bagley - Archived Blog Posts

[bagley]

From Reuters:

US legislators press Rice on UN vote against gays
Tue Feb 7, 2006 9:36 PM ET

By Irwin Arieff

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The Bush administration's support for Iran's proposal to bar two gay rights groups from a voice at the United Nations sparked a demand from U.S. legislators on Tuesday that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice repudiate the action.

The January 23 vote denying "consultative status" at the world body to the Belgium-based International Gay and Lesbian Association and the Danish National Association for Gays and Lesbians was a "drastic reversal" of Washington's previous stand on the issue, the U.S. House of Representatives members wrote.

Nearly 3,000 nongovernmental organizations have such status, which enables them to distribute documents and speak at meetings of some U.N. bodies and conferences.

In voting for Iran's proposal, "the United States joined some of the world's most oppressive regimes, among them China, Cuba, Sudan and Zimbabwe" and demonstrated "a reprehensible inconsistency" in the protection of rights based on sexual orientation, the lawmakers said.

Among the 44 Democrats and one independent signing the letter were Democrats Eliot Engel of New York, Steny Hoyer of Maryland, Tom Lantos of California, Rahm Emanuel of Illinois and Dennis Kucinich of Ohio.

They called on Rice to publicly repudiate the action and support pending applications by three other gay rights groups.

The vote occurred in the U.N. Economic and Social Council's Committee on Nongovernmental Organizations.

U.S. officials said the United States had opposed the Belgian group in January due to its previous ties to the North American Man/Boy Love Association, which condones pedophilia.

But the United States had voted in 2002 to approve U.N. ties to the group. At that time, a U.S. diplomat told the committee Washington was convinced it no longer condoned pedophilia and praised it for its life-saving activities in the struggle against AIDS.

Despite U.S. support, the group failed to win enough votes to win consultative status in 2002, and the January 2006 vote had been its first chance since then to try again.

On January 23, the United States first abstained on a motion to deny a hearing to the two groups. That motion carried.

Washington then voted in favor of Iran's proposal to deny their applications, which carried 10-5 with three abstentions.

Following the vote, German envoy Martin Thuemmel said the committee decision "will haunt us for a long time" because it sent a message that it was acceptable to discriminate on the basis of an individual's sexual orientation.

Religion makes for strange bedfellows....!!!! and you thought you lived in a progressive country...but when it comes to QUEERS and REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS Amerika sides with the most reactionary governments in the world. For years Amerikan foreign policy has supported and sided with the most reactionary and repressive regimes on the planet. (under both parties)

The strange thing about this anti Queer stance Amerika has taken..is......... it does not bother me....I realized a long time ago.....Amerika dislikes queers..finds "US" distasteful... so this move to block the International Gay and Lesbian Association and the Danish National Association for Gays and Lesbians from consultative status..is a direct SLAP at the Amerikan GLBT community.....oh well....I guess it shows the true colors of AMERIKA.....or perhaps it is dementia or even Schizophrenia.

As I wrote yesterday I am an avid genealogy hobbyist...I have collected reams of data and digitized a lot of it to put on the old WWW....My B/F and I share this as a common interest, as does his mother. When we go back to Indiana we visit all kinds of places and cemeteries to gather more first hand data.....
When I first got started I was astonished with all the genealogies floating around and soon realized a lot of it was done with out much discrimination....some copied old 19th century vanity genealogies, which had every family in some way connected to the gentry or even royalty or even Charlemagne......one LDS genealogy I found even connected to ODIN..and Mrs. ODIN...
In the Great [Puritan] Migration from England to New England about 20,000 people crossed in about 20 years or so starting in 1635..and ending with the set up of the Commonwealth....with very few members of the upper gentry migrating and no titled persons.....in the earlier Plymouth Colony..only one family, the Whites..? has a proven royal ancestor and the Winslow family has a conjectural royal cousinage.....Me, I don't really care about things that happened across the pond ..I am only interested in the American story. I am still amazed at how many people had to sign their wills with an X..even into the 19th century...one of my great great grandmothers is listed as illiterate in the census....I also found some of my people in New London , Ct were fined for selling illegal hooch. I also have two direct grandmothers who were executed as witches...one in Connecticut and one in Essex, Co. Mass...and two others were tried, but not convicted....great fun....

 

[bagley]

Today is our 13th anniversary..........I don't know what that is in Gay years ...usually we celebrate on the 14th , but this is the actual day....we also celebrate our moving in together which was May 30th....
What has kept us together through thick and thin...I'd say it has been a willingness to share and also to compromise. We also have a shared spirituality..plus he is is soooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!! CUTE. As he has gotten older he has grown into his looks.... At first he was very wary of me and my sluttish reputation. I had to really work hard to gain his trust with multiple swearings on all kinds of holy objects. As a couple we have had two or three bad "spells" of being on the verge of breaking up....but not in a long time.......He disliked me having my own retail business..........working 24/7 with a huge stress level....In the early days of our relationship I traveled a lot and that left me sort of numb..... and distant.
Ross and Luis are coming up and we are going to the "O-Bar" in WEHO......

 

[bagley]

A friend of mine in the blog-o-sphere writes a nice little chatty filled blog with his everyday comings and goings..his pets and his b/f woes..nothing salacious or sluttish...just charm and wit.....any way, because I am a blog junky..especially the gay blogs and the gay news blogs....such as http://pageoneq.com. I just hit the "next blog" icon....and before long I was skimming through a strange cyber landscape...I got lost in a gay Italian world of linked sites and blogs with tons of great pics....and a sweet Turkish [Gay] blog about Istanbul...it was snowing.....and then I hit a patch of homophobic Jewish/Christian blogs with a vast linkage to an under belly of hate....It was like the proverbial train wreck ...I couldn't look away. These bloggers were not witty or writing about charming slices of life..no one posted cute puppy or kitty pics..just wave after wave of anti gay venom. It was Mordor. I was familiar with their arguments and could have defended my much more liberal position with ease and perhaps scored a few times....but I knew that no matter what ..these religious people were hard set against any toleration for the GLBT community.
One blog in particular wanted a return to the Judeo-Christian foundation of Western Civilization.....of course eliminating or recriminalizing homosexuality was a key.....by the way I read this on the day the Turino Olympic games started... Personally, I feel Western Civilization owes a greater debt to the pagan Greco-Romans [Hellenism] than to the Hebrews...the theater...poetry...Art......Science..engineering....sports....all these stem from Greco-Roman influence. As far as I can tell DEMOCRACY is absent from the BIBLE. As to the law...in America, at least our laws are based on the common law of the Anglo-Saxons....for example..the jury. and on and on.....I also realize the contributions of the Judeo-Christians................but, you'll have to get it from them.

In the Biblical world view of these hardliners there is no room for Queers. We are good as dead. They are hard and unmovable. What should be [our] response to these latter day crusaders ...well ..have a latte....kiss your b/f in public..be creative....laugh....go to a play or movie.....be fashionable....get a good haircut....read a gay/queer novel....be artistic....

 

[bagley]

I am a queer religious separatist. I think queer men have more potential for enlightenment that ST8's...Ave Joseph Merrill.....I think Queer men are more likely to be in the forefront of mystical religious expression than our breeder brothers, however if you search for hints of queerness in the mainstream writings...you will find we have been for the most part edited out..or demonized. I picked a book , The Magician Within Accessing the Shaman in the Male Psyche by Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette..........agh...why did I buy this clap trap of a heterosexualist book......Cripe..queers have 2 very brief mentions.....we don't fit into the nice neat diagrams layed out in the "diamond bodies".....no ..just shunted aside...edited out ...although here is a quote...page 73.." But a man who is possessed by this[Magician] archetype rarely has a deep sexual involvement with a woman, and is usually asexual. His androgyny offers him complete autonomy. Some few shamans are and were gay....THE Magician is split off"..........blah blah blah......yet in the same book(page65) they use a picture of a bas relief of a priest of Attis ..who was most likely a gender variant male castrate...no explanation....
A friend of mine was in an "Iron John" men's drumming group for a while..he came away pretty disgusted....no room for his somatotype or his androgyny....
The Anglo-American high magickal tradition has been a hot bed of anti gay prejudice ala Alice Bailey and Violet Firth........yet the greatest Magician that that school ever produced was expelled for using Queer Sex Magick........for years I belonged to B.O.T.A....which had a policy of never promoting openly Gay people to roles of leadership in that same HOGD vein.... I left.........Traditionalist Wicca covens sometimes exclude gays and lesbians....American Spiritualists (NSAC) have a lot of GLBT mediums..even past presidents ..but no one will say GLBT..they will not even become a "welcoming" group...? on and on...

So with or with out choice Queer spiritual and/or magickal people inhabit a limbo world..a threshold place...and my friends this is the place of [OUR] power.


Here is the Charge of the Goddess....I think it sums up..how I feel...

The Charge of the Goddess is a Wiccan inspirational text written and placed into the public domain by Doreen Valiente. (HP for Gerald gardiner)

Listen to the words of the Great Mother; she who of old was also called among men Artemis, Astarte, Athene, Dione, Melusine, Aphrodite, Cerridwen, Dana, Arianrhod, Isis, Bride, and by many other names.

Whenever ye have need of any thing, once in the month, and better it be when the moon is full, then shall ye assemble in some secret place and adore the spirit of me, who am Queen of all Witches. There shall ye assemble, ye who are fain to learn all sorcery, yet have not won its deepest secrets; to these will I teach things that are yet unknown. And ye shall be free from slavery; and as a sign that ye be really free, ye shall be naked in your rites; and ye shall dance, sing, feast, make music and love, all in my praise. For mine is the ecstasy of the spirit, and mine also is joy upon earth; for my law is love unto all beings. Keep pure your highest ideal; strive ever towards it; let naught stop you or turn you aside. For mine is the secret door which opens upon the Land of Youth, and mine is the cup of the wine of life, and the Cauldron of Cerridwen, which is the Holy Grail of immortality. I am the gracious Goddess, who gives the gift of joy unto the heart of man. Upon earth, I give the knowledge of the spirit eternal; and beyond death, I give peace, and freedom, and reunion with those who have gone before. Nor do I demand sacrifice; for behold, I am the Mother of all living, and my love is poured out upon the Earth.

Hear ye the words of the Star Goddess; she in the dust of whose feet are the hosts of heaven, and whose body encircles the universe.

I who am the beauty of the green earth, and the white Moon among the stars, and the mystery of the waters, and the desire of the heart of man, call unto thy soul. Arise, and come unto me. For I am the soul of nature, who gives life to the universe. From me all things proceed, and unto me all things must return; and before my face beloved of Gods and of men, let thine innermost divine self be enfolded in the rapture of the infinite. Let my worship be within the heart that rejoiceth; for behold, all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals. And therefore let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honour and humility, mirth and reverence within you. And thou who thinkest to seek for me, know thy seeking and yearning shall avail thee not unless thou knowest the mystery; that if that which thou seekest thou findest not within thee, thou wilt never find it without thee. For behold, I have been with thee from the beginning; and I am that which is attained at the end of desire.

 

[bagley]

I worked for a long time on this Rant part II..which stems actually from the blog about Hellenism..I had some cool links sited...from a guy named "sugar skull" and a freaky interview with a man who believes [SIC] Sodomy is demonic.....Marion Knox...but my damn devil computer froze and I had to reboot....no time now..for a rewrite....but perhaps a recap...just to capture the thoughts...and emotion......I am the body electric....I believe my body is a manifestation of pure spiritual energy. I believe these spiritual energies can be tapped into through images called chakras..or energetic fields.....One of these fields is the Root chakra..It is the connection to the life force..the seat of the kundalini or serpent energy..which brings enlightenment as it rises through the various energy centers. It is the center of fight or flight....


here is a repost of Sugarskull's posting:

"In the human body, the strait gate leading to the earth-centre, or snake goddess, is the anus." (Alain Daniélou, Gods of Love and Ecstasy)


Any form of anal stimulation contains the possibility of ecstatic spiritual experience. Phil Hine has pointed out that Ramakrishna experienced Samadhi whilst having a dump on more than one occasion, and this is interesting in relation to Martin Luther's so-called Thurmerlebnis ("experience in the tower"), a revelation about faith that was to inaugurate Protestant theology. The 'tower' was where the toilet was located in Luther's Wittenburg monastery. "This knowledge the Holy Spirit gave me on the privy in the tower." (Luther) In his analysis of Protestantism in Life Against Death, Norman Brown hones in on the centrality of the Devil to Luther's theology, and on the 'anality' (a Freudian term needing no explanation, for once) of the Devil. He documents Luther's numerous associations of the Devil with 'filth', 'blackness' and foul odours, and notes his methods of counter-attack to the Devil's assaults—at one revealing point he threatens to "throw him into my anus, where he belongs." These scraps of information, the traditional location of the base chakra, and my intuition that Satan may be related back through history to a primeval serpent goddess, seem to be no coincidence.

Many traditions, from male Aboriginal initiation ceremonies to Aleister Crowley's magick, recognize the power of sodomy to elicit altered states of consciousness, but this is mostly ignored in our own culture due to the extreme taboo associated with anal eroticism (and with altered states themselves). This taboo is clear in homophobia, but is equally present in heterosexuality. Often, sodomy is not merely tabooed, but actually illegal—such is the continuing power of old Judeo-Christian restrictions over modern secular prohibitions. Perhaps (as far as our own culture is concerned) the strength of the taboo against sodomy, and not necessarily the physical act in itself, accounts for its potential to induce powerful spiritual experiences. Spirituality is, at heart, a breakthrough into a wider realm of consciousness, and is thus frequently associated (as in Tantra, Chaos Magick and Satanism) with breaking the conventions and laws that inevitably shape consciousness. The danger here, as ever, is that of becoming obsessed with the breaking of a single restriction. Once a restriction is overcome, new and different restrictions may fall into place. For instance, a Satanist who has endeavoured to break the traditional Christian taboo against rational self-interest and ego-gratification may find him or herself liberated in many ways. Eventually, though, this process of liberation may restrict that person from expressing spontaneous selflessness. The path of liberation has no end.

Sodomy, then, may well be a powerful step on the path of spiritual and sexual liberation, but rigid correlations and associations may eventually become obstacles. Regarding the association of the base chakra with the anus, Phil Hine has cautioned against the idea that chakras, or energy centres, have literal physical locations: "I'm working on a body-alchemy centred approach to the chakras at the moment, and the muladhra, for me, relates to one's physical sensation of the here & now. A great deal is made of the muladhra being the 'seat' of Kundalini-shakti—but again, too many people have interpreted Kundalini stuff in terms of getting away from the body, towards some kind of rarified 'spiritual' state. My own feeling is that the Tantric perspective is less about 'awakening kundalini' as though it were something static, and more about 'becoming aware' of kundalini's living presence in, and around us. This necessitates, of course, a change in how we perceive ourselves, and the world we are enmeshed in." (personal correspondence) Hine's first 'Kundalini' experience involved an influx of energy coming down his body. This 'contradiction' of the traditional experience can also be seen in Reichian therapy. Wilhelm Reich's theory of bodily 'armour' (rigidified musculature, seen to be arranged in sections like the head, throat, chest, etc.) corresponds well with the chakra system. But in opposition to the yogic assertion that one must work from the bottom up when opening the chakras, Reich advised therapists to work from the top down in undoing armour.

So, anal eroticism is merely one of many gateways to sexual and spiritual ecstasy.

I don't think casual anal sex usually causes the kundalini to rise so that you will have an elightening experience....although it can. However if you have been practicing a spiritual/body exercise..yoga for example or even just mediation.....anal penetration may arouse a brief metaphysical experience.....or even a kudalini experience . The deeper you delve into this "small t" tantric experience...the brighter the sex fire becomes..

My point is M2M Anal sex is not about procreation. At it's highest level it is about finding gnosis and divine union..at it's mundane level it's about release and openness. In the Judeo-Christian view only procreational M2W sex is valid....hence the clash and the noise..and the pogroms.

 

[bagley]

I have been reading Roland Barthes . Empire of Signs in translation ...Noonday Press 1989 coft cover. The book is a look at Japan and Japanese. It is very interesting as a triangulation point to our own culture and [western] language. As westerners our idea of language and word are imbued with sacredness and pointedness. The sacredness of Word is from the Neoplatonism of antiquity and was taken by the Christians and then deified. Much of our society is built upon the sacredness of Word...oaths, treaties and bonds and other written words like signatures are held as binding principles which transcend beyond the individual. There is a line from Angels in America where Roy Cohn says (my memory) "lawyers are the high priests of America, because only they know the magic words that created it "....So we give a lot of weight to words and language...and yet what are these breathes of air..these jots of ink on paper..these "things" that can cause death, but not in any way cause life...Barthes points out that language in Japan is a container of emptiness ( Mu) ..which is gone with the utterance.
I have read Empire of Signs several times and I am always amazed........it's pretty short (108 pps) and requires, at least for me a dictionary. The illustrations are as important as the text....

My diet is at a stand still.....I am still at 163 lbs and hovering.....still exercising..watching...I don't mind if it it takes 6 months.....I'm 5'10" and medium build....but I could blossom to 220 lbs with little effort....

I scored on some signed poetry book......as anyone who reads this blog knows I am a bibliophile ...6 in three days....one pretty valuable...

I am taking a book binding class in the evenings...It is very interesting ....I've made two dummy books so far...but I need to improve my sewing and glueing skills.

It looks like the Religious Reich in South Dakota will decide the fate of the American woman's reproductive [NO] rights. South Dakota is one of the smaller states and has decided to make abortion illegal except in the case when the mother's life is at stake. This will of course end up at SCOUS..where the new court make up may overturn Roe vs Wade.... It's almost a coup on the part of Religious Reich...sneaky and smooth....I wonder if the next move will be to recriminalize non reproductive sex..ie..queer/gay/ sex. We might be next..boys and girls...so hold on it's going to be a bumpy ride......

 

[bagley]

Roland Barthes' book, Empire of Signs continues to haunt me. The "MU" or the emptiness of language is so refreshing. That words and symbols are more or less culturaL gift wrapping and that what is wrapped is empty space is VERY different from the Western concept of language and words as glue. In the West I am defined by words , not only by the words of my own choosing, but also by words of others choosing, as well. For example, I call myself "Gay." Gay is a word "gay" people have called themselves for over a century. The word homosexual, however is a clinical word made up by physicians to describe a perceived pathology. Once labeled the individual or group struggles to conform or not to conform to the prescribed word. So words which were transitory interactive vibrations have become mill stones and boundary stones. As words and their symbols become fixed in the popular culture they become more important than the free flowing energetic exchange. As these words congeal into commandments and laws they kill the human soul. Just remember what Jesus said," The letter kills, but the spirit gives life".....Also, I am reminded of Buckminster Fuller ...who decided to use the "god" word as a verb rather than a noun...thus increasing his creativity...

 

[bagley]

I have had some strange contemplations and also some strange dreams....

I have been contemplating my need to be deeply FUCKED....and the b/f has been very helpful in acting out this contemplation.....as a spiritual (read neo- pagan) queer I believe in my body..my body is not sullied by original sin nor is it a prison of clay, it is "the garden of the soul", to quote ", Tony Kushner.
I have been contemplating my anus, rectum and colon. I have written before that the Anus can correspond to the root chakra. This is the chakra of connection to the physical world (and the underworld). I have also written how human beings store emotional energy in their anal-rectum-lower colon region. In a section of Edmund White's autobiographical novel , Farewell Symphony, he recounts a tale of emotional release and cleansing when one of his lovers forces a couple gallons of water into him via an enema....the water , shit and emotion all seem to be connected.
So, when my b/f plunges his big cock deep into me, beyond the rectum in long penetrating strokes...I have a deep emotional and spiritual experience...sometimes I go out of my body....sometimes I just have go ST8 to sleep. Sometimes it is a perfect magickal event...if that was our intent..(or just my intent) ..........

I don't feel female when I am being penetrated.....I feel liberated

 

[bagley]

This little blurb is from Todd Perkin's site about anal sex.. you can find him at : Tperkins.com ..I'm not attempting to provide an active link..because it never seems to work for me..or only sometimes....I am totally at the mercy of this teckie stuff ..and it is hit or miss with me...I just can seem to learn...maybe I should take a class. Also I don't agree with everything Todd says and I never want to imply I condone bareback sex between uncommitted partners. HIV is out there...in Wicca there is a line of poetry people say when they come together in a circle..."in perfect love and in perfect trust"..I think this should be a maxim for bareback anal sex...wrap that thing..if your not sure....


[Quoting Todd]

Anus

Your anus (asshole) is the opening to your anal canal. It has the ability to open quite wide without much difficulty, and is loaded with sensitive nerve endings. A great deal of the sensations that come from anal sex come from objects (penis/dildo/finger/tongue) touching or moving by this area. The external sphincter muscle is what keeps this closed.

Anal Canal

The anal canal is about a 1-2" long channel that is controlled by two muscles, one at either end. On the outside is your anus (asshole) which is kept closed by your external sphincter muscle. This is the muscle that you can tighten and loosen by pulling in or pushing out like you would when you take a shit.

Just beyond that, is your internal spincter muscle. This is a muscle that you cannot consciously control, your nervous system controls this one. You can however effect it by controlling how relaxed you are. If you are uptight, this muscle is very tight. If you are relaxed, the muscle relaxes. This is the muscle that can cause you pain if you try to force it open.

In order for something to enter your anal canal both muscles must relax in order to permit the object (penis/dildo) inside. Most people live a very uptight life, and both these muscles stay VERY tight (leading to hemorrhoids and such). In order to allow objects up your anal canal without pain, you need to be relaxed so these muscles can relax as well.

The anal canal is where the majority of the sensation occurs that leads to pleasure during anal sex. This is also the part that most needs lube to reduce the friction so it doesn't get sore.

Once you are past these two muscles, you are in the rectum (rectal cavity).


Rectum (rectal cavity)

Your rectum is a delicate pouch lined with many muscles but few nerve endings. It's about the size of a small human fist. However, the pouch can get smaller (shorter) if the person is nervous or tense (thus tensing their muscles). The rectum is normally large enough to accommodate an object that is 5-6 inches long (measured from the asshole to the back of the rectum). Like a pouch, the rectum can stretch a little longer by getting less wide.

Usually the only sensation you can feel in the rectum a sense of fullness and/or pressure against the walls of the rectum (which initially feels like you have to take a shit). With experience you begin to feel these as pleasant sensations.

In a standing person, the rectum goes up at an angle from the asshole. Inflexible objects that follow the canal straight in often hit the back wall of the rectum without getting very far in. (yet this can be useful, see prostate gland) Pushed too hard, this can cause pain. Objects that are flexible such as a penis will bend and go up into the full length of the rectum to it's constriction at the rectal valves.




The other end of the rectum is closed off by the rectal valves. They are not really "valves" but simply folds where the pubo-rectal sling muscles pull the rectum shut. Most people have 3 or 4 of these. When you are relaxed these can open to an object pressing on them, when you are tense, they remain tight and will resist allowing an object to pass.

People who explore with longer dildos or have partners with longer penis' will find that these objects will continue up past the sling muscles/rectal valves when you are relaxed. Objects moving past these valves creates yet another pleasant sensation. Under controlled tension, the rectum becomes compressed and even shorter objects (5-6 inches) go up into this area where the rectum joins the large colon at the bend. Veterans of anal sex will recognize these valves/muscles as the ones they use to "clamp down" and hold onto the penis or object they have inside.

The length of this area varies greatly from person to person. For some people this can be short (6" or so from the anus to the bend) for others it can be quite long (15"+ from anus to bend). This accounts in the variations between the size objects that people can put into their rectum before they hit the limit (at the bend in the colon).

Some people enjoy objects pressing on their colon wall at the bend, for many people however, this creates a painful experience. [END QUOTE]

Learning anal anatomy has been very benifical for me. I now know what is happening to me when my long dicked minotaur husband is pushing ball deep into me past the pubo-rectal sling muscles (his slim frame allows for full penetration)..he sets off 10,000 releases of emotion....at that point I am his very bitch and he is my god....this union takes a lot of work and preparation..I doubt if casual sex could ever equal it. When HE cums..I feel him in my brain. yikes....and also not everytime is perfect...I guess it is why we are still together after 13 years....

Other notes: I am painting again and I am happy about that..inspired by my book binding class...I am painting in the "altered book" genre..something I have done before...I am not a very good book binder..but can make them look good , although the book guts are sloppy. I put some more Cocteau drawings in my gallery. His drawings are so simple , yet so elegant and so hard to copy....

 

[bagley]

I am not sure . but, perhaps the Christian religion is more moderate and reasonable outside of the American sphere of influence. I just read Preacher's Son , by Marc Adams..it is a bleak story of a gay kid growing up in a fundamentalist Baptist household...and believe it or not Marc Adams found Falwell's Liberty University , liberating. He met the love of his life there as well....I doubt if I would have lasted very long in the environment Marc grew up in....we have the same impoverished economic background, but I lived in (and was encouraged to explore) my imagination. I just can't imagine my childhood without (role) playing... or the endless parade of library books and games....I don't understand the need for Fundies to be so negative..no dancing, cards, movies, plays, mixed swimming and on and on.... with sex being the biggest no no and gay sex as a capital crime.

Now, the spokes model for the SBC has has called Buddhism and Islam, Satanic.....and supports Pat Robertson's position...I wonder if he supports the tongues talking (glossolalia) which Pat and his fellow Pentecostalists espouse.....Baptists used to call "speaking in tongues" demonic....???? and some probably still think so...

Here is part of the SBC anti Buddhist, anti Hindu, anti Muslim interview:

Forgive me for posting from "The O'Reilly Factor"



Not to be outdone by Robertson, Mohler claimed that Buddhism, Hinduism, and Marxism are "demonstration of satanic power"
Summary: Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and host of the daily Christian radio show The Albert Mohler Program, defended Pat Robertson's recent claim that Muslims are "motivated by demonic power," and expanded on Robertson's comments, saying: "Well, I would have to say as a Christian that I believe any belief system, any world view, whether it's Zen Buddhism or Hinduism or dialectical materialism for that matter, Marxism, that keeps persons captive and keeps them from coming to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, yes, is a demonstration of satanic power."
On the March 17 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and host of the daily Christian radio show The Albert Mohler Program, defended 700 Club host Pat Robertson's recent claim that Muslims are "motivated by demonic power," and expanded on Robertson's comments, saying: "Well, I would have to say as a Christian that I believe any belief system, any world view, whether it's Zen Buddhism or Hinduism or dialectical materialism for that matter, Marxism, that keeps persons captive and keeps them from coming to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, yes, is a demonstration of satanic power."

From the March 17 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor:

O'REILLY: "Unresolved Problem" segment tonight, winning hearts and minds in the Muslim world. As I've stated, the USA cannot win the war on terror without the help of moderate Muslims. We must convince them to reject the terrorists and fascists.

Recently, preachers Pat Robertson and Franklin Graham expounded on Islam in this way:

ROBERTSON [video clip]: These people are crazed fanatics. And I want to say it now. I believe it's motivated by demonic power. It is satanic. And it's time we recognize what we're dealing with.

GRAHAM [video clip]: I've been working in Muslim countries now for, oh, 40 years or more. So I know about Islam. If people think Islam is such a wonderful religion, just go to Saudi Arabia and make it your home. Just live there. If you think Islam is such a wonderful religion, I mean, go and live under the Taliban somewhere.

O'REILLY: Now Robertson and Graham were unavailable this evening. Both are welcome on The Factor at any time. Joining us now from Louisville, Kentucky, Dr. Albert Mohler, the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Here's my problem with this. When you say something like that, [Arabic-language television news network] Aljazeera gets it, puts it on in the Arab world, and says, "See? All Americans think we're all terrible. They don't distinguish between the terrorists and the good Muslims, and they're our enemies." And it just creates more jihadists. Where am I going wrong?

MOHLER: Well, I say first of all that Franklin Graham and Pat Robertson in this case spoke the truth as Christian believers and as Christian truth-tellers, and that's their responsibility. And both of them are men of compassion. And in this case, I've criticized Pat Robertson for some of the things he's said. But on this one, Bill, I have to say I think he's just on target.

O'REILLY: So you think Islam is a demonic religion?

MOHLER: Well, I would have to say as a Christian that I believe any belief system, any world view, whether it's Zen Buddhism or Hinduism or dialectical materialism for that matter, Marxism, that keeps persons captive and keeps them from coming to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, yes, is a demonstration of satanic power.

O'REILLY: So you're going to go to peace-loving Hindus and look at them and say your religion is demonic, doctor? That's what you're going to do?

MOHLER: Well, you know, that's an historic Christian position. Just understanding like the apostle Paul, that the spirit of this age is blinding persons from understanding the Gospel.

O'REILLY: Can you point to me in Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John, one time when Jesus looked at a Jew and said, "You're in a demonic religion"?

MOHLER: Well, he certainly never called Judaism -- he was himself a Jew -- a demonic religion. He did speak of persons, however, being under demonic possession and speaking on behalf of the devil, rather than on behalf of his father.

O'REILLY: I didn't hear him say the Romans were demonic. And they, of course, were polytheists, you know, worshipping whatever god.

MOHLER: You're making a good point. You're making a good point. I don't think either one of these men was saying that these people are demonic but, rather, that the belief system is.

O'REILLY: But you can't do that and expect moderate Muslims who respect their religion, all right, to help you, and you can't win the war on terror unless moderate Muslims help us.

So carrying it to its extreme, the Reverend Robertson and Dr. Franklin -- Dr. Graham, I should say -- are putting the country in danger by these kinds of statements that are going to be twisted and delivered to the Arab world as the condemnation of Muslims. And don't think Billy Graham [father of Franklin Graham] would ever say that anyway, do you?

MOHLER: Well, I know Dr. Graham, and I chaired one of his crusades. I do know that both doctors Graham would believe that the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation.

O'REILLY: Yeah, but can say that in different ways, doctor. With all due respect, do you think Billy Graham would get out there and say, "Yeah, you go live in Saudi Arabia?" I just don't think they would do it. See, I don't mind -- I know what you're saying. I don't mind you spreading your belief system, but I don't think you should be condemning the beliefs of others, particularly in the war on terror.

MOHLER: Well, there's a point to be made there about how we should learn to speak in a way that follows some kind of etiquette. But at the bottom line, etiquette has to give way to truth. And in the case of the two statements from which you pulled there -- from Dr. Graham and from Pat Robertson, they were speaking a deeply Christian truth there that Christians have believed for 2,000 years. And by the way, not with Muslims, because of course now we have only 14 centuries of dealing with the challenge of Islam, but any belief system that keeps persons from coming to Christ we would see as a manifestation of a demonic power.

Hail Satan!!!!

 

[bagley]

I haven't written for ages..since March 12, 2006. because.........well..........I took some art classes and as always the creative process opens up some deep anxiety inside me with resulting psychic pain. On top of the psychic pain the left side of my body seems to be degenerating faster than my right side (knee and elbow pain). Plus my work load has increased...oh life.

I can't wait to see the movie "The Da Vinci Code" ..just to do my part to piss off the Christian Fundies...The Christian Fundies are really pulling out the big guns against "The Code"....Anderson Cooper had a short segment on 360...TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network) had a couple hours worth of busting down "the Code"....

I find these big gun Christian polemics mildly amusing, because, "The Da Vinci Code" is a novel. It was published as a novel and like most novels is fiction. If the facts and figures don't add up..well so what...

Christians should be very careful when they start using "history" as a weapon because the first two centuries of Christianity are very hazy and open to a lot of conjecture. For example..the 4 canonical gospels are anonymous and their authority rests on latter traditions. If the four gospels are the authentic words of Jesus..why are they written in Greek vs Aramaic....this has always puzzled me...what about the gap of years..Jesus died in about 28-29 C.E....scholars seem to believe the first gospels appear before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 C.E. (because the destruction of Jerusalem isn't mentioned)...the first physical evidence of the gospels are small bits of papyrus from the early to mid 2nd century Egypt.. and then it is the very neo platonic Gospel of John....

 

[bagley]

Despite my best judgment I am drawn into the ruckus over The Da Vinci Code. I am still amazed at the amount of energy the conservative Christian scholars are using to counter "the Code". Over and over these scholars state the "Code" attacks the "divinity of Christ" and the Council of Nicaea. Here is a very balanced essay from a Roman Catholic history site on the council.

Council of Nicaea, First Ecumenical Council
325
The Nicene Council is considered by all as the first Ecumenical Council of the Church. It was occasioned by the Arian heresy which in effect denied the divinity of Jesus Christ. The major product of this council was the Creed, the "Nicene Creed"; but it also addressed the date of Easter, and the place of the Patriarchate of Alexandria.
Occasion for the Council
The Arian heresy had infected parts of the Church all the way from Alexandria through Palestine, Syria, Asia Minor to Greece. It was bad enough that it viciated the very heart of Christian doctrine from within, but there was also danger that it would weaken the Empire itself, and so Constantine, who was trying hard to consolidate the Empire, took an active part in trying to solve the matter. He called for a council of bishops of the Church.
At first it appeared that he had in mind only the Eastern bishops since he first designated Ancyra in Galatia (Ankara in Turkey) as a place for the bishops to assemble. Arianism had particularly divided the Church there. But this would make it difficult for himself to attend, and besides it might be good for other bishops to attend, those not necessarily invovled in the controversy. Hence Nicaea in Bithynia was finally selected; it was close to the sea making it easier for more bishops to attend, he had there a large palace compound, both to house the bishops and with a great hall in which they could assemble, and he could keep an eye on them from nearby Nicomedia.

Constantine himself was strongly influenced by certain Arian bishops, particularly by Bishop Eusebius of the capitol city of Nicomedia, and if he did not actually have Arian leanings himself, he had been informed by them that a council of the Church would show that the teaching of Arius was correct. It would be to Constantinie's credit that when the bishops in council voted the opposite way, condemned Arianism and overwhelmingly affirmed the traditional doctrine, that he got behind them 100% and promulgated their decisions.

The Council Callled
He announced the council (a command-performance for important bishops) by the imperial post, heretofor reserved for civil administration and urgent military matters. Of course the bishops wanted to settle matters too; the heresy and schism were tearing the Church apart, but Constantine's calling for a general council and the manner in which the council was conducted shows us to what great extent there was almost a union between church and state. Constantine put the imperial transportation system at the disposal of the bishops. This meant they could travel on his boats free, that they could go by cart or wagon, horse, whatever means the Empire had to offer, all under the protection of the Roman army (travel was not only difficult, but brigands made it dangerous). Constantine housed the bishops, fed them and provided his own palace as a place to meet.
The Council Assembled
300 bishops were present (Ambrose of Milan and Hilary of Poitier report 318, but this may be a symbolic number representing the 318 servants of Abraham, Gen 14:14) most of them from the East.
Not a few of the bishops attending were maimed or their predecessors had been killed by the very soldiery which now guarded them; they winced as they paraded into the council chamber, the soldiers with their swords and shining armor now forming an honor guard on either side of their procession. There is no doubt but what the bishops had every freedom of discussion and vote (at this council at least) because that was the rule of the Roman senate after which a council is patterned, and yet to these bishops at least so shortly out of persecution, the soldiers who stood guard inside the chamber, both to assure good order and prevent any intrusion from outside, must have been a symbol of imperial power and influence, formerly unleashed against them.

Constantine himself opened the council with an impassioned plea for unity and peace, and his good friend Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea (a suspected Arian or at least an Arian sympathizer) gave the opening address. According to the pattern of the Roman senate the council was actually presided over by another good friend of Constantine, Hosius, bishop of Cordoba, Spain, who had presided over a local council in Elvia, Spain, some 30 years before.

Hosius was assisted by the delegates from Pope Sylvester, the simple priests, Vitus and Vicentius, all in true senatorial style. The history at the time does not explain why the delegates of the Bishop of Rome held such a prominent place in the Council. Catholics like to stress that it was because the pope has some position of authority or leadership over the other bishops. Others maintain it was because Rome was the seat of the civil government (but it had just been moved from there to Constantinople). Anyway this pattern would be followed at many succeeding councils.

The Nicene Creed
The big thing which happened was the Nicene Creed, but in this way: Most held out at first for a Scriptural language and expression to make clear against the Arians what the catholic doctrine had been, but as the discussions progressed it became evident that there was no Scriptural vocabulary which would correctly express the orthodox teaching. They lighted on a philosophical term, homoosios (same substance as) to express what they meant and what had always been the catholic teaching, but there was still needed a formula to summarize and convey their meaning.
Of all bishops, Eusebius of Caesarea, who had been clobbered by the synod at Antioch the year before, produced a creed he used in his church. As far as it went, it was acceptable to the rest of the bishops, but they made additions in order to make it very clear that Arius' position was not what they espoused. This creed would be further amended by the First Council of Constantinople, and hence is technically known as the "Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed", but maybe it should be known as the Caesarean-Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed.

Here it is beneficial to explain something councils do, almost as a byproduct. Primarily a council's purpose, at least a dogmatic council, is to proclaim with unmistakable clarity a doctrine already a part of the teaching of the Church. But at Nicaea there were not a few bishops, well-intentioned and open to the Spirit, who actually would have been hard pressed themselves to give a clear explanation of the relationship of the Son to the Father. But because they had humility and good will they learned from the discussions of the Council, at the same time that they were a part of the council process. Hence a council can also teach bishops. All of the bishops present signed the Creed, except two, Secundus of Ptolemais and Theonas of Marmarica. Constantine banished them along with Arius (whom he later recall).


My thoughts:

1.) I find it curious that no biblical language could be found to define the relationships within the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit)...so the Council used Hellenist (pagan) philosophy to define this very cardinal teaching.

2.) The need for a council in 325 C.E. shows that Christianity was in ferment in the 4th century. The pronouncements of the various Ecumenical Councils never unified the church.

3.) Sorry Dan Brown, the Council of Nicaea was not about Gnosticism or deciding the canon of the New Testament..it was against Arianism which is similar to modern Jehovah Witnesses.

4.) It has always puzzled me why the "still" pagan Constantine would host this very important Christian council.

5.) I find it curious none of the anti Da Vinci Code Christian scholars talk about the Divinity or full humanity of Jesus..they talk about the divinity of Christ.....by Christian doctrine Jesus is [still] fully human. So is Jesus walking around Heaven eating and drinking. He is male so does he still produce semen. If he combs his hair does some hair stick to the brush. After the resurrection Jesus ate with his disciples, if he eats does he eliminate. It is hard to fathom the implications.

 

[bagley]

....I am excited about seeing The Da Vinci Code the Movie. The book was a little disappointing for me. I wanted more Leonardo involvement with perhaps some ciphers encoded in the paintings..instead I got "Holy Blood , Holy Spear" grail crap..with the Templars thrown in and Opus Dei....Maybe the movie will add some visuals which will be more interesting. I give "the Code" a B+. I guess I was spoiled by reading Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco ....twice.....(and The Name of the Rose). ++++ In being a neo pagan I have been exposed to all the crack pot theories running around in alternative religion land..

"The Code" as a book may perhaps fall short of literary greatness, however it has caused a real ferment in the religious communities. One word which keeps coming up in the talk around "the Code" is Gnosis. Gnosis means knowledge in Greek. In religious terms Gnosticism means enlightenment or salvation through "knowing". The so called orthodox Christians ( followers of the 7 ecumenical councils) have a different basis for their religion....Credo or I believe. One thing "The Code" has done is highlight the Gnosticism of many early Christians. In Gnosticism the burden of salvation is upon the individual person. In the Gnostic systems there is no blanket salvation...it's up to you.... by the way the Hermetic Qabalah is based in part in Gnosticism..

 

[bagley]

I saw the DaVinci Code movie and was quite pleased with it. I still can't understand the Christian fundies ranting and raving over the book or the movie. Except they rant and rave about everything outside of their little self made box. Julian Cole in his blog "Informed Comment" says this, "The film is popular[world wide] because it isn't about Catholicism or France or some odd conspiracy theory centered on Mary Magdalene. It is popular because it is about the dilemmas of secular modernity" He goes on and says the movie hit some kind of nerve in the general population and that it would be interesting to find out exactly what that nerve represents. The book has a huge following and people actually take tours to see the place mentioned....perhaps as pilgrimages.

As a Neo-pagan I have read quite a bit of alternative religious "literature...Holy Blood, Holy Grail..The Spear of Destiny among them....and tons more. I read everything I can get my hands on. When I first came into the pagan community I believed a lot of the claims various people made. For example I believe "IT" was the old religion handed down from neolithic times.........or that 9 million people were killed in the witch "burning times" ...it took me a couple months to realize there was no real "history" in these various claims, no real authority and not much valid research. I found other reasons to be pagan. I found neo paganism to be experience based and not based upon a belief (credo) system. I found a real connection in small ritual circles..it didn't matter what you believed or didn't believe...there was a connection to some sort of energy and it was nourishing and sustaining...this power led me to an internal mystical reality which still is unfolding. As it unfolds it teaches. The more it unfolds the more subtle it becomes. Why Christians have crucified themselves on the cross of history is beyond me.

 

[bagley]

no blogging this week

 

[bagley]

I have lived in California for over 2 years now, in the City of Los Angeles. Los Angeles City fascinates me. I say City to distinguish the City from the County. The County of Los Angeles is as big as Connecticut but with 5 times the people. L.A. County has 88 cities including Los Angeles. Most of the smaller cities are bedroom communities strung along some sort of freeway or other. 3/4 of the county is forest, desert or mountain and is sparsely populated. Los Angeles is isolated from the rest of the nation and California (except San Diego) by tall mountains. On a clear winter day standing at the corner of Venice and Motor (in West LA ) I can see the 10,000 ft high Mt San Antonio (Mt. Baldy) some 40 miles away. If I turn and look north I can see the the Santa Monica Mountains . If I walk a couple blocks to the corner of Robertson and National I can look up and see Mt Lee and the Hollywood sign (10 miles or so). I have to climb the Baldwin Hills (a walk of one mile) to get a view of the Pacific . The look out in the "hills" has a beautiful panorama. From the hill you can see that the City of LA is a densely packed urban cityscape of concrete buildings graced by palm trees and traffic. It is said that some parts of LA are as dense as major East Asian cities. There is actually very little public green space in Los Angeles City except for Griffith Park..and it's far away. LA City is organic and haphazard. LA City is culturally and ethnically diverse.

Personal Update: I am continuing my artistic pursuit and education. Right now I am taking a lino-cut printing class and it is really fun. I have taken a Hamsa and used it to make my lino cut..it turned out pretty good. Inking is a messy process. I have also completed 3 paintings (some have been waiting for years for me to say.....your finished). I am working on my own "artist book" based on random numbers I find in the street. I continue to collect artist books and exhibition catalogues. Today I got a reprinted edition of a fantastic "haggadah" by Arthur Szyk printed in Tel Aviv 1960..the 1939 original is on vellum and costs 4 grand++++ and only 250 were printed. If you ever get a chance to look at the work of Szyk...do it....my little version is worth about 75-150 USD. I have also collected some nice paintings and photographs....The most recent painting is an iconic work on canvas by Kussoth Tivadir of Odysseus and the Sirens. Im still in love and getting it regular. Last time I wrote I said I was 163lbs..still there....

 

[bagley]

It is a beautiful crisp day in the LA basin....I can hear the traffic buzzing by on the "ten" heading west to Santa Monica because the door is open ...my outside thermometer reads 74 degrees F. and the humidity is low. Early this morning I took a walk down to the corner of Overland & Venice and on the way back to my house the great black hulk of Mt. Wilson dominated the city scape. Most Angelenos don't even see the mountain, but I hold it in great awe. It's black hulk rises above the basin like an aberrant Mt. Mindolian in the LOTR. John McPhee wites about the San Gabriel Mountains (Mt Wilson is in that range) and states they are some of the fastest growing mountains in the world. I want to climb up Mt Wilson one day soon. Later in the day I went shopping and stopped at Famima and got a green tea and also got a surprise $5 dollar coupon and Mt Wilson was still present, but not so dark and sadly wreathed by a brownish yellow aura...ie smog.
UCLA extension classes on TV.....I usually watch them if it is on a subject that I like......art history, geology, philosophy. Today it was on Empiricism and Hume. The interviewed proffs..sort of dismissed Hume ..with a wishy washy argument ...."we don't consider his argument plausible , today" ..and went on to discuss Locke..... kept me thinking the whole day...is there a way to measure objective reality..directly..with out subjectivity..beats me.

I finished my lino cut printing class....I printed out several mono prints and an editioned run of 10. As soon as I get this new computer figured out and all I'l post some of my prints.

My sweetie is back from his business trip and he is one handsome guy...every time he goes away he comes back better looking....and more sexy.

 

[bagley]

It has been a long time since I blogged here at Jub.....new suck-ass job.....taking art and printing classes.....travel......and a general depression ....my old male kitty is dying.....well that says it all. I am still very much involved in Magick and magickal study.......I just started to study some kaos magick and to work with sigils.
General Peter Pace is an idiot...no wonder we are lossing the war.

 

[bagley]

Mania (mythology)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mania may refer to two different mythological figures.
In Greek mythology, Mania ("insanity") was the personification of insanity. In Roman and Etruscan mythology, Mania (or Manea) was the goddess of the dead. She, along with Mantus, ruled the underworld. She was said to be the mother of ghosts, the undead and other spirits of the night, as well as the Lares and the Manes.
Both the Greek and Latin Mania derive from PIE *men-, "to think". Cognates include Ancient Greek menos ("life, vigor") and Avestan mainyu, "spirit".

My life has been one of being crazy about religion and spirit..a quiet prolonged mania. When I was a young child I was mediumistic and sat in seances. When I was seventeen (the late 60's) I converted to Pentecostalism mesmerized under the strange spell of a man named Neal Frisby, who published strange prophetic scrolls.
Miracle Life Revival, Inc... Phoenix, AZ... Independent Pentecostal evangelist Neal Frisby became known in the early 1960s for possessing a gift of prophecy. In 1967, he began regularly to release prophetic scrolls; by 1974 there were 60 and they were published in book form. In 1972, Capstone Cathedral, a large pyramid-shaped church was completed on the outskirts of Phoenix, Arizona. It serves as a publishing center and headquarters. The church also houses a television studio and produced films concerning worldwide events. In recent years, Frisby has released a number of pictures in which strange, 'supernatural' lights are said to have appeared.

The particular scrolls I received were very damning toward sodomites and spiritualists. And to make matters worse....I had just fallen in love with a guy my age and had been on several romantic dates with him. The timing scared the "beJesus" into me.

I lasted as a pentecostalist for about 5 years and during this time went "South" to a Christian college and got a useless- for- any -kind-of-career degree. I also learned there were a lot of cute queer men in the evangelical/pentecostal movement leading quiet desperate lives. After praying myself sick and having numerous unsuccessful exorcisms ala the Rev. D. Prince...I stopped believing...I graduated and left. After several years I drifted into Neo-paganism/magick and bingo....found a place and religion which can be queer and also sex friendly. And now I will come to my point...yes I have a point. I love used book stores and recently found a book called Quenching the Spirit by William DeArteaga which purports to examine centuries of opposition to the moving of the Holy Spirit. This is a pentecostalist book which champions the "Toronto Blessing" and the "Brownville Revival" and also the "Word of Faith" movement...the book is very interesting because it shows some of the underbelly of penetcostalist/charismatic teachings. It seems the original sourse of much of the teachings is a man named E.W. Kenyon. (I have read several of his books and also books by his chief disciple Kenneth Hagin) It seems that Kenyon was deeply influenced by "New Thought ." New Thought, Religious Science, Unity, Christian Science and others are deemed herrtical by orthodox Christians and have a mystical/gnostic flavor. For many of the hard line non pentecostal fundamentalists this gives the penetcostal/charismatics a blemished birthright and tons of books and articles are issued back and forth across the line. In this DeArteaga uses some wonderful double speak defending Kenyon.....
I'll go one step further with the The "Word of Faith"/pentecostal/charismatic movement...not only is is gnostic (ala Bloom) it is pure Hermetic as in the Emerald Tablet of [SIZE=-1]Hermes Trismegistus.

[/SIZE]Emerald tablet From Madame Blavatsky


2) What is below is like that which is above, and what is above is similar to that which is below to accomplish the wonders of the one thing.
3) As all things were produced by the mediation of one being, so all things were produced from this one by adaption.
4) Its father is the sun, its mother the moon.
6a) It is the cause of all perfection throughout the whole earth.
7) Its power is perfect if it is changed into earth.
7a) Separate the earth from the fire, the subtile from the gross, acting prudently and with judgement.
8 ) Ascend with the greatest sagacity from earth to heaven, and unite together the power of things inferior and superior;
9) thus you will possess the light of the whole world, and all obscurity will fly away from you.
10) This thing has more fortitude than fortitude itself, because it will overcome every subtile thing and penetrate every solid thing.
11a) By it the world was formed.
[Blavatsky 1972: 507.]
[SIZE=-1][/SIZE]
I thought it fitting to use Blavatsky because Madam was so influencial in the New Thought Movement.

 

[bagley]

From Deb Price of the Detroit News


Meet the Vinces.
Or, as friends call them, Vince C. -- short for Cervantes -- and Vince P. -- for Pancucci.
Talking to the young couple, it's hard to imagine that less than a year ago each underwent exorcisms or other religious "treatments" intended to de-gay them while they were students at the same Christian college in California.
"I was about ready to end my life," recalls Cervantes, 19. "No matter how many exorcisms I went through, no matter how many times I cried and asked God to change me, I wasn't changing."
Wrestling with being gay fundamentalist Christians, their paths merged last August. Through prayer, Scripture reading and listening to their hearts, they came to understand their sexual orientation is a God-given identity. And they soon fell in love. Or, as Cervantes describes it, "I felt God opened a door for me."
At school, they bravely posted testimonials about how it hurt to hear being gay called "sinful" and "immoral" in chapel. School administrators ripped down their testimonials and threatened expulsion.
Refusing to abandon their relationship, the couple left school and became domestic partners under California law, gaining nearly all the state-level rights and responsibilities of married heterosexuals.
Outside a chapel, they exchanged vows. .....

Dedicating themselves to helping other gay Christians, they became Equality Riders, faithful young adults who travel by bus to Christian colleges to carry hope to closeted gay students and share their experiences with all students and faculty.
Guided by the powerful principles of nonviolent protest used by Gandhi and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., 50 gay or gay-friendly riders are traveling to 32 Christian colleges. (For details: Soulforce.org.)....................


...........Cervantes revels in knowing the ride is changing hearts. At one Christian college, a young woman took him aside: "She broke down and said, 'I can see your love for your husband is no different from mine for my husband.'"
Ever so gently, Equality Riders like the Vinces are breathing new life into Gandhi's great challenge: Be the change you wish to see in the world .
Reach Deb Price at (202) 662-8736 or dprice@detnews.com. Mail letters to Editorial Page, 615 W. Lafayette, Detroit, MI 48226,



Over a period of 5 years I went through multiple exorcisms to cast out the demons of sodomy..homosexuality and blah blah blah. All this demon possession stuff and exorcism was made popular in the Pentecostalist/Charismatic movement by Derek Prince an English Pentecostalist. Even today young gay men and women suffer what amounts to spiritual rape in these impromptu bogus exorcisms. I went through this charade on a monthly basis for several years.
Here is one of my fractured fairy tales. I was invited to a home church "social" by a woman I knew from "school". I had actually confessed to her I thought I was "gay". The house was out in the country about 4 miles from campus...I rode my bicycle out and was a little late. It was Saturday. The group consisted of about 4 fat women including my friend and 2 men ..one who was an ex gay. We ate and talked. Then bang....Four large powerful women surrounded my skinny ass self and laid their fleshy sweaty palms on my head and shoulders...no warnings....they began to murmur in tongues and began to sway and sweat. The men got the Bible and began to quote passages from Mark's Gospel giving them the authority to cast out demons. At first I remained calm...but it went on and on ...It was getting dark..and I began to worry a bit. It was a long bike ride home in the dark..on a country road with no lighting. So I tried to force my way out.....to no avail. About midnight they sort gave up....I told my hostess I was going to tell "the dean" and demand she give me a ride back to school....she did.....I never told the college....I had less than 2 months to graduate...that botched exorcism killed any faith I had in that sort of Christian religion. It took me years to process that particular event.....