“But
though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you
than that which we have preached unto you, let him be
accursed.”
Galatians 1:8
Any Other Gospel
Christian Research Journal, volume30, number6 (2007)
The Secret Revealed
By: Robert Velarde
SYNOPSIS
Promoted on The Oprah Winfrey Show and other media venues, The Secret has become the latest self-help phenomenon. It was initially available for viewing online and later became a bestselling DVD and book by Rhonda Byrne. Featuring two-dozen contributors, The Secret claims to solve all of life’s challenges through the power of thought.
The foundation of The Secret is the law of attraction, which states that our thoughts transmit like radio waves, throughout the universe, drawing either positive or negative experiences into our lives, allowing us to create our own reality. Thinking positively results in our drawing joy, financial prosperity, and good health, for example, into our lives.
The worldview of The Secret is monistic pantheism—all is one, all is divine. Everything is interconnected energy. Our positive thoughts tap into this energy and produce positive results in our lives. Our negative thoughts, conversely, bring negativity into our lives. As a result, The Secret is in the precarious position of stating that experiences such as rape and child molestation are the result of the thoughts of those who have suffered such horrors.
The Secret claims compatibility with Christianity, but it is anything but Christian. Jesus taught belief in a transcendent, personal, holy God who is distinct from His creation. Human beings are fallen and in need of radical redemption that involves real repentance before God for sins committed against His perfect law, and through belief in the death and resurrection of Christ, His Son, who was a sinless sacrifice on their behalf. We are not perfect divine beings with unlimited potential.
I feel it—that so many people are hungry for guidance and meaning in their lives, and The Secret offers some of that. It is the law of attraction. It says that the energy, that the thoughts and the feelings that you put out into the world, both good and bad, are exactly what is always coming back to you, so you have the life that you have created. I’ve been talking about this for years on my show, I just never called it The Secret.1
So said Oprah Winfrey about the latest self-help phenomenon, The Secret. Initially released via the Internet (March 2006) as a pay-per-view video stream, and making its way to DVD as an “extended edition” (October 2006), The Secret2 has since captured the attention of millions of people the world over. Followed by a bestselling book of the same title, The Secret is the result of the efforts of Rhonda Byrne, an Australian television writer and producer.
Perhaps the most pertinent questions for Christians are: What is The Secret? How does it claim to work? Is it compatible with Christianity?
What Is the Secret?
The Secret is a self-help technique founded on a principle called the law of attraction that is rooted in pantheism and designed to be applied to finances, relationships, health, spirituality—virtually every aspect of life. Featuring two-dozen contributors,3 The Secret claims to offer the means to a fulfilled life.
The Law of Attraction
The foundation of The Secret is the law of attraction—an impersonal force that individuals can manipulate with their thoughts in order to achieve what they want in their lives. “It is,” writes Byrne, “the law that determines the complete order in the Universe, every moment of your life, and every single thing you experience in your life…the law of attraction is forming your entire life experience, and this all-powerful law is doing that through your thoughts.”4
The Secret of the law of attraction has supposedly been known throughout the centuries by numerous individuals—such as Socrates, Plato, Newton, Beethoven, and Einstein—and religions—such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Hermetic traditions.5
Several advocates of The Secret define the law of attraction similarly. “Thoughts become things,”6 explains author Mike Dooley. Entrepreneur John Assaraf says, “Thought has a frequency.”7 Michael Beckwith, cofounder of the Association for Global New Thought, elaborates on how thoughts create reality: “Every time an individual has a thought…they’re in the creation process. Something is going to manifest out of those thoughts.”8 Prentice Mulford (1834 1891), a pioneer of New Thought (see explanation below), is quoted in support of the law of attraction: “Every thought of yours is a real thing—a force.”9 Those who accumulate wealth are said to know The Secret, whether “consciously or unconsciously. They think thoughts of abundance and wealth….It is the law of attraction in action.”10
The Secret repeats the theme, “Thoughts are magnetic, and thoughts have a frequency….You are a human transmission tower”11 throughout. Mastering life, then, is a matter of mastering thoughts. Once one understands the law of attraction, putting it into action will result in health, wealth, love, joy—anything positive one may desire. All of this is built on a worldview foundation that is clearly at odds with theism.
Everything is Energy
Like many of the Mind Science religions, as well as forms of Hinduism, The Secret is based on pantheism, which sees everything as divine. In opposition to Christianity, which distinguishes between a transcendent God and created beings, The Secret is monistic, viewing all reality as one. The interconnectedness of all reality is also an aspect of the underlying worldview of The Secret.
Byrne writes, “We are all connected, and we are all part of the One Energy Field, or the One Supreme Mind, or the One Consciousness, or the One Creative Source…we are all One.”12 Later she adds, “You are God in a physical body. You are Spirit in the flesh. You are Eternal Life expressing itself as You. You are a cosmic being. You are all power. You are all wisdom. You are all intelligence. You are perfection. You are magnificence. You are the creator, and you are creating the creation of You on this planet.”13 James Arthur Ray comments, “That means you have God potential and power to create your world.”14
Other contributors to The Secret agree. “Everything is energy,”15 explains Ben Johnson, a practitioner of energy-based medicine. “You’re not a finite body,” adds Ray, “you’re an energy field.”16 Assaraf concurs, noting, “We’re all connected…everything in the universe is connected, it’s just one energy field.”17 Author Lisa Nichols draws the typical New Age conclusion: “You’re source energy. You are God manifested in human form, made to perfection.”18
Ask and It Will Be Given
Byrne explains how one implements the law of attraction: “The Creative Process used in The Secret, which was taken from the New Testament in the Bible, is an easy guideline for you to create what you want in three simple steps.”19 What are the steps? Ask, believe, receive.
The “ask” step is really a command to the impersonal universe, which Ray likens to the story of Aladdin and the lamp.20 Simply ask the genie for what you want and you’ve placed an order to the universe. The second step involves belief, which, according to Nichols, involves “unwavering faith,”21 although faith in what is never clarified. Byrne claims, “You must believe that you have received.”22 Continuing with the “genie” illustration, Byrne adds, “The Genie [i.e., the universe] is responding to your predominant thoughts all the time….That’s why after you’ve asked, you must continue to believe and know. Have faith. Your belief that you have it…is your greatest power.”23 Finally, sit back, feel good, and receive what the law of attraction delivers.
THE ROOTS OF THE SECRET
If much of The Secret appears familiar, that’s because it is not new (or secret). The Secret is actually an amalgam of past teachings. The Secret lends itself to comparison to recent Word of Faith/Positive Confession teachings. Its techniques are reminiscent of those of Napoleon Hill (1883–1970), author of Think and Grow Rich (1937), and Norman Vincent Peale (1898 1993), author of The Power of Positive Thinking (1952).
Mind Science
The Secret, most notably, however, is based on the Mind Science groups of the nineteenth century, which have much in common with each other. Significantly influenced by Phineas Parkhurst Quimby (1802-1866), the Mind Science religions of the nineteenth century and beyond included the New Thought movement, which emphasized positive thinking (new thought) rather than negative thinking (old thought). Two prominent groups today that originated in that movement are Religious Science (founded by Ernest Holmes) and Unity School of Christianity (founded by Charles Fillmore). Another major Mind Science group is Christian Science (Mary Baker Eddy). Mind Science teachings contributed to what commonly was termed the New Age Movement in the 1970s and ‘80s and currently is referred to as the “new spirituality” or simply “spirituality.”
Byrne notes Charles Fillmore, the cofounder of Unity School, multiple times as an authority on the law of attraction.24 Fillmore believed that the teachings of Unity School would provide health, wealth, and happiness to its adherents. Byrne’s “secret” makes similar claims based on similar beliefs.
The law of attraction, as promoted by The Secret, is derived from the teachings of New Thought. New Thought, not surprisingly, also adhered to pantheism, referring to the universe with such phrases as Universal Life Force. Since everything is divine, New Thought proponents believed in the divinity of every human being. Sin, however, being negative, is dismissed as illusory. Salvation or, more accurately, enlightenment, is the result of correcting our thinking.
This perspective, shared by The Secret, rips the heart out of the biblical view of Jesus Christ. It negates His Incarnation, His atoning sacrifice for human sins, and His provision of redemption, which is available only through Him. After all, if the concepts found in Mind Science religions, including New Thought and The Secret, are correct, then there really is no such thing as sin in a biblical sense, which is an affront to a holy, transcendent, personal God. New Thought reinterprets every aspect of Christian theology, particularly the nature of Christ. Jesus, consequently, is now separate from “the Christ,” or Christ consciousness, which everyone can attain by right thinking (using the law of attraction).
These Mind Science roots directly influenced advocates of The Secret. Byrne, for example, came to adopt this worldview when she was given a copy of the book The Science of Getting Rich (1910) by Wallace Wattles (1860-1911), whose ideas were influenced by New Thought.
ASSESSING THE SECRET: PROSECUTING THE LAW OF ATTRACTION
Some may argue that the law of attraction is based on biblical principles. After all, we are told in 2Corinthians10:5 to “take captive every thought” and Philippians4:8 calls us to “think about” things that are “true,” “noble,” “right,” “pure,” “lovely,” and “admirable.” These passages, however, must be interpreted in the context of the Christian worldview. Second Corinthians10:5, for instance, reads, “Take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ,” while the Philippians passage, in context, is addressing God’s peace as found in a Christian framework, with the Christian view of God: a personal being, not an impersonal force.
The Secret aims to utilize thoughts in order to gain fulfillment and is used as a technique. Christianity, on the other hand, recognizes the reality of a holy God to whom we must answer and, as a result, pursues a relationship with God through Christ not as a technique, but because we are fallen beings in need of redemption and a restored relationship with our Creator.
Like any worldview founded on monistic pantheism, The Secret falls short of adequately accounting for personality, moral standards, and the reality of evil. The god of pantheism is an impersonal force or energy, incapable of expressing feelings such as love that Byrne and contributors to The Secret are so fond of noting.25 If all is one, moreover, there is no basis for distinguishing right from wrong, good from evil, or moral from immoral.
Despite the impersonal underpinnings of the worldview of The Secret, Byrne wants it both ways—an impersonal universe that is somehow also personal. If our thoughts really do transmit on certain frequencies, as The Secret repeatedly claims, and through those frequencies they directly can communicate with the universe, then, for them to be recognized or understood, something in the universe at large must be personal. The worldview of The Secret, however, cannot support personality, much less personal interactions, without inherently contradicting its view that all is energy and that the law of attraction is impersonal and invariable.
The Secret and Science
Is The Secret scientific? According to the contributors, it is. As Ray puts it, “It’s a time where spiritual traditions and science are now in total agreement.”26 Beckwith adds, “It’s scientific. It’s real.”27 Author Bob Doyle claims, “the Law of Attraction…is a scientific principle.”28 Physicist Fred Alan Wolf continues, commenting on the law of attraction, “Quantum physics really begins to point to this discovery.”29 Jack Canfield, popular as cocreator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books, also calls on quantum physics to support The Secret: “If you go to quantum physics, we realize everything is energy, and what controls the flow of energy is thought and feeling.”30
Does quantum physics really support the teachings of The Secret? Hardly. Quantum physics routinely is hijacked by those in the new spirituality in order to support their concept that everything is interconnected energy in a pantheistic, religious sense. As professor of physics and astronomy Victor Stenger31 puts it,
Quantum mechanics, the centerpiece of modern physics, is misinterpreted as implying that the human mind controls reality and that the universe is one connected whole that cannot be understood by the usual reduction to parts. However, no compelling argument or evidence requires that quantum mechanics plays a central role in human consciousness or provides instantaneous, holistic connections across the universe. Modern physics, including quantum mechanics, remains completely materialistic and reductionistic while being consistent with all scientific observations.32
The Secret and Christianity
The Secret claims compatibility with the Bible, but, as we’ve seen, the underpinnings of its philosophy are anything but Christian. In a section extolling the virtues of “praise” and “blessing,” Byrne remarks, “Praise and bless everything in your life! When you are praising or blessing you are on the highest frequency of love.”33 She then misinterprets a biblical view of praise and blessing, which is rooted in the reality of a transcendent and loving God, and writes, “In the Bible the Hebrews used the act of blessing to bring forth health, wealth, and happiness. They knew the power of blessing.”34 Given the arduous trials that the Jews faced, as documented in the Old Testament, such as persecution and enslavement, it is difficult to see how they supposedly had mastered The Secret’s law of attraction.
Byrne also misappropriates the New Testament, implying that Jesus also knew The Secret: “The Creative Process used in The Secret, which was taken from the New Testament in the Bible, is an easy guideline for you to create what you want in three simple steps [ask, believe, receive].”35 By implying that Jesus and, in turn, His followers, knew The Secret, Byrne again commits the error she made with her claim that the Hebrews knew The Secret. Jesus hardly could have used The Secret if He was persecuted, beaten, and ultimately executed for His beliefs. His followers fared no better, meeting untimely deaths as martyrs. These, moreover, were not wealthy individuals, despite the claims of The Secret for creating wealth (e.g., in 1Tim.6:8, Paul wrote, “But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that” (NIV).
Byrne’s biblical blunders continue when she later quotes the words of Jesus as found in Mark11:24 and alleges that they are teaching how to use the law of attraction:36 “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” (KJV). Much like Word of Faith proponents, Byrne makes a mistake in the interpretation of this passage. It does not teach the law of attraction, which Byrne herself admits is impersonal;37 instead it speaks of personal communion and interaction with the transcendent God of the universe—the loving, holy, and just Creator. Properly interpreted in light of other relevant passages (e.g., 1John5:14), Mark11:24 does not teach us to manipulate the law of attraction to gain health, wealth, and happiness.
Byrne’s greatest error of interpretation in referencing the Bible involves what Christian apologist James Sire calls “world-view confusion,” which occurs “whenever a reader of Scripture fails to interpret the Bible within the intellectual and broadly cultural framework of the Bible itself and uses instead a foreign frame of reference. In other words, rather than seeing a statement of Scripture as part of the whole biblical scheme of things, the reader or interpreter views it from a different standpoint and thus distorts the Bible, perhaps seriously, sometimes even reversing the meaning”38 (emphasis in original). Byrne reads Mark11:24 through the lens of the law of attraction, rather than through the proper first-century lens of theistic Judaism.
The Secret On Evil and Suffering
Perhaps the greatest flaw in The Secret is its inability to adequately solve the problem of evil and suffering. If everything that comes into our lives is the result of our creating our own reality with our thoughts, then what is the explanation for those who have been raped, tortured, or worse? It is logical, according to the principles of The Secret, to conclude that even children who have been sexually abused or brutally murdered have brought these things on themselves. Such a view is, frankly, both monstrous and absurd; yet, The Secret affirms that suffering in our lives is our fault.
Metaphysician and hypnotherapist Joe Vitale explains:
Everything that’s around you right now in your life, including the things you’re complaining about, you’ve attracted. Now I know at first blush that’s gonna be something that you hate to hear. You’re gonna immediately say I didn’t attract the car accident, I didn’t attract this particular client….I’m here to be a little bit in your face and to say yes, you did attract it. And this is one of the hardest concepts to get, but once you’ve accepted it, it’s life transforming. This is part of the overall giant Secret here.39
DOES THE SECRET WORK?
Despite the many flaws in The Secret, there are those who will remain committed to it because, in their view, it works. This pragmatic approach to The Secret is troubling because it speaks to the lack of discernment in our culture. The fact that someone claims that something “works” is supposedly a substitute for evidence, a substitute for testing everything and holding on to the good (1Thess.5:21). The question of truth is entirely avoided. It is this question of truth, however—whether or not The Secret corresponds to reality—that is paramount.
Does The Secret work? Some who have practiced its principles may have had success, but countless others have not and will not. For these people, The Secret will result in spiritual bondage because they will think the problem is with them when in reality the problem is with the system of The Secret and its many flaws.
Does It Matter whether The Secret Works?
It is true that, as Oprah Winfrey said on her program about The Secret, “so many people are hungry for guidance and meaning in their lives.” The Secret, however, is not the answer. Knowledge of the law of attraction is supposed to equip individuals to gain an abundance of health, wealth, and happiness. As Christ emphasized, however, our eternal destiny is far more important than the accumulation of worldly possessions: “What good will it be for you to gain the whole world, yet forfeit your soul?” (Matt.16:26 TNIV).
The true secret to a meaningful life is no secret at all, but is revealed openly in the pages of the Bible: God came to us in human form, died for our sins, and was bodily resurrected so that we would humble ourselves before Him, repent, and receive His gift of salvation. That gift is not mere temporal health and wealth, but eternal life in a relationship with the one true God.
notes
1. Oprah Winfrey, “One Week Later: The Huge Reaction to The Secret,” February 16, 2007, The Oprah Winfrey Show.
2. In this article, The Secret (neither italicized nor in quotations) refers to the general teachings while The Secret refers to the book and DVD, the latter being specified to avoid confusion.
3. A table has been prepared to supplement this article that lists the contributors to The Secret and provides relevant background information about them. It can be accessed at http://www.equip.org/atf/cf/{9c4ee03a-f988-4091-84bd-f8e70a3b0215}/ FATHESECRETCHART.PDF.
4. Rhonda Byrne, The Secret (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2006), 5.
5. Ibid., 4.
6. Mike Dooley, The Secret DVD
7. John Assaraf, The Secret DVD.
8. Michael Beckwith, The Secret DVD.
9. Prentice Mulford, quoted in Byrne, The Secret DVD, 4.
10. Byrne, The Secret, 6.
11. Ibid., 10; see also, e.g., ix, x, 7, 10, 11, 25.
12. Ibid., 162.
13. Ibid., 164.
14. James Arthur Ray, in The Secret, 164.
15. Ben Johnson, The Secret DVD.
16. Ray, The Secret DVD.
17. Assaraf, The Secret DVD.
18. Lisa Nichols, The Secret DVD.
19. Byrne, The Secret, 47.
20. Ray, The Secret DVD.
21. Nichols, in The Secret, 48.
22. Byrne, The Secret,49.
23. Ibid., 50.
24. Ibid. See, e.g., xiv, 103, and 161.
25. Ibid., 30–33.
26. James Ray, “The Secret, The Oprah Winfrey Show, 8 February 2007.
27. Michael Beckwith, “The Secret, The Oprah Winfrey Show, 8 February 2007..
28. Bob Doyle, http://www.wealthbeyondreason.com.
29. Fred Alan Wolf, The Secret DVD.
30. Jack Canfield, “The Secret,” 8 February 2007, The Oprah Winfrey Show.
31. Although Stenger is an atheist, his insights into the misappropriation of quantum physics by those in the new spirituality are dead on.
32. Victor Stenger, “Quantum Quackery,” Skeptical Inquirer, January–February 1997, www.csicop.org/si/9701/quantum-quackery.html; accessed October 3, 2007. See also, Paul Reisser, Dale Mabe, and Robert Velarde, Examining Alternative Medicine (InterVarsity Press, 2001), 182–87.
33. Byrne, The Secret, 151.
34. Ibid.
35. Ibid., 47.
36. Ibid., 47ff., 54.
37. Ibid., 13, 27.
38. James Sire, Scripture Twisting (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1980), 26.
39. Joe Vitale, The Secret DVD
***
CHARISMANEWS
Debunking Misunderstandings of the Unpardonable Sin
5:00PM EDT 7/2/2016 DAVID DIGA HERNANDEZ
Are you worried that you've committed the unpardonable sin? This may help relieve your anxiety. (Flickr )
JoomlaWorks "DISQUS Comments for Joomla!" (v3.4) starts here
Often, this question is asked from the state of fear. Terrified that they have committed the eternally unpardonable sin against the Spirit, some believers live with guilt-burdened discouragement.
My heart goes out whenever I am met with a correspondence from someone who is filled with a tight and paralyzing anxiety. With panicked speech, they cry out in distress, "Have I committed the sin that cannot be forgiven? Am I forever doomed because of a single action?" While I understand that this topic can be somewhat alarming, it is important to remember that fear doesn't come from God.
"For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and love and self-control" (2 Tim. 1:7, MEV).
Anything that takes away the soundness of mind isn't of God. So if you carry uneasiness in your heart, know that God wasn't the One Who put it there. Even conviction, which can sometimes bring about a sense of sorrow over sin, is essentially hope-filled, as it presents both problem and solution at once. Compare that with ungodly fear, which is always paired with hopelessness.
First, let's look at the key verse.
"Therefore I say to you, all kinds of sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven men. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, neither in this world, nor in the world to come" (Matt. 12:31-32, MEV).
Those are some very harsh words from Jesus. They are words found in three of the four gospels. So, before I attempt to do any explaining, know that I am not attempting to trivialize or minimize the weightiness of the matter addressed. Jesus really meant what He said. There is certainly a sin that can never be forgiven. Of that be certain.
Jesus really meant what He meant. Jesus is very meticulous about His choice of Words, and every single one of them are inspired by the Holy Spirit Himself. "Never" really means "never."
"Forgiven" really means "forgiven."
"Never forgiven" really means "never forgiven."
Jesus really was speaking of a sin that could secure a soul's eternal damnation. That soul can never be forgiven—not in this world or the world to come, not in this age or the age to come. So we must tread reverently in our approach to understanding those very holy words. In an attempt to comfort one another, we must not lower any standards that Christ Himself has raised. Neither should we aim to inspire ease where Christ has purposed to inspire great reverence.
Study the verse from any angle, and the seriousness is still very obvious. I approach the verse, as Paul approached the preaching of the gospel.
"Knowing therefore the fear of the Lord, we persuade men ..." (2 Cor. 5:11, MEV).
Secondly, let's look at the verse's context.
Simultaneously curing a man's speech and sight, Jesus delivered that man from a demonic spirit. Upon seeing the marvelous deliverance, a crowd of spectators began to praise Jesus and discuss the idea that Jesus might be the messiah, the Savior of the world.
Within the crowd of onlookers was a group of Pharisees. They were constantly looking for a means by which they could discredit Jesus. So, in response to the deliverance they witnessed, the Pharisees accused Christ of using the power of Satan to cast out demons. Jesus responded by saying: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation. And every city or house divided against itself will not stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. Then how will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore, they shall be your judges" (Matt. 12:25-27, MEV).
Now recall that it is by the Holy Spirit's power that demons are expelled from an individual.
Jesus corroborates that truth by saying, "But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or else how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad" (Matt. 12:28-30, MEV).
In the very next breath, Jesus gives us the gravely stern words we are analyzing. The Pharisees attributed the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan. That's horrifying and very chilling. What an ugly accusation!
So is that it? Is false attribution the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?
Look at the account of Mark's gospel. His narrative includes a portion where the Pharisees say that Jesus was, "... possessed by Satan, the prince of demons. That's where he gets the power to cast out demons."
Not only did the Pharisees attribute the working of Christ to demonic power, they also accused Christ of being possessed by Satan Himself. They said that the Holy Spirit was Satan and rejected Christ's divinity.
We should have no trouble at all knowing the context of Christ's warning. For, in fact, the Scripture specifically tells us why Jesus even spoke such sobering words in the first place.
"For they said, 'He has an unclean spirit.'" (Mark 3:30, MEV).
Thirdly, we must understand the word itself. Blaspheme here is the Greek term blasphemia.
(Side note: Interestingly, it's a feminine noun.) It is slanderous speech against the divine. It is injurious speech. This is why Jesus used the phrasing, "who speaks against the Holy Spirit..."
So we can rule out some of the sins that are commonly pegged as the "unpardonable sin": murder, suicide, fornication, witchcraft, adultery and so on. Those sins cannot be the unpardonable sin, because they are not sins of speech. Furthermore, even general blasphemy against God can be forgiven, as Jesus makes perfectly clear when He declared, "all sin and blasphemy can be forgiven..." Of course, He went on to specify the exception. Jesus was very specific with His message, and it is that specificity that makes the unpardonable sin more difficult to commit.
Now some suggest that the unpardonable sin is the sin of consistent and stubborn unbelief. In other words, it's "unbelief until death." That cannot be true. Otherwise, how could one be marked as unforgiveable "in this world," as Jesus put it? That one can be beyond God's forgiveness in this world means that the sin can be committed on this side of eternity. Plus, the idea, that the unpardonable sin cannot be committed while one is living, completely ignores the original context where the matter was first addressed.
The Pharisees had either committed the sin or were otherwise perilously close to committing the sin. So what was it that they did?
They claimed that the Holy Spirit was Satanic, and they basically called Christ Satan. They witnessed the obvious working of God among them yet denounced Christ. Recall that all spirits against Christ will deny His Lordship.
"Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, 'Jesus be cursed!' And no one can say, 'Jesus is the Lord,' except by the Holy Spirit" (1 Cor. 12:3, MEV).
Therefore, it is not possible for a Christian to commit this sin.
"But I told you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. All whom the Father gives Me will come to Me, and he who comes to Me I will never cast out" (John 6:36-37, MEV).
Even still, by a non-believer, it is not easy to commit. The unpardonable sin is a very intentional one; you cannot commit it by accident.
The Pharisees stood before Christ in the flesh. Faced with an obvious miracle, they stubbornly denied the work of Christ. And, in an effort to deny an obvious work of God, the Pharisees blatantly blasphemed what they probably knew to be divine, though they were too prideful to admit it. Furthermore, the Scripture doesn't indicate whether or not the Pharisees had actually committed the sin.
The one who commits the unpardonable sin is so against the Holy Spirit that they move beyond the ability to repent of sin. The Holy Spirit will only convict the sinner who has the ability to repent. Otherwise, why would He convict them?
"But I told you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. All whom the Father gives Me will come to Me, and he who comes to Me I will never cast out" (John 6:36-37, MEV).
Jesus will never reject the one who comes to Him. That verse is true even when contrasted with this section's key scripture. How then do we reconcile the two scriptures? Basically, anyone who comes to Jesus has yet to commit the unpardonable sin.
Otherwise, how could His promise to never reject anyone hold true?
Truth: Jesus promises to never reject the one who comes to Him.
Truth: The one who commits the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is rejected.
Reconciled Truth: The one who comes to Jesus has yet to commit the unpardonable sin.
Conclusion: Jesus will accept anyone who comes to Him.
We know that the one who has truly committed the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit doesn't have the ability to be convicted. For it is the Spirit Who convicts (John 16:8). If one does not have the ability to be convicted, he also does not have the ability to repent.
So, if you are worried that you have committed the unpardonable sin, you haven't committed it.
If ever you turn toward Christ, He we will receive you. I stress: we must compare scripture with scripture.
In conclusion, the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is a sin of the tongue that can be committed while you're still alive. It is a slanderous attribution of the Spirit's work. But, however one might define the unpardonable sin, it is clear that, if you have truly committed such a sin, then you will have no interest in repentance and no fear of having committed it. A desire to be forgiven and a fear of committing it are both proof that you have not committed it. When scripture is compared to scripture, we find that Jesus will never reject anyone. That is how we know that one must very deliberately move beyond a certain point in order to commit the unpardonable sin.
However, it is a very sobering truth.
***
WND
GOVERNMENT CLAIMS POWER TO CONTROL CONTENT OF SERMONS
'This is something that should be deeply troubling to every American'
Published: July 6, 2016
BOB UNRUH
The Iowa Civil Rights Commission is being sued for claiming it has the right to control the content of church services that are “open to the public.”
The lawsuit filed by the Alliance Defending Freedom on behalf of Fort Des Moines Church of Christ is part of a nationwide battle against the implementation of President Obama’s declared foreign-policy priority in his final year in office: “gay” rights.”
At issue in the Iowa case are state mandates that protect “transgender rights.” Among them are allowing men to enter women’s shower rooms, dressing rooms and restrooms if they say they are women, and banning statements in meetings “open to the public” that “might cause individuals to believe that they are unwelcome because of their perceived gender identity”
The lawsuit charges the mandates violate the U.S. Constitution’s protections for free speech, religion, expressive association, due process and the right to peaceably assemble.
Named as defendants are commission members Angela Jackson, Patricia Lipski, Mathew Hosford, Tom Conley, Douglas Oelschaleger, Lily Lijun Hou and Lawrence Cunningham, and city of Des Moines Executive Director Kristen Johnson and Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller.
The commission did not respond to a WND request for comment.
The complaint, filed this week, is clear.
“This is a civil rights action to stop the commissioners and the executive director of the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, the Iowa attorney general, and the city of Des Moines from compelling an Iowa church to communicate government messages to which it objects and from forcing the church to use its building in violation of its religious beliefs.”
It explains the commission believes its interpretation of state law allows it “to force churches to allow individuals access to church restrooms, shower facilities, and changing rooms based on his or her gender identity, irrespective of biological sex.”
The commission’s interpretation was made clear in a guidance released in response to the question of whether or not the transgender-discrimination requirements apply to churches.
“Sometimes,” the commission said, “Iowa law provides that these protections to do not apply to religious institutions with respect to any religion-based qualifications when such qualifications are related to bona fide religious purpose. Where qualifications are not related to a bona fide religious purpose, churches are still subject to the law’s provisions. (e.g. a child care facility operated at a church or a church service open to the public).”
Explained the complaint, “The commission’s interpretation grossly misunderstands the religious purposes and beliefs of Plaintiff Fort Des Moines Church of Christ.”
The church holds worship, religious services, Sunday School classes, Bible studies, youth-oriented activities, annual vacation Bible schools, Easter activities, Christmas pageants and other ministry events based on its religious beliefs.
“As a result, there are messages, practices, and activities that the church would not sponsor, host, or otherwise communicate because those messages, practices, and activities would violate the church’s understanding of God’s truth. The activities that the church allows in its facility must be consistent with the church’s understanding of God’s truth, and must not present a message that contradicts the church’s understand of God’s truth.”
As “biology, chromosomes, physiology, and anatomy” all give evidence of the “maleness or femaleness … designed by God,” the church believes it must provide for the “immutable trait from which springs the natural and healthy desires for physical privacy and modesty in states of partial or full undress, such as in restrooms, showers, and changing rooms.”
Not only does the commission’s “open restrooms” mandate violate the church’s rights, “the language of the act and the city code are broad enough to include within that prohibition sermons, theological expositions, educational speeches, newsletters or church worship bulletin text, or other statements from the church and its leaders.”
“The church’s minister desires to preach sermons addressing God’s design for human sexuality and the church’s beliefs about ‘gender identity,’ but reasonably fears that if it were to do so it would violate the act’s and the city code’s speech ban,” the complaint explains.
The lawsuit seeks a temporary restraining order and preliminary and permanent injunctions “restraining all defendants … from enforcing or applying” the law to the church. A final resolution would be a declaratory judgment stating the application of the mandates to churches violates the Constitution.
ADF explained that “all events” at the church have a “bona fide religious purpose.”
The organization explained: “The speech ban could be used to gag churches from making any public comments – including from the pulpit – that could be viewed as unwelcome to persons who do not identify with their biological sex. This is because the commission says the law applies to churches during any activity that the commission deems to not have a ‘bona fide religious purpose.'”
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CHRISTIANTODAY
Joy in the face of suffering: Images of dying nun with radiant smile awaiting her meeting with Jesus Christ go viral
Hazel Torres 29 June 2016
(General Curia of the Discalced Carmelites)
Sister Cecilia smiles radiantly as she is surrounded by relatives and friends while awaiting her 'encounter with The One, Jesus Christ,' on her hospital bed.
Enduring the pain and suffering from a losing battle with cancer, a nun from Argentina still showed a radiant, smiling face for days until she breathe her last on June 22. She was 43.
Images showing Sister Cecilia's wondrously joyful face with nary a hint of pain circulated on social media over the weekend, filling readers with awe and wonder as they shared the images and their heartfelt prayers.
Even Pope Francis was moved by her images and story and assured her of his prayers. In a voice message, the pope told her that he knew of her offering and that he loved her very much.
Behind the images of Sister Cecilia is an even gripping and inspiring story about this young Carmelite nun as originally published in the Spanish-language edition of the Aleteia news site. Her images and the accounts about her life can also be viewed from the Facebook page Curia General de los Carmelitas Descalzos.
Translating the accounts on Sister Cecilia into English, Aleteia says those who knew her and witnessed her suffering attest that the nun's testimony of joy and peace in her life was just as radiant as her face.
Sister Cecilia Maria lived at a monastery in Argentina, dedicated to a life of contemplative prayer. At the monastery, she played the violin and was known for her sweetness and constant smile.
She took up nursing and earned her degree at the age of 26. She then decided to be a nun, making her final profession of faith in 2003.
Last January, she was diagnosed with cancer of the tongue. The disease quickly metastasized into her lungs.
Despite her illness, she remained joyful and at peace in appearance as she lay in bed, surrounded by numerous family members who showered her with love and affection. For instance, her nieces and nephews gathered at the hospital garden sent her messages and helium balloons and entertained her from the window of her hospital room.
Despite her condition, she put on her habit and participated at Mass in the hospital chapel.
"Those who saw her spoke of her face as showing peace and joy — as someone awaiting the encounter with the One to whom she had given her life, Our Lord Jesus Christ," Aleteia says.
Last May, Sister Cecilia, unable to speak because of her condition, wrote these words, originally in Spanish, on a piece of paper: "I am very content, astonished by the work of God through suffering, and by so many people who pray for me."
Hours before she died, the Carmelite was still able to receive Communion. She also wrote her last request: "I was thinking about how I would like my funeral to be. First, some intense prayer and then a great celebration for everyone. Don't forget to pray but don't forget to celebrate either!"
According to the Catholic News Agency, the discalced Carmelites announced her death as follows: "Jesus! Just two lines to let you know that our dearly beloved sister gently fell asleep in the Lord, after such a painful illness, always borne with joy and her surrender to her Divine Spouse. We send you all our love, grateful for your support and prayer during this entire time, so painful yet so wonderful at the same time. We believe she flew directly to heaven, but we also ask you to not cease commending her to your prayers, so from heaven she may repay you. A big hug from her Sisters in Santa Fe."
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MailOnline
The Texas 'immortal village': Life extension lab will also house 50,000 frozen bodies that could one day be brought back to life
The Timeship building will be world's largest center for cryopreservation
Thousands of bodies will be contained in hopes to one day revive them
It will also focus on life extension research, housing organs, cells, tissue
By Cheyenne Macdonald For Dailymail.Com
PUBLISHED: 23:52, 29 June 2016 | UPDATED: 07:13, 30 June 2016
Humans have long dreamt of finding the ‘fountain of youth’ – a way to prolong life, sustain health, and even achieve immortality.
Now, one project will soon be spearheading the efforts toward making this a reality.
After many years of planning, construction has finally begun on the Timeship Building, where thousands of frozen bodies will eventually be contained, in hopes to one day bring them back from the dead.
After many years of planning, construction has finally begun on the Timeship Building, where thousands of frozen bodies will eventually be contained, in hopes to one day bring them back from the dead
Cryonics is the low-temperature preservation of animals and humans.
Cryoprotectants are used to prevent ice formation during cryopreservation.
The aim of the procedure is to heal those who cannot be saved with contemporary medicine at a later time when it may be possible.
A belief central to the process is that long-term memory, personality, and identity are stored in durable cell structures and patterns within the brain.
If these can be preserved and accessed at a later date, it means someone could effectively 'time travel' into the future in their brain.
According to New Scientist, the site is set to be the ‘Mecca of cryogenics,’ and will become the largest structure dedicated to life extension research and cryopreservation in the world.
Designed by renowned architect Stephen Valentine, the sprawling building will sit behind the gates that encircle a massive plot of land in Comfort, Texas.
It won’t just house bodies; the Timeship Building will also be used to store biological materials, including cells, tissues, and organs.
This project is essentially ‘taking people to the future,’ Valentine explained to New Scientist.
Cryopreservation is the practice of storing animals and humans in extremely low-temperatures with hopes that they can be revived in the future.
Designed by renowned architect Stephen Valentine, the sprawling building will sit behind the gates that encircle a massive plot of land in Comfort, Texas. The 'sacred geometry' of the Timeship Building is shown above
Cryonics is often criticized as a misguided venture reserved for the wealthy, and aims to heal those who cannot be saved through current capabilities.
Instead of definite death, the procedure aims to provide a way for them to exist in a frozen state until technology arises to meet their needs.
The building will serve as the ‘center for immortality’ to facilitate this research, ‘pioneering life extension research and cryopreservation, as well as the world’s most secure and technologically advanced facility for the storage of cryopreserved biological materials, including organs for transplant, DNA, and people traveling to a future where they can be reanimated to live healthy lives free from aging.’
It won’t just house bodies; the Timeship Building will also be used to store biological materials, including cells, tissues, and organs. Its location and structure are suited to protect the project from any imaginable disaster, from natural disasters to terrorist attacks
With such precious materials contained within its walls, the Timeship Building is being built with safeguarding in mind.
Its location and structure are suited to protect the project from any imaginable dangers, from natural disasters to terrorist attacks.
And, the first bricks will soon be laid.
‘We see the Timeship as the ‘Fort Knox’ of biological materials,’ the site explains.
‘DNA, tissue samples, and cryopreserved patients will be housed in Timeship, and their safety and security against all threats, both natural and human-made, will have to be maintained for hundreds of years.
‘Timeship has been designed to provide that security at every level, from defense against terrorist attack, to sea level changes due to global warming, to interruption of energy supplies due to any catastrophe.’
(“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.” John 10:1)
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SPUTNIK
Eerie Photo Fuels Internet Theory That CERN is Opening 'Portals of Hell'
© Flickr/ Elvis Kennedy
17:45 03.07.2016(updated 17:56 03.07.2016)
The European Organization for Nuclear Research is under attack from sceptics who believe that its stated scientific aims are masking a darker purpose.
A photograph taken of the sky above CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, has got some internet theorists worried about the activities below.
On June 24 a Facebook user called Joelle Rodrigue posted a photograph of a storm above the research center, which is on the border of France and Switzerland.
CERN is home to the Large Hadron Collider, the world's largest and most powerful particle accelerator. One of the outstanding achievements by scientists using the accelerator was the discovery in 2013 of the Higgs boson, a fundamental particle predicted by the Standard Model of particle physics.
The scientific breakthrough earned Francois Englert and Peter Higgs, who had theorized the existence of the particle, the Nobel prize in physics.
While the discovery was lauded by scientists, some internet users are less enamored by CERN's activities.
An internet publication called 'Freedom Fighter Times,' which also offers "the true way to salvation," has several articles about CERN, named "the CERN files," in the "science from hell" section of its website.
In May its writers charged CERN with opening portals into other dimensions, possibly even hell.
"CERN is directly responsible for weather manipulation and the opening of portals, under an operation called The CLOUD Experiment. Strange 'coincidences' are popping up surrounding CERN that may make you think twice about things," they wrote.
On June 27 'Freedom Fighter Times' decided to use the storm photograph to support its theory about CERN. It published the picture on Youtube and shared concerns about what may be happening in the laboratory below.
"CERN is notorious for opening portals and then denying it; something very strange was captured in the clouds above the Large Hadron Collider just recently," they wrote.
"Below is a photo of an isolated storm captured by Joelle Rodrigue on June 24th 2016. The cloud looks to be rotating in a circular motion and some have claimed to see a face in the lightning filled cloud. Last year we reported that there were clear images of demons in the pictures of CERNs beams. Could this be an outer manifestation of one?"
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THE SUN
ANOTHER DIMENSION Jaw-dropping photos taken above CERN’s Large Hadron Collider lead to wild new conspiracy theories and ‘prove portals are opening’
The images were taken as scientists began a new experiment called Awake to change the way particles are smashed together
BY TOM TOWERS 28th June 2016, 8:18 pm
THESE incredible photos taken above CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) have provoked dramatic conspiracy theories and stoked fears that “new portals” are being opened.
The images were apparently taken on June 24, the same day CERN scientists began a new Awake experiment to change the way it smashes particles together.
The images were apparently taken on June 24, the same day CERN scientists began a new Awake experiment
The film in question – What Portal did CERN open now? Strange Clouds Hover Above the LHC – raises “major concerns” about what the LHC is being used for.
The narrator asks viewers: “How much energy did CERN pull into itself?
“Is this why the weather is so crazy all over the planet?
“There are many other colliders all over the world.”
The video showed the CERN schedule for the LCH which included an experiment called Awake, due to commence on June 24.
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SHTFplan.com
What’s Starting Now Will Overturn the Entire System: “Complete Collapse of Everything”
Author Condition Mac Slavo
Date July 5th, 2016
“There’s too much of everything…” The debt, the currency collapse, the global economy, and the institutions we’ve all taken for granted.
All of it is head for prolonged collapse, and revolution.
Michael Krieger of Liberty Blitzkrieg warns about the immense scale of the problems that have been triggered by the Brexit – and could lead to the complete disintegration of the European Union.
The status quo is being disrupted, and a major, major event is coming. This one may well be big enough to wipe everyone out, that is those who aren’t able to duck out and survive.
As Michael Krieger tells Greg Hunter at USA Watchdog:
Former Wall Street analyst and journalist Michael Krieger contends the recent so-called “Brexit” chaos is signaling something much bigger than coming economic trouble. Krieger explains, “I think the biggest thing with Brexit, and I think it is far bigger than an economic downturn, is the disintegration and ultimately the overthrow of the entire status quo regime, the entire post WWII establishment. That’s way bigger than an economic decline. It’s way bigger than the economic decline in 2008 and 2009. When you think about it, since 1945, we’ve had all kinds of economic declines. We’ve had bear markets and bull markets, but the status quo, the establishment, the basic principles that have been guiding the world for, let’s say 80 years now, those are what are going to be overthrown, and that is a way bigger deal than an economic downturn, in my opinion.”
On the odds of a financial crash, Krieger contends, “In my writings, when I first came out of Wall Street, I focused on debt, I focused on economics and I focused on financial markets. I did all of that stuff, but I stopped doing that for one simple reason.
It was obvious to me . . . that this thing had only one way to go, which is a complete collapse of everything. We’re going to need to start over. There’s too much debt. There’s too much corruption. There’s too much BS. There’s too much war. There’s too much everything that is bad in this world, and debt is one aspect of it. Are we going to have to wipe out the debts one way or the other? Of course, we will. I guess the reason I have stopped talking about that and writing about that is because it is so obvious. So, what I have been doing over the last three years is getting people aware and engaged on everything, not just the economics, but the political corruption. Every single industry in this world is basically hitting peak corruption, peak shadiness, peak violence and peak everything. So, it’s not just the debt or the economies that are going to collapse, it’s everything, the political establishment and the social fabric. All of these things we have been living under our entire lives will be replaced by something else. . . . The only question is, are we going to get something better or are we going to get something worse?”
Things have reached fever pitch, and the populists are fed up with the system, and ready to revolt. Technology has changed all the arrangements, and literally everything, not only in economics, but in politics, and throughout society, is about to change in a transformative way.
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CNN
Italy: Europe's next domino to fall?
by Ivana Kottasova
July 6, 2016: 11:14 AM ET
The world's oldest bank is in deep trouble.
Shares in Italy's Banca Monte Dei Paschi Di Siena (BMDPF) have crashed 45% in 10 days, forcing regulators to temporarily ban short-selling in the stock. The bank has been given until Friday to come up with a plan to reduce its bad loans by 40% by 2018.
It's not alone. Other Italian bank stocks have fallen by about 30% since June 23, when the U.K. voted to leave the European Union. Italian officials are trying to find ways to shore up the country's financial system.
Italian banks have been choking on bad debt for years, but the U.K. vote has thrown their problems into sharp relief. Here's how Brexit could turn Italy into Europe's next crisis:
An economic slowdown
Economists have slashed their U.K. growth forecasts for this year and next. Uncertainty over the EU's first divorce may also depress growth across Europe, and that's the last thing Italy needs.
The Italian economy has barely grown since the country adopted the euro in 2002. GDP rose by just 0.3% in the first quarter, half the rate of the eurozone as a whole. Retail sales have fallen for six months in a row, and last month suffered their worst slump since November 2013.
A slowdown puts even more pressure on the banks, because people and businesses are more likely to default on their debt. Italian banks are already being crushed by problem loans worth €360 billion ($396 billion).
Weaker bank profits
A weaker economic outlook could prompt the European Central Bank to push record low interest rates even lower.
That would be bad news for banks. "Rate cuts by the ECB could make Italian banks even weaker in the short term," said Jack Allen, an economist at Capital Economics.
Banca Popolare (BPXXY) shares have fallen 28% since the Brexit vote. Unicredit (UNCFF) is down 34% and Intesa Sanpaolo (IITSF) down 30%.
The Italian government is considering injecting billions of euros into the banking system, but its options are limited. EU bank bailout rules require investors (shareholders and bondholders) -- rather than taxpayers -- to shoulder the burden of any rescue.
Political upheaval
An Italian banking crisis, together with the Brexit vote, could inflame anti-European sentiment.
Italians are already losing faith in the euro, and the clamor for a referendum on the currency is getting louder.
Prime Minister Matteo Renzi is at risk of losing a vote this fall on constitutional reform. If he does, he may be forced to resign, leading to new elections at a time when Italy's anti-euro party, the Five Star Movement, is gaining ground.
"The traditionally very pro-European country has become more euro-sceptic after years of economic stagnation and painful fiscal repair," wrote Holger Schmieding at Berenberg bank. "The risk of domino effects across the [European Union] and the eurozone looms larger than before."
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THE SUN
RUSSIAN RAMPAGE Vladimir Putin to send Russia’s largest warship to Syria to destroy ISIS once and for all
President authorises navy ship to transport 30 fighter jets & attack choppers to the Med in bid to rid the world of death cult
BY YASMIN JEFFERY 3rd July 2016, 7:15 pm
VLADIMIR Putin is to send Russia’s largest battleship to Syria in a bid to crush ISIS once and for all.
The Russian president is to dispatch the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier plus 30 jet fighters and attack helicopters to the war-torn country in an attempt to destroy the terror group for good.
The Kremlin strongman’s decision came in the wake of ISIS atrocities in Bangladesh – where it murdered 20 hostages in a restaurant in the capital Dhaka – and Baghdad, Iraq, where a car bomb killed 125 shoppers.
End ISIS once and for all … Russia to launch attack on jihadis
The 55,000 tonne ship will be deployed in the region from October until January, a military source informed TASS.
Admiral Kuznetsov … 55,000 tonne ship will be deployed in the Med from October until January
The vessel is expected to arrive in the Med this Autumn, where it will liaise with land-based Russian forces already deployed in the region.
The Admiral Kuznetsov will be packed with warplanes and attack choppers.
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RUSSIA INSIDER
Putin LOSES IT, Warns Journalists of War: 'I Don't Know How to Get Through to You People' (Video)
'How do you not understand that the world is being pulled in an irreversible direction?'
Enrico Braun Wed, Jul 6, 2016
Donate!
Vladimir Putin has finally
taken the kid gloves off.
The Russian president was meeting with foreign journalists at the conclusion of the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum on June 17th, when he left no one in any doubt that the world is headed down a course which could lead to nuclear war.
ident Vladimir Putin is talking to the journalists from world news agencies, finishing the second day (17th June 2016) of Russia’s St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
Putin railed against the journalists for their "tall tales" in blindly repeating lies and misinformation provided to them by the United States on its anti-ballistic missile systems being constructed in Eastern Europe. He pointed out that since the Iran nuclear deal, the claim the system is to protect against Iranian missiles has been exposed as a lie.
The journalists were informed that within a few years, Russia predicted the US would be able to extend the range of the system to 1000 km. At that point, Russia's nuclear potential, and thus the nuclear balance between the US and Russia, would be placed in jeopardy.
Putin completely lost patience with the journalists, berating them for lazily helping to accelerate a nuclear confrontation by repeating US propaganda. He virtually pleaded with the western media, for the sake of the world, to change their line:
We know year by year what's going to happen, and they know that we know. It's only you that they tell tall tales to, and you buy it, and spread it to the citizens of your countries. You people in turn do not feel a sense of the impending danger - this is what worries me. How do you not understand that the world is being pulled in an irreversible direction? While they pretend that nothing is going on. I don't know how to get through to you anymore.
Does anyone in the reeking garbage heap that is mainstream western media have a conscience? Do they even have enough intellect to get what Putin is saying - that they are helping to push the planet towards World War III?
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RT
China's future megacities to eclipse population of most countries
Published time: 4 Jul, 2016 10:21
Edited time: 4 Jul, 2016 10:33
says it is going to build the world’s biggest city with an economy expected at around $2 trillion. By 2030 the megacity will combine nine large cities that currently have a population of 57 million people.
Once a predominantly agricultural region, the Pearl River Delta has been transformed into the world’s largest urban area which eclipses the population of many small countries.
The 15,000 square miles are home to about 57 million people. The region includes the cities of Shenzhen, Dongguan, Huizhou, Zhuhai, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, Guangzhou, Foshan, and Zhaoqing. The cities have populations ranging from nearly 2 million to more than 14 million people.
The Pearl River Delta began to take shape as an urban hub during the tech and manufacturing boom of the 1990s. It saw the most rapid urban expansion in human history – morphing into the country’s manufacturing heartland.
According to a World Bank report the Pearl River Delta has overtaken Tokyo to become the world’s largest urban area in both size and population.
Several hundred million people are expected to move to cities in East Asia over the next 20 years as economies shift from agriculture to manufacturing and services, the report said.
Beijing announced plans to mesh the cities into a single megacity in 2008. It has engineered a property boom during the financial crisis to compensate for the weakness in overseas demand. Later it implemented tightening measures to cool the heated property market.
The government is also planning to create an even larger megacity, combining Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei – to be known as JingJinJi. The current population of this area is 130 million – more than the whole of Japan – and covers an area of over 212,000 square kilometers (that’s a bit bigger than New England).
Major construction projects have been the main tool for boosting investment and sustaining growth in China since the beginning of 2015.
However last year, the Chinese government rejected 17 construction projects costing $17.6 billion. The decision was said to improve the environmental impact assessment system and fix loopholes that allow corruption.
Even with a significant drop in housing prices, more than 60 million apartments in China remain empty. While the real estate sector accounts for about 25-30 percent of China’s GDP, it’s impossible for the country to prop up the economy without reviving the vital industry.
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WND
NOW EVEN BREASTS BECOME PART OF POLITICAL DEBATE
Use of 'natural' making authorities go bonkers
Published: July 3, 2016
WASHINGTON – Is breastfeeding natural? Yes and no, says a paper in the prestigious journal Pediatrics.
It may be “natural” to breastfeed, concludes the treatise, but the authors warn against use of the term by government officials or doctors because it might inadvertently support biologically deterministic arguments about the roles of men and women in the family, for example, that women should be the primary caretakers of children.
Ironically, one of the authors of the paper in the peer-reviewed journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, previously wrote a book titled, “Back to the Breast: Natural Motherhood and Breastfeeding in America.”
No word on whether she has forgone accepting royalties on the title released only last year.
The paper, “Unintended Consequences of Invoking the ‘Natural’ in Breastfeeding Promotion,” was authored by Anne Barnhill, a Ph.D and assistant professor in the department of medical ethics and health policy at the University of Pennsylvania, and Jessica Martucci, a fellow (no apology for the gender-oriented title) in the same department who describes herself as a “feminist” historian of “sci/tech/med” and a “twitterstorian.”
“Promoting breastfeeding as ‘natural’ may be ethically problematic, and, even more troublingly, it may bolster this belief that ‘natural’ approaches are presumptively healthier,” the authors say. “This may ultimately challenge public health’s aims in other contexts, particularly childhood vaccination. … Coupling nature with motherhood, however, can inadvertently support biologically deterministic arguments about the roles of men and women in the family (for example, that women should be the primary caretakers of children). Referencing the ‘natural’ in breastfeeding promotion, then, may inadvertently endorse a controversial set of values about family life and gender roles, which would be ethically inappropriate. … Whatever the ethics of appealing to the natural in breastfeeding promotion, it raises practical concerns. The ‘natural’ option does not align consistently with public health goals.”
Clear?
Not to those skeptical about some mandatory vaccinations. In the “natural” and holistic health community, the paper, published in March, got some heat.
Martucci took to Twitter to suggest critics were motivated by “misogyny.”
“Honestly,” she tweeted, “what I’ve learned from all this is just how misogynistic public discourse really is. Speaking publicly is still a radical act.”
Blogger David Cole decided to engage Martucci in dialogue.
“In the paper, you (and your co-author) explore the risks of coupling the word ‘natural’ with breastfeeding and motherhood,” he wrote. “Yet your own book is titled ‘Back to the Breast: Natural Motherhood and Breastfeeding in America.’ Have your views on using the word ‘natural’ in conjunction with breastfeeding and motherhood changed since you wrote your book? If given the opportunity to craft a new title, would you drop the word ‘natural’?”
She responded: “In our paper, my co-author and I critique the use of ‘natural’ by health authorities, but do not critique individuals for using the word ‘natural’ to describe breastfeeding or motherhood. … The point of our ‘Pediatrics’ paper was to critique the role of public health campaigns in relying too heavily on a particular ideological construction of breastfeeding as natural in order to put pressure on mothers, pressure that we feel is unethical given the lack of support for mothers in the U.S., the physical and emotional burdens that breastfeeding can impose for some women. In our paper, we do not challenge or question the choices of individuals or even lay groups to promote breastfeeding as natural, instead our critique was very narrowly focused on physicians, other clinicians and public health authorities who promote breastfeeding using this ideologically-loaded language.”
Cole was incredulous.
“My point is that she’s saying one thing in a book directed at ‘health policy makers,’ while, at the same time, advising them to avoid saying that same thing to ‘patients’ and ‘the public,'” he wrote in his critique. “As she says, ‘different intended audiences.’ It’s totally fine to say that breastfeeding is ‘natural,’ as long as your audience is ‘historians’ and ‘officials.’ But the word must not be used when dealing with patients and the public. She understands that breastfeeding is ‘natural,’ but she is asking doctors and public health officials to stop saying so in the presence of their patients, in order to promote an ideological agenda she deems more important than a factual dialogue between doctor and patient. Doctors have to stop speaking a truth so that patients will stop knowing a truth, and if that sits poorly with you, you’re a misogynist.”
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The JB Bardot Archives
Detox your Liver and Chelate Heavy Metals Drugs GMOs Chemtrails with Fruit Pectin
Posted by JB Bardot
Fruit pectin is effective for removing contaminants from the body such as heavy metals and unwanted drug and chemical residue. When these substances deposit in the body’s cells, they contribute to a variety of serious diseases. Detoxifying the body from heavy metals and contaminants optimizes health and allows the body to repair itself. Using fruit pectin for home detox programs can be successful as long as people follow some common sense precautions regarding dosage. When preparing to use pectin there are a few guidelines and tips to make it easier.
Recognizing Candidates for Heavy Metals and Drug Detox
Heavy metals exist throughout the environment contributing to serious health problems. Mercury is used in dental fillings and vaccines and contaminates waterways. Cadmium, found in cigarette smoke and exhaust fumes, permeates the air. Lead was used in paints, food, water pipes, pesticides, cosmetics and children’s toys.
Some prescription medications are deposited in the body’s tissues, and once in the system they are difficult to eliminate. Medications such as chemotherapy are known to be problematic creating an environment that not only destroys cancer cells, but also weakens the overall immune system.
Anyone over-exposed to these substances will benefit from using pectin for detox to remove heavy metals and unwanted drug residues from the body.
What is Fruit Pectin and Where is it Found?
Pectin is a substance found naturally in many fruits whose properties make it excellent for use for making jellies. Pectin also has the ability to pull heavy metals and other contaminants from the blood stream through a process called chelation. These contaminants are excreted through normal urination.
Pectin is found in the rinds of many fruits and vegetables. Excellent sources of pectin are bananas, apples, cabbage, okra, beets, grapes, carrots and all citrus fruit in the white part called the pith.
Gently Detox from Contaminants and Heavy Metals
Eat several servings of high-pectin fruit daily for a natural, gentle detox. One of the best sources of pectin is green apples. Organic apple juice and unsweetened applesauce are also good sources of natural fruit pectin.
Using Pectin to Chelate Heavy Metals and for Deep Drug Detox
For a deeper and more controlled detox, find pectin at the grocery store in the canning section. Pectin made especially for chelating heavy metals and drugs is available at health food stores in powdered form. Check labels to make sure the pectin is free of MSG.
To use pectin, mix 2-4 teaspoons of dry pectin to an 8 oz. glass of grape juice once a day. Start with a lower dose of pectin until the body gets used to it and increase the amount slowly.
Continue taking a pectin detox for a period from 2 weeks to 6 months to complete a drug detox or when chelating heavy metals. Indicators for completing the detox period are a reduction in symptoms. Although there is no such thing as a symptom-free detoxification during chelation therapy, if pectin is taken in small quantities over a period of time, overall health will return as energy increases and disease symptoms disappear.
Supervision for Heavy Metals Chelation and Drug Detox
People addicted to narcotics of any form should use pectin only under supervision during drug detox.
Pectin can cause problems in people who are sensitive. Some people may experience a flare up of their symptoms during the detox period including dizziness, nausea, joint or muscle pain, weakness and fatigue. Reducing the amount of the dose is usually enough to lessen symptoms making the detox experience more comfortable. Seek medical supervision to help with dosing.
Sources for this article:
http://www.ei-resource.org/store/nutritional-and-herbal-supplements/c…
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2009/08/31/pectin-for-arthritis-pain/
http://www.naturalnews.com/031969_apple_pectin_radiation.html
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