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Today's Opinionated Rambling
I cannot believe the nerve of some people! A Christian actually had the gall to tell me that Christians are being persecuted unfairly! I mean, come on, don't they remember the Inquisition? The Witch-burnings? Hitler was a Christian, and look what happened to the Jews!! Of course, look what the Jews did in the name of their God, read the Old Testament sometime. Wholesale massacres in God's name have been going on for thousands of years. So, isn't it about time that the followers of the evil, tyrannical God Jehovah be punished for their treatment of non-Christians over the years? I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic.
MORE LINKS THAT PROVE CHRISTIANS ARE EVIL!!!! We need to fight back before it's too late! If Christians succeed in taking over world governments, we are all doomed! Pagans and other non-christians need to band together, now more than ever, to put a stop to the evils of Christianity before it's too late!
by Angie McKaig
The Old Testament warns against the drinking of blood:
"But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall
ye not eat." (Genesis 9:4)
"Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the
life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh." (Deuteronomy 12:23)
Long before the Christian church began to unfold its wings throughout
Europe, the vampire was an established myth. Vampire-like creatures
had been a part of superstition since ancient Greece. The roots of the
vampire were Pagan in nature, and the beliefs were widespread. The
relationship that eventually formed between vampires and the Christian
God is a tale riddled with irony.
Irony #1- what they seek to destroy, they give life to.
The Christian church had not established a stance on vampires when it
split in 1054. However, the beliefs of the two churches that resulted -
the Roman Catholic church in the west, and the Orthodox church in the
east - can be directly linked to the vampire myth that continued to pervade
the east. Roman Catholics believed that the bodies of their saints would not
decay in the grave; instead, they would remain intact and give off a sweet
odor. However, the Orthodox church found it more difficult initially to
shake off its Pagan roots, and viewed an undecayed corpse as a sign of evil.
Regardless, both churches had no formal stance on vampires save that
it was part of a Pagan belief that was outdated and unChristian in nature.
Paganism, far from being an organized religion, was little more than a
collection of folk wisdom and disorganized mythology; it was kept
alive by the peasants who had no formal education other than the passing
down of legend. As time went by, the Roman Catholic church grew concerned
that the established Pagan mythologies would usurp the new Catholic beliefs
that the church was trying to spread. As such, it began an investigation of
the vampire myth. The church, with the intent to make its beliefs widespread
and end Paganism (which they called witchcraft) began to link vampirism
with Satan. They set forth a decree that vampires were corpses reanimated
by Satan's devils. As a result, these vampires would flee from the signs
of the true Christian God: the crucifix, holy water, and the eucharistic
wafer.
The great irony of this period is that as the Church moved to end the
Pagan mythologies, it would be their own decree that would lend historical
validity to the vampire. So great was their influence that movies and
novels in the late 20th century still show the vampire as a Satanic
creature, made helpless when confronted with the signs of the true Christian
God.
Irony #2 - this evil thing, best represented by Holy Men and their
works.
As time marched forward, numerous reports and treatments were issued
by the Christian Church. Nearly all of the reliable research available from
1600-1800 A.D. was the work of deacons, priests, monks, and the like.
Vampire scares continued to sweep through Europe, complete with
vampire hunts and witch hunts, mass exhumations, legions of corpses
staked and/or burned in an attempt to rid villages of vampirism. This
became an area of intense study by the church.
The Malleus Maleficarium, published by the church in 1486, was meant
to be the handbook for the discovery and eradication of witches. It also
covered vampirism and their link to Satan, as well as how to deal with the
evil beings. By the 1600's, this treatise was being used as the "bible" of
witch and vampire hunters across Europe. The treatise also included some
early vampire sightings.
Dom Augustin Calmet (1672-1757) was a monk of the Benedictine order.
His work, Treatise on The Appearance of Spirits and on Vampires,
attempted to divorce the vampire from its link to Satanism and demonic
forces. He described them simply as dead bodies which rise up, and proclaimed
them to be superstition. He was heavily chided for his radical, sweeping
declarations. Still, this work stands on its own in a time in history
when so many were caught up in the massive witch and vampire hunts of
the Middle Ages.
Even long after the hysteria of the plague-riddled Middle Ages had
died down, important research was being conducted into the vampire myth.
Probably the best known chronicler of vampire stories in ages past is the
legendary Montague Summers. He was ordained as a deacon of the Anglican
church in 1908, but soon after left the Anglican church in favor of the Roman
Catholic church. He conducted numerous studies into all things supernatural.
His two best-known vampire publications, The Vampire: His Kith and Kin and The
Vampire in Europe are unparalleled in terms of vampire research.
Irony #3 - what they sought to destroy they gave credence to; the
Beast lives on.
Today, the vampire is as alive and well, if not more so, than any
other time in the past. Goths dressed in black roam the streets and
boulevards, and readers and moviegoers alike thrill at the presence of
the fanged Beast. Embedded in the vampire lore of today is Christianity
and its symbols, all part of the fun. The Beast lives on, and will for many,
many years to come. The names of these serious Christian researchers
are as well known to dedicated vampire fans as Dracula, Lestat, and others.
They must be turning over in their graves.
wildfire74pa@earthlink.net WARNING! ALL emails sent to me become my property and may be featured on my webpage if I think they are funny,good,bad or completely insane.
People with slow modems or ISPs who complain that my pages load to slowly! Get a faster connection! It's not expensive!
Narrow-minded people who try to force their belief system on others. I will gladly debate or discuss any ideas you have, just respect my right to have a different opinion, as I respect your rights!
Politically correct people, they have no spine!
Christians and their SHEEP mentality!
I will be adding more soon, I'm tired and going to bed!