Friday, March 28, 2008

What does AllFaith Mean?


What Does "AllFaith" Mean?

Reverend Peter M. Semadeni of the Churchlight School of All-Faith Spirituality (His Website) has posted a chapter from new book and asked for my thoughts on it. As I read the chapter it became obvious that the essential question is: What does AllFaith mean?

Here is my reply in its unedited entirety. I would post his chapter here but as it is rather long it will be best I think for those interested to go there (Click Here).


Hi Reverend Peter,

Thanks for the invitation to comment on this important issue.

There is an innate difficulty with "AllFaith spirituality" (which I have practiced for many years according the Light I have thus far received). And that is, what does "all faith" actually mean?

There's a trap that far too many folks are snared by. Its sort of like those who say:

    "I am open minded and I hate those who are not! Such people need to be stopped! Outlawed! Rejected as extremists!"

    Or,
    "Behead those who say Islam is violent! Islam means peace!" (Islam means "submission," it only means peace for those who submit to the deen and ummah of Islam)

    Or,
    "Jesus accepts everyone, all you have to do is become a heterosexual, Bible Believing, Creation affirming, evolution denying, anti-abortion... member of one the denominations I approve of..."

    Or,
    "All religions are equal and anyone who does not believe this is intolerant and should be silenced!"

    Etc.

No accusation is intended here.

If one is truly "AllFaith" or "All-Faith" then it seems to me one honors all faiths as they are. But how can this even be possible? How can one honor polytheists, monotheists, pantheists, panenthists, advaitins, dvaitins, atheists, scientists, nihilists, transcendentalists... etc. etc. when their views are so diverse?

How can one support Judaism while also supporting Christianity (as I do), without opposing Islam (which I do not). How can one believe in the God of the Bible and Qu'ran and yet believe in Sri Visnu? In Mahadev Siva? In Srimati Durga? In Ahura Mazda? In Ek Noir? in Tao? in Tat Tvam Asi? etc.

Its a tough question.

Does "AllFaith" mean all religions need to be compacted or distilled into a single belief system, like many New Agers and Secular Humanists seek to do? Is it our view that only by merging all religions will we at last discover the truth of any?

But... what is Christianity without Jesus? What is Islam without Prophet Muhammad (SAW)? What is Judaism without Moses? What is Hinduism with Sri Krsna? Lord Siva? What is Buddhism with Tatagata and the Bodhisattvas or Taoism without Lao Tsu and Chuang Tzu? How many particulars can we take away from the religions without fundamentally altering what they are? Paul said, "If Jesus be not raised from the death, your faith is vain."

Does "AllFaith" mean that we today are somehow "higher" and ready to "transcend" the old religions and embrace Quantum theory and the other new insights we are now being offered? This view flies in the face of practically all religions east and west (though it is foretold to happen by the prophets of many religions).

Any answer, it seems to me, denies the very premise of being truly AllFaith.

    Is "God" a "Person"?
    Is "God" an "Energy"?
    Is God a "Presence"?
    Is "God" the accumulation of our conceptions of goodness? ("god" is German for the goot, the good).

Who or what (if anything) is "God"?

    Some Jews tell us that God is En Soff ("No thing")
    Some Advaitans tells us that God is Neti Neti ("Not this Not that")
    Some Vaisnavas tell us that God is Acintya Bheda Abheda Tattva ("the very Formless Form of Inconceivable Oneness AND Diversity").

Whenever we seek to define God or say what God is not, I believe we have limited God (or tried to). "Ek Devata" defies all definition, description and limitation.

God is more.

    But
      God is also that.

You say, "My God makes mistakes just as everyone else does and has bad days and good days and deals with them accordingly. The only reason my God is everywhere at once is because we are within God."

This clearly is not the God (and/or faith) of Israel, of the Christians, of the Muslims, or of most other Theists. The standard theistic view of God is of an eternal, utterly perfect "Person" or "Individual" (however conceived) who never makes mistakes (other than the Mormons who say, "As man now is God once was, as God now is man will become" but they are an anomaly). Even among the "Personalist Hindus" who celebrate the Rasa Lila and other earthly "past times" of God Incarnate, the Holy One appears in order to "play a role" as a limited being, but is never consumed or even influenced by Maya (illusion) except by divine choice.

God is more.

    But
      God is also that.

So, my point is, it seems to me that you are teaching yet "another god," yet "another faith" -- AS DO I arguably -- no insult is intended here, but your description of God excludes the beliefs of practically all existing faiths and would be viewed as blasphemy by several of them. How then is it All-Faith?

So, what is AllFaith?

As I define the term, AllFaith means to honor all faith traditions as legitimate Paths to the One (Ek Devata: the One God however conceived) while holding to ones own views and revelations according to the Light one has received thus far.

When all is said and done:

"Truth is One, the Sages describe it diverse ways."

To accept this is to be AllFaith in my opinion.

Best of success on your project.

Monday, March 24, 2008

My March 24, 2008 Dream

True Stories
That Changed My Life
What a Short, Strange Trip its Been!

Welcome to MyStory!

My March 24, 2008 Dream

By John of AllFaith © 3.24.08


I'm a dreamer and an occasional seer of visions so I typically pay some heed to the former and close attention to the later.

Last night's dream (I only remember one dream from last night) is troubling on a few different levels. I often write out my dreams as a way to get a handle on them and this one I thought might be worth sharing:

I'm in what appears to be a large shopping mall. There are the usual things, crowds of people, various shops, kiosks, hawkers of diverse merchandise... but things seem different, futuristic, as though the technology for sale, as well as the mall itself, is of an advanced state that we have yet to achieve.

As I'm looking around at the wonders I realize I'm in a wheelchair, being pushed. I look down at my body. I am very thin [maybe a bleed-over from my dieting, I've now lost 40 pounds, 20 more to go at least], and my hands are wrinkled. In the dream I realize I'm much older that I thought I was, maybe in my 70's of 80s or maybe my health has deteriorated to the point that I merely look that old. I'm not sure.

Someone is talking to me. The voice is soothing but the words don't register, most of them anyway. I cock my head up and over and see my wife behind and above me. She has also gotten older but doesn't seem to be nearly as old as me now [even though we are the same age]. She is talking animatedly, maybe about the shops or some gadget someone is selling. I notice a kiosk that is selling paintings of waterfalls and volcanoes, except the water and lava are actually moving as if real. Very life like. I watch the movement without comment or thought.

Someone approaches us, two people, and we stop to greet them. My wife greets them. I know them but I'm not sure why or who they are. Its a man and a woman... maybe my son and his [future] wife? They seem happy, carefree. The three of them are talking merrily. My gaze returns to the waterfall and volcano.

The woman places a hand on my shoulder returning me to awareness of their presence, and says something. I force my mind to pay attention, to understand her words. But she sounds like the school teacher and other adults on those old Charlie Brown TV specials [The words are merely sounds... wa wa waaa whoo ahwaw...]. I focus on her, it is difficult but I try and listen...

"wa wa waaa whoo ahwaw but... whooo wa... was off on this..."

They laugh. Its a friendly, non-condemning laugh of familiarity. The sort of laugh one makes to say, "Its just like him or her to do that..." Chit chat and friendly banter.

My wife then says, "wa wa waaa admit that for a while it looked ahwaw...."

The man adds, "Sure did, I thought we were gonners for a while, but then wa waaa whoo..."

"wa wa waaa changed it all, now just look arouwhooo wa..."

From deep within my consciousness a light emerges. I can almost see it, golden, awakening me... it has substance, I can taste it...It is sweet but it burns when I swallow and turns my stomach... (a reference to the scroll John ate?) and I wonder where my Prilosec is... maybe on my desk... but suddenly I am aware, with absolute clarity, of that moment in time. I force-shift my body and make myself speak, "How wong?" it sounds even to my ears... "How long?"

Excitedly the people gather around me. They seem shocked that I have spoken, replied to what they were saying.

"How long what?" my wife prompts me.

"How wong thence things wot betterer?"

I sound like I've been to the dentist's office!

They exchange a look. They know what I'm asking...

Just then there's a sound, a wizzing, roaring descending rumble...

We all look up towards the upper levels of the mall and beyond to its stunning translucent roof. It looks like paper thin white marble with golden streaks illumined by the bright sun. A circular shadow is gradually growing directly over head even as the roaring whooshing grows louder.

We watch speechless. The mall is suddenly quite, like a tomb... it has that feeling... but the circular shadow is moving away now, though it continues to get progressively bigger and louder... We watch its shadow pass on down the mall like the shadow of Death seeking his next victims.

It is way too quiet.

Everyone is staring up towards the roof in dumbfounded amazement.

We all jump slightly from the start as the man says, "I don't know," as if he doesn't want to acknowledge that what is happening is really happening, "...a few years..."

The woman looks at him uncertain. "Wha..."

I'm not sure how much time I have lost, but I suddenly know it has been just shy of four years, since the world become a paradise...

Time seems to stop. In the distance there is an explosion. The earth shakes, the mall is rocked, the glass-like ceiling over our heads erupts in splinters of ceramic snow that falls down on us in torrents. We avert our eyes but the shards don't cut us. I note this even as the world becomes black and I lose consciousness....

"I've got to go..."

I'm in bed. I throw off the covers and get to my feet with an agility I haven't known for years. There are several people in the room, including my wife and both of my sons, now grown, and others I don't know. Maybe a dozen people, maybe a few more.

We are in someone else's house, not ours, at least I don't recognize it, but my wits are fully returned to me now as they have not been for years. I'm not sure what came before this moment.

Now I'm walking naked down a long hallway and I glance into an oblong full-length mirror and pause at the sight of me, So old! The thought is triggered then passes just as fast with the thought that age is but an illusion. My cloths are laying on a flat surface beside the mirror, the top of a cedar chest perhaps. I smell the cedar. It is good, I inhale deeply and note in passing, pleased, that I don't cough.

The people from the bedroom are following me, arguing that I mustn't go out. "We're under curfew.." and "You're too old"... "the doctor said..." But I keep moving.

I don't know where I'm going but I know I am going where I need to be....

... Its dark, overcast and gray like a storm drenched autumn afternoon in Virginia Beach, VA... but I'm not in Virgina Beach nor in the US. "The US is a memory without substance," I quote. I don't know what this means, but the thought is there.

Suddenly this "dream" is familiar...

This realization is in the dream. I know it... I have seen this before... when I was 12... in my 1969 vision. When I lived in Virginia Beach, years later, I experienced such a day as this and the thought, "A day like today," hit me then; this is the memory of that certain feeling now... And I saw all of this then! Just like this!

The buildings are too tall. They dwarf me. They belittle and consume all life into inconsequential irrelevance... and I "know" that just around the next corner is the government headquarters (which government? I wonder but don't really care, because there is only one and it is evil. It is the source of this grayness).

I'm hidden in the shadows of the shadowy day, in an inset doorway of one the behemoth buildings that are too alive in some way that I don't fully understand but that I know to be true.

I can hear THEM walking their beats, not as police but as soldiers, as the troopers who came to us in the German Reich to destroy us. Their sounds echo, cause my blood to run cold... I know they are looking for me, in part at least... they are looking for... (for who? does it matter?). I shutter as I recall the feelings of the German Shepherds in Bulgaria that sought for us among the "vermin" of the streets (reference) but I will not back down, not this time! I will resist! I will stand! (I wish my legs and hands would stop shaking!)

I hear gunshots, automatic weapons firing... an explosion in the distance like tank fire or something even more destructive... footsteps... echoing throughout this concrete and darkened glass jungle... I back further into the shadow of the doorway uncertain of what I should do.

Just then, another joins me. He darts into the doorway, into the shadows. When he notices me he smiles an intoxicating, knowing half smile and says, "I guess its time."

I know him. I have always known him. I return the smile and nod. "Its time."

We hear them coming before we can see them.

It is not raining, but a heavy mist like dark drapery limits our view, distorts our vision and we behold not men, not soldiers, but darkly fluid forms of wrongness approaching.

We exchange a glance and step out into the street to meet them...

There is something menacing over head, overshadowing us. It is dark and gray as if wishing to remain concealed yet it is faintly illuminated. It is huge, a curiosity but of no immediate concern and I refocus on the task at hand.

THEY round the corner and see us. They freeze for a moment, clearly surprised that we are just standing there in the open rather than retreating into the sewers as so many others have. On other days we would have, but not this time. We take a step toward them, and then another, and they open fire...

Our bodies shake as though in the grip of some powerful spasm...

And I woke up...

As always, your thoughts are invited.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Identifying Babylon the Great Part Three

The Earth belongs to HaShem
"The Earth Belongs to HaShem and the Fullness Thereof."

Identifying Babylon The Great

Part Three
By Ben Ruach ha Kodesh (John of AllFaith) © 3.15.08

So here we see the future of the Church. Now we will consider how the Church came to be viewed as harlot deserving of this rough treatments.

The Seven Periods of the Church

In the book of Master Y'shua's prophecy to John he explains that the Church would pass through seven distinct periods of time before finally embracing the role of Babylon the Great and being rejected by God and man. These "churches" existed in the cities referenced, but the meaning is deeper, signifying the future of the Church. We are currently living in the seventh and final of these periods. What follows is a list of the Seven Churches of Revelation and their approximate dates. These dates are given only as markers because the distinguishing traits of each period bleed over into the others in the continuous flow of time. This list should not therefore be taken as giving exact dates for the periods they reference. In these letter the Master addresses those who hold true to his Way.

The Church of Ephesus:

    70 CE - 170 CE: As the Jews, including the followers of Master Y'shua, were expelled from Zion (as the Master predicted in Matthew 24) the Nazarenes (the followers of Y'shua of Nazareth) began to lose faith in the Way. Certain of the followers of the Way began embracing various non-Abrahamic doctrines. Having lost their homes and being dispersed throughout the world they began compromise their beliefs and accept doctrines never taught by the Master or the Jewish Scriptures.

      Revelation 2:
      1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
      2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
      3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
      4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
      5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
      6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.
      7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

There were devout (Written) Torah Observant Nazarenes still and they were struggling to maintain the true faith of the Master and his reformed Jewish beliefs. Others however were claiming to be apostles of the Master when in truth they were introducing false doctrines and leading the Nazarenes astray. Among these heretics were the Nicolaitanes (Nicolaitans or Nicolaites). While neither the texts we have today in the Bible nor external information positively identifies this sect, we do have clear identification of this sect. This sect (in verse 14) held to the error of Balaam as we will see below. The error of Balaam was the merging of Judaism with other religions and rites, thus leading them astray from the God of Israel. God is the God of the whole world and Master Y'shua taught that there were other, non-Jewish (and non-Nazarene) sheep, however he had come solely for the House of Israel (Matt 15:24). The Nicolaitanes were leading the mainly Jewish (at this point) followers of the Master away from Judaism into a religious synthesis that was the hallmark of Roman religion. As is well known, whenever Rome conquered a people their gods were merged into Roman pantheon. The Nicolaitanes were seeking to merge the God of Israel into their Universal Church. This Church period precedes the creation of the Roman Papacy but in the Nicolaitanes we see the trend the Church would follow.

The Church of Smyrna:

    170 CE - 312 CE: As the followers of Master Y'shua and other Jews held firm to their devotion in the God of Israel they experienced severe persecution. During this period there was little time to debate doctrine, the follower of the Way were struggling to survive. It was during this period that the Maranatha fish was developed as a secret identifier by which the followers could come toward.

      Revelation 2:
      8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;
      9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
      10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
      11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

    Here see the Nicolaitanes clearly identified. These people were claiming, "to be Jews," but they were not. Master Y'shua is Jewish. ALL of his disciples were Jewish. As Gentiles embraced his Way they considered themselves converts to Judaism. the difficulty was of course that the Jewish hierarchy did not accept the ministry of Prophet Y'shua and hence rejected the conversions of his Gentile followers. This situation is described in painful detail in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles. The final decision of the Apostles was that those who wished to enter into the Nazarene Congregation would not be required to formally convert into Judaism (via circumcision, the acceptance of the Jewish authorities etc. This controversy is what spawned the new religion of Master Y'shua as a distinct one from Judaism. At this point, 170-312 CE the true followers of the Master, Jews and Noahides (Gentiles) alike, still considered themselves to be Jews as this verse makes clear. The Nicolaitanes however were clearly leaving the precepts of Judaism and seeking to establish something entirely different: Modern Christianity. This abandonment of Judaism by the followers the Way was a development, "which I also hate" (vs.6). As we approach the 300's this Nicolaite heresy is gaining popularity. This was partly because those who surrendered to Roman rule faced less persecution and partly due to the growing, even rampant, antisemitism. Unlike many of the followers of the Way, the Jews who had not embraced Master Y'shua were adamant in their rejection of Rome and its Universal religion. Jews still sought ways to return to their God-give Holy Land and now they had to contend not only with overt Pagans by new Pagans who claimed to be the true Jews! Who claimed the God of Israel had rejected His people in favor of heathens! As the Nazarenes gradually embraced Roman Universalism and established their own power based upon the diverse Pagan See at Rome, persecution against them subsided. For the Jews however it was business as usual and their struggle for survive showed no sign of easing.

The Church of Pergamos: From Constantine to Pope Boniface III

    312 CE - 600 CE: The "Doctrine of Balaam" wins the day and the Nicolaites establish their authoity when Emperor Constantine feigns conversion and declares the creation of a new religion known as Roman Universalism (ie Roman Catholicism). Based on the presence of the Nicolaites since 70 CE the new Roman Papacy declared itself the inheritor of the authority given to Peter as first Pope.

    But is this what the Master did? Here's the biblically cited source of this essential Roman Catholic dogma:

      "And I [Master Y'shua] say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

    But... what was the Master really saying to Peter? Was he saying that Peter was the rock (foundation) upon which the Master would build his Church or something else?

    First we need to understand that Master Y'shua did not come to build a Church! He was very clear in this:

      "But he [Master Y'shua] answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
    So what was he talking about?
      Matthew 16:13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
      14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
      15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
      16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
      17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
      18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
      19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
      20 Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.

    The English translation is intentionally misleading here. Verse 16 actually says, "And Simon Peter answered and said, You are anointed, a man devoted to the living God."

    In other words, the Master asked, "Who am I?"

    Peter's reply was that there existed debate on this question. Some believe the Master is John the Baptist in a dual reincarnation (for a bit on dual births see my reply here and here), others believed he was the reincarnation of Prophet Isaiah, Jeremiah or some other major Tanach prophet.

    "But who do you say I am Peter?" he asked. Peter replies, I know you to be a man anointed by God and I intend to follow you as such. To this the Master replies, upon the rock or foundation of this truth, ie my devotion to and anointing by the God of Israel those who accept this truth will gather in fellowship and assist in my work of reforming Judaism. I discuss this topic in detail elsewhere. Master Y'shua never left Judaism, never sought to convert Gentiles, not did he ever encourage others to do so. This verse therefore was not intended to established "the Throne of Peter nor the establishment of a Gentile Church."

      Revelation 2:
      12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; 13 I know thy works and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
      14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
      15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.
      16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
      17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

    By this point the Christian religion was based in Rome, "where Satan's seat is," ie the seat of the Roman Empire.

    The "Word" is the Written Torah (and Tanach), ie the Hebrew Scriptures. These were the Scriptures used use Master Y'shua and his followers. The Nicolaitanes were teaching heresies that the Torah condemns and the Master warns those who remain committed to his teachings not to embrace these false doctrines. He praises those who are standing firm as Nazarene Jews (or Noahide Nazarenes). It is notable that the Master also praises them for remaining true to his name. "Name" is Onoma and literally means his name, ie not his teachings etc. It was during this period that the Roman Papacy stole the name of our master, Y'shua (or Yeshua) and replaced it with the name "Jesus." I discuss the origin of the name "Jesus" Here. At this point Roman Catholics were beginning to use the new name for the Master but his loyal followers refused to embrace it.

    Despite the continuing loyalty of the Noahide Nazarenes, Master Y'shua warns that it is their job as Sheep to stand against the rising Papacy and maintain the true form of Judaism he had taught through his apostles and others. Stand! he orders, or God may reveal the heresies of this new religion by removing His blessings from you!

The Church of Thyatira: Boniface III - Gregory VII (Hilderbrand) to the Reformation

    600 CE - 1520 CE: the Roman Papacy now rules much of the world and the religion of the Nicolaitanes reigns supreme. As a direct result of this the Spirit of HaShem, the God of Israel, is partly removed and Europa is plunged into the Dark Ages.

    Without the Spirit of HaShem the Church becomes increasingly legalistic and harsh. The "Holy Inquisitors" are commissioned to destroy all traces of Judaism, the Noahide, the Noahide Nazarene Way and those Pagans who, like the followers of Master Y'shua, boldly refused to bow the knee to the Papacy. All of these were crushed in various ways. During this period it is estimated that over that six million European Pagan were slaughtered in what came to be known as the Burning Times. The followers of Master Y'shua were condemned as "Judaizers," Arians (not Aryans, Arians are those who, like me, reject the Trinity Doctrine). Bloodshed, ignorance and darkness of all sorts descended across all lands controlled by the New Church.

    It was also during this period that certain occult bodies were coming into their own and establishing Occult Brotherhoods that continue until our time and will, within our generation, bring forth the World Ruler known as Rex Mundi, Antichrist, Dijal and Little Horn.

    Still however HaShem did not turn away from the Church completely, in part because within it there always existed sincere Believers and in part because HaShem was/is working our His grand Plan of Restoration.

    Among these were the Reformers but there were also those who remained within the Church as "loyal opposition," who have worked hard to stir the Catholic Church godward. Alas both the Reformers and the members of the Loyal Opposition failed to restore the Church to its Jewish roots.

      Revelation 2:
      18 And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;
      19 I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.
      20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.
      21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
      22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.
      23 And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.
      24 But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden.
      25 But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.
      26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
      27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.
      28 And I will give him the morning star.
      29 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

    Here we see the birth of Whore of Babylon, "that woman Jezebel."

The Church of Sardis: The Reformation to the Peace of Westphalia and beyond....

Part Four of Four Coming Soon!

Monday, March 17, 2008

Hinduism, Idolotry and the Nature of God

Another Q&A: How can some idol represent God when God has no image?

The Question:



“Ekam evadvitiyam”-Chandogya Upanishad 6:2:1 :-He is only one without a second
“Na tasya pratima asti” -Yajurveda 32:3,Svetasvatara Upanishad 4:19 :-There is no image of Him (God)
"Andhatama pravishanti ye asambhuti mupaste" -Yajurveda 40:9 :-They enter darkness, those who worship the natural elements
Hindu scripture says God has no image and those enter darkness who worship created (idols) -Yajurveda 40:16 or natural things(agni,air,water,sun etc). So are we not going against our religion by worshiping idols???

How can some idol represent God when God has no image? Why idols are required? Almighty God has told us in Vedas and many other scriptures that he has no shape, no image. Still we give him shape..r we not disrespecting him by this act?
Ashima

My reply:
What are your thoughts?

Hi Ashima,

What needs to be understood here is that "Hinduism" does not exist.

"Hinduism" is an umbrella term coined by Muslims to refer to the people living "on the other side of the Sindhu" river, Sindhu being pronounced as Hindu in Arabic.

The actual name of the faith, or as close to a common name as there is, is Sanatana Dharma, Universal Truth. It is also said in the Upanisads, "Truth is One, the sages use diverse names and forms to describe it." Hinduism employs countless methods.

An essential Hindu belief is that no matter how one seeks to define "God" one is only limitedly correct. God is always "more." When Muslims say, "Allahu Akbar" or God is Great! They are correct... BUT God is even greater than that! God's Greatness knows no bounds.

To say that the Holy One has no form is to limit the Limitless Being. If God wishes to manifest in a form He will! "God is not..." is only correct when God chooses "to not..." God is utterly limitless by definition. Hindus celebrate this limitlessness and at times enjoy playing around the outer limits of conception.

Some Hindus worship the Formless One as in Vedanta. Some Hindus utilize images. Both approaches are acceptable and both are valid.

These images are not idols, at least not from the Hindu perspective. An idol is an image that is worshiped out of ignorance. One takes a piece of wood, carves a figure and worships it. Almost all Hindus would agree this is idol worship and would not support it. It would be silly. Why would anyone worship a piece a wood he found on the ground? However when one reads the detailed descriptions of the murti forms (the images are called murtis), carefully follows ancient instructions on how to create and then install and honor the murtis, then it is not considered idolatry anymore than the Christian cross, the Sikh Guru Granth Sahib, the Muslim Kaaba or the Jewish Torah Scrolls.

Hindus don't "worship idols," they believe that God, through His mercy, utilizes that which may be seen in the worship of He (or That) Who may not be seen.

Some Hindus also believe the murtis are sort of like spiritual batteries that collect the righteous energies of those who worship and uses these energies to bless the community back.

Still others explain that the material world (saguna brahman) is the dim reflection of the spiritual world (nirguna brahman) and that the Murtis, when properly understood, are how we connect to the spiritual reality. They are sort of spiritual teleporters. In part for this reason it is often said that once one enters a mandir or other sacred precinct one actually leaves the material world for the time being and enters the spiritual.

When Hindus bow before the murtis, offer prasada (food and offerings) they are not worshiping the wood, metal, etc, they are worshiping God just as others do, only in accordance with traditions that were ancient when Abraham was still a boy (according to Jewish tradition Abraham's father was a sculptor of murtis).

In the Torah HaShem appears in the Burning Bush and momentarily flashes his "backside" to Moses to help him conceive of the utterly inconceivable nature of God's presence.

In the same way, in the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, a far more important and widely read scripture among Hindus than the Chandogya and Svetasvatara Upanishad (which focuses more on what is called "Mayavadhi philosophy" than on the belief in God as a transcendent individual Being as believed by Christians, Muslims, Jews and theistic Hindus by the way), this matter of God's nature is discussed in detail. There the righteous but confused Arjuna asks to see God in His eternal, universal form (visva rupa), just as Moses requested.

In response Ek Devata, the One Utterly Transcendent God, granted Arjuna the vision of the Visva Rupa or Universal Form. Moses was allowed to behold HaShem's backside, but Arjuna was shown much more! This is recorded in chapter 11 of the Gita:

The Srimad Bhagavad-Gita
Translated by Jagannatha Prakasa (John of AllFaith © 1993)
Vishva-rupa Darshana Yoga:
The Yoga of Beholding the Universal Form

11:1: Arjuna said: Because You have looked kindly upon me and revealed this supreme and discreet knowledge of the Self, my delusion has been removed.

11:2-4: O Lotus-eyed One, I have heard from You in detail of the origin and dissolution of the living beings. I have also heard about Your inexhaustible glories.
As You have described this Yourself, O Supreme God, I wish to see your sovereign form, O Ultimate Person.
If you, O God, determine that I am able to see this, then please, O Master of Yoga, show me Your imperishable Self.

11:5-7: The Blessed One said: O child of Partha, behold my hundreds and thousands of forms, each of various divine types and colors.
Behold the Adityas, the Vasus, the Rudras, the twin Ashvins, the Maruts and many other wonders never seen before, O best of the Bharatas.
Behold now the entire universe in this one abode - complete with the moving and unmoving - existing within My Body, O Arjuna. Here you will see everything you desire.

11: 8: With your material eyes you are not able to see Me [in My Universal Form], I therefore give you divine eyes to see My omnipresent yogic ability.

11:9: Sanjaya said: O king, having thus spoken Hari, the supreme Master of yogic wonders, showed that highest and most sovereign Form to the descendant of Partha (Arjuna).

11:10, 11: [In that Form were] numerous mouths and eyes, multifarious wonderful sights, sundry divine ornaments and a myriad of divine uplifted weapons.
[God was] wearing divine garlands, celestial raiment and was anointed with transcendental fragrances. The Divine One was all marvelous, radiant, unlimited and omniscient.

11:12: In the sky thousands of suns instantly arose as if radiating the splendor of the great Soul.

11:13: There in that one place, Arjuna saw the entire universe, which is divided into many subsections, in the body of the God of gods.

11:14: Then filled with wonder, his hair standing on end, Arjuna bowed before God with folded hands and spoke thus:

11:15-31: Arjuna said: O God, I see all the gods within Your body, as well as the diverse classes of living beings. There is Lord Brahma, seated on the lotus flower, Lord Shiva, as well as the holy seers and divine serpents.
I behold innumerable arms, stomachs, mouths and eyes; I see You all around me manifesting limitless forms, devoid of end, middle or beginning, O God of the universe, O Universal Form!
I see You with diadems, maces and discs. Your massive effulgence is blazing all around and is difficult to behold, like blazing fire, like the immeasurable radiance of the sun.
In my opinion, You are imperishable, supreme and worthy of being known. You are the highest reservoir of this inexhaustible universe, guardian of Truth and the eternal Person.
I behold You as being without beginning, middle or end, of infinite glory, with limitless arms. The moon and sun are Your eyes; Your mouth is blazing like fire and by Your brilliance this universe is being heated.
The heavens, the earth, and everything in between is pervaded by You alone. By seeing this wonderful and terrible Form of Yours the three worlds are shaking with fear, O Great Soul.
The community of devas are entering into You. Some, due to fear, offer praise to You with folded hands saying: "All glories to You!" The great seers as well as the community of perfected beings are singing hymns unto You with copious prayers.
The Rudras, Adityas, Vasus, Sadhyas, Vishvadevas, Ashvins, Maruts, Usmapas, Gandharvas, Yaksas, Asuras and Siddhas are all beholding You in amazement.
O mighty armed, this magnificent Form of Yours has innumerable faces and eyes, limitless arms, thighs and feet, as well as myriad stomachs and countless terrible teeth. Beholding it the planets are shaking with fear, even as am I!
Beholding You touching the sky, with myriad colors, mouths agape and with vast glowing eyes, I am disturbed at heart and can find no inner peace, O Supreme Vishnu!
Beholding Your terrible teeth and mouths blazing like the apocalyptic fires in all directions, I obtain no happiness. O Lord of lords, show mercy unto me, O refuge of the universes!
All these sons of Dhritarastra, along with the community of guardian kings, Bhishma, Drona, Karna, plus our own chief warriors,
They are hurriedly entering into Your fearful mouths, some are clinging between Your terrible teeth, their heads thoroughly crushed.
As river water flows into the ocean, so too these heroes of the mortal world are entering into Your blazing mouths.
As moths rush into a blazing fire to their destruction, so too do the world's inhabitants plunge into Your mouths to their destruction.
With Your mouths You are licking up and devouring the inhabitants of the world on all sides. You are blazing with brilliance, illuminating the entire universe with Your awesome rays, O Lord Vishnu!
O fierce of form, please tell me who You are. Kindly accept my humble obeisances, O best among the gods. Be gracious unto me. I wish to know You, the Primeval One, and Your engagements.

11:32: The Blessed One said: I am time, the destroyer of the world, when it has grown mature. I am now engaged in destroying the world's inhabitants. Even without your participation, those warriors who are arrayed here in opposing armies, without exception,will be destroyed.

11:33: Therefore arise! Having conquered your enemies, acquire fame and enjoy a flourishing kingdom. As these warriors are already killed by Me, you will merely be My instrument, O Savyasaci.

11:34: Drona, Bhishma, Jayadratha, Karna and the other mighty warriors are actually killed by Me, so slay them and don't be perturbed. Fight and you will conquer your enemies in battle.

11:35: Sanjaya said: Having heard Keshava's words, Arjuna, trembling, prostrated himself and again offered obeisances with joined palms. In a faltering voice, overcome with fear, he said unto Shri Krishna:

11:36: Arjuna said: O Hrishikesha it is appropriate that the universe is rejoicing and delighted, that the demons are fearful on all sides and are therefore fleeing, and that the community of perfected beings are offering You their obeisances.

11:37, 38: And why wouldn't they offer obeisances unto You? You are the Great Universal Soul, greater than even Lord Brahma the original creator; You are the Infinite Being, the God of gods, the sole refuge of the universes; as both being and non-being You are imperishable; You are Supreme!
You are the original, primeval Personality of Godhead! You are the ancient and highest refuge of this universe! You are the knower and the object of knowledge! You are the supreme Abode! By You the universes are pervaded, O God of infinite forms!

11:39, 40: You are Vayu, Yama, Agni, Varuna, the moon, Prajapati and the great-grandfather. I offer my obeisances unto You again and again, a thousand times and more I offer my obeisances; I offer my obeisances unto You!
Please accept my respectful obeisances unto You from the front, behind and from all sides. You possess unlimited courage and power; You pervade everything and therefore You are everything!

11:41, 42: Thinking of You as a friend, I have brashly said: "O Krishna!" "O Yadava!" "O my friend!" Due to my oversight, not knowing Your majesty, due to my love for You, I have thus spoken.
If I have treated You disrespectfully, whether out of a sense of jest, while roaming about, while reclining, while sitting, while eating, whether alone or in the company of others, I beg Your immeasurable forgiveness, O Acyuta!

11:43: You are the Parent of the entire world, both the moving and the non moving. You are the most worshipable and revered preceptor. No one is equal to You in all the three worlds; who could be greater, O thou of unequaled splendor?

11:44: Therefore, O God, prostrating my body before You and offering obeisances I ask for Your grace and tolerance, O praiseworthy God, like a parent to a child, like a friend to a friend or a lover to the beloved.

11:45: I am delighted to behold what has never before been seen, yet my mind is perturbed with fear. O God, bestow Your mercy on me and show me Your [four-armed Narayana] form, O God of gods, O Refuge of the universe.

11:46: O thousand-armed, I desire to see You as before in Your four-armed form, crowned, with a club and disc in Your hands, O universal form.

11:47: The Blessed One said: I am delighted, O Arjuna, to show you this supreme form. By My mystic yogic powers you are seeing the universe filled with My infinite primeval radiance. Such has never before been seen by anyone other than you!

11:48, 49: Neither through Vedic sacrifice, study, charity, rituals or severe austerities can that form be seen in the material world, but I show it you alone, O hero of the Kurus.
Do not be disquieted nor bewildered due to seeing this awesome Form as it truly is. Be free from fear and with a joyous mind again behold My [four-armed Narayana] form.

11:50: Sanjaya said: Having thus spoken unto Arjuna, Vasudeva revealed that [four-armed] form. Then the great souled One allayed Arjuna's fear by again accepting the handsome [two-armed] body.

11:51: Arjuna said: Seeing Your handsome human form again, O Janardana, my consciousness is now steady and I am restored to my own nature.

11:52-54: The Blessed One said: It is very difficult to see this form which you have seen. Even the devas are always desirous to behold this Form of Mine.
I am not [understood] by Vedic knowledge, austerity, charity, nor by rituals in the form you have seen Me.
Only by one-pointed devotion is it possible, O Arjuna, to know, see, and enter into the truth of Me, O mighty-armed one.
One whose actions are dedicated to Me, who deems Me to be supreme, who is devoted to Me, who is free from all fruitive attachments, and is devoid of enmity towards all living beings, only such a person comes to Me, O son of Pandu.
(source: http://srijagannatha.com/gita/gita11.html)

Whatever we believe about God...
God is More.
God is Greater

Worship God!

Hopes this helps,
~John of AllFaith
~Jagannatha Prakasa

Happy Maewyn's Dygwyl!

Happy Maewyn's Feast Day, March 17, 2008

Happy Maewyn's Day!
(AKA Another Welshman Makes Good!)

Saint Patrick is the Patron Saint of Ireland, but around 385 CE he was born in my ancestral homeland, Cymru (Wales) and named Maewyn. If this universes is God's Garden as I say in my poem, then Wales is surely his Sacred Grove!

Saint Patrick wasn't known for his scholarship, indeed he almost didn't become bishop of Ireland because he was considered undereducated!

Maewyn was a good Cymru Pagan until events beyond his control led him into the Church. When Maewyn was 16 years young his village was raided by Irish marauders and he was sold into slavery. After six years however he escaped and fled to Gaul. There he studied in the monastery under Saint Germain (the bishop of Auxerre) for twelve years. During his training Maewyn embraced the Roman Catholic faith and began converting other Pagans to his new found religion.

He requested a transfer to Ireland so as to convert to the Pagans there to the Church (arguably in revenge for his having been enslaved by them). His request was declined however and Saint Palladius was appointed instead. Two years later Palladius was transferred to Scotland however and Patrick, as Maewyn was now known (the Church often renamed people whose names hinted of their non-Catholic past), was appointed the second bishop to Ireland.

Saint Patrick was very successful as a bishop and had silver tongue. He managed to convince many Pagans that Jesus had actually been prophesied by their ancient traditions; thus as good Celtics they were honor bound to embrace his Church! Sheer genious! Many Celts still believe this and hold it as a matter ethnic pride.

The Pagans of the Misty Isles had many ancient legions about the "Once and Future King" that predated the Church and its Sangreal mysteries but these had nothing to do with the coming of Master Y'shua nor the Catholic Jesus. These traditions were effectively utilized however and Ireland fell to Christianity will relative ease.

This doesn't mean there was not opposition however! The Druids were convinced that Patrick was deceiving the Irish by citing these traditions out of context and they opposed him dogedly. On several occasions they placed the missionary cleric in prison, but each time he managed to escape and his fame grew among the populace. As the victors write the histories, many of Maewyn's exploits and escapes are coated with myth and legions that those who are interested in the Mysteries of the Sangreal and the coming Merovingian (or Meroving) King are Wise to consider. The Grail traditions hold much truth.

In time of course "Saint Patrick" established churches, chapels, schools and monasteries throughout the country and squelched the indigenous faith of the people to the point that today the Old Religion of the Misty Isles appears to be virtually non-existent.

As the Pagans of the Isles fell before the onslaught of the Roman Church amazing stories arose about Bishop Patrick. In many of these stories one can see glimpses of the earlier Pagan beliefs as if the tellers, believing the Old Religion would one day arise from the ashes of the Church, embedded pointers and hints to aid in the reemergence of Old Ways. This can be a most facinating and surprizingly relevant study!

We are told for instance that Saint Patrick raised the dead, that once he gave a sermon on a hilltop so powerful that it drove all the snakes from Ireland... his life spawned many such stories. But... what do such tales conceil? Who or what are these "dead" whom he raised? What can we learn from "the hill" and "the snakes?" There is much grist for the mill in Maewyn's mythologies for those with patience and demination!

Likewise the Shamrock. It is commonly believed that Saint Patrick used a three leafed shamrock to explain the notion of the Holy Trinity to the amazement of the people, however the significance of tri-unity is not lost on Pagans! They utilized this symbolic significance long before the Church embraced the anti-biblical teaching from their Pagan predecesors! While most people today don't understand the mystical significances of the Law of the Three protreyed in the Three Leafed Clover, some still do and when they publicly display this image on Maewyn's feast day they are referencing the Christian Trinity! The Old Ways are conceiled but they have never died.

After 3o years of effective ministry Maewyn retired to County Down and on March 17th, the day known as Saint Patricks Day, he left his body and continued his sojourn as must we all.

In 1762 New Yorkers celebrated the first Saint Patrick's Day Parade. Originally it was observed by Irish veterans in the English army, however soon other New World Irish folk joined in and eventually it was declared that on this day "Everyone is at least a wee bit Irish!" It is ironic that a man who so fiercely opposed Paganism and insisted on Christian propriety should be the father of a holiday dedicated to drunken revelry that would make any Welsh or Irish Pagan proud, a hedonist celebration that is second only to another Roman Catholic holiday for its spirit of abandonment, Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday)!

In Ireland the feast is honored, but historically the pubs were ordered closed and there was no green beer or ale available! Saint Patricks Day was a day for pious reflection and re-dedication of oneself to Christian purity and piety!

This has been changing since 1970's however and around 1995 the Irish government began pushing the holiday for the tourist dollar. Today over a million people party hardly in Dublin each year in honor of the pious, tea toteling Saint!

It seems that Christian piety isn't what it once was!
It appears the Snakes are again finding a welcoming environment in Ireland! Hehe

The "official" color for Saint Patrick is blue by the way, not green, however due to the amount of rainfall (said to symbolize God's blessings on the land) Ireland is green year round and hence (in part) is known as the Emerald Isle. It is for this reason that those "who wear the green" are said to be blessed, especially on Saint Patrick's Day. Green has long been the national color of the Irish of course.

But beware you who don't Wear the Green on this day! If the children don't pinch your bum for this horrific offense, the Green Man may do worse than that



So, however you honor the day...

Happy Maewyn's Day from Cadifor ap Colwyn (John of AllFaith!)

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Identifying Babylon the Great Part two

The Earth belongs to HaShem
"The Earth Belongs to HaShem and the Fullness Thereof."

Identifying Babylon The Great

Part Two
By Ben Ruach ha Kodesh (John of AllFaith) © 3.15.08

So, who is this woman? Only the Catholic Church, founded in Rome by the Roman Papacy and her denominational daughters fits this description.

The prophecy continues:

    Rev. 17:7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.

Normally when studying the biblical prophecies the interpretation is available in the text itself or in related texts. One might reason that perhaps Babylon the Great could be this or that, but the understanding is contained within the text itself so we don't need to be too creative.

    8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

The Beast then is the Rex Mundi, Antichrist. Little Horn or Dijal. He was in that he lived as man of this earth, then he was not in that he will be assassinated, then we will be again when he rises from the dead, and the true Moshiach confines him to perdition upon his defeat where he will await the final battle, 1000 years hence. The Beast "shall ascend out of the bottomless pit" in that when he rises from the dead he will rise as the incarnation of Lucifer himself. This whore of Babylon will "ride" on the back of the Rex Mundi, the coming world ruler.

    9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.

Rome of course is world renowned as the City of Seven Hills (as the Wikipedia confirms). Rome of course is also the site of Vatican City, the world's oldest country and headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church which, like the Islamic Ummah, is both a religion and a recognized political body.

    10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.

This reference would require a bit more explanation that I want to give here, but briefly, as the EU consolidates its power it will do so through ten sub-unions or agreements among the countries of Europa. Shortly before or after the Rex Mundi is granted dictatorial powers over the EU three of these countries (not sub-unions) will rebel. The prophets do not tell us which of these countries will rebel. Their rebellion will be crushed however and "the other [ie the Rex Mundi] is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space [ie for seven years]." This verse and others show us that the Rex Mundi will come to power from within the EU.

    11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
    12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.

The Rex Mundi will be a global emperor and will appoint ten kings.

This paragraph is conjecture based on my studies, but I believe it will prove to be accurate once these events come to pass: These appointed and Luciferian anointed kings will be Lebensborn and come from ten of the thirteen primary houses of the Elites. The thirteenth house is the Bavarian Illuminati. They will supply the False Prophet (who will lead the organization known in the prophecies as Babylon the great) and the other kings. The Illuminati's Lebensborn breeding experiments have readied the Merovingian bloodline to produce the Rex Mundi (and his generals/kings), who is almost certainly alive today and who may have been born in 1998 (in a bid to fulfill the prophecy of Isa 11:6 that a little child will them). Although this paragraph is based on my conjecture, it is carefully based on what I know to be true.

    13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

These kings will do the bidding of the Rex Mundi in all things. Opposition to the wishes of the coming emperor may be why three of the kings will fall.

    14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

The word lamb here is arnion and means just that, a little lamb. Who is this lamb? Christians of course will see a clear reference to Jesus, "the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world" and his Second Coming and I wont debate the matter here, other than to say that in context this lamb is the pinnacle of Jewish service to HaShem and does references the coming King of the Jews. Master Y'shua did not fulfill the Messianic prophecies because he did not establish the Kingdom of HaShem on earth. I discuss the possibility that the coming Jewish Moshiach could be Master Y'shua's "Second Coming" or the coming of another anointed man of HaShem . The identity of the Moshiach is not as important as the work he will accomplish whoever HaShem chooses for this role (compare my study on the Sheep and the Goats). In any case, this is a reference to Yisheyah (Isaiah) 53 where the Jewish people are referenced as the Servants of HaShem and as sacrificial lambs. I discuss this section of Isaiah in some detail Here. This lamb reference is to the coming of Moshiach (Messiah).

    15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

Babylon the Great, the future Roman Catholic Papacy, is a global power overseeing many peoples.

    16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

In an effort to restore some of the previous political and spiritual power of the Roman Church, the Church will "make a deal with the Devil" and proclaim the Rex Mundi to be the Second Coming of Jesus. Of this service we read:

    Rev. 19:20 And the beast [Rex Mundi] was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image....

As long as this relationship benefits the Rex Mundi he will accept it, even allowing the Papacy to appear to "ride" on the back of the "Beast." As I describe elsewhere, the Rex Mundi will first appear to be a great humanitarian and world savior, but as the verses above indicate, the ruler will be assassinated and then rise from the dead. He will die an evil and hypocritical human being but he rise as the physical embodiment of Lucifer himself. Then will begin the Great Tribulation, the last three and a half years of human rule. When this publicly witnessed resurrection happens, the Rex Mundi, Lucifer, the true Bilderberg Master, will turn on the False Prophet and his Church and destroy it utterly.

    17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

As we will see below the Christendom has passed though seven distinct phases. Of the seventh and present phase we are told that God will vomit the Church from His mouth in disgust for what it has become. This is how HaShem will accomplish this.

    18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
    19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.

This brings us to the arrival of the true Moshiach. Of the Moshiach Jesus tells us:

    Rev 19:10 And I [John] fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus [the giver of the prophecy of Revelation to John]: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Receive Master Y'shua's teachings, but worship only HaShem.

    11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
    12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.

I don't know the name of the Moshiach but when he comes he will defeat the New World Order and establish God's Kingdom of Justice and Righteousness. That day is coming sooner than most people suspect, but first must come the Seven Year Tribulation, the False Prophet, the Whore of Babylon, the Rex Mundi and the various experiences foretold by the Prophets.

So here we see the future of the Church. Now we will consider how the Church came to be viewed as harlot deserving of this rough treatments.


Part Three Coming Soon!


Saturday, March 15, 2008

Identifying Babylon the Great


The Earth belongs to HaShem
"The Earth Belongs to HaShem and the Fullness Thereof."

Identifying Babylon The Great

Part One
By Ben Ruach ha Kodesh (John of AllFaith) © 3.15.08


Babylon the Great, Mother of Harlots
(image from the works of Dr. Charles Larkin)

Revelation 17:

    1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
    2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
    3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
    4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
    5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
    6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

Who is this mystery woman who wields such awesome power over the human race? The prophets are clear.

For the sake of clarity I will identity the woman at the outset rather than gradually build my case and identify her later: Babylon the Great will be the future of that religious body established by Emperor Constantine and the hierarchy his imperial orders spawned. In simple term this means the Roman Catholic Church, however things are seldom so simple.

The Roman Catholic Church that exists today is the result of 1600 years of ecumenical and political development. There is also an ongoing debate between Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy about who holds the older position. Also, within both the Roman and Orthodox Christian communions are a great many sincere Christians who would never accept the things proposed by Babylon the Great. For this reason, as well as for basic accuracy, I want to make it very clear that while the structures that will become Babylon the Great have existed since the third century CE, Babylon the Great herself does not yet exist. It is inaccurate to refer to the papacy as the Great Harlot for instance. While many of the popes have been evil men (and women in drag), there have also been several devout and holy Popes. Babylon the Great does not today exist. I'll discuss this more below.

Having tentatively identified the whorish mother, the daughters would obviously be all those denominations and movements she spawned over the years. However, as above, as Babylon the Great, in this prophetic sense does not yet exist, neither do her daughters.

As we continue our study on this topic it will be clear that we are looking at a very long and gradual development. It can be argued, and many do, that Babylon the Great, in the form of the Roman Papacy, has existed since the end of the First Church Age (church of Ephesus), its really a matter of semantics I think. The prophecy of Great Babylon occurs at a key time in the prophecy of John and I'm mainly focusing on John's presentation here.

Biblical prophecies are often written in a parenthetical style. This means that the story line is not always chronically exacting. To understand these prophecies it is therefore very helpful to have an overview of the prophetic landscape in mind. Of course one must begin somewhere. This chapter references 'seven angels which had the seven vials,' these are period markers to earlier events that don't directly bear on this section of John's prophecies.

The great whore (or porne) references the woman's spiritual fornication. In a biblical context such fornication occurs when one 'goes after other gods':

    Exodus 34:14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:
    15 Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice;

A whore sells her/his favors for money, power or fame. This woman has had illicit relations with the kings of the earth in order to curry their favors. She has taken the reformed Jewish teachings of Master Y'shua and blended them into something quite different. Several of the doctrines developed and codified by Catholic (Universal) Church are fundamentally different and at times at time in direct violation of the Torah, Tanach and teachings of Master Y'shua. I discuss many of these elsewhere on this site. For now I will simply say that in order to gain acceptance from the widest possible audience for Constantine's new religion deals were cut with many of the Pagan religions of Rome and the resulting new doctrines were codified at Nicea and elsewhere and made mandatory. Failure to embrace these new doctrines led to the death of millions of sincere people, both Jews, Pagans, and the followers of Master Y'shua who held firm to the faith. The Papacy 'played the harlot' with the Pagan world and developed not only Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox dogma, but the essential beliefs of the Anglicans, Protestants and much of Christian heterodoxy.

No other institution in history has so successfully and effectively managed to create and maintain a global organization based on the establishment of piece-meal doctrine as has the Roman Papacy.

    MYSTERY: She speaks of great mysteries and bases her claims to authority on her possession of these mysteries.

    According to Catholicism, the Bible alone is insufficient to discover the truth. Church teaching and Papal authority are required to properly understand the Bible and God's will. In those areas where Church doctrine contradicts the Bible, Church tradition always takes precedence. The essential doctrines of the Church are often directly referred to as mysteries and come from Pagan sources. These include:

      The Trinity: an unbiblical and un-Jewish doctrine that compromises the absolute oneness of HaShem as repeatedly declared in scripture but one that is common throughout the Pagan religious world.
      The Immaculate Conception (of Mary AND her mother): This teaching has absolutely no biblical basis but is a required dogma for all Catholics.
      The virgin birth of Jesus: I discuss this popular dogma elsewhere. On brief, Augustine developed his doctrine of Original Sin, which was later applied to give the Church absolute authority over the people of the planet (because the Papacy held the power to grant or deny forgivness of sins, hence eternal salvation) but it posed a serious doctrinal difficulty. If everyone is conceived in sin, how did Jesus escape? The given answer is that sin passes through the father and Jesus had no human father. This led to another difficult question, as his mother Mary would have been born into sin and hence at least potentially contaminating her child. The answer: The Immaculate Conception of Mary as well! But just to be safe, Mary's mother was also immaculately conceived! Again with absolutely no biblical justification.
      The transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the flesh and blood of Jesus literally: According to the New Testament Master Y'shua frequently spoke in parables. There is no biblical reason to take this one literally, however... Pagan groups often ritually consume their gods and goddesses, especially around the time of Eostar (about the same time as the Jewish Passover) and including this rite appealed to many Pagans.

      The celebration of the Pagan holidays
      like:
        Yule: The Christ Mass or Christmas. It is noteworthy here the ritual decorating of trees like the Tannenbaum (the sacred fir tree) is specifically condemned in the Torah:
          Jeremiah 10:1-5 "Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel:
          Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.
          For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.
          They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.
          They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.
        Eostar: Easter with its Pagan bunnies and eggs
        Luperaclia: Valentine’s Day, a day for honoring Faunus, god of fertility.
        Carnival (Marde Gras: "Fat Tuesday") and Ash Wednesday: The Christianized Saturnalia festival.
        Beltane: May Day: The feast of St. Joseph the Worker.
        Samhain: All Saints Day or All Hallos Eve or Hallowe'en.
        Etc.

      The clothing worn by Catholic priests are of Pagan origin as well, the exposed white collar signifies that the words they speak come from Sol Invictus, the Sun God, whom Constantine worshiped until the day he died (for more on this see my study on the IHS symbol.
      Terminology: Master Y'shua specifically forbade calling any man "father" and yet the Church references its priests this way (Matt 23:9).
      Shabbat: Perhaps nowhere is the Roman Pagan usurpation of the religion of Master Y'shua more evident than in the desecration of the Sabbath. The Ten Commandments command the observance of the Sabbath, its proper observance is shown throughout the Bible, and yet the Roman Papacy forbade its observance and demanded that Christians worship on the day of Sol Invictus, Constantine's Sun God. A few Christian sects have returned to Sabbath observance (at least to the degree of holding their main weekly services on the Sabbath), this includes the Seventh Day Adventists and Seventh Day Baptists, but the vast majority of Christians continue to view the biblical Sabbath as a day for yard work, ball games and relaxation and the day of the Sun God as the day (or hour) of worship.

There are many good books and websites that fully illustrate the Pagan roots of much of Christianity and Christian doctrine so this small overview should suffice. Such Pagan elements are what is being referenced here when Babylon the Great is called the Mother of harlots. She has prostituted the God of Israel in exchange for political power and religious authority. Today the religion that claims to represent the teachings of the "Jewish Messiah" bears precious little similarity to Judaism, the religion of Master Y'shua's people. More on this below, but I want to repeat, this is NOT meant as a condemnation of all Christians (including Catholics) nor their beliefs, but merely to amplify what the prophet is referencing with this key terminology. When we turn our attention to the Seven Church ages this historic development of the "woman" will become more clear.

We can learn a lot simply from this descriptoon of the woman:

    Babylon the Great: She is not old Babylon, the city in Iraq (as some teach) nor is she the ancient world (first of the global governments discussed by Daniel), the seat of King Nebuchadnezzar (as others maintain), nor yet the United States, American Christianity, nor false religion in general. This "woman" is the fullness of the Seven Churches referenced in Revelation 2 and 3 that arose in Rome.

    The word "great" here is megas, a feminine word predicated on rank and the possession of authority, power and influence, derived from, by and for persons of eminent abilities, virtues and authority (harmonious with her own terms). Megas references the powerful things that are esteemed highly for their importance, stemming from some great moment, something of great weight, the importance of a thing highly esteemed for its excellence and glory: it is something deemed to be most excellent, splendid, glorious, something prepared on a grand scale, stately, above the rest. The word references the external form of the sensible appearance of things (or of persons) and thus implies moral and legislative authority to define appropriate limitations and to guide those not so qualified.

    This is precisely the role the Church has usurped for itself since the days of Constantine and the Nicean Counsel. Babylon the Great will therefore be the end result of this egotistic Christian world view as described thusly by Master Y'shua for Prophet John and delineated with the Seven Church Ages (discussed later in this study):

      Rev 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
      16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
      17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
      18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
      19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

    But as an institution she will not.

    The Mother of Harlots: She gives birth to many daughters who follow in her whorish footsteps. Through the split between the Roman and Eastern Church, the leaving of the English (Anglican) communion, the Protestant Reformation and so on, Constantine's whorish Church has produced countless "daughters."

    The Anglican and Protestant reformers sought to return the Church to its historic roots but by the time these priests rebelled against the Papacy the Pagan teachings and influences, the edited Catholic Bible, as well as Antisemitism and fears of "judaising", had become so thoroughly entrenched within Christian dogma and society that that they failed to accomplish their goal. This failure resulted in constant Protestant Church splits and the gradual development of competing sects and heterodoxy that largely emerged from Protestant sources. This confusion became so severe that people rightly scratch their head and wonder if there is any truth to be realized in Christianity at all!
    There is.

    And lastly,

    Abominations of the Earth: The Mother harlot perverts that which was pure by mixing it with the impurities of the world. "Earth" here can reference both the physical planet and the human customs and societies that occur upon it. Arguably the darkest and most horrific period in human history thus far was the time during which the Christian Church ruled supreme. We call this period the Dark Ages.

    So, who is this woman? Only the Christian Church, founded in Rome by the the Roman Papacy and its daughters fits the description.

    Part Two Coming Soon


Friday, March 14, 2008

Biological Warfare Within in the US AND Stars Wars Episode SEVEN Coming in '09!

The US "CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WARFARE PROGRAM"
Well... as long as its legal....


I recently posted, as did a few other people, about the recent "discovery" and acknowledgement that the drinking water in several of the United States has been/is now contaminated by several undesirable substantances included mind altering drugs. You can read that post Here if you are interested. Most Americans don't seem to mind this contamination of our water supply. Go figure....

In that piece I describe, among things, the events that lead to the onset of my chronic illness, myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) (AKA CFIDS/FMS/GWS). According to SOME evidence, it MAY be that this disease was intentionally released on American cities by the US Government and the WHO (World Health Organization). MAYBE. I am unaware of clear proof of this allegation although many believe it and can build a good if not completely convincing (in my opinion) case for it.

My dear web friend Barb just sent me the following information on this topic that certainly adds a bit of credibility. See what you think, as always your comments are sincerely invited below:

PUBLIC LAW 95-79 [P.L. 95-79] TITLE 50, CHAPTER 32, SECTION 1520 "CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WARFARE PROGRAM"

"The use of human subjects will be allowed for the testing of chemical and biological agents by the U.S. Department of Defense, accounting to Congressional committees with respect to the experiments and studies." "The Secretary of Defense [may] conduct tests and experiments involving the use of chemical and biological [warfare] agents on civilian populations [within the United States]." -SOURCE- Public Law 95-79, Title VIII, Sec. 808, July 30, 1977, 91 Stat. 334. In U.S. Statutes-at-Large, Vol. 91, page 334, you will find Public Law 95-79. Public Law 97-375, title II, Sec. 203(a)(1), Dec. 21, 1982, 96 Stat. 1882. In U.S. Statutes-at-Large, Vol. 96, page 1882, you will find Public Law 97-375.

• United States Code
o TITLE 50 - WAR AND NATIONAL DEFENSE
 CHAPTER 32 - CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WARFARE PROGRAM
 Section 1511. Repealed. Pub. L. 104-106, Div. A, Title X, Sec. 1061(K), Feb. 10, 1996, 110 Stat. 443
 Section 1512. Transportation, Open Air Testing, And Disposal; Presidential Determination; Report To Congress; Notice To Congress And State Governors
 Section 1512a. Transportation Of Chemical Munitions
 Section 1513. Deployment, Storage, And Disposal; Notification To Host Country And Congress; International Law Violations; Reports To Congress And International Organizations
 Section 1514. "United States" Defined
 Section 1515. Suspension; Presidential Authorization
 Section 1516. Delivery Systems
 Section 1517. Immediate Disposal When Health Or Safety Are Endangered
 Section 1518. Disposal; Detoxification; Report To Congress; Emergencies
 Section 1519. Lethal Binary Chemical Munitions
 Section 1519a. Limitation On Procurement Of Binary Chemical Weapons
 Section 1520. Repealed. Pub. L. 105-85, Div. A, Title X, Sec. 1078(G), Nov. 18, 1997, 111 Stat. 1916, And Pub. L. 105-277, Div. I, Title Vi, Sec. 601, Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2681-886
 Section 1520a. Restrictions On Use Of Human Subjects For Testing Of Chemical Or Biological Agents
 Section 1521. Destruction Of Existing Stockpile Of Lethal Chemical Agents And Munitions
 Section 1521a. Destruction Of Existing Stockpile Of Lethal Chemical Agents And Munitions  Section 1522. Conduct Of Chemical And Biological Defense Program
 Section 1523. Annual Report On Chemical And Biological Warfare Defense
 Section 1524. Agreements To Provide Support To Vaccination Programs Of Department Of Health And Human Services
 Section 1525. Assistance For Facilities Subject To Inspection Under Chemical Weapons Convention
 Section 1526. Effective Use Of Resources For Nonproliferation Programs
Chapter Notes




Monsters out there,
Leaking in here.
Weesa all sinking and no power.
Whena yousa thinking we are in trouble?
(John of AllFaith as the indomitable, enigmatic Jar Jar Binks)


Star Wars Episode SEVEN to be released in January '09. Here's a sneak preview:

Emperor Hillary to the Senate: In order to ensure our security and continuing stability, the Republic will be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire, for a safe and secure society which I assure you will last for ten thousand years.
[Senate fills with enormous applause]

Lady Liberty [to anyone who cares, scarely anyone does] So this is how liberty dies... with thunderous applause.

Who needs a Death Star when a nation has the Bush/Clinton Dynasty?


Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Q and A: Marriage Between a Muslim Man and a Hindu Woman


Here's an interesting question:
Marriage between a Muslim man and a Hindu woman. What are your thoughts?

Let me first thank you on providing such a good platform for religious questions!
I am a 20 year old muslim boy who lives in the UK. My partner, is a 19 year old Hindu girl who is currently staying in India but plans to study in the UK also. I adore with all my heart and the bond that has developed over the years is something i truly am proud of! I have never felt such a connection with anyone in my life and i can genuinley say i am in love! :) I believe i am a normal God-fearing muslim with respect and understanding of all the major faiths. My partner is of the same understanding of religions (maybe a little bit more than me!) and is also a very pious and intelligent individual. We respect each others beliefs and compatibility has never been an issue (ie she does not drink alcohol or consume pork, whereas i do not eat beef; I aknowledge festivals such as Holi and Diwali whereas she is the same for Eid-ul-fitr, Eid-ul-aza and Ramadan). My question however, is regarding the possibility of marriage. I have researched this to a great extent but have still to find a definate answer and although God knows best, i feel you will enlighten me on this subject to a great extent.
After several years with my partner, I am certain that she is the one person for me. I wish to marry her :) I will never force her to convert to Islam as this is something only a person can decide for themselves. Also, a person must realise if they were in the same situation in changing religion it is possibly the hardest thing one can do. I myself cannot bear to convert from Islam as i wholeheartedly believe in the central ideologies and teachings and do not wish to cause conflict with my parents and family. From my personal knowledge of this matter, i understand a muslim man can marry someone 'of the book'(Ahl-al-Kitab) but this does not specify the Quran, Bible or the Tohrah. I believe it is someone of God conscienceness. Afterall, the Bhagvad Gita is a also a 'book'. I believe it refers to someone who believes in 1 God and with the basic principles of faith, love, harmony and worship of God. I also understand it is a common misconception that Hindus believe in several Gods or worship idols as im sure your aware of. A Hindu belives in 1 God and the principles of the relegion are displayed through parables and idols descibed in the Bhagvad Gita and other holy scriptures. It is NOT a religion incompatible with Islam but actually provides a platform for recoginising your own beliefs and comparing with anothers (the same can be said for any religion). I would personally say it makes you think a lot more about your own belief, instead of simply being born into a Muslim family and accepting it in a very sheep-like mentality. I think that Muslim-Hindu marriges are uncommon, not because of religious reasons, but for simply cultural reasons. As in people do not fully understand another religion or cannot accept that people of a different religion are of equal status. Conflicts can occur between family members, etc. I understand why it could be difficult for Muslim girl to marry into a non-muslim family as she would tend live with the husband away from her family and may feel slightly alienated without the proper support and her family closeby (The same can be said for any religion to be honest). However, i am not against this type of marriage. If anyone is open enough to discuss the differnces and similarities between their religions then surely a compromise can be achieved between both partners. From my personal case, this is already achieved :) I do feel however the greatest hinderance will come from parents as they are perceptively set in their ways. I love my parents very dearly and would never intentionally disobey their wishes. But when matters of love arise i feel MY wishes will be ignored and i will not be allowed to marry the girl i love :)
So basically to sum up, i am asking will Hinduism permit a Muslim boy to marry a Hindu girl by considering the whole situation of the two people involved? I have asked a similar question to several Islamic experts but feel it was not answered properly.

Thanking you in advance,

Hasan

My reply
How would you answer this question?

Salaam Hasan,

From a Muslim perspective a "Person of the Book" is a person of the Abrahamic root "book" of faith. In other words, another Muslim, a Jew or a Christian (or Noahide). Hindus are not accepted as People of the Book. I love the Bhagavad Gita and have even translated it into English (http://www.srijagannatha.com) however it does not qualify in this context. Hindus are viewed as infidels to Muslims and marriage between a Muslim and Hindu is strictly forbidden in terms of Sharia and Sunna.

From a Hindu perspective, "God is One, the sages use diverse Names." In other words, ALL people of all faiths are part of the greater "Sanatana Dharma" (Path to the One) and so a Hindu would technically be allowed to marry a Muslim from this perspective (but see below).

Gender roles in both Islam and Hinduism must also be considered in ways they would not apply in Western culture. A Muslim man can marry any female person of the Book (Muslim, Jew or Christian). A Muslim woman can ONLY marry another Muslim.

HOWEVER Islam firmly believes that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was/is the final and greatest prophet. As a Muslim man/husband you are deemed responsible for the spiritual well being of your family. Now, as the head of the family it is within your right to "allow your wife to maintain false beliefs" however to do so will be viewed as a stigma against your devotion to Allah, subhana wa talla. A good Muslim husband will always insist his wife and children be good Muslims (even if he marries a Jew or a Christian). If not, many Muslims (most) will not consider the husband to be a good Muslim. This will have far reaching impacts for you in the masjid and beyond and should your children wish to marry within the deen the perspective in-laws MAY consider you wife's "infidel" beliefs a dis-qualifier for the perspective marriage.

As a Hindu, her caste is very important. She is forbidden to marry below her caste but can marry one caste above her status (male Hindus can marry a woman from a lower caste and elevate them to their own caste). As a non-Hindu you are casteless. This means that while her faith acknowledges the validity of Islam as a Path to the One, since you do not belong to a caste such a marriage would be prohibited by devout Hindus for that cause. If she marries a non-casted (or sub-casted) husband of whatever faith she may, depending on her family and community, be viewed as an outcaste herself, as well as her children.

Also, as a Muslim how do you feel about her worship of the murtis (ie religious images), which Islam views as idolatry? If she practices puja (worship) before such images are you OK with this? Such worship is not only a direct violation of Islamic law, but a serious sin according to the Qu'ran, al Hadith and Sunna. What if she seeks to train your children in her religious views. Traditionally Muslim men set the religious standard for the family and largely leave the religious education to their wives. How will your kids be raised? As Muslims or Hindus or... This is a very important consideration as well and one that rests heavily on the shoulder of any Muslim father.

Also, according to the prophets of Islam, if these are indeed the Last Times that will witness the coming of the Dijal and Madhi, as many People of the Book believe, one of the early "purifications" the Ummah will perform will be to invade India specifically and wipe out all traces of Hinduism from the subcontinent. If this happens in your lifetime this will mean the death or forced reversion of your wife's entire family. Just something to think about. The differences between your two faiths are many and deep. To be a devout Muslim married to a devout Hindu will raise countless difficulties and problems for you both.

My honest suggestion would be that this marriage should not happen unless you are willing to convert to her sect of Hinduism, she is willing to revert to your sect of Islam and embrace all that that entails, or you both decide to abandon you religious faiths and maintain this non-religious commitment (which of course I don't suggest for either of you). Considering the fundamental differences between Islam and Hinduism I would strongly discourage such a mixed union.

Hope this helps,
~John of AllFaith
~Muhammad Yahya Saleem
~Jagannatha Prakasa


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