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Catholic Church no longer swears by truth of the Bible

 
Anonymous Coward
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10/05/2005 05:56 AM
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Catholic Church no longer swears by truth of the Bible
THE hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church has published a teaching document instructing the faithful that some parts of the Bible are not actually true.



The Catholic bishops of England, Wales and Scotland are warning their five million worshippers, as well as any others drawn to the study of scripture, that they should not expect “total accuracy” from the Bible.

“We should not expect to find in Scripture full scientific accuracy or complete historical precision,” they say in The Gift of Scripture.

The document is timely, coming as it does amid the rise of the religious Right, in particular in the US.

Some Christians want a literal interpretation of the story of creation, as told in Genesis, taught alongside Darwin’s theory of evolution in schools, believing “intelligent design” to be an equally plausible theory of how the world began.

But the first 11 chapters of Genesis, in which two different and at times conflicting stories of creation are told, are among those that this country’s Catholic bishops insist cannot be “historical”. At most, they say, they may contain “historical traces”.

The document shows how far the Catholic Church has come since the 17th century, when Galileo was condemned as a heretic for flouting a near-universal belief in the divine inspiration of the Bible by advocating the Copernican view of the solar system. Only a century ago, Pope Pius X condemned Modernist Catholic scholars who adapted historical-critical methods of analysing ancient literature to the Bible.

In the document, the bishops acknowledge their debt to biblical scholars. They say the Bible must be approached in the knowledge that it is “God’s word expressed in human language” and that proper acknowledgement should be given both to the word of God and its human dimensions.

They say the Church must offer the gospel in ways “appropriate to changing times, intelligible and attractive to our contemporaries”.

The Bible is true in passages relating to human salvation, they say, but continue: “We should not expect total accuracy from the Bible in other, secular matters.”

They go on to condemn fundamentalism for its “intransigent intolerance” and to warn of “significant dangers” involved in a fundamentalist approach.

“Such an approach is dangerous, for example, when people of one nation or group see in the Bible a mandate for their own superiority, and even consider themselves permitted by the Bible to use violence against others.”

Of the notorious anti-Jewish curse in Matthew 27:25, “His blood be on us and on our children”, a passage used to justify centuries of anti-Semitism, the bishops say these and other words must never be used again as a pretext to treat Jewish people with contempt. Describing this passage as an example of dramatic exaggeration, the bishops say they have had “tragic consequences” in encouraging hatred and persecution. “The attitudes and language of first-century quarrels between Jews and Jewish Christians should never again be emulated in relations between Jews and Christians.”

As examples of passages not to be taken literally, the bishops cite the early chapters of Genesis, comparing them with early creation legends from other cultures, especially from the ancient East. The bishops say it is clear that the primary purpose of these chapters was to provide religious teaching and that they could not be described as historical writing.

Similarly, they refute the apocalyptic prophecies of Revelation, the last book of the Christian Bible, in which the writer describes the work of the risen Jesus, the death of the Beast and the wedding feast of Christ the Lamb.

The bishops say: “Such symbolic language must be respected for what it is, and is not to be interpreted literally. We should not expect to discover in this book details about the end of the world, about how many will be saved and about when the end will come.”

In their foreword to the teaching document, the two most senior Catholics of the land, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, Archbishop of Westminster, and Cardinal Keith O’Brien, Archbishop of St Andrew’s and Edinburgh, explain its context.

They say people today are searching for what is worthwhile, what has real value, what can be trusted and what is really true.

The new teaching has been issued as part of the 40th anniversary celebrations of Dei Verbum, the Second Vatican Council document explaining the place of Scripture in revelation. In the past 40 years, Catholics have learnt more than ever before to cherish the Bible. “We have rediscovered the Bible as a precious treasure, both ancient and ever new.”

A Christian charity is sending a film about the Christmas story to every primary school in Britain after hearing of a young boy who asked his teacher why Mary and Joseph had named their baby after a swear word. The Breakout Trust raised £200,000 to make the 30-minute animated film, It’s a Boy. Steve Legg, head of the charity, said: “There are over 12 million children in the UK and only 756,000 of them go to church regularly.

That leaves a staggering number who are probably not receiving basic Christian teaching.”

BELIEVE IT OR NOT

UNTRUE

Genesis ii, 21-22

So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh; and the rib which the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man

Genesis iii, 16

God said to the woman [after she was beguiled by the serpent]: “I will greatly multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children, yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”


Matthew xxvii, 25

The words of the crowd: “His blood be on us and on our children.”


Revelation xix,20

And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had worked the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with brimstone.”


TRUE

Exodus iii, 14

God reveals himself to Moses as: “I am who I am.”


Leviticus xxvi,12

“I will be your God, and you shall be my people.”


Exodus xx,1-17

The Ten Commandments

Matthew v,7

The Sermon on the Mount

Mark viii,29

Peter declares Jesus to be the Christ

Luke i

The Virgin Birth

John xx,28

Proof of bodily resurrection

[link to www.timesonline.co.uk]
EARTHANGEL
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10/05/2005 05:58 AM
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Re: Catholic Church no longer swears by truth of the Bible
1 To the seven spirits in the province of Asia, your brother John bore faithful witness to your deliverance from kopos, being known that dynamis is the pure soul.

2 Having the ear, I John write in the spirit, for there came a loud voice like a trumpet behind me, and turned did see the light and fell at his feet as though dead.

3 Out of the light came forth the voice saying, "John, Be not afraid, for I hand you a key that transcends death and Hades, for you have not forsaken your first love, do all things that you did at first".

4 For the beast will be slain and his sign will lie down with the Lamb. A great trumpet will sound from a high place and a great star set on a staff will be carried into the midst of the crowd.

5 And the Lord will bless this place and make it a Holy City, and it will be called the new Jerusalem. And the city will come out of heaven from God and be of jasper and of crystal. And the wall of the city will have twelve foundations and the gates will bear the names of the apostles.

6 And the Lamb will sit in the midst and will number thirteen. For seven will be called and five will be chosen. The city will be measured by a rod of gold and to its measure will be added every kind of precious stone.

7 And they will bare their feet and bow their heads, for all nations and kings of the Earth will see no other splendour. And the temple gates will not shut by day, and there will be no night there.

8 And the impure will burn as transparent glass and the pure as gold. The glory of nations will sit by the throne of the temple that is within the city. And any that come in shame or deceit will bear no fruit, and their seed will be as iron.

9 Each will know the prophecy of the other, and each forehead bear the sign. For the words fo prophecy must not cause false witness, for Aristeas knew his Lord, for the word is solemn and cause it not to be tampered with, for the Spirit said, "Come, whoever is thirsty, take the gift of the water of life".

10 Anyone who receives the word from the temple of light will be born again and those who make false witness will walk naked as a thief. They will carry no name and their mouths will be as the mouths of the beast, for they will sit with the spirit of demons and lie with the frog.

11 And the city will be borne on a cloud of light, not set upon the Earth, but carried by the spirit. Through the gates will come many peoples and languagesand they will speak with a single tongue and read of the book of life.

12 And the Priests of the Earth will come forth and call the book evil and make pain of the 144,000 who are of the light. But the Priest will read of the book and the word will turn the stomach sour, but in the mouth it will be as sweet as honey.

13 Thus, the word will be revealed by the spirit of the light. But the Priests of the Earth will not see the word, but make witness to the defiled word, which came out of the mouths of angels, but fell into the hand of the beast.

14 What the spirit opens, no-one can shut; and what he shuts, no-one can open. The defiled priest will lie with the beast.


CHAPTER TWO

1 And the vision changed and I saw seven angels come from heaven and they bade me, for no-ne was found worthy to receive the word.

2 And I bowed my head and wept, for I saw the light came from the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. And He said, "Have no fear, for I know my servant and will lift you above all kingdoms and priests and give authority over every tribe, people, language and nation".

3 And the first angel came forth and in the hand held a scroll, written on both sides. And said, "Pure are the seven eyes for they are as the seven spirits of God sent out to give wisdom to the earth".

4 And he broke the seal and I heard a new song and there came forth the prayers of the saints. And the earth fell in half, in one there flowed blood and the half was of red. And the second was white and knew not God, but provoked his works in greed, and saw conquest.

5 And the second angel came forth and broke the seal. And there appeared a fiery red horse, for the blood would cleanse and its rider was given power to take peace to the earth.

6 And the third angel broke the seal. And there came forth a black horse and the rider was called Famine and carried a pair of scales, for the Lord said, "When I cut off your supply of bread, they will dole out the bread by weight".

7 To each was given a choinix of wheat according to his labour but many will come and take of the bread and give no labour and they will make starvation upon the earth and they will cry and their voices will be as the wilderness.

8 For even the oil and the wine will be scarce for there will be no rain and from the sun none will find cover.

9 And the fourth angel broke the seal. And there came forth a pale horse and the rider was Death. And the sky was filled and I saw unrest, misery, pestilence, scarcity, war in all forms, and was full of fear.

10 And the angel said, "Be not afraid, for death is of man and God does not know me, for I bare the fruits of free-will, which is the gift of God, but of all those signs, they are made of man.

11 They will walk upon the waters, and fly with the creatures of the sky and go to the depths of the sea. They will lift their body into the stars, but they will find not God, for of these gifts they will make terror upon all the nations of the earth.

12 And they will hand out pestilence and they will make evil upon all that was made by the hand of God. For God has tested His people even to the fourth seal".

13 And the fifth angel broke the seal. And the angel wore a robe of white. And he held out his hand and said, "Come, for I am the breath of life". And from the cloud came forth the Lamb and around and in a circle came forth the souls of martyrs.

14 For they all have lain on the altar of knowledge and received the baptism of life eternal. And the martyrs cried in a loud voice, "Sovereign Lord, may we go abroad even as the spirit that all will know the time of Your coming". And there came a loud trumpet from heaven and all bowed their heads.

15 And He gave charge to His servants to walk abroad and to carry the message, so that all may be prepared for the age that will be as gold, and when all will know their brothers and sisters by the light of their being.

16 And the sixth angel broke the seal. And there came a great wind from heaven, and the earth shook, every mountain and island moved for the stars knew not their place in the sky.

17 And there came from the sky many stars that did fall towards the earth and the time was seen, for late were the figs that dropped from the tree.

18 And all stood in fear, for great was the wrath of the Lamb. And his servants threw out all the priests of the earth who had given false prophecy, for they had laid bare the earth and caused the stars in the sky to move.

19 And there came a great light from heaven and the wind was still. And the Lord said, "Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet My unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor My covenant of peace".

20 And those of the light will make the sign, which is of love and will share comfort in the pure spirit.

21 And the seventh angel came forth and broke the seal. And there was silence in heaven for half an hour for the time of the prophesy was known. And there appeared the seven angels standing before God and seven trumpets were sounded.

22 And the names of the angels were, Uriel, Raphael, Michael, Saraqael, Gabriel and Remiel. And the seventh angel took the final scroll and filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it onto the earth and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.

23 And all were bathed in the light and walked in the knowledge of love and of spirit.

24 And where ther was desert there came forth grass and where there was murky water it was made clear and in the sky there were no clouds and all the stars were made bright.

25 And the Lord directed His angels to walk amongst all the nations that they may know the prophesy and make the sign, so that at that day they may freely enter the age of Gold.


CHAPTER THREE

1 And the seven angels spoke in one voice, for as they came to walk upon the land, they took many forms that were man, but though the form was man the spirit was not man, for they entered into man as one entering into a Holy place. But when they were gone, the man was made singular again.

2 And while they were with man, they told of the secrets of the Father, that all signs may be understood, even as is written in this prophesy.

3 For nothing will be as it is seen.

4 All things will have two heads, that which gives to the man the knowledge of death and that which gives the knowledge of life eternal.

5 And you will know the sign from the staff that is pointed to the Heavens and touches the earth. For if the staff was turned upside down, would not the lower part be to heaven and the top to the earth?

6 For as I have seen the visions of the Father, my visions have touched both the earth and heaven, for each is the same, though they are opposite.

7 And the angel saw that I was vexed and sat with me.

8 "For is not the Father the maker of all things? And has He power even over that which makes darkness of the light".

9 If you know not the darkness, how can you understand the light?

10 If there was only light, how could you choose that which is sacred, for only in the darkness can you see the sacred light.

11 Even as the prophesy has been given in these visions, the hand has written on both the dark and the light scrolls. For there will be spirits of light and spirits of darkness and only by knowing one will you know the other.

12 Therefore, you will receive all knowledge that in choosing, you will not fear that which is hidden within the dark chambers of the earth.

13 And the Father will send to the earth a protector and she will be clothed with the sun and ride on a chariot of gold.

14 And her name will be Gaia and she will carry the seed of life and her body will be as a womb for all that live upon the earth.

15 And She will know every creature and be lifted onto every mountain. She will ride across the flat land and enter into the depth of the sea. And all will know her, for she is the Mother of creation.

16 And they will see Her clothed with the sun, with the moon under Her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.

17 But She will not be known until the last days come upon the earth and there is darkness and decay, even as She is known.

18 And She will be, as a woman with child and about to give birth who writhes and cries out in her pain.

19 So were we in the presence of the Father.

20 We were with child, we writhed in pain, but we gave birth to wind.

21 We have not brought salvation to the earth; we have not given birth to the people of the world.



CHAPTER FOUR

1 And the angel Michael came forth and sat with the twelve. But they were troubled and some hid their face.

2 And he bade them uncover their face that they may have vision. But some of the twelve were blind and could not see the light.

3 Then the angel Michael placed his hand upon their eyes and they were with sight. And they rejoiced, praising the name of the Father and making the sign.

4 And he took them to a high place and their ears were open to the voice and they knew their Father and were made newly born.

5 And there was a great voice from Heaven and they saw visions of that which was to be.

6 And they saw all the land and it was without boundary. And all the sea even to the furthest star.

7 And the sky was filled with a great light and out of the light came forth many beings known and unknown. And they marvelled and asked, "What is this that fills our eyes?".

8 And the angel Michael said, "These are they who have walked with the Father and are ascended, even to the throne".

9 "They are of the 144,000 children of the first born and are of every tongue and of every nation. For the risen Christ is in their heart, that the word may be fulfilled".

10 "And they carry the sign of the second coming of the Lamb, which is the prophesy of the resurrection. And all will be gathered unto the sacred city, being of one consciousness and of one family".

11 And you will know the Christ, which is descended and made one with all who are of the sign.

12 And they will make the sign to one another and they will know themselves pure in the Blood of the Lamb.

13 And they will rejoice, for the Christ is descended from the Higher planes even to the darkest corner of the earth. For none will know fear, for the Christ is within.

14 And the Cherubim will stand guard no more. And the gates of paradise will be opened and all will dwell there in the purity of Love.

15 And the boundary of paradise will be the boundary of the City which is of gold. Thus will end the cycle at the very instant of the second coming of the Christ consciousness.

16 But who-so-ever strays from the teachings of the Christ will know not Love, but be cast out and will burn. And they will not receive the sign, but will lie with the beast that is in the land that is desert.

17 For those who would worship the beast and his image and anyone who receives the mark of his name will be forever cast out and their sign will be the sign of the beast and their resting place eternal darkness. Out of the abyss of darkness will come the moaning of men who gnawed their tongues in agony.


CHAPTER FIVE

1 And the seven angels sat in a circle with the twelve and the one who holds the golden cross, that is the mark of the Christ.

2 And before each was set a bowl. And the bowls were made of reeds, of wood, of iron, of copper, of silver, of gold, and of crystal.

3 And the angel poured from the bowl of reeds all the gifts of nature that is fulfilled by the seasons. None had touched the hand of man, but all were known to his spirit.

4 And the second angel poured from the bowl of wood. And there came forth great forests, covered in clouds, which did make rain upon the earth.

5 And the third angel poured from the bowl of iron. And there was fashioned all the tools for man´s labour upon the earth, even to the great cities and the wonders of man.

6 And the fourth angel poured from the bowl of copper. And there came forth all manner of vessel for the carrying of man´s possessions while on the earth.

7 And the fifth angel poured from a bowl of silver. That was made bright and pleased the eye of man.

8 And the sixth angel poured from a bowl of gold. Which is a base metal of man´s treasure upon the earth.

9 And the seventh angel poured from a bowl of crystal, which did sparkle and was fashioned in great beauty.

10 And they were pure and untouched by man.

11 Then the first angel took a staff which had been held by man and touched it upon the bowl of reeds and they did wither. And all that was contained fell to the ground and was made one with the earth. And there came forth from the rich seed all the needs of man, even until the last day.

12 And the first angel said, "Your Father will feed all his children, for none go in hunger other than by the greed of man".

13 And the second angel smote the bowl of wood with the staff of man. And the forest shook and the sky was turned to blood. And the blood covered one third of the earth, the sea, and the waters. And the beast walked through the sky of blood and there were ugly and painful sores on the beast.

14 And the third angel took the staff and touched the bowl of iron. And there came forth a multitude of man´s implements to defend him against the sky of blood. And man cast down many demons with his tools, but as they were slain so they multiplied.

15 And the fourth angel took the staff and touched the bowl of copper. And the bowl was filled to over-flowing, and there appeared a great number of locust that darkened the sky and consumed all that was in sight and tortured the people with pain and scorching heat.

16 And the fifth angel smote the bowl of silver and there was seen a great city with much treasure. And there came upon the city a severe earthquake and it was shattered. For the nations of the earth knew not the Father but rendered a cup filled with the wine of the fury of His wrath.

17 And the sixth angel touched the bowl of Gold. And there came forth seven frogs that were slimy and ugly. And from their mouths came forth incessant and meaningless croaking. And they were clothed in gold and looked wise and learned, but underneath they were naked.

18 And the seventh angel touched the bowl of crystal and there were gathered all the kings and rulers of the earth to a place called Armageddon. And they found no peace but caused war among their people even to the mountain called Megiddo.

19 And they counted their dead to one third of all the peoples of the earth. And the bodies were consumed by demons and made again alive. But the kings and rulers saw not the demons but commanded the great host to make war.

20 And the demons mounted the kings and rulers and made slaves of them. And they were driven into dark caverns and lay with the beast.

21 And the people came forth into the light and rejoiced that they had been set free.

22 And they were clothed in clean shining linen with golden sashes around their chests. And the sky was filled with light from the glory of God.


CHAPTER SIX

1 All these visions were made unto me by the angels that were from the Father, that all may bear witness to the word of God.

2 That all will know the sign of the final days, when Him who is, and who was, and who is to come will signify the prophesy.

3 It will be known in the time when all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of Him.

4 But that they mourn the man and not the spirit.

5 And seek not the Father through the son, but the flesh re-incarnate. For the priests of the earth will see the image of the beast and lead many into the wilderness.

6 Yet will your Father make many signs, that all will bear witness to the final days when all have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. And the gates of paradise will be opened and they will come in the power of Divine Love and live in bliss.

7 For did not Jesus the Christ become dead, and sprang to life again. And was not the Holy City laid waste and now lives once more. These things were made by the Father, and his mystery is the source of all wisdom.

8 Be therefore faithful, even to the point of death, and He will give you the crown of life.

9 For the body will die and be as the earth was whence it came, but the spirit will live and dwell in many cities and not know time.

10 For the body is mortal and will decay, but the spirit is eternal and knows not death.

11 All will come upon the earth a hundred, hundred times, and still will the spirit be raised by the Father.

12 For the sign of the resurrection of the Son is the sign of the life eternal.

13 For the Father will spread his tent over all His kingdom and they will number every people, tribe, language and nation.

14 And all that live in the seal of the living God, will be baptised in the gift of Divine Love, and be known through the mark of the purity of the spirit.

15 For as the Father shares His Divine presence through the sharing of the spirit, all will be made one in the baptism of Divine Love. And they will know each other and share the gifts of paradise and bliss.

16 For the Father saw His work and was well pleased. For Adam did He conceive Eve. And for Eve did He conceive Adam, that all may have balance in the Divine plan.

17 And he touched the side of Adam and there sprang forth a spring.

18 And he touched Eve that she would know the sign of His Divine Love and bear forth from the spring all the offspring of the earth. And this gift did He give to all creatures, even to the lowest form that in their union they would touch the Divine spirit.

19 And this made He the sign of purity, that all may bathe in the water of life. And through the gift of Divine Love will the Christ spirit enter.

20 For blessed are they that come in purity to the spring of life and are baptised in the spirit. For they will live in paradise and share bliss.

21 But any who come with unclean spirit will be made desolate and naked. And waters of the spring will dry up. And they will walk with demons and be beset by seven plagues.

22 But the pure spirit will bathe in the river of Paradise. And those who have washed in this spring have the right to the tree of life and they may go through the gates into the city of paradise and bliss.



CHAPTER SEVEN

1 My brothers in spirit in Ephesus, in Smyrna, in Pergamum, in Thyatira, in Sardis, in Philadelphia, in Laodicea, bear faithful witness to the revelation of Jesus the Christ, which angels and visions have shown unto his faithful servant.

2 I, John being of great age, lie down in the certain knowledge of resurrection of the spirit.

3 Quickly Iam to be taken unto the throne of the Father. I place into your keeping the vision given to me by the Father in the years of my life. That the vision may be made safe unto the time of the second coming of our Lord Jesus the Christ that the prophesy may be revealed.

4 Though weary are the eyes of His servant, they still know the spirit. And the spirit will live that I will know my brethren in the time foretold.

5 Though I am bidden quickly to finish my witness, that the wisdom of the prophesy may be fulfilled. For I was raised from sleep, and there came three angels clothed in white robes, that lifted me onto a cloud that took me to a high mountain.

6 And there was a multitude of host praising the Father. And before me was set a tabernacle. And in the tabernacle came forth a great light.

7 And a voice spoke, saying, "I am Alpha and Omega, the Originator and Completer of all things. Forasmuch as you have made faithful declaration of those things that are and will come to pass, let my Word be known that all will hear.

8 For the days of the prophecy are to be fulfilled. And you will know the place by the bright star that was sent as a messenger to Bethlehem.

9 And the bright star will appear over the Holy City and all that abide within will be baptised in the light. And all that sit in high places and observe the light from afar, they also will be made one with the light.

10 And they will raise the sign of the cross that will be carried on a staff and all will bow their heads in the presence of the Father. For the old will be made new, and the city abide forever. For all who share this vision will enter through the gates of the city of paradise and bliss.

11 And I will search in all hearts and in all minds, that they may be pure. For I will send the spirit of My son, Jesus the Christ, that all will be made one with His spirit.

12 And a great light will circle them and they will know each other. And they will rejoice and share the sign. And they will be given vision and light. And wisdom will be revealed to them, that they will know their task.

13 And there will be a new heaven and a new earth. And everything will be made new. And they will walk in the light of the Christ returned.

14 And the light will go out to every nation from their mouth. And to every king and leader and to every nation, tribe and language, they will know the will of the Father.

15 For the spirit will talk through the prophets. And there will be a new Bride. And the Bride and the Spirit will talk with one voice. And the Bride will bless the earth.

16 But those who see not the light will be full of torment and have no rest day or night. And those that worship the beast and his image and anyone who receives the mark of his name, will be cast into eternal darkness.

17 The redeemed will be known to one another, for they will be dressed in white robes. And the Christ light will lead them to the springs of living water.

18 And they will make the sign to the newly born and baptise one another. And there riders will be given power to take peace to all the people. And they will rejoice in the light and be trustworthy and true in the gift of the Divine Love of the Father.

19 And their spirit will inherit the earth. And they will have dominion over the stars even to the tenth planet.

20 For His angels will show His servants all things to come, that all will bathe forever in the river of Divine Love which flows through the city of paradise and bliss".


CHAPTER EIGHT

1 And the spirit led me forth and shewed me a pure river of the water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God.

2 And the river and the land were one, and on every side of the river there was the tree of life, which was in paradise. And the tree bore twelve manner of fruits, and yielded up fruit every month, for the leaves of the tree were for the healing peace of the nations.

3 And there will be no more anger, for the throne of God and of the Christ are there, and his servants will rejoice and be one in the glory of the Father.

4 And they shall see the face of God and know their Father and His sign shall be on their foreheads.

5 And there shall be no night there, and they need no torch, neither light of the sun, for the Father giveth them light, that they may abide in the light forever.

6 And He said unto me, "All will be faithful and true, for the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to shew unto His servants the things which must be done.

7 A millennium will pass, then near another and behold, I come quickly, blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book".

8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down and worshiped before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.

9 Then the angel saith unto me, "Why do you worship at my feet? Know that I am as you, for I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book, that we worship only the Father".

10 And he saith unto me, "Hide not the sayings of the prophecy of this book, neither let no man do likewise, for the time is at hand that all wisdom shall be known.

11 And be it known that he that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still. That we shall know our brethren by their sign.

12 And behold, the Christ come quickly, for a millenium will pass and near another and there will be made a sign in the heavens. And you will know this star that called the wise and all-knowing to Bethlehem. Seek there the star at the appointed time, and all spirit will rejoice in the reward, even unto those who come out of the body, that every man according as his work shall be".

13 For the Father saith, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last".

14 Blessed are they that keep His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life. And will share Divine Love and know paradise and bliss.

15 For I tell you, none who do evil will come into this paradise, neither will they know the power of Divine Love. For only the sacred will live in the temple and make to each other the sign. And they will not leave paradise. For without are dogs, and sorcerers and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolators, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

16 And there was great light and there stood before me Jesus the Christ. And He spake thus, that I may know the authority of the angel. And bade "Watch for the star that was foretold by the prophet Jacob, that you will know the time of the second coming, when I will enter all hearts".

17 And the spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst, Come. And whosoever will, let him take of the waters of life freely that they will live with the Father in paradise. And they will be baptised with the sign and share the Divine Love that comes from the spring of life.

18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book. If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book.

19 And if any man shall take away from the words of this book of prophecy, the Father shall take away his right to the tree of life and he will be cast out of the Holy City and will share not the eternal gift of paradise and bliss.

20 He which testifieth these things saith, "Surely I come quickly. Even as night follows day, so shall century follow century, until the second millennium is nigh".Amen. Even so, come, Christ light.

21 Let the grace of our Father and the Lord Jesus the Christ be with you all. Amen.

[link to www.wholisticworldvision.org]

[link to www.wholisticworldvision.org]

[link to www.wholisticworldvision.org]
Anonymous Coward
User ID: 28307
Canada
10/05/2005 06:15 AM
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Re: Catholic Church no longer swears by truth of the Bible
And just who do you think runs the TIMES?
Witness
User ID: 2407
United Kingdom
10/05/2005 07:18 AM
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Re: Catholic Church no longer swears by truth of the Bible
Catholic church evolving. Wow!
All because of the rise of nazi USA.
Interesting.
starlight afar

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10/05/2005 07:52 AM
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Re: Catholic Church no longer swears by truth of the Bible
The Old Testament was put together by the Anunnakis to control the people and to conquer land, so what else is new on our planet? The New Testament was written first by the Roman Catholic Church then came the Protestants who took out book.
Old-fashioned Catholic

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10/05/2005 09:40 AM
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Re: Catholic Church no longer swears by truth of the Bible
The correct Catholic teaching on Genesis was expounded by Pope Pius XII in 1950, in his encyclical (worldwide letter) called Humani Generis:

[link to www.kensmen.com]
---
This letter, in fact, clearly points out that the first eleven chapters of Genesis, although properly speaking not conforming to the historical method used by the best Greek and Latin writers or by competent authors of our time, do nevertheless pertain to history in a true sense, which however must be further studied and determined by exegetes; the same chapters, (the Letter points out), in simple and metaphorical language adapted to the mentality of a people but little cultured, both state the principal truths which are fundamental for our salvation, and also give a popular description of the origin of the human race and the chosen people. If, however, the ancient sacred writers have taken anything from popular narrations (and this may be conceded), it must never be forgotten that they did so with the help of divine inspiration, through which they were rendered immune from any error in selecting and evaluating those documents.

39. Therefore, whatever of the popular narrations have been inserted into the Sacred Scriptures must in no way be considered on a par with myths or other such things, which are more the product of an extravagant imagination than of that striving for truth and simplicity which in the Sacred Books, also of the Old Testament, is so apparent that our ancient sacred writers must be admitted to be clearly superior to the ancient profane writers.
---

In short, Genesis is historically correct in a broad sense, but theologically insignificant details need not necessarily be taken literally.

One of the most important theological messages of the first chapters of Genesis is the singular origin of the human race. Pius XII says:

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When, however, there is question of another conjectural opinion, namely polygenism, the children of the Church by no means enjoy such liberty. For the faithful cannot embrace that opinion which maintains that either after Adam there existed on this earth true men who did not take their origin through natural generation from him as from the first parent of all, or that Adam represents a certain number of first parents. Now it is no no way apparent how such an opinion can be reconciled with that which the sources of revealed truth and the documents of the Teaching Authority of the Church propose with regard to original sin, which proceeds from a sin actually committed by an individual Adam and which, through generation, is passed on to all and is in everyone as his own.
---

In other words, all (true) humans are descended from a single man. In earlier decades, some self-appointed anthropologists tried to deny this fact, and even to ridicule those who believed in it; but modern genetics has verified it:

[link to news.nationalgeographic.com]
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New DNA studies suggest that all humans descended from a single African ancestor who lived some 60,000 years ago.
---
Spirit of Truth

User ID: 2830
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10/05/2005 09:42 AM
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Re: Catholic Church no longer swears by truth of the Bible
Pope Nimrod Babylon Ratzinger is aligning it with the Antichrist Babylon Jews.
fnfal
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10/05/2005 09:50 AM
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Re: Catholic Church no longer swears by truth of the Bible
This is sad to see.

As an ex-Catholic, I can tell those that remain in this faith, but who still feel hungry, to "take a leap of faith" and leave their institution of man and find a small bible teaching/following group.

An organization that questions the very text from which it implies its legitamacy is in turmoil.

The Good Book is written on a level deeper than most want to expend to uncover. To the uninitiated, it appears rife with contradition. However to the learned, it is a miracle of sophistication and interwoven-ness.

I guess the Roman Catholic Church should no longer claim to corner scholarly knowledge -- as now contradition has been found.

The Good book states that there will be confusion in the end times. Is it then no wonder that an institution such as the Catholic Church is experiencing these things.

God is not author of confusion -- so this begs the question of who is the author of this holy church.

Anyone with a pulse who sits in the hard pew for weekly mass knows that there is no life in the building. It´s just empty ceremony and repetition. Three verses of scripture a week does not make a wise Christian.

The church always wanted to ephasis the organization over the Book. Listen to EWTN sometime -- The fatigue of convincing the Catholic listener that the "one true church" is in line with scripture is palpable.

So, why not the heck just come out and erode the very Word of God to give latitude for their desired deviation.

Jesus never changed his message to appeal to the (m)Asses. So why is the chuch doing it?

The war scroll talks about the final culminating war beteen the Sons of Light and the Sons of Darkness. There are no other camps for you to reside.

I know of only one and his children that attack the legitamacy of Word of God. And I would not find commonality with this trait comforting.
Anonymous Coward
User ID: 6895
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10/05/2005 09:52 AM
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Re: Catholic Church no longer swears by truth of the Bible
About time. Most of the bible is metaphor, i.e. Adam and Eve...
me too
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10/05/2005 10:07 AM
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They have perverted the scriptures, since the whore & state marriage after Constantine......so what´s new?
Old-fashioned Catholic

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10/05/2005 10:08 AM
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Here´s a good discussion of the "His blood be upon us and our children" line from Matthew´s Gospel:

[link to www.catholic.com]
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Scripture reports what people say but, in so reporting, does not necessarily endorse what they say. Some in the mob shouted "His blood be upon us and our children," but that does not prove that the guilt for Christ´s death has been transferred to the offspring of those in the mob.

Maybe those who shouted did want their descendants to share in the blame, but their wish was not controlling. Those who were present and pressed for Christ´s death were responsible for his execution. Those of later generations were not, except in the sense that all men are responsible--that is, the sins of any one of us would have necessitated redemption by God.
...
Those Jews who instigated and participated in the death of Christ incurred guilt for what they did. (Similarly for the Romans, of course.) Their offspring did not, and that is why no one who was not a participant in what happened on Good Friday can have direct, personal guilt. "His blood be upon us and our children" was only half true: His blood was upon those who killed him--but not on their children.
---
Anonymous Coward
User ID: 223
United States
10/05/2005 10:09 AM
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It is rewritten mythology, this story has been with us in all cultures forever....they just want to interpret it for you so as to control your consciousness....they are grasping are all other controllers at this time.

We shall be free....God almighty we shall be free.
Anonymous Coward
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10/05/2005 10:14 AM
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Re: Catholic Church no longer swears by truth of the Bible
Why should they pay attention to the bible when they have a basement archive full of the lost information from ages before?

I´d pay close attention to any new shit they come out with; it´s probably more correct than all the rest.

DUH!
Anonymous Coward
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10/05/2005 10:17 AM
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If they had thier way, we´d be listening to Latin services and grovelling at thier feet still, the days are numbered.
fnfal
User ID: 28356
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10/05/2005 11:56 AM
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Re: Catholic Church no longer swears by truth of the Bible
A wonderful book detailing the historic existance of Cain and his attempts to "squeeze" out as much of the creation story from his actual accounts gained while in the garden before Moses could get a chance with the Pentateuch.

He used the other races of people he met when kicked out of the garden to propogate the message.

As one who actually talked to God, he was in a position of great awe to the other peoples including the fact that a universal decree was issued that he should not be killed.

Thus explaining the many Deus ex Machina documented in some cultures.

Of course, Cain was evil and did corrupt the creation story on purpose.

Unfortunately, the Catholic Chuch has also fallen into the trap that Moses "stole" from earlier heathen works.

Book is written by Mrs. Sydney Bristowe and called SARGON THE MAGNIFICENT.

Available at this used and out of print book store (alibris.com) among other places.


[link to www.alibris.com]

And shame on those step climbers that oath to Tubal Cain and his mystery religion.





GLP