again, yet, here it is. Three innocents blamed for an evil that one small town felt could only come from the devil. All three teens were surrounded by either friends or family during the time allotted for their supposed criminal actions, but that doesn’t matter. They went to trial with evidence that was sketchy at best. To the world at large, it would seem their only “real” crime was being a little bit different.
On May 5th, 1993 three 8-year-old boys, Michael Moore, Steve Branch and Christopher Byers, went missing in West Memphis, Arkansas. The search was launched in a wooded area known as “Robin Hood Hills,” where the boys often played. The very next day their bodies were found in that same area, beneath about two feet of water. All three boys were tied, wrist to ankle, with their own shoelaces. All three boys had been beaten. One boy died of blood loss due to heavy injuries, which would seem to make him the focus of the attack. The other two boys drown, presumably in that very ditch. The medical examiner didn’t think it important to make certain. Weeks later, very little blood would be found via Luminol test at the site. All that was found should have been attributed to the officers pulling the bodies from the water and resting them on the banks. I’m not a cop. I’m not a criminology student. But I’ve read enough books by Robert Ressler to know you don’t move the bodies, you drain the ditch.
Allow me to draw you a picture of West Memphis, Arkansas based on data from AreaConnect: Population 27,666 (I kid you not.), 42% white, 56% black, the other two percent is a smattering of about everything with .21% American Indian. You’ll understand the relevance of that tiny number later. The median age is 31 and women outnumber the men by 2,000. The crime level in West Memphis is higher than the national average. Theft is their offense of choice, numbering 814 in 2001. There are 29 churches, primarily Baptist with one Catholic. I now understand why it’s called the “bible belt.” My own town has roughly three times as many people but barely twice as many churches, evenly distributed by denomination. Murders? We had one, they had two.
What happens when children are murdered in a small southern town? These simple people, unable to conceive of such a crime, began grasping at any and every straw to make some kind of sense out of this act. Given a police department that was ill equipped and untrained to deal with such a case, you’d point the finger at a local “weirdo,” Damien Echols (18 years old), you’d rope in his best friend, Jason Baldwin (16 years old), and you’d bully a third kid, Jessie Misskelley (17 years old), into “confessing.” Local investigators fumbled along destroying, losing and ignoring much needed evidence.
A juvenile probation officer, who would later be in trouble with the law himself, showed up as West Memphis police worked the scene and launched a rumor that would take the town by storm. He brought up the name of Damien Echols as one likely to perpetrate such an evil. He claimed Damien had spoken with him about starting a cult. Thus the match was struck and the fire of Satanic Panic consumed the town. Rumors flew like a flock of starlings and suddenly everyone had a “Damien story.” I pulled a few gems from the www.wm3.org website: One man claimed that Damien levitated him during a "devil meeting." Another person claimed that they saw Damien wearing "dog entrails like a necktie." Another West Memphis resident stated that human skulls with skin still attached were found in Damien's closet. Another local person stated that they watched Damien kill a dog and eat the heart during a satanic orgy/ritual. Another version of this rumor specifies that he ate the dog's leg. If these people were close enough to have such detail, that is, to know the entrails were from a dog, surely they participated. Why weren’t they on trial? If they didn’t participate then why didn’t they go to authorities with such a story immediately, potentially saving the lives of these children?
One of the earliest and most heinous rumors actually began with a parent of one of the murdered children. John Mark Byers told reporters his child’s testicles were found in a jar of alcohol under Damien’s bed. What kind of parent floats such a rumor? Who in their right mind would want their child remembered this a way? I recommend you view the two documentaries on this case: “Paradise Lost: the Child Murders in the Robin Hood Hills” and “Paradise Lost 2: Revelations” for a better understanding.
On June 3, 1993 these teens were arrested for the murder of the three children. Later they would be convicted. Evidence exists to prove their innocence, however, it has been dismissed because the judge does not understand Forensic Odontology. They’re young men now, having been imprisoned for 13 years. Damien Echols, the supposed “ringleader,” is serving his time on death row.
I don’t know about you, but one month seems awfully fast to me. Especially when, as you’ll see below, much of that time was spent chasing a rumor, rather than actually gathering evidence in an attempt to find the real murderer(s). In the Laci Peterson case, police gathered evidence for 4 months, regardless of the “tremendous pressure” involved, before making an arrest.
Just by skimming a few books on cults at the library I learned cults kill their own. Reality is very unlike the media portrayal of cults cleaning our streets up of the indigent or snatching children off dirt roads. If they need to kill someone, they draw someone in then cut them from family and friends so they will not be missed. If they want a child sacrifice, they impregnate one of their own.
I asked a fellow who was well educated about cults what one might find in a wooded area where cult activities were supposedly performed. He commented that different things would be found with different types of cults. I explained that the accusation was of a satanic cult. I was surprised by his answer. Learn something new every day! Let me summarize what he said:
First you have to classify them in the correct way. Satanism is not devil worship. They don’t go into the woods, they’re too controlling. They keep to themselves. They’re more interested in orgies and the like. Satanism isn’t worshipping satan. They are their own gods.
Different sects of satanism may intermingle with devil worship or demon worship. With devil worship you’d find demonic symbols, rune script or satanic script carved in the area, a burnt out fire area and candle wax but no sacrificial knives.
The expert asked point blank what the question referred to. I told him there were three young men in jail, convicted of the “satanic sacrifice” of three children. He asked on what evidence and all I could tell him was none. Not a shred. He asked what symbols had been carved into the victims. Symbols?
“There would have been demonic symbols carved on the victims.”
Really??!! (I didn’t bother to mention what the prosecution’s “occult specialist” [see below] said in court. I didn’t want him to choke on his lunch.)
Knowing full well he was innocent, trusting in the judicial system, and seeming to enjoying the spotlight, Damien was all too eager to give information about himself quite freely. That information would later be used against him. Damien professed to be a practitioner, or student, of Wicca at that time. He would state emphatically that he was never part of any group. However, the prosecution would use this against him, equating the earth-centered religion to satanism.
I had planned on interviewing a practicing Wiccan for my article. I thought it would be great to get some information from an active source on their beliefs. However, I just haven’t been able to get one to volunteer. With what I know about this particular case, I understand why. None of them would want to end up on death row. The very basic principles of Wicca are “Harm none” which is self-explanatory and The Three Fold Law. That is to say, anything you put out into the universe comes back to you three fold. If you case a love spell, three will be cast upon you. (Whew, let’s hope he’s not ugly!) If you murder three children 9 close to you will be murdered.
The prosecution would call upon Dale Griffis as an expert in the occult. He pointed to Damien’s particular style of dressing in black as evidence of his occult practices. They actually held up a concert t-shirt in court as proof of his cult status. I surveyed 6 ladies in my monthly Bible Study group. Three had black jeans in their closets. All six had black t-shirts, two mentioned specific concert tees. Other “evidence” mentioned in court as proof of Damien’s cult activities were books he read and music he listened to. I asked about those specific writers and bands used against Damien in court and found two of my ladies have also read Stephen King and two had Pink Floyd albums in their CD collections. One young lady mentioned having seen a movie made of a Stephen King novel. She makes a good point. I bet more than 50% of the people in that courtroom had seen “The Shining.”
Much was made of the just the name Damien. He was actually born Michael. His stepfather introduced him to church. Eventually he would join West Memphis’s only Catholic church and be confirmed taking the name of Damien after Fr. Damien of Molokai. But the people of West Memphis had seen “The Omen” one too many times and would insist he took the name under darker pretenses.
Had Damien lived in California, he would have numbered among the hundreds upon thousands of average teenagers. Moody, loved heavy metal music, dressed in black and oozing of teen angst. During the trial, comments were made about his long black hair. People said he dyed it as part of his “cult persona.” Damien is part American Indian. His hair is naturally black, stick straight and at that time he wore it long. He is also rather pale. A physical appearance “Goth” kids around here strive for. But Damien isn’t from around here. He’s from a hick town in the Bible belt.
As I read Mara Leveritt’s interview with Damien from the archives of the Arkansas Times, one thing hit me hard. This kid has both a monastic and ecumenical heart. He seems a lot more like Thomas Merton or Bede Griffiths than Anton LeVey (who, by the way, never advocated human sacrifice by any means). I was also shocked to read in that same interview that the probation officer who launched the “cult campaign” viewed speaking and reading Latin as satanic. Imagine a worst-case scenario. This kid continued on his path to Catholicism and at some point discovers the “Rule of St. Benedict.” He is drawn to monastic life and becomes a Benedictine Oblate, which is a third order or secular monk. He takes the oblate habit, black hooded robes. He learns to chant the psalms, with his intelligence and love of study probably memorizes them in Latin. If these things had come to pass, there wouldn’t have been a trial. There would have been a lynching.
It should be mentioned that Damien named his first born, Azariah. A good sound biblical name. However, the townspeople were apparently ignorant of the Bible and decided it was a demonic name. In the Book of Tobit: Azariah is the name the Archangel Raphael gives, to hide his true identity, when he comes in answer to a man’s prayer. In 1 and 2 Kings, Azariah is the king of Judah (one of the 12 tribes of Israel.) In 2 Chronicles, Azariah is a prophet of God. In Daniel, Azariah is the name of one of the boys who survives the “firey furnace.”
A well known wiccan author recently told me, “Ignorance coupled with power is evil.”
It isn’t bad enough that Damien is on death row with literally no evidence linking him to the crime. We have Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley who really are collateral damage. Simply put, the way to “get” Damien. Reading interviews and watching the documentaries on the case, it’s easy to see why Damien and Jason were best friends. Jason is a happy kid with a ready smile, even in the midst of accusations and small town belligerence. His bright and cheery personality must have alleviated much of Damien’s angst. Jason’s defense attorney claimed it was simply ‘guilt by association.’ Although it’s a true statement, I find it sad that he made it seem as if he actually believed Damien was guilty.
Jessie Misskelley was to be the “tool” police in West Memphis used to “get” Damien. Jessie is another sweet, smiling kid who wants nothing more than to make people happy. A woman he knew who was in trouble with the cops pointed the finger at Jessie as someone who knew something. Police had offered to help her clean things up if she would help them get their man, I mean - teenager. They picked him up on June 3, 1993, for questioning. Jessie didn’t know Damien, and Jessie wasn’t even in town the night of the murders. He was badgered, bullied and shown horrid photos until he coughed up what was thought to be enough material to put Damien behind bars. In a desperate attempt to tell them what they wanted so he could get out and go home, he accidentally implicated himself. After 12 hours in the interrogation room, a very tiny segment of what Jessie said was put to tape as his “confession.”
Much has been made about Jessie’s I.Q. as a reason for his “confession.” However, people falsely confess to crimes all the time. That is one essential reason police don’t tell all the elements of a crime to the media. They need to hold on to enough that if someone confesses the key will be in elements of the crime undisclosed to the media. It is then up to police to research the confession. What is real, and what is bogus. Take the case of Jack the Ripper. Police received hundreds of letters, both mocking and confessing, yet only a one marked “From Hell” would stand out.
Jessie gave police all that he could remember from what he’d read in papers. Some very important details were so blatantly wrong it’s surprising that police would even try to use this so called confession. Jessie would state the children were taken and killed at a time when they were still in school. Jessie would claim the children were tied with brown rope when they were actually tied with their own shoelaces. Police would make excuses for details that didn’t fit, but be adamant about what did. In the end, Jessie refused to allow his bogus confession to be used against Damien and Jason even after being offered a reduced sentence for himself.
Criminal Profiler, Brent Turvey, joined the defense team around 1997. Upon viewing the autopsy and crime scene photos, one thing stood out to him. Human bite marks on one of the victims. He dismissed claims of cult sacrifice and stated that this killing was punitive in nature, aimed at one child specifically. The other two children, seemingly, were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Dental impressions were taken of Damien, Jason and Jessie. These impressions did not match bite marks on the child’s face thereby showing the teens factually innocent. So why are these kids still in jail? Because the judge doesn’t understand “forensic odontology.”
The devil runs rampant. More and more highly educated people believe. Exorcism and deliverance are on the rise. 10 years ago, the global Catholic Church had 6 active exorcists. As of three years ago, the US alone has over 300. In 2005, the Holy See gave a class in exorcism that proved so popular they had to turn away potential students and schedule a second class. My own local exorcist, a Franciscan monk, has more work than he can handle. He repeatedly sends out requests for prayer.
Deliverance Ministry is one of Protestant's most popular at the moment. What is the difference between exorcism and deliverance? Exorcism is a Catholic rite, involving use of the Roman Ritual of Exorcism. It is done only with the approval of one’s bishop and only after certain criteria have been established. Everything else, including priests and secular individuals not using the rite, is deliverance.
In 1999 the Pope updated the rite, De Exorcismis et Supplicationibus Quibusdam ("Of Exorcisms and Certain Supplications"). The rite was first written in 1523 with its last revision being made in 1614. Books on demons, and casting them out, ride the bestseller lists with such titles as “American Exorcism,” “Hostage to the Devil,” and “They Shall Expel Demon.” Even the Vatican’s own official exorcist, Gabriel Amorth has written two books on the subject.
The devil not only makes an appearance to incarcerate the innocent, but his name is also tossed around in attempts to free the guilty. The “I was possessed” plea used by Ronald DeFeo, Jr. and “It wasn’t Scott, it was a satanic cult” defense used in the Laci Peterson case.
More recently, Diane Moore, Michael Moore's mother, is now in jail for vehicular manslaughter. She ran down and killed a 26 year old woman. John Mark Byers, Christopher Byers's step-father, is in jail for numerous reasons. Terry Hobbs, Steve Branch’s step-father, is also in jail. He shot his brother-in-law. Byers and Hobbs spent an awful lot of time searching those woods alone. Factor in the mysterious death of Melissa Byers. Christopher Byers’s mother.
In conclusion, I can honestly say the West Memphis Police Department desperately needs a copy of the CSI first season DVD. It sounds like a joke but if they had such an item, three innocent teens would not have spent the last 13 years in prison. The PD’s own medical examiner was in trouble with Rhode Island for selling body parts and their forensic pathologist flubbed in court as to which day he examined the bodies of the three children. He didn’t see the importance of taking core temperatures of the bodies to establish time of death. He would also change his testimony many times.
I would encourage you to go to the West Memphis Three web site and read the information given. Hope is not lost. Rick Walker, who had been incarcerated for 12 years was finally freed due to family, friends and one determined attorney.
May is West Memphis Three Awareness Month. Hence the reposting of this article. Spread the word. Get active! FREE THE WEST MEMPHIS THREE! www.wm3.org
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