Previous William Thomas Sherman Info Page postings, quotes, observations, etc.
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"Isabel. Wherefore then,
should come this voice of warning?
"Leon. From the deep:
It hath its demons as the earth and air,
All tributaries to the master-fiend
That sets their springs in motion. This is one,
That, doubting to mislead us, plants this wile,
So to divert our course, that we may strike
The very rocks he fain would warn us from."
~ William Gilmore Simms (1806-1870), "Atalantis: A Story of the Sea" (1832)
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The terrible and tragic tsunamies we have heard about recently and in recent years makes on wonder if the poor sea isn't, by way of such upheavals, casting out something up it doesn't want. Is there a malevolent and ungodly spirit that pervades some parts of the sea, and that accounts for some of its unearthly strangeness? I myself don't know and couldn't say, yet certanly the thought sparks one's imagination, and but few if any things can be more strange than the hidden world of the ocean. Speaking of which, here is an unusual video filled with some most unusual fish and other aquatic creatures brought up by an Asian tsunami. (The one at :50 curiously resembles a William Blake drawing of the Biblical serpent.)
["Strange fishes after Tsunami"]
The devil is unfailing in making the phony and hypocritical feel loved and glamorous. And yet that the spirit of lies and murder is something entirely different from the spirit of love and truth never seems to bother such people.
As to Il Diablo supremo himself, is he indulged in his myriad and nefarious crimes while being permitted to be a billionaire because he is so truly worthy and beloved, or is it because he's so truly miserable and to be pitied? Does he actually sell tickets to his shows, or is it merely made to seem that he does because we are all supposed to feel sorry for him? After all that has happened, we need and should be entitled to finally and for once get a straight answer to these questions.
With these people is obviously in their interest to create and maintain the illusion that all this is NECESSARY, but of course they would and of course they do. What would you do if you were like them; in their positon, and had to keep up such a wide reaching facade and where all your incredible wealth, power, and credibility (as someone to be taken very seriously) are at stake?
Some will recognize in Origen's comments here a kinship with some standard Buddhist beliefs.
"4. We find in the prophet Isaiah, that the fire with which each one is punished is described as his own; for he says, 'Walk in the light of your own fire, and in the flame which you have kindled.' By these words it seems to be indicated that every sinner kindles for himself the flame of his own fire, and is not plunged into some fire which has been already kindled by another, or was in existence before himself. Of this fire the fuel and food are our sins, which are called by the Apostle Paul 'wood, and hay, and stubble.' And I think that, as abundance of food, and provisions of a contrary kind and amount, breed fevers in the body, and fevers, too, of different sorts and duration, according to the proportion in which the collected poison supplies material and fuel for disease (the quality of this material, gathered together from different poisons, proving the causes either of a more acute or more lingering disease); so, when the soul has gathered together a multitude of evil works, and an abundance of sins against itself, at a suitable time all that assembly of evils boils up to punishment, and is set on fire to chastisements; when the mind itself, or conscience, receiving by divine power into the memory all those things of which it had stamped on itself certain signs and forms at the moment of sinning, will see a kind of history, as it were, of all the foul, and shameful, and unholy deeds which it has done, exposed before its eyes: then is the conscience itself harassed, and, pierced by its own goads, becomes an accuser and a witness against itself. And this, I think, was the opinion of the Apostle Paul himself, when he said, 'Their thoughts mutually accusing or excusing them in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my Gospel.' From which it is understood that around the substance of the soul certain tortures are produced by the hurtful affections of sins themselves...
"8. But the outer darkness, in my judgment, is to be understood not so much of some dark atmosphere without any light, as of those persons who, being plunged in the darkness of profound ignorance, have been placed beyond the reach of any light of the understanding. We must see, also, lest this perhaps should be the meaning of the expression, that as the saints will receive those bodies in which they have lived in holiness and purity in the habitations of this life, bright and glorious after the resurrection, so the wicked also, who in this life have loved the darkness of error and the night of ignorance, may be clothed with dark and black bodies after the resurrection, that the very mist of ignorance which had in this life taken possession of their minds within them, may appear in the future as the external covering of the body. Similar is the view to be entertained regarding the prison. Let these remarks, which have been made as brief as possible, that the order of our discourse in the meantime might be preserved, suffice for the present occasion."
~ Origen (c.185–254), De Principiis, Book 2, Chs. 4, 8.
It should come as no surprise if evil wins over and at society’s expense when no rational or intelligent way is used or employed to combat and contest it.
Even if he had wanted to join voluntarily, they stll would have used behavioral conditioning and mind control on him. That's the demonistic. They simply would not have or do it any other way.
What, afer all, do we know of Satan's character and motives anyway? That he feels sorry for himself? That he mercilessly attacks those of whom he is envious or jealous? If that is what he is -- what then does that make him but one great big, overfed baby?
When it comes to a compendious series or multi-volume work, like the Durant's Story of Civilization, audio books can be God-send -- whether you haven't read a given one its books before, or else have but want to go through the same once more; and are a both more convenient and easy way of completing one or more thick volumes, and in probably less time than it would take you to read through them in the ordinary manner. Here's a sample (in .mp3 at 15 MBs) from the Durant's chapter on the historical Jesus from Caesar and Christ to give you an idea of what I mean (and if you don't know already.) [To find out further where these audio books are available for sale, do a Google search and check online auctions and related vendors.]
http://www.gunjones.com/excerpt-Caesar_and_Christ-W_Durant.mp3 (right click, "save as...")
(Just to touch base for some.) The quality of life -- for everyone -- would be infinitely better if applied demonism and criminal spirit people were -- by us -- outlawed. But how can they be outlawed if they can't be rationally and scientifically admitted to and discussed?
Some people don't like religion for pretty much the same reason some don't like work or exercise -- requiring as these things do some effort.
In continuation of our reading from Origen, in this next remarkable series of passages the famous church father and scholar delineates the hierarchy of rational beings something and roughly like this:
1. Good angels.
2. Bad angels.
3. Human beings.
The question then may be asked -- what happens if (3) mistakes (2) for (1)?
"Chapter 5. On Rational Natures.
1. After the dissertation, which we have briefly conducted to the best of our ability, regarding the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, it follows that we offer a few remarks upon the subject of rational natures, and on their species and orders, or on the offices as well of holy as of malignant powers, and also on those which occupy an intermediate position between these good and evil powers, and as yet are placed in a state of struggle and trial. For we find in holy Scripture numerous names of certain orders and offices, not only of holy beings, but also of those of an opposite description, which we shall bring before us, in the first place; and the meaning of which we shall endeavour, in the second place, to the best of our ability, to ascertain. There are certain holy angels of God whom Paul terms 'ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation.' In the writings also of St. Paul himself we find him designating them, from some unknown source, as thrones, and dominions, and principalities, and powers; and after this enumeration, as if knowing that there were still other rational offices and orders besides those which he had named, he says of the Saviour: 'Who is above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come.' From which he shows that there were certain beings besides those which he had mentioned, which may be named indeed in this world, but were not now enumerated by him, and perhaps were not known by any other individual; and that there were others which may not be named in this world, but will be named in the world to come....
"5. Again, we are taught as follows by the prophet Isaiah regarding another opposing power. The prophet says, 'How is Lucifer, who used to arise in the morning, fallen from heaven! He who assailed all nations is broken and beaten to the ground. You indeed said in your heart, I shall ascend into heaven; above the stars of heaven shall I place my throne; I shall sit upon a lofty mountain, above the lofty mountains which are towards the north; I shall ascend above the clouds; I shall be like the Most High. Now shall you be brought down to the lower world, and to the foundations of the earth. They who see you shall be amazed at you, and shall say, This is the man who harassed the whole earth, who moved kings, who made the whole world a desert, who destroyed cities, and did not unloose those who were in chains. All the kings of the nations have slept in honour, every one in his own house; but you shall be cast forth on the mountains, accursed with the many dead who have been pierced through with swords, and have descended to the lower world. As a garment cloned with blood, and stained, will not be clean; neither shall you be clean, because you have destroyed my land and slain my people: you shall not remain for ever, most wicked seed. Prepare your sons for death on account of the sins of your father, lest they rise again and inherit the earth, and fill the earth with wars. And I shall rise against them, says the Lord of hosts, and I shall cause their name to perish, and their remains, and their seed.' Most evidently by these words is he shown to have fallen from heaven, who formerly was Lucifer, and who used to arise in the morning. For if, as some think, he was a nature of darkness, how is Lucifer said to have existed before? Or how could he arise in the morning, who had in himself nothing of the light? Nay, even the Saviour Himself teaches us, saying of the devil, 'Behold, I see Satan fallen from heaven like lightning.” For at one time he was light. Moreover our Lord, who is the truth, compared the power of His own glorious advent to lightning, in the words, 'For as the lightning shines from the height of heaven even to its height again, so will the coming of the Son of man be.' And notwithstanding He compares him to lightning, and says that he fell from heaven, that He might show by this that he had been at one time in heaven, and had had a place among the saints, and had enjoyed a share in that light in which all the saints participate, by which they are made angels of light, and by which the apostles are termed by the Lord the light of the world. In this manner, then, did that being once exist as light before he went astray, and fell to this place, and had his glory turned into dust, which is peculiarly the mark of the wicked, as the prophet also says; whence, too, he was called the prince of this world, i.e., of an earthly habitation: for he exercised power over those who were obedient to his wickedness, since 'the whole of this world'— for I term this place of earth, world— 'lies in the wicked one,' and in this apostate. That he is an apostate, i.e., a fugitive, even the Lord in the book of Job says, 'You will take with a hook the apostate dragon,' i.e., a fugitive. Now it is certain that by the dragon is understood the devil himself. If then they are called opposing powers, and are said to have been once without stain, while spotless purity exists in the essential being of none save the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but is an accidental quality in every created thing; and since that which is accidental may also fall away, and since those opposite powers once were spotless, and were once among those which still remain unstained, it is evident from all this that no one is pure either by essence or nature, and that no one was by nature polluted. And the consequence of this is, that it lies within ourselves and in our own actions to possess either happiness or holiness; or by sloth and negligence to fall from happiness into wickedness and ruin, to such a degree that, through too great proficiency, so to speak, in wickedness (if a man be guilty of so great neglect), he may descend even to that state in which he will be changed into what is called an 'opposing power'...
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"Chapter 8. On the Angels...
"3. According to our view, there is no rational creature which is not capable both of good and evil. But it does not follow, that because we say there is no nature which may not admit evil, we therefore maintain that every nature has admitted evil, i.e., has become wicked. As we may say that the nature of every man admits of his being a sailor, but it does not follow from that, that every man will become so; or, again, it is possible for every one to learn grammar or medicine, but it is not therefore proved that every man is either a physician or a grammarian; so, if we say that there is no nature which may not admit evil, it is not necessarily indicated that it has done so. For, in our view, not even the devil himself was incapable of good; but although capable of admitting good, he did not therefore also desire it, or make any effort after virtue. For, as we are taught by those quotations which we adduced from the prophets, there was once a time when he was good, when he walked in the paradise of God between the cherubim. As he, then, possessed the power either of receiving good or evil, but fell away from a virtuous course, and turned to evil with all the powers of his mind, so also other creatures, as having a capacity for either condition, in the exercise of the freedom of their will, flee from evil, and cleave to good. There is no nature, then, which may not admit of good or evil, except the nature of God— the fountain of all good things— and of Christ; for it is wisdom, and wisdom assuredly cannot admit folly; and it is righteousness, and righteousness will never certainly admit of unrighteousness; and it is the Word, or Reason, which certainly cannot be made irrational; nay, it is also the light, and it is certain that the darkness does not receive the light. In like manner, also, the nature of the Holy Spirit, being holy, does not admit of pollution; for it is holy by nature, or essential being. If there is any other nature which is holy, it possesses this property of being made holy by the reception or inspiration of the Holy Spirit, not having it by nature, but as an accidental quality, for which reason it may be lost, in consequence of being accidental. So also a man may possess an accidental righteousness, from which it is possible for him to fall away. Even the wisdom which a man has is still accidental, although it be within our own power to become wise, if we devote ourselves to wisdom with the zeal and effort of our life; and if we always pursue the study of it, we may always be participators of wisdom: and that result will follow either in a greater or less degree, according to the desert of our life or the amount of our zeal. For the goodness of God, as is worthy of Him, incites and attracts all to that blissful end, where all pain, and sadness, and sorrow fall away and disappear.
"4. I am of opinion, then, so far as appears to me, that the preceding discussion has sufficiently proved that it is neither from want of discrimination, nor from any accidental cause, either that the 'principalities' hold their dominion, or the other orders of spirits have obtained their respective offices; but that they have received the steps of their rank on account of their merits, although it is not our privilege to know or inquire what those acts of theirs were, by which they earned a place in any particular order. It is sufficient only to know this much, in order to demonstrate the impartiality and righteousness of God, that, conformably with the declaration of the Apostle Paul, 'there is no acceptance of persons with Him,' who rather disposes everything according to the deserts and moral progress of each individual. So, then, the angelic office does not exist except as a consequence of their desert; nor do 'powers' exercise power except in virtue of their moral progress; nor do those which are called 'seats,' i.e., the powers of judging and ruling, administer their powers unless by merit; nor do 'dominions' rule undeservedly, for that great and distinguished order of rational creatures among celestial existences is arranged in a glorious variety of offices. And the same view is to be entertained of those opposing influences which have given themselves up to such places and offices, that they derive the property by which they are made 'principalities,' or 'powers,' or rulers of the darkness of the world, or spirits of wickedness, or malignant spirits, or unclean demons, not from their essential nature, nor from their being so created, but have obtained these degrees in evil in proportion to their conduct, and the progress which they made in wickedness. And that is a second order of rational creatures, who have devoted themselves to wickedness in so headlong a course, that they are unwilling rather than unable to recall themselves; the thirst for evil being already a passion, and imparting to them pleasure. But the third order of rational creatures is that of those who are judged fit by God to replenish the human race, i.e., the souls of men, assumed in consequence of their moral progress into the order of angels; of whom we see some assumed into the number: those, viz., who have been made the sons of God, or the children of the resurrection, or who have abandoned the darkness, and have loved the light, and have been made children of the light; or those who, proving victorious in every struggle, and being made men of peace, have been the sons of peace, and the sons of God; or those who, mortifying their members on the earth, and, rising above not only their corporeal nature, but even the uncertain and fragile movements of the soul itself, have united themselves to the Lord, being made altogether spiritual, that they may be for ever one spirit with Him, discerning along with Him each individual thing, until they arrive at a condition of perfect spirituality, and discern all things by their perfect illumination in all holiness through the word and wisdom of God, and are themselves altogether undistinguishable by any one.
"We think that those views are by no means to be admitted, which some are wont unnecessarily to advance and maintain, viz., that souls descend to such a pitch of abasement that they forget their rational nature and dignity, and sink into the condition of irrational animals, either large or small; and in support of these assertions they generally quote some pretended statements of Scripture, such as, that a beast, to which a woman has unnaturally prostituted herself, shall be deemed equally guilty with the woman, and shall be ordered to be stoned; or that a bull which strikes with its horn, shall be put to death in the same way; or even the speaking of Balaam's ass, when God opened its mouth, and the dumb beast of burden, answering with human voice, reproved the madness of the prophet. All of which assertions we not only do not receive, but, as being contrary to our belief, we refute and reject. After the refutation and rejection of such perverse opinions, we shall show, at the proper time and place, how those passages which they quote from the sacred Scriptures ought to be understood."
~ Origen (c.185–254), De Principiis, Book 1, Chs. 5, 8.