* Gods are Useful for Cricket Matches but Which One to Thank?

Grown-ups of some lesser gods (Excerpts)
Trinidad & Tobago Express

by BC Pires

Friday, April 18th 2008

"LAST Saturday, man of the second Digicel ODI match against Sri Lanka at the Oval, West Indies star batsman (and one of Wisden's five cricketers of 2007), Shivnarine Chanderpaul, made a point of thanking - ahead of family and fans, and while religiously ignoring new, successful coach, John Dyson - the Hindu god, Lord Shiva, without whose blessings, Shiv piously intoned, nothing was possible; and I was deeply touched; it's so refreshing to see one of our overlooked gods getting the media attention He deserves."

"Excluding Trinidad & Tobago captain, Daren Ganga - as overlooked a cricketer perennially as Shiva was a god until last weekend - I am yet to hear a West Indian cricketer declare that the team won a match because they worked damned hard to improve their fitness, practised their technique until it was second nature, regarded and carried themselves as professional athletes, respected themselves, one another & their leadership, followed the advice of the training staff rigidly and concentrated on playing every ball of every over as if it were the only one."

"If, against the run of pray, West Indians are not willing to deify the Old Saint Nick the way they do milk-drinking statues, there's still one god we can pray to for the next series: Thor, the Norse god of thunder, whose blessings, in the form of uninterrupted rain for all five days of all three Test matches, will be our only hope; especially if Shivnarine Chanderpaul is preparing in the temple and not the nets."

*Thanks is given to a god for a cricket win over a human--the coach. And then the hard work of the players towards the win is attributed to a god. For the next match a rain god will be summoned, just in case. Sounds like Christianity except that there are more gods to share honors. Oh, right, Christians pray to one god in the form of three persons. ~ BlogHer

* Jesus Sez, No Public Prayer. And, so, Spare Us.

All the public praying in churches, on TV and Radio by Jesus Worshippers does not accord with Jesus' teachings. The push for prayer in schools, courts, etc. by some people again does not jibe with Jesus' teachings in the New Testament. I would not trust these people that practice and promote public prayer and claim they are spokespersons for Jesus and God-- they don't even know the Bible they claim to base their teachings on. They are false teachers?

Matthew 6:5 - 7

5. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites [are]: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

Jesus says you must definitely not pray as the hypocrites pray.

6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen [do]: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

Here Jesus says when thou prayest, you must pray this way:
(1) enter into thy closet.
(2) shut the door.
(3) pray to thy Father which is in secret.
(4) use not vain repetitions.

(Prayer must be in private, not in front of other people.
Do not repeat things over and over again in prayer)

Read more: An attribute of a true Christian is: He only prays in private, never in public.

All of this seems to point to the conclusion that Jesus did not believe in organized religion. If Christians would believe this and cooperate, oh good, we can turn their churches into homeless shelters and day care centers for kids of single working moms. Jesus would go for that, IMO. ~ BlogHer

* Reach Out in Faith ~ Voodoo Edition

THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC

Fatal end to exorcism attempt: man dies after struggle with police checking on girl's welfare

by Elias C. Arnold
July 29, 2007

"A 48-year-old Phoenix man whom authorities say was choking his 3-year-old granddaughter during an exorcism early Saturday died after struggling with police officers who went into the home to investigate, Phoenix police said.

"Police reportedly found Ronald Marquez, of Phoenix, shirtless and choking his granddaughter as her 19-year-old mother, naked and bloody, looked on. The bloodied girl was gasping and screaming as her mother chanted and held a religious picture of some kind, police said.

"It's very bizarre, (a) very unusual and pretty horrific situation this young child was involved in," said Sgt. Joel Tranter, a Phoenix police spokesman."

...

"The man held the girl in a headlock with one arm as he was squeezing her torso with his other arm, causing her to gasp and scream, police said.

"Investigators later learned the man was trying to "squeeze the demons out of the young girl," Tranter said."

See also: Chicago Sun-Times, CBS News, Washington Post

~ BlogHer: Exorcism is a silly and apparently deadly religious ritual. Accounts of fatalities can be found here

Faiths opposing exorcism

In Sikhism, exorcism is not permitted and is seen as a violation of the Sikh Rehat Maryada (Code of Conduct), since Sikhs do not believe in demons, ghosts, or the sort. If a Sikh person were to be found practising exorcism, an ordained Ghiyanhi (priest) would have the power to strip that individual of any ties to the Sikh faith. This anti-exorcism stance separates Sikhism from what are viewed as the exorcism rituals of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Taoism, and Shintoism.

Also, Jainism does not believe in exorcism.

Begin research ...
A Bit of Exorcist History

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* Samuel Porter Putnam ~ July 23, 1838

The last superstition of the human mind is the superstition that religion in itself is a good thing, though it might be free from dogma. I believe, however, that the religious feeling, as feeling, is wrong, and the civilized man will have nothing to do with it. . . . [When the] shadow of religion disappeared forever . . . I felt that I was free from a disease.

~ Samuel Porter Putnam, 1838-1896, My Religious Experience, 1891

* At Heaven's Gate? Out of Body or Out of Mind?

The near-death/out of body experience has been common since ancient times. Many people attach an out-of-this world meaning, e.g., that they are previewing "heaven." Science is discovering explanations for the phenomenon and can duplicate the experience. Notable is that the experience crosses all religions and, as well, by those who disbelieve in an afterlife.

Near Death Experience
by Timothy Moore
Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology

It appears that, rather than any spiritual journey or other world phenomenon, NDEs may be best understood by examining human physiology, neurochemistry, and psychology. At this time, there is strong research evidence to indicate that many of the symptoms of NDEs may be caused by anoxia, or a lack of oxygen to the brain. In the human visual system, for example, neurons (brain cells) deprived of oxygen will start to fire out of control. Since the majority of the cells in our visual cortex (the portion of the brain where visual information is processed) respond to stimulation in the central visual field, the result is a white spot in the center with fewer cells firing out of control in the periphery. As oxygen deprivation continues, the white spot grows and the sensation of moving through a tunnel toward a white light is produced. Similarly, it is possible that the life review process is a result of depriving the temporal lobes of oxygen. When the temporal lobes of the brain, an area largely involved in memory production, are deprived of oxygen, neurotransmitters are released and massive electrical activity ensues. In laboratory research, when people's temporal lobes are stimulated with electrodes, many subjects experience the reliving of memories, out of body experiences, and even the sensation of moving through a tunnel toward a light. Oxygen deprivation can also affect the limbic system, which contains the seat of emotions in the brain. The intensely pleasurable feelings of love and well-being that accompany moving toward the light may therefore be a consequence of increased activity in the limbic system.

Using Ketamine to Induce the Near-Death Experience: Mechanism of Action and Therapeutic Potential
by Dr. Karl L. R. Jansen,
Psychiatrist

Near-Death Experiences: In or out of the body? by Susan Blackmore

Image from Wikipedia

* Philadelphia Bans Psychics ~ The Rest of the World Needs to Follow Philly

MSNBC, "Philadelphia psychics, 'never saw it coming. City inspectors shut down more than a dozen psychics, astrologers and tarot-card readers after learning about a decades-old state law that bans fortune telling for profit.'

"Inspectors did not make arrests or issue fines, “but they will if these people try to return to work,” said Dominic E. Verdi, deputy commissioner of the city Department of Licenses and Inspections.

"Verdi said the law, on the books for more than 30 years, makes fortunetelling “for gain or lucre” a third-degree misdemeanor.

"Police alerted his department to the law a few days ago, Verdi said. “I was surprised,” he said.

"He said inspectors have closed 16 shops since Tuesday and he expected them to close more.

"The law has been on the books for more than 30 years, but Philadelphia officials say they only found out about it a few days ago, when police told them."

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