French Satanist - will leave you speechless...

[Scepcop]

I didn't know people like this existed. Check out what he does and what he thinks. It will leave you speechless! Is this for real?

[Craig Browning]

"Satan" is a figment of the church's imagination. . . a contrivance they invented so as to scare people into submission. There is absolutely no description of him in the Bible though the term Satan actually does relate to an office of Jewish clergy -- the "Devil's Advocate" who's job it was, to argue scriptures with the other rabbi so they could better define and comprehend what the prophets taught and the views of the law, how they applied in life and why.

When it comes to genuine Satanism if may be wise to note the fact that Anton LeVey was a pacifists who would actually capture insects in his house, and free them out of doors. He was an animal trainer by trade and an advocate when it came to the issue of cruelty to animals. But, he was likewise big into theater and the psychology of ritual, it was the psychological impression that he chose to exploit not the literal acts of animal or human mutilation.

Instances in which people hear puppies telling them to kill others are as old as the hills and always involved folks juggling some extreme psychological issues, it's just how things happen and has nothing to do with any kind of actual demonic possession. I'm not saying that such things can't or don't happen, only that the odds of such things actually manifesting are extremely rare and that's based on what the Vatican has published and its view when it comes to any kind of supernatural claim be it the miraculous or demonic.

Do some genuine research when it comes to this character known as "Satan" (Old Scratch, the Devil and wrongly referred to being one in the same as Pan, Krononos, Baal, and a very long list of other gods that have been denounced by "the church" as a whole).

Oh! That whole Lucifer story. . . you might want to look at how closely it parallels the Gnostic and Koran tales on Iaboath Yahweh.

[Jackal]

The Aztecs did far more shocking things without ever mentioning the name "Satan." So do modern mafia members.

The guy in the video is just looking for attention.

Apart from the killing part, an aghori in India would find him quite tame:
WARNING: Near the end of the video, it shows an aghori dismembering and eating a corpse!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6J5RVjpa ... re=related
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aghori

Some people try to transform their minds by doing things that normal people wouldn't do.

[Scepcop]

I heard that in the Old Testament, Satan was barely mentioned, and even in the book of Job, he was not God's enemy or what he is described as in the New Testament. "Satan" simply means "the opposer, the accuser". It was only in the NT that he began to be used as a ruler of evil to incite fear into others.

[Craig Browning]

[Scepcop]

The Christian concept of the devil is described in the NT, didn't you know? He is described as an evil being who deceives and destroys. But not in the OT.

Here is what Darryl Sloan says about the origin of Satan.

[Craig Browning]

I give Sloan about as much credit as I would Bush, Jr. -- he's an idiot and an ego.

The idea of "Satan" can be found in scripture but not the physical image of who and what he is supposed to be, this came about over time as the Armies tied to the Vatican (primarily) conquered the northern Pagan culture, transforming their horned God into the Devil of their belief. This was done to generate fear of the "old ways" -- the cultural legacy of a given people -- so they would not buy into the "romance' for such things based on the "ravings" of tribal elders who would reference such traditions. The other thing done by the orthodoxy was to usurp the symbols and holy-days of conquered sects, transforming them into "christian" holy-days such as Easter, Christmas, and several minor celebrations like Candlemass and of course Samhain/Halloween/All Saints Day or any number of other terms -- it's been a thorn in the side of the church since day one. The current demotion of the date to "harvest festival" being the most successful act of suppression seen in the past 1,700 years of trying, but again it comes back to "brain washing" -- conditioning the new generation to be afraid of things that have been a part of tradition for generations.

If you are going to take on "the Church" and christian views you must line up your duckies and have credible grounds for your arguments; you need to cite sources that are authoritative that the reader can reference and learn more from that information and the sources it will refer to.

I was watching the 10 Commandments last night simply because nothing else was on and too, it is a Hollywood classic -- an important bit of film history when you consider the Special Effect technology that went into it. Nonetheless, I was looking at some of the points made in the film asking myself how any half-way intelligent person could have bought into the claims made by Moses and the prophets -- how can you mistake a Volcano for being the presence of a God?

The answer is simple but likewise primitive; most all cultures that were exposed to Volcanic activity turned the "Mountain" into a place of homage & sacrifice. The real irony is how the Christian missionaries would force the Polynesian people to not worship the Pele, let alone the mythos of the "Holy Land" region where Hephaestus and others were known, honored and feared well into the 3rd & 4th centuries. How is it the Gods of these conquered people aren't the same as the Volcano Deity discovered by Moses and the people of Median? All of this prior to the massive eruption in the Greek Isles that brought about the famed Plagues of Egypt for which Moses took credit (well, in the name of his "God"). . . but that brings up another point from the film.

Pharaoh (Yule Brenner) argues with Moses (Charlton Heston) that a mountain oozed red clay upstream of the Nile which resulted in the frogs leaving the water and subsequent (very natural) cycle of pestilence, etc. This and the whole separation of the waters, etc. stem from known factors of the time that, in the day, were viewed as a deception -- man trying to deny God's power, which leads to the Angel of Death, etc. Yet, there is now a documentary that shows these same explanations, using them as proof to God's power -- "this is how god did it" vs. it being "Satan trying to create doubt in our mind" which was the norm for most of church history, even in my lifetime.

So show such fickleness -- demonstrate these shifts of perspective and "theological defense" or, to be closer to the truth, mythos protection.

I've rambled sufficiently, hopefully you will consider what I've said, understanding that you won't find a solution to things on YouTube.

[ProfWag]

[Craig Browning]

[ProfWag]

[Craig Browning]

Just proof that the world is heading to hell in a hand-basket

At least that seems the case with we Westerners; we thrown all sense of discipline and decorum out the window along with responsibility. Being an honest, responsible and even 'neighborly" individual now days makes you look like a "fool" in the eyes of most, especially the younger generation that has become so thoroughly hooked on all the gadgets and the impersonal world the Internet affords them.

I've been reading a book recently that points out how rapidly the "social norms" for most societies has declined within the more modern "tech-savvy" areas of the world while those very same factors are empowering "3rd World" cultures in ways that are allowing them to silently come to power. . . in certain instances, like India, we're giving them that power and influence by throwing money at them to take care of those little things we simply don't want to do or be bothered with. Besides, they know so much of the tech stuff better than we do. . . for some strange reason (perhaps it has something to do with how their culture embraces and places a higher importance to education over the military and other such odds & ends?)

It's a sad scenario that one must laugh at in order to keep his sanity.

[Arouet]

Yet in another sense, this technology has allowed us to be more social than ever before! Would any of us here on this forum, spread out throughout the world, be communicating were it not for this technology? In some ways, people are for MORE social than ever. It's just in a different format. Not necessarily a bad thing.

While there is a lot of bad info out there to be certain, people are far more informed than ever before. We have access to information we could never dream about even a couple decades ago.

So sure thee are some negatives, but the result is overall positive. Even youtube....

[Craig Browning]

[ProfWag]

[Craig Browning]

We've seen people pull together for a few days (literally) after situations like Katrina or 9/11 but true to what we used to call the MTv mentality, they end up getting bored with it and need to "turn the page" to something else that's not quite as "real" or "depressing". To sooth their conscience they volunteer here and there a few times a year while whining about how tough life is, when they've never actually seen anything remotely close to "bad"

There are a few places in our world where you can find actual communities and neighbors looking out for one another but they are few and far between and worse, they tend to exist only in those areas where adversity resides; fear of gangs and what they bring into town or fear of those that are supposed to be protecting them.

On Nov. 3rd 1982 I finally got it through my thick Irish skull that I had a drug problem, one that had cost me everything I'd ever earned in life. Needless to say, it meant that I would go to those silly meetings day after day, year after year but after about 15 years I stopped going so much.

I bring this up because it relates to the whole "community" thing; how people caught up in similar plights can unify and help one another but likewise, how attitudes and actions have changed; 25 years ago if I'd missed a meeting or two there would be people looking for me to see what was wrong. Today however, when I'm not seen in meetings locally on any kind of regularity I get no calls of concern but rather, rejection -- if I'm not at meetings I must be using and abusing being the assumption and therefore I should not be seen as "safe" to be around.

Trust me, after nearly 30 years of sitting in those meetings hearing the same people whine and play the same sad song year after year with absolutely no intention of changing things in their lives. . .well, it takes it toll on one's sanity; especially when you find yourself in a community area that loathes the "tough love" policies of old and actually supports the whole "trust your shrink and his pills" rather than working with a sponsor that knows a thing or two those papered jerks don't. Granted, I live in the heart of Lesbianville where everyone is so far left they're right -- militant, closed-minded feminists to put it kindly (so much so I've come close to changing political parties just to avoid the embarrassment).

Wow, where did all that come from?

I guess it goes back to how things have changed in a very short span of time and in so doing, how selfish/self-serving we've all kind of moved into being. On one hand, as a matter of self-preservation in a culture that's become jaded and suspicious of everyone/everything. On the other hand it is because we've had that stray dog or two that actually has bit the hand of kindness, such as your neighbor and the generator issue. . . I can't begin to list the number of times my generosity has done the same.

I feel an essay coming on. . .