Quebec religion wants Canadian government to approve the use of magic mushrooms in its ceremonies

Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts. Revelation 9:21

According to Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, the Greek word for sorcery in Rev. 9:21 is pharmakia (or pharmakeia), from which we get the English word pharmacy...

...primarily signified the use of medicine, drugs, spells; then, poisoning; then, sorcery...mentioned as one of the "works of the flesh..."

...In sorcery, the use of drugs, whether simple or potent, was generally accompanied by incantations and appeals to occult powers, with the provision of various charms, amulets, etc., professedly designed to keep the applicant or patient from the attention and power of demons, but actually to impress the applicant with the mysterious resources and powers of the sorcerer.

We live in an increasingly drugged society--yet another end-time prophecy that's being fulfilled before our eyes. As reported by Darryl Greer of Canadian Press, October 21, 2024:

A Quebec-based religion is taking the minister of mental health and addictions to court, claiming Health Canada is dragging its feet on a decision whether to allow its members to use magic mushrooms in their ceremonies.

Gratitude Sanctuary, known as Sanctuaire de la Gratitude in French, and its “Reverend Superior” Alain Menier, filed an application in Federal Court claiming its members need to consume magic mushrooms to practice their religion.

The application was filed by the religious non-profit in early October in Ottawa, and says the group believes people receive “their own teachings when entering the sacred space opened by the consumption of psilocybin mushrooms.”

The application says ceremonies must be done safely and legally, but Health Canada hasn’t decided on the group’s request for an exemption from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, which was first submitted in March 2022.

“An important tenant of the religion is that the mushrooms should be consumed in the safest way possible, which requires that they be consumed under strict health and safety protocols, in a controlled environment, and under trained supervision,” it says.

In response to the request, the application says Health Canada sent two questionnaires to Menier with 41 questions in total, but months went by without a response.

The religious non-profit’s lawyer sent a “demand letter” in September to Health Canada seeking a response to the exemption request within 30 days, and “Health Canada confirmed receipt but did not provide any of the responses requested nor demonstrate that it was taking steps to further the processing of the exemption request.”

It wants to compel the agency to decide on the exemption, saying it “cannot conduct their religious ceremonies without” it.

Menier and Gratitude Sanctuary claim in court that their “religious freedom rights are being infringed by the lack of an exemption,” and they want a judge to compel the minister of mental health and addictions to either decide to grant or refuse the request.

“No harm will result from the minister continuing to process the exemption request,” the court application says.

“Rather, it will result in either the minister granting the request and allowing the applicants to practice their religion or the minister notifying the applicants about what more information that is needed or of the minister’s intent to refuse the request.”

Health Canada said it was looking into a question about religious exemptions from the act.

Health Canada’s website outlines how exemption requests are decided on a “case by case basis,” and processing times vary depending on the purpose of the exemption.

The agency’s website says it strives to “assess requests in a timely fashion,” aiming for 45 days for clinical studies, 70 days for scientific research, but for “non-routine exemptions, there is no set time period for receiving decisions.”

“The review time varies depending on the complexity and completeness of the request,” Health Canada’s website says.

A lawyer for Gratitude Sanctuary did not immediately respond to an email and voice mail seeking comment.

Youth "ministry" in at least two Winnipeg churches now includes Dungeons & Dragons

I've never played or had any desire to play Dungeons & Dragons or any other fantasy role-playing game, but I remember when the game was at the peak of its popularity in the 1980s. One of the few times I ever watched Sally Jessy Raphael's tabloid television show was when she had an episode on D&D in 1989. One of her guests was Paul Valentine, founder of the World Church of Satanic Liberation, and even he said that Dungeons & Dragons could be dangerous for players if they had an evil Dungeon Master. Christians warned against the game in those days, but now there are at least two churches in Winnipeg that use D&D as part of youth "ministry."

There's an old saying, attributed to various people, "What you win them with is what you win them to," or "What wins them is what keeps them." If you use Dungeons & Dragons to attract young people to church, that's what you're winning them to, and what will keep them in church. When I read of the nonsense described in the following article, it makes me more grateful that the Lord saved me when He did. As reported by John Longhurst in the Winnipeg Free Press, October 16, 2024 (photos by Mr. Longhurst):

Fifty years ago, a new game appeared on the scene: Dungeons & Dragons.

Soon after being introduced, the fantasy role-playing game, with its magic, wizards, sorcerers and warlocks, was criticized by many Christian leaders who saw it as a portal to the demonic — a way for Satan to steal the souls of unsuspecting youth.

That was during the time of the so-called “satanic panic,” when some Christians saw the devil everywhere they looked, from heavy metal music to graffiti.

One religious tract that circulated at the time said the game — in which players embark on adventures in a fantasy setting, directed by a dungeon master — was a form of “intense occult training” that caused young people to become witches and even to kill themselves.

In at least two churches in Winnipeg, D&D is seen in a very different light.

At River East Church, which is affiliated with Mennonite Church Manitoba, the game is seen as a great way to engage youth.

That’s the view of associate pastor Aaron Thiessen, 35, who runs a twice-monthly D&D game night at the church for as many as 25 youth from grades 7 to 11.

Thiessen hadn’t played the game himself growing up.

“It’s not that my parents were against it; I just thought it wasn’t for me,” he says.

When he discovered many young people in the church were into D&D, Thiessen decided to start some informal game nights in 2017. It went so well, he made it an official youth activity in 2019.

“The first time we tried it, 10 young people showed up. Now we have trouble keeping up with all who want to play,” he says.

The pandemic put a dent in the game — though they kept playing it online — but it came back stronger than ever when COVID abated.

Many of the youth who come to game nights aren’t from the congregation.

“For some, it’s the one connection they have to a church,” Thiessen says, adding it enables him to engage youth he had not met before, in a different way.

For him, the game nights build community and provide him with opportunities to have natural conversations with youth. He especially likes to see introverts open up as they play.

As for who comes, it’s a good mix of male and female players.

“It’s not just for guys anymore,” he says.

Thiessen begins each session with a story from the Bible or a story of a saint. On an evening in October, it’s the story of Moses going up a mountain, where he saw a burning bush and heard the voice of God.

“Mountains were special places where people could run into a deity,” Thiessen tells the youth about that Bible story. “I’m curious about what stories you will tell tonight.”

For Thiessen, incorporating stories such as this is a way to include a bit of spiritual teaching.

“The Bible is a book of stories, stories that continue to impact us today, stories that shape us as people, just as D&D is about stories,” he says.

The game also gives him and the adults who volunteer as dungeon masters to run the games a way to explore issues outside the games themselves.

“It gives us chances to explore why things happen the way they do in a game, the moral choices characters make,” Thiessen says.

After the games, there can be a time to debrief and talk about what happened.

Nathan Christmas, 18, is a volunteer dungeon master at River East. For him, D&D is a core way to bring youth together in a fun activity.

“It’s a space where youth can get together and tell stories. It builds conversation, improv and critical thinking skills,” he says.

For Kiana, one of the youth playing the game, it’s an opportunity to be with friends and “be in a different world.” For Jaden, it’s about “creating new worlds and stories with friends.”

Another congregation using D&D is FaithWorks, an independent church that meets on the campus of Canadian Mennonite University.

It’s organized by Christopher Neufeld, 42, who wasn’t allowed to play the game as a child, owing to some sort of “ambiguous evil” that was said to surround it.

In high school, he started to play with friends. Today he uses it as a way to engage young adults in the congregation; he hopes to start another game for youth in the church, too.
“It’s a connecting point with the church for some of them. Something in common we can do together,” he says.

Kiana (left) and Nori play Dungeons & Dragons at River East Church.

Anton Klein serves as a dungeon master during game night at River East Church.

I remember the "satanic panic" in the '80s, which included accusations of "backmasking" in rock music recordings in the early years of the decade, and accusations of satanic ritual abuse and murder toward the end of the decade. The latter peaked from about 1988-1992, and faded away when evidence mounted that many of the accounts were the result of false memories. I believe the concerns about Dungeons & Dragons, however, are legitimate. A good book on the subject from a Christian perspective is Playing with Fire by John Weldon and James Bjornstad (1984).

This was how demon-possessed criminals were dealt with in the Canadian Arctic in the 1920s

This has long been one of my favourite headlines; as reported in the Edmonton Bulletin, October 2, 1929 (capitals, bold in original).

ESKIMO GETS RELIGION AND SLAYS THREE

---------------------

Insane Native Then Pushed Through Hole In Ice By Tribesmen

Canadian Press

OTTAWA, Oct. 2--Believed by the authorities to have been a victim of the wave of religious mania, which swept over this lonely land about ten years ago, a young Eskimo inhabitant of the interior of the southern portion of Baffin Land became demented and shot and killed his two parents and a young woman relation. He shot at but missed his brother. The Eskimo tribe of which he was formerly a law-abiding member, kept him in close confinement through a long winter but in the spring, after he had twice escaped their vigilance, pushed him through a hole and drowned him beneath the ice of the sub-Arctic.

The story, almost unbelievable in its complications forms a part of a routine report of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers at Lake Harbor, Baffin Land, and will be incorporated in the annual report of the R.C.M.P. now being prepared at headquarters here.

Sergeant J.F.C. White in charge of the detachment at Lake Harbor reported that last winter, accompanied by Constable P. Dersch he made a long patrol through a section of southern Baffin Island where white men were unknown before the great war. He learned the story from the tribe in which the tragedy occurred.

Heard Voice From Heaven

The report stated that Mako Gliak, a young man became obsessed with the idea that he was a purifier of his race. He told his relatives he had heard a voice from Heaven telling him to kill all his people. He promptly proceeded to put this mission into operation.

The names of those he murdered were not ascertained by the police, although they were told Mako's parents and a young woman related to him were shot before the rest of the tribe overpowered him.

As Mako was obviously under a devilish spell, the Eskimos did not know what to do with him. The nearest post, Lake Harbor, was 500 miles away, and they had no means of making such a long journey with a madman. They bound him up with thongs of sealskin and kept him under guard in an igloo all winter. About March of the following year (1926) members of the group decided that they could not keep him any longer. They told police the men of the tribe were all worn out, by this time in maintaining a sharp vigilance lest Mako should escape and continue his crazy plan.

Pushed Through Ice

They summoned him before a meeting of the whole family one day, and told him he had to die. The gave him his choice of the manner of death. He could be shot, stabbed, or drowned--whichever he preferred.

But Mako did not widh to die, they told police. However his end was decided upon, and a hole was made in the ice. He was pushed through this and river currents carried him to his death.

No official action is contemplated, officials of the R.C.M.P. said. In making public the report from the north.

It is believed that the Eskimo tribe was actuated by motives of self-defence. Such occurrences are not unknown in the territory patrolled by Canada's silent watchmen of the North.

The district in which the deaths occurred is on a river which runs from Adjuak Lake into Nellfilling Lake in southern Baffin Land. The first white man to cross this lonely land was a German, and two years after the Great War it was penetrated again by Major L.T. Burwash, noted Canadian Arctic investigator of the Yukon and Northwest Territories branch. Occasionally since that time, R.C.M.P. officers have patrolled the district but no white man has visited the scene since the fall of 1925 when the youth went mad.

R.C.M.P. officials said a religious mania of this nature is not uncommon among the semi-civilized peoples of the north.

This freak is a product of an Evangelical university in Canada

Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. Romans 1:24-32

Anyone who thinks that Evangelical universities and colleges are actually Christian isn't paying attention. Lighthouse Trails Research Project published the following letter from a reader on June 27, 2022 (link in original):

I am a Westmont grad from the early 70s, and, with my husband, a Multnomah University alum as well. I grew up in a church closely associated with Multnomah when its slogan was: “If you want Bible, you want Multnomah.” But no longer. We live near the school and have seen the apostasy firsthand. It breaks our hearts.

Westmont was beginning to crack while I was there. Most of the older faculty were still OK but the administration was caving in to vocal students who were very rebellious, especially toward the Christian stance of the school.

We sent a daughter to Trinity Western University in Langley BC in 2000, back when I still believed printed doctrinal statements. She went from respecting the Word of God and loving her parents to becoming a radical socialist activist who excises out of her life anyone who doesn’t support her current values, including us. I don’t know of any of her friends from there who haven’t followed the same path, either becoming indifferent to, or antagonistic toward biblical Christianity. She goes to a social justice episcopal church.

My niece, a pastor’s daughter, went to Texas Christian University, graduating around 2006. She became a Unitarian a few years ago.

The daughter of my husband’s boss is an enthusiastic Biola grad. She is also a shaven head goth who spoke at her grandfather’s funeral, calling up his spirit and having a lovely visit with him over a glass of wine!

We pray for their salvation. I believe the reason our other children still walk with the Lord is because they eschewed college (and debt) for other kinds of career training. The Lord is blessing them.

Colleen

I responded with several comments:

Back in the 1980s, Herbert Schlossberg was quoted as saying that the real mission field was the evengelical colleges, which had largely lost the idea of confronting the world, and instead had largely accommodated it.

I’ve been saying for years that doctrinal statements are often useless; there are many churches, schools, and evangelical organizations that have good-looking statements of faith, but they don’t follow them in practice.

If you want to know how “Christian” an “evangelical” college is, don’t look at its statement of faith; look at the student newspaper and blogs. They’re often full of apostasy, and it’s an indication of the school’s apostasy that they even allow such content to be published. (June 27, 2022)


Further to my comment above, look at any issue of Mars’ Hill, the TWU student newspaper. Glance at any issue, and I dare you to find anything distinctively Christian.

As an example of the apostasy to be found in any issue is in the October 6, 2021 issue. Go to page 12, and you’ll find an article promoting animism.

The arts and culture editor (2020-21) and managing editor (2021-22) of Mars’ Hill was one Carter Sawatzky, a drag queen who occupies several letters on the alphabet pervert spectrum, and is appearing with “gay Christian” Greg Coles at a Preston Sprinkle-hosted conference .

If TWU were actually Christian, characters like this would have been kept out, and Mars’ Hill wouldn’t be allowed to be published (November 30, 2023).


Further to my most recent comment, this is what Carter Sawatzky looks like now [in his profile as a graduate student at the University of British Columbia] (bold in original) (September 25, 2024):

Carter Sawatzky
They/Them
MA Student

RESEARCH AREA Critical Race Studies And Black Studies | Gender And Sexuality Studies | Rhetoric

PERIOD/NATION RESEARCH AREA
Contemporary Literatures

About
Carter Sawatzky (they/them) is a first-year MA student in the Department of English Language and Literatures at UBC with research interests in queer/trans studies, HIV/AIDS literature, and medical humanities. They received their BA Honours English from Trinity Western University where they wrote their Honours thesis on queer strategies of coping with disease and dis/ability through various forms of resilience and resistance in contemporary American literature on HIV/AIDS. Beyond academia, they are also the communications director of One TWU, the independent coalition of LGBTQIA2S+ students, alumni, and allies at TWU.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is what your “Evangelical” universities are producing.

Progressive Jews use holiday for animals to promote vegetarianism

As reported by Sharon Chisvin in the Winnipeg Free Press, August 31, 2024:

Exactly one month before Jews worldwide gather in synagogues to commemorate the major holiday of Rosh Hashana and the start of a new Jewish calendar year, a smaller contingent of mostly progressive members of the faith are gathering online to celebrate a lesser-known Jewish holiday.

That holiday is Rosh Hashana L’Behemot, the New Year for Domesticated Animals. Rosh Hashana L’Behemot occurs each year on the first day of the Hebrew month of Elul, and, as a result, is also referred to as Ehad b’Elul. This fall, that date corresponds to Sept. 4.

Rosh Hashana L’Behemot dates back to the days of the ancient holy Temple in Jerusalem when it was customary to tithe every tenth animal in a flock and offer it up as a sacrifice to God. Tithing, and animal sacrifices, like many of the ancient rites and customs associated with the Second Temple, came to an end with the Roman destruction of the Temple in 70 C.E. and the subsequent dispersion of the Jewish people into exile. Commemoration of Rosh Hashana L’Behemot, naturally, fell into decline as well.

The day itself, however, according to Aharon Varady, director of the Open Siddur Project—a grassroots initiative that digitizes diverse Jewish liturgy and texts—remained “documented but dormant, just waiting for the right moment to be revived.”

That moment has been taking its time to arrive, but Rosh Hashana L’Behemot has gradually begun to gain traction again. In recent years, the holiday has primarily evolved into a day on which Jewish community members are encouraged to pause and consider both their relationship with and their responsibility towards domestic animals.

“As Rosh Hashana L’Behemot is still evolving there is no usual way (to celebrate),” explains Rabbi Jonathan Bernhard, Executive Director of the Jewish Initiative for Animals (JIFA), “but common elements include some type of reading, prayer, teaching, or the blowing of the shofar.”

“Most congregations,” he adds, “do not do anything. We are trying to change that!”

JIFA’s determination to make that change is the reason it is partnering for the first time ever with the organization, Jewish Veg, in presenting the on-line, Alep B’Elul, Rosh Hashana L’Behemot celebration on Wednesday morning.

Similar to JIFA, Jewish Veg encourages compassion for animals and the adoption of plant-based diets — which, significantly, also will help alleviate the climate crisis — through the lens of Jewish teachings and values. The organizations’ shared hope is that their Zoom event will increase awareness about and actions aligned with their shared goals.

The 90-minute event will be hosted by Bernard and features a keynote address by Dr. Beth Berkowitz on the topic of “Making Animals a Part of the Jewish Family.” Berkowitz is a Jewish and religious studies scholar at Barnard College and the author of the book What Animals Teach Us about Families: Kinship and Species in the Bible and Rabbinic Literature.

The online event also will honour Dr. Richard Schwartz, a life-long animal rights activist, the founder of Jewish Veg, and a co -founder of the Society of Ethical and Religious Vegetarians.

The author of significant writing on the topic of animal advocacy and the Jewish plant-based movement, Schwartz has repeatedly argued that veganism and vegetarianism is the highest manifestation of the Jewish dietary laws of kashrut.

This is yet more evidence that Judeo values are not Christian values. In contrast to JIFA and Jewish Veg, the Bible does not promote vegetarianism. Although God gave man "every herb bearing seed...and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed" for food (Genesis 1:29), by the time of Noah and his sons, God says to them, "Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things." (Genesis 9:3). By the time of Moses, God commands the people of Israel to eat the Passover lamb (Exodus 12:8-11); vegetarianism was not an option. Addressing the Jews of his time, the Lord Jesus Christ said,

“Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them?
For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.) Mark 7:18-19 (NIV)

One of the signs of the end times is the command to abstain from certain foods (I Timothy 4:3), although "every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving" (I Timothy 4:4). The only dietary restrictions given to Christians are those in Acts 15:20: ...that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.

South Africa's Chief Rabbi blasts Pope Francis and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby for their unbiblical positions on Israel

In striking contrast to Evangellyfish, the Chief Rabbi of South Africa calls a spade a spade; as reported by Etgar Lefkovits of Jewish News Syndicate, August 27, 2024 (photo, bold, links in original, added by blogger):

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby exchanges gifts with Pope Francis at the Vatican on May 2, 2024. Photo by Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images.

The head of the Catholic Church and the leader of the Church of England are effectively rejecting the Bible by supporting policies that negate the connection of the Jewish people to the Holy Land, the chief rabbi of South Africa said on Sunday.

The blunt theological critique comes after the archbishop of Canterbury endorsed a ruling by the International Court of Justice last month that Israel’s presence in the “occupied Palestinian territories” is unlawful, and as the pontiff has sought to thread the needle and maintain strict neutrality during Israel’s war against Islamist terrorists in Gaza.

“At a time when Europe’s future hangs in the balance, its two most senior Christian leaders—the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, and the head of the Church of England, Archbishop Justin Welby—have abandoned their most sacred duty to protect and defend the values of the Bible,” South African Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein wrote in a post on X.

The world is locked in a civilizational battle of values, threatened by terrorism and jihad, the rabbi said.

“Now is the time for religious leaders to come to the defense of society, to speak up for Western values and freedom,” Goldstein said. “Instead, Pope Francis and the Anglican archbishop are silent: indifferent to the murder of Christians in Africa, and to the threat of terrorism throughout Europe, and outright hostile to Israel’s attempts to battle these jihadi forces led by Iran.”

Does the archbishop read the Bible?

The Jewish leader said that the head of the Church of England’s remarks put him in “direct opposition” to the Bible.

“Does the archbishop believe the accounts of the Bible are mere myths?” Goldstein ponders in a 15-minute video address attached to the X post. “How can anyone who believes in the Bible say that Israel is an illegal occupier of the Temple Mount?”

After the U.N. court ruling, Welby said that ending “Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory is a legal and moral necessity.”

Goldstein continued, “If the archbishop reads his Bible, he should know that Jerusalem existed before London and was the capital of Israel before anyone heard of Britain.”

Imploring his fellow religious leaders to “go back to the Bible,” the South African rabbi said that denying Israel’s biblical claims to the Land of Israel was a threat to both the United Kingdom and Europe at a time of rising Islamic extremism.

“Jihadist ideology that seeks to destroy Israel is a clear and present danger to the future of Europe and its value system,” Goldstein said. “If Israel is abandoned to jihadi forces, Europe is next.”

False gods exact a high price from their devotees

When a mere man is worshipped as God, the results are never good; as reported by Elena Salvoni and Agence France-Presse in the London Daily Mail, July 2, 2024:

Around 100 worshippers have been crushed to death at a Hindu religious gathering in northern India, government medics have said.

The death toll has risen to 107, with scores of others injured, according to a senior government official. There are fears the number of dead could increase further.

A large crowd had gathered near the city of Hathras, Uttar Pradesh state, for a sermon by a popular preacher but a fierce dust storm sparked panic as people were leaving.

Many were crushed or trampled, falling on top of each other, with some collapsing into a roadside drain in the chaos.

'The attendees were exiting the venue when a dust storm blinded their vision, leading to a melee and the subsequent tragic incident,' said Chaitra V., divisional commissioner of Aligarh city.

Unverified videos show people crammed together as panicked shrieks and sirens ring out. Separate footage shows bodies piled up on the ground outside a local hospital in the aftermath.

Indian president Droupadi Murmu said in a statement on X: 'The news of the death of many devotees including women and children in the accident in Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh is heart-rending.

'I express my deepest condolences to those who lost their family members and pray for the speedy recovery of those injured.'

State Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said his thoughts were with the bereaved families and he ordered an urgent investigation into the incident.

'Instructions have been given to the concerned officials to conduct relief and rescue operations on war footing and to provide proper treatment to the injured,' he wrote on X.

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi said he has spoken to Adityanath regarding the tragic incident.

He said the Uttar Pradesh government 'is engaged in providing all possible help to all the victims.'

'My condolences are with those who have lost their loved ones in this,' he added, 'Along with this, I wish for the speedy recovery of all the injured.'

Crowds had been massing to celebrate the Hindu deity Shiva in the town of Sikandrarao, some 120 miles (200km) southeast of New Delhi.

Hathras District Magistrate Ashish Kumar said that it was 'a private event and permission had been given by the sub-divisional magistrate.

'Security arrangements were made by the administration but the other arrangements were supposed to be made by the organisers.'

Deadly accidents are common at places of worship in India during major religious festivals.

At least 112 people were killed in 2016 after a huge explosion caused by a banned fireworks display at a temple marking the Hindu new year.

The blast ripped through concrete buildings and ignited a fire at a temple complex in Kerala state, where thousands had gathered.

Another 115 devotees died in 2013 after a stampede at a bridge near a temple in Madhya Pradesh.

Up to 400,000 people were gathered in the area, and the stampede occurred after a rumour spread that the bridge was about to collapse.

About 224 pilgrims died and more than 400 others were injured in a 2008 stampede at a hilltop temple in the northern city of Jodhpur.

Perceptive readers will notice that the devotees were gathering to worship Shiva. Shiva is a major deity in Hinduism, and is known as the Destroyer in the Hindu trinity that includes Brahma and Vishnu. The destruction resulting from this incident was reported by Cherylann Mollan of BBC News and Dilnawaz Pasha of BBC Hindi, July 3, 2024 (bold, links in original):

The number of people killed in a crush at a religious gathering in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has risen to 121, making it one of the deadliest such disasters in more than a decade.

The incident took place during a satsang (a Hindu religious festival) in Hathras district on Tuesday.

Police said the number of people present at the venue was three times the permitted limit and most of those who died or were injured were women.

A case has been registered against the event's organisers.

The tragedy has sparked outrage in India, and has led to questions about lapses in safety measures.

What happened?

The crush took place in Pulrai village, where a self-styled godman called Bhole Baba was holding a religious gathering.

Officials said the event was massively overcrowded.

Authorities had given permission for 80,000 people to gather but around 250,000 people attended the event, according to the first information report (FIR) lodged by the police.

Chaos broke out at the end of the event as the preacher was about to leave in his car.

The police report said thousands of devotees ran towards his vehicle and began collecting dust from the path in an act of devotion.

As crowds swelled, several of those sitting and squatting on the ground got crushed.

The document added that some people tried running to a patch of mud-filled fields across the road, but were forcibly stopped by the organisers and were crushed.

Police have registered a case against a man who they say was the event's main organiser and a few others on several charges, including culpable homicide.

On Tuesday, distressing images from the site were circulated online.

Some videos showed the injured being taken to hospitals in pick-up trucks, tuk tuks and even motorbikes.

Other clips showed distraught family members screaming outside a local hospital as they tried to find their loved ones among rows of bodies left at the entrance.

Bunty, who uses only one name and comes from the state's Aligarh district, said he was devastated at the loss of his mother.

He saw her body lying outside a hospital on a news channel on Tuesday evening.

"But when I went there, I could not find my mother and have since been trying to locate her body," he told BBC Hindi.

Others expressed anger over the incident.

Ritesh Kumar, whose 28-year-old wife was among those killed, said his life had been upended.

“My family has been destroyed. The government should see to it that we get justice,” he said.

Who is Bhole Baba?

The self-styled godman's original name is Suraj Pal but he reportedly re-christened himself Narayan Sakar Vishwa Hari. His devotees call him Bhole Baba.

He hails from Bahadurpur village in Kasganj district, which is about 65km (40 miles) from Hathras.

Sanjay Kumar, a senior police officer in the state, told BBC Hindi that he was a constable in the police but was suspended from service after a criminal case was lodged against him.

He was reinstated in the force after a court cleared him but left his job in 2002, Mr Kumar added.

Details about his life are sketchy, but Mr Kumar says that after leaving the force, he began to call himself Bhole Baba.

He does not have much social media presence, but has hundreds of thousands of followers in Hathras and neighbouring districts.

Huge crowds attend his sermons where he is mostly seen in white clothes.

Since the tragedy, the preacher is believed to be hiding in his ashram in Mainpuri, about 100km (62 miles) from Pulrai village.

Shalabh Mathur, a senior official in Aligarh police, said a search was underway to find him and question him.

Police say he runs an organisation called the Ram Kutir Charitable Trust, which was also the main organiser of Tuesday's event.

Satsangs are events where people gather to pray, sing devotional songs or listen to a preacher and they are often attended by a large number of women.

Gomti Devi, who was present at the event, said she had a lot of faith in the Bhole Baba.

She said she wears a locket with his photo because he "cures diseases, ends domestic troubles, and provides employment".

Gomti Devi holds up a locket with the religious leader's image

As reported by Reuters, July 3, 2024 (bold, links in original):

A massive gathering addressed by an Indian policeman-turned-preacher, considered an incarnation of God by his followers, turned horribly wrong on Tuesday, as at least 121 people, mostly women and children, died in a stampede.

"Bhole Baba", or the Innocent Elder, is the sobriquet of a self-styled godman who was a police constable before he turned to spirituality and became a preacher. Originally Suraj Pal Singh, he later changed his name to Narayan Sakar Hari. He is currently untraceable, and police in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh, where Tuesday's tragedy occurred, said they were still trying to trace him.

Here are some known facts about the preacher:

ORIGINS

Bhole Baba was a police constable in Uttar Pradesh for nearly a decade before he resigned and turned to spirituality, Sudhir Kumar, a senior police official said. The preacher is a native of Kasganj village, close to the Hathras area where the stampede took place.

He used to travel across the states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, in India's northern belt, where he has a huge following, and address gatherings, mostly on the first Tuesday of every month, local media said.

A member of India's low-caste Dalit community, Bhole Baba's aim was to create an ideal society, free of superstition and full of compassion, according to a hoarding erected at the site of Tuesday's incident.

ONLINE PERSONA

Posters and videos posted on Bhole Baba's YouTube channel, which boasts of millions of views, show him dressed in either traditional Indian kurta tunics or pristine white suits and ties, often sporting sunglasses, a departure from the spartan image of most godmen.

Holding a microphone in hand, seated on an ornate throne and with his wife by his side, Bhole Baba is seen addressing huge gatherings of mostly women, almost all of whom are sitting on the ground, hands folded in reverence. "Humanity was the true religion, is the true religion and will always be the true religion," he is quoted as saying in a poster.

To protect himself from devotees who would rush to touch his feet and seek his blessings, Bhole Baba had formed a security team known as Narayani Sena, with men and women guards who would escort him to gatherings, an NDTV report said.



Who is Bhole Baba aka Narayan Saakar Hari?

Suraj Pal Singh, known to his followers as Bhole Baba, was born in Bahadur Nagari village in Uttar Pradesh's Etah district to a farmer. He joined UP police and was a head constable working with the Intelligence Unit for over 18 years. However, his followers say he has also claimed that he worked for the Intelligence Bureau.

In 1999, he took voluntary retirement from the service, changed his name to Narayan Saakar Hari and began holding satsangs. He told his devotees he felt an inclination towards spirituality and world peace and he resigned to begin his spiritual journey.

From Suraj Pal to Narayan Saakar Hari

According to a report, he claimed to live in a hut in his village and travelled across Uttar Pradesh to preach. Narayan Hari also enjoys a large following in neighbouring states of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

Unlike most self-styled godmen, Narayan Hari is seen wearing a white suit and tie or a simple kurta pyjama accompanied by his wife Prem Bati. He also claims he does not keep any money offered to him by followers at his satsangs and distributes it among his followers.

Covid Satsang Had 50,000 Attendees

Even though the self-styled godman is known to keep his distance from the media, he has been embroiled in several controversies. In 2022, he held a similar satsang in UP's Farrukhabad even as cases of Covid were on the rise. While the district administration only permitted 50 people to attend the event over 50,000 people reached the site to attend the programme. The large crowd led to the significant traffic snarls in the area.

Seeing the large crowds that turn up for his satsangs, the godman has a security team named "Narayani Sena" that consists of men and women guards who escort him from his ashram to the satsang locations.

As reported by Reuters, July 5, 2024 (links in original):

The chief organiser of an Indian preacher's event where a stampede killed 121 people this week surrendered to police on Friday, a lawyer for the preacher said, after police had launched a manhunt.

Devprakash Madhukar was named a key suspect in an initial report registered by police under charges including attempted culpable homicide. Police had announced a reward of 100,000 rupees ($1,200) for information leading to his arrest.

A.P. Singh, lawyer for self-styled godman Bhole Baba, said Madhukar was the main organiser of the Hindu religious event on Tuesday attended by about 250,000 people in a village in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. District authorities had permitted an event of only 80,000 people.

"He has surrendered from Delhi. We are not seeking an anticipatory bail," Singh told reporters. He denied any wrongdoing by the event's organisers and said Devprakash was getting medical treatment in a hospital after the stampede.

The preacher said on Saturday he was saddened by the incident and his aides would help the injured and families of the deceased.

"I have faith that anyone who created the chaos will not be spared," he told Indian news agency ANI, in which Reuters has a minority stake.

($1 = 83.47 Indian rupees)

Judeo values are on display in New York City during pervert pride month

Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. Romans 1:24-32

I stopped using the phrase "Judeo-Christian" about a dozen years ago when I realized that Judeo values are not Christian values. For evidence, look no further than pervert pride month in New York City; as reported by Julia Gergely of Jewish Telegraphic Agency, May 31, 2024 (bold, links, photo in original):

A marcher waves the Jewish Pride flag during the New York City Pride parade in 2017. (Roy Rochlin/FilmMagic)

As June rolls in, so does Pride Month — a 30-day celebration of the LBGTQ community and its long fight for equality.

New York City is home to the largest LGBTQ population in the country, so it’s no surprise that we’re also home to one of the biggest Pride parades. This year’s parade — themed “Reflect. Empower. Unite” — will take place on Sunday, June 30. Last year, the parade drew roughly 75,000 marchers and 2 million spectators, a capstone to a month of events ranging from raucous, late-night parties to documentary screening, drag shows and art exhibits.

The city’s Jewish community — also the largest in the country — is hosting a number of Pride events, too, from family-friendly concerts to galas to special Shabbat services. Scroll down for our roundup of Jewish ways to celebrate Pride New York this June.

Is your synagogue or Jewish organization hosting a Pride event open to the public? Send an email with the details if you’d like us to add it to our list!

Celebration of Eshel featuring Modi

Eshel, an organization that supports Orthodox parents of queer teenagers, is celebrating its 13th anniversary this year with a gala at the Prince George Ballroom (15 East 27th St., Manhattan) on Tuesday, June 4 at 7 p.m. The event includes dinner and drinks — the keynote program this year is an interview with comedian Modi Rosenfeld and his husband Leo Veiga. Get tickets, $75, here.

Base UWS Pride Celebration

On June 5 at 7:30 p.m., Base UWS, a new community for Jews in their 20s and 30s led by Rabbi Danny Stein, is hosting an evening of socializing and storytelling in honor of Pride on its rooftop deck overlooking Central Park. Drinks, snacks and ice cream are part of the free event. Location upon RSVP.

Pride Reception and Kabbalat Shabbat with Stephen Wise Free Synagogue

Join Stephen Wise Free Synagogue (30 West 68th St., Manhattan) for a Shabbat service and special LGBTQ+ Pride reception on Friday, June 7 at 6 p.m. Register for free here.

CBE’s Very Queer Pride Party

Party the night away with Congregation Beth Elohim (274 Garfield Pl., Brooklyn) as the Reform synagogue in Park Slope celebrates Pride on Friday, June 7 at 8 p.m. The party features food, an open bar and performances by The Isle of Klezbos and DJ Plotz. Tickets start at $18. CBE will also co-host a seudah shlishit (the third meal on Shabbat) with several other Brooklyn Jewish groups before Brooklyn’s annual Twilight Pride Parade on June 8. Free; register here.

Jewish Family Pride in Brooklyn

In conjunction with several Brooklyn Jewish organizations, The Neighborhood is hosting several events the weekend of June 7-9 to celebrate Brooklyn’s Queer Jewish families, including a Pride Shabbat on June 7 at Hannah Senesh Community School (342 Smith St.), a Rainbow Rockout concert at Brooklyn Brewery (79 North 11th St.) and a Pride afternoon in Prospect Park. Check out the full list of events here.

Pride Celebration at JCC Mid-Westchester

On Sunday, June 9 at 2 p.m., join the JCC Mid-Westchester (999 Wilmot Rd., Scarsdale) for a Pride celebration featuring rainbow challah-making, crafts and music. There will also be a talk with author Jeff Bender about his book “Apparel Has No Gender.” Register for the free afternoon here.

Pride Shabbat Dinner with Town and Village Synagogue

Town and Village Synagogue (334 East 14th St., Manhattan) is hosting a Pride Shabbat dinner on Friday, June 21 at 7 p.m. featuring a conversation with Kate Brooks, the author of “Transister: Raising Twins in a Gender-Bending World.” Tickets are $30 for adults and $18 for kids under 18.

Jewish Queer Youth Nachas Gala

Jewish Queer Youth is throwing its annual Pride=Nachas gala this year on Thursday, June 27 at 7 p.m. The event features music, dancing, frozen cocktails, kosher cuisine and will honor two Jewish community leaders. Location upon RSVP. From $90; learn more here.

Pride Shabbat with Congregation Beit Simchat Torah

New York’s pioneering queer synagogue is hosting a Pride Shabbat — seen as a “cornerstone celebration of CBST’s calendar” — on Friday, June 28 at 6:30 p.m. at Masonic Hall. (46 West 41st St., Manhattan). Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum will deliver her final sermon before she steps down. Donations suggested and a livestream will be available. Register here.

Survey indicates that many Canadian "Evangelicals" aren't Christians

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; I Timothy 4:1

Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. II Timothy 3:5

I don't share the liberal views of the Winnipeg Free Press's religion writer, but at least he reports on issues that almost all other mainstream media outlest in Canada ignore. As reported by John Longhurst in the Winnipeg Free Press, May 18, 2024:

God as a three-in-one, Jesus as divine, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead — these are traditional church teachings that all Christians are assumed to believe. But a recent study by Cardus and the Canadian Bible Society has found that assumption to be unfounded.

Titled “Still Christian(?): What Canadian Christians Actually Believe,” the study’s author, Andrew Bennett, found the beliefs of many Canadian Christians don’t match up with what their churches teach on these and other doctrines.

For example, when asked to agree or disagree with the statement “there is one true God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,” 89 per cent evangelicals agreed, as did 51 per cent of Catholics and 57 per cent of mainline Protestants.

When asked if the resurrection of Jesus Christ was a historical event, 81 per cent of evangelicals said yes, as did 48 per cent of Catholics and 55 per cent of mainline Protestants.

As for whether Jesus was God, 74 per cent of evangelicals said yes, as did 46 per cent of Catholics and 42 per cent of mainline Protestants.

Are all religions equally true? The study found that 20 per cent of evangelicals agreed, as did 54 per cent of Catholics and 57 per cent of mainline Protestants.

When it comes to whether Christian moral teachings should evolve with changes in society, 45 per cent of evangelicals said yes, as did 72 per cent of Catholics and 61 per cent of mainline Protestants.

The study of 2,026 randomly selected Canadian adults was conducted by the Angus Reid Institute in February. Along with questions about doctrines, it also asks respondents for their views on things like abortion, same-sex marriage, heaven and hell and church attendance.

For Bennett, who is program director for Faith Communities at Cardus, the results are startling. “You could say there’s a real problem in the pews,” he said.

While evangelicals are more likely to hold to their denominational doctrines, there is “still some level of incoherence there,” he said, adding that especially for Catholics and mainline Protestants there are hints of “deep fractures” within those groups.

Although many diverged from traditional teachings, Bennett noted they still viewed themselves as Christians. “This fact is significant in itself,” he said.

One surprising finding from the study is that younger Canadian Christians display stronger commitments to traditional teachings compared to older generations. One reason for this, suggested Bennett, is that at a time when Christianity is no longer a cultural norm in Canada, some younger people “may be making deliberate, counter-cultural choices to adhere to the beliefs and devotional life of historical Christianity.”

For Sam Reimer, who teaches sociology at Crandall University in Moncton, the Cardus study mirrors his own research into the disparity between what Canadian evangelical clergy believe and what their denominations teach.

“Even active evangelicals will disagree knowingly with their church’s or denomination’s position on a moral or doctrinal belief,” said Reimer. He thinks this is because what used to be an accepted external locus of authority — church teaching — has been replaced by an internal locus where Christians think each person can decide what they want to believe “based on what works for them.”

Kevin Flatt studies religion at Redeemer University in Ancaster, Ont., For him, the results “are not surprising since they are consistent with longstanding patterns and trends in Christianity in Canada.”

What stands out for him is how evangelicals seem to have resisted an erosion of traditional doctrines, compared to Catholics and mainline Protestants — even if that group shows some significant differences of opinion.

“Overall, I would have expected to see secularization having more of an impact on evangelicals as well,” he said, suggesting evangelicals are more resistant to secularization than other groups.

For Andrew Rampton, rector at St. John the Evangelist, an Anglican church in Hamilton, the problem is that denominations like his haven’t done a good job of teaching their members the foundational Christian beliefs.

“We were so very drunk on Christendom for such a very long time,” said Rampton of the Anglican Church of Canada, noting that for a very long time the values of the surrounding culture supported Christian belief and practice — teaching about it wasn’t as necessary.

That led Anglicans to rely on something he called “liturgical osmosis,” or just assuming everyone would figure it out just by being in Canada.

But now that Canada is less Christian — “not a bad thing for the church in my estimation,” he offered — “we have to remember how to be a group who are not the dominant cultural mindset.”

Rampton also has seen evidence of how young people are more likely to hold traditional beliefs. “Most of the young people I know in the Anglican Church are there by choice,” he said, noting they were very deliberate about choosing that option.

As for the study itself, one question it doesn’t ask is whether the beliefs it highlights are still the ones Christians most need to be faithful in the 21st century; is the problem really as big as the study’s author suggests?

Or maybe something is happening in Canadian churches today as people find new ways of expressing and practising faithfulness — ways that go beyond the need to believe certain things in order to be a Christian. For that, we might need a different study.

The full Cardus study can be found at https://www.cardus.ca/research/faith-communities/reports/still-christian/?utm_source=Still+Christian+NR&utm_medium=Cision&utm_campaign=Still+Christian(%3f)

It comes as no surprise to this blogger to see the apostasy of Roman Catholics and mainline Protestants, although Evangelical useful idiots such as Brian Stiller, former president of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada and currently the Global Ambassador to the World Evangelical Alliance, believe that these apostate churches are part of the body of Christ (yes, he stated that belief in a speaking tour of Canadian churches in 2014 after accompanying other "Evangelical" leaders such as Kenneth Copeland (!) in a visit to Pope Francis at the Vatican).

The increasing apostasy of so-called Evangelicals also comes as no surprise to this blogger; Singaporean Chrsitian leader Samuel Tow presciently warned of this development in 1983 in his address Today's Evangelicals, Tomorrow's Liberals. As for the results of this survey, if all those who identified as "Evangelicals" were actually Christians, 100% would say that there is one God in three persons; that the resurrection of Jesus Christ was a historical event, and that Jesus is God, while 0% would say that all religions are equally true and that Christian moral teachings should evolve with changes in society (those churches that do believe that Christian moral teachings should evolve with changes in society are the churches that are dying).

It's laughable that Andrew Rampton, rectum rector of the Church of St. John the Evangelist in Hamilton, is cited as an expert on "foundational Christian beliefs." He's the sodomite who, shortly before he assumed his post in Hamilton, occupied the same position at Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Winnipeg, which staged an alphabet pervert "reimagination" of Handel's Messiah in 2023 (see link below).

As Paul's warnings to Timothy indicate, the increasing apostasy of professing Christians is more evidence that we are in the latter times preceding the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, and real Christians should be looking for His coming.

See also my posts: The latest LifeWay survey provides more evidence that many "Evangelicals" may not be Christians (October 30, 2018)

An Anglican "church" in Winnipeg hosts an alphabet pervert "reimagination" of Handel's Messiah (December 22, 2023)

YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg drops "Christian" from its name

The Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) was founded by a draper named George Williams, and was a product of the 19th century movement known as Muscular Christianity, which promoted patriotism, masculinity, duty, discipline, and athleticism. The reader of the following article will notice that while the YMCA-YWCA's distinctive Christian characteristics have faded away, those running and using the Y's are content to sponge off the cultural heritage of Christianity, while scorning the source, resulting in an acronym with no meaning. That's what you're left with when Jesus Christ is removed: a meaningless jumble. As always, the wokesters are incapable of building any such equivalent organizations of their own.

As reported by John Longhurst in the Winnipeg Free Press, February 29, 2024:

The Young Men’s and Young Women’s Christian Association of Winnipeg has changed its full legal name to YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg.

The reason for dropping references to Christianity and gender is to both reflect the reality of the organization and remove any barriers or concerns some might feel because of those words, said president and chief executive officer Cordella Friesen.

“We are open to all faiths,” Friesen said Thursday, noting while the organization was founded on Christian principles and values in the 19th century, it hasn’t been overtly Christian in Canada since the 1970s.

“That has not been our emphasis for a long time.”

However, she was often asked about the role Christianity played in the organization, including when hiring new staff or when signing partnership agreements.

This is especially true when entering into agreements with Indigenous groups, Friesen said, noting references to Christianity in the former full legal name could be triggering and concerning for some.

Changing it to the acronym YMCA-YWCA “just reflects the reality of who we have been for decades and who we are,” Friesen said, noting the organization serves a lot of people from the local Muslim community.

This includes wanting to make sure the YMCA-YWCA is seen as being open and welcoming to members of the LGBTTQ+ community, she added. The organization is providing a universal washroom and locker room at its downtown Winnipeg location, although it will still have gendered change rooms and bathrooms.

“Having separate rooms for men and women is important for some faith groups,” Friesen said.

The end goal of the name change is to send the message the YMCA-YWCA is “welcoming to all,” Friesen said. “The Y will always be a safe place that promotes and celebrates diversity.”

The name change is part of the organization’s recently released 2024-27 strategic plan, developed by YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg’s board of directors over the past year.

The YMCA was founded in 1844 in London, as a response to the terrible working conditions facing young men in cities at that time. The first YMCA in North America opened in Montreal in 1851; the Manitoba branch opened in 1879.

The YWCA was founded in 1858 in New York City.

Ms. Friesen provides more evidence that you can't be a satirist anymore, promoting the Y as a "safe place" while providing a universal washroom, thereby making it "safer" for alphabet perverts to indulge their perversions. And yes, "having separate [change] rooms for men and women" is not only important for some faith groups (read "Muslims," since the views of Christians obviously don't matter to her), but to anyone with any grasp of reality.

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) celebrates Transgender Day of Visibility

Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. Romans 1:24-32

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come... ...Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. II Timothy 3:1,5

If you're not already aware that the United States (not to mention Canada and other Western nations) are increasingly under the judgement of God, the declaration by the administration of alleged U.S. President Joe Biden of March 31, 2024 as "Transgender Day of Visibility" should help to make it clear. The fact that this celebration of perversion is scheduled for Easter Sunday is not a coincidence. Blogger Vox Day addresses this:

Evangelist Justin Peters offers an excellent biblical perspective--much better than I can--on transgenderism:



For more than half a century, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has been a hopelessly apostate denomination (see Carl McIntire's 1967 book The Death of a Church for evidence). For current evidence of the PCUSA's apostasy, look no further than the following. As stated by Shea Watts in the Presbyterian Outlook, March 24, 2024 :

In Luke 24, we join two companions traveling the dusty seven-mile road from Jerusalem to Emmaus. As they walk, they grieve the loss of Jesus. Sensing their pain, a stranger approaches and explains how Jesus’ death fulfills God’s promises in Scripture. Amazed, the traveling companions invite the man to dine with them. As the stranger blesses, breaks, and gives the bread, the travelers’ eyes open, and they see Jesus.

In Greek, we’re told here that the disciples recognize (ἐπιγινώσκω) Jesus; they “acknowledge” him. One way of interpreting the story suggests that the men only recognize Jesus when they welcome his presence at the table. In other words, it is not their piety but their hospitality that makes their seeing possible.

This year, Easter falls on the national Trans Day of Visibility (TDOV), allowing us to practice such eye-opening hospitality. We see Jesus whenever we welcome others to the table and acknowledge their presence among us. We see Jesus when we embrace our trans siblings.

According to the PC(USA) Advocacy Committee for LGBTQIA+ Equity, “TDOV is a day that our local churches can embrace and celebrate the diverse identities of transgender and non-binary individuals, affirming their intrinsic worth as creations of God.” This is necessary because transgender persons are the victims of violent legislation and hate crimes. The violence is such that the Human Rights Campaign even declared a National State of Emergency.

Judith Butler (they/them) demonstrates the rise of violence against trans people in Who’s Afraid of Gender? by exploring the anti-gender movement, an umbrella term referring to social movements opposing what they call “gender ideology,” “gender theory” or “genderism.” Examples of the anti-gender movement include efforts to stop talking about gender and sexuality in the classroom and promoting policies to limit trans rights.

Butler writes: “In taking aim at gender, some proponents of the anti-gender movement claim to be defending not just family values but values themselves, not just a way of life but life itself.” Trans people stand at the frontlines of the war on gendered bodies that do not fit the cis-gender, heterosexual standard, says Butler, and they are suffering from the spread of misinformation and rise of hostility. This is why TDOV is important. The fact that it coincides with Easter this year is a coincidence rich for theological reflection.

The paradox of Jesus’ resurrection invites us to look again, think again, and hopefully, live again. Therefore, Easter is an appropriate time to explore our theology of incarnation, embodiment and materiality. One way to understand Christ’s transfiguration is to see Jesus as “a template for other transfigured, transfiguring bodies,” including transgender persons. Cary Howie, a professor at Cornell who writes extensively on gender and sexuality, broaches this idea in his essay “On Transfiguration.” In this line of thinking, recognizing transgender persons allows us to better understand Christ’s resurrection because both Jesus and transgender persons are changed, trans-figured, metamorphosized.

Another way to understand the transfiguration is to think about the impact of being transformed. Howie writes: “To be transfigured is to implicate others in your transfiguration; it is to suggest that ‘luminous glory’ may erupt from, and within, any flesh whatsoever. This implication is part of what makes transfiguration terrifying: no one is untransfigurable, and no one is transfigured alone.” When we see others and acknowledge their transfiguring bodies, we, too, are transfigured and transformed. And the boundaries between “you” and “me” are dissolved until there is only “us."

We see this in the aftermath of Christ’s resurrection in Scripture. After Christ’s revelation to the travelers in Luke 24, he appears to the eleven disciples and friends, opening their minds to the Scripture (Luke 24:45). They become witnesses to Christ’s resurrection and God’s plan for humanity. In Acts, the second book of Luke’s Gospel, we see how they are then charged to tell the story of Jesus to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8) and how the Holy Spirit aids in this task (Acts 2). When we witness a transformation, we, too, are transformed.

This year with TDOV and Easter falling on the same day, we are asked: are we willing to be transfigured and transformed by acknowledging our trans siblings as images of God? Are we willing to acknowledge their wounds? When we do so, Jesus is revealed and the mystery of Easter bursts into our lives again.

To our trans siblings:

Forgive us

for the times we didn’t see you,

the times we failed to love you.

With your permission and God’s help,

we will love you more faithfully.

We see you, and our hearts burn.

As reported by Shani E. McIlwain of Presbyterian News Service, March 28, 2024 (links, photos in original):

Photo by Alexander Grey via Unsplash

In response to a recent General Assembly mandate, the Advocacy Committee for LGBTQIA+ Equity is at work assisting the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in providing full expression to the rich diversity of its membership as described in the Book of Order.

The committee is made up of teaching elders Ashley DeTar Birt, Daniel Hammer, and Omar Gonzalez; ruling elder Tim Haworth; and deacon Salina Brett.

Committee members say they’re proud to announce the commencement of the committee’s mission dedicated to amplifying the voices of LGBTQIA+ Presbyterians within the PC(USA). With its unwavering commitment to fostering inclusivity and equality, the committee aims to build upon the groundwork laid by pioneers like the Rev. David Sindt, whose courageous act 50 years ago marked a pivotal moment in LGBTQIA+ history.

In a bold demonstration of solidarity and visibility during the 1974 General Assembly of the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A., Sindt stood on the Assembly floor holding a hand-written sign that read, “Is anyone else out there gay?”

Today Presbyterians can offer an emphatic “Yes! We are here.” This watershed moment reverberated through the decades, inspiring many individuals to embrace their identities and assert their presence within the Presbyterian community.

The Rev. Ashley DeTar Birt

When asked the question, “Why are you here?” DeTar Birt responded, “It’s about feeling so moved and passionate about something — the work, the people, the theology — that you cannot help but be around it.”

As the committee embarks on this transformative journey, committee members seek to honor Sindt’s legacy and those of a host of allies who have championed LGBTQIA+ rights over the years. Their tireless advocacy and unwavering dedication have paved the way for progress.

The committee also recognizes and honors the contributions of LGBTQIA+ people of color, both past and present. There’s no LGBTQIA+ liberation, after all, without people of color, especially trans people of color. Committee members say they honor the intersections of race, gender identity, and sexual orientation, and commit to amplifying the voices of LGBTQIA+ people of color, especially trans people of color, as much as possible.

The committee’s mandate encompasses a broad spectrum of initiatives, including advocacy for inclusive General Assembly overtures, heightened transgender visibility, and structural reforms to ensure equal access to benefits and opportunities for all members of the LGBTQIA+ community. By leveraging the collective power of all voices, the group hopes to create a more inclusive and equitable PC(USA) that embraces the diversity of its members. The committee invites all members of the PC(USA) to join in this historic endeavor to build a future where every individual is valued, respected, and celebrated for who they are.

The Transgender Day of Visibility is being observed on Sunday. The committee has issued this statement:

“Picture a life shrouded in secrecy, where your true essence remains concealed from the world. Your official documents do not reflect who you truly are. Every public appearance demands that you wear a mask, hiding behind a facade that doesn’t align with your inner truth. Imagine facing legal barriers that limit your access to essential health care, participation in sports, and even the use of public restrooms. Amid this oppressive environment, consider the profound significance of discovering a small community of allies who not only accept but celebrate your authentic self, allowing it to shine brilliantly amidst the darkness. This is the significance of the Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV).”

“TDOV is a day that our local churches can embrace and celebrate the diverse identities of transgender and non-binary individuals, affirming their intrinsic worth as creations of God. By providing a welcoming space for positive and genuine representation, a local church can help these individuals feel acknowledged and valued for who they truly are. Furthermore, TDOV serves as a valuable opportunity to dispel misconceptions and promote understanding of the transgender and non-binary experience. Using educational resources and social connections, a local church can foster empathy and solidarity within the broader LGBTQIA+ and PC(USA) communities, thereby creating a more inclusive and supportive environment for everyone.

“The Advocacy Committee for LGBTQIA+ Equity (ACQ+E) encourages both local churches and presbyteries to continuing our ongoing denominational efforts of diversity, inclusion, and Christian unity by recognizing March 31 as Transgender Day of Visibility.”

Paul puts it this way in his first letter to the church at Corinth: “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. (I Cor. 12:12, 26)

Haworth, who chairs the committee, sums it up like this: “It has taken us 50 years to come to this place where LGBTQIA+ folks are officially given a voice within our denomination. I recognize that milestone with sadness that it has taken so long and with gratitude for those who have tirelessly and successfully advocated for this recognition and validation of LGBTQIA+ Presbyterians.

“I’m a little awestruck by what they accomplished, and I look forward to working with my fellow committee members, our dedicated advocates and staff to make our church fully open and affirming for all.”

As reported by Beth Waltemath of Presbyterian News Service, March 28, 2024 (links, photos in original):

iStock photo

As the International Day of Transgender Visibility falls on Easter this year, Christians wrestle again with the ways that religion wounds those on the margins of society and in what ways the resurrection calls Christians into new ways of seeing, believing and loving.

In a new post for Presbyterians Today titled, “Healing the Wounds of Transphobia,” Dr. Wendy Farley, professor of spirituality at San Francisco Theological Seminary and author of six books published by Westminster John Knox Press, diagnoses our ailment, “in the religious and legal attacks on our trans siblings, we are experiencing a communal wounding — an indulgence in hatred and contempt whose multiple forms no one can evade.”

Dr. Wendy Farley

She appeals to the belief that we are one body and “what wounds one wounds all.” Christians called to the resurrecting power of love must do more than tolerate our human siblings with a trans identity, whom she calls, “tender bearers of the divine image … mutilated in spirit” by our past beliefs and actions.

When it comes to understanding the evolving nature of gender and the current movement of queer theology, Dr. David Jensen, a professor of Reformed Theology at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, says that “we find surprising helpful resources when we dig deeply into our traditions.”

Such was the topic of his talk on March 21 titled “Queering Theology: Gender Trouble and Christian Faith.” The talk was presented as part of the spring series of faculty talks called “Cultivating Ideas,” hosted by the seminary online at noon Central Time on Thursdays.

In his presentation, Jensen covered texts that challenge gender dichotomies, including Genesis 1, Galatians 2, Gregory of Nyssa’s “On the Creation of Humanity” and early rabbinical commentary on the full representation of genders in each human within Genesis Creation accounts.

“Paul says some striking and sometimes rather conflicting things about gender,” said Jensen, who specifically referenced verses 28–29 in Galatians 3, but at the heart of what Paul is saying is this: “that all of our identities — cultural, religious, socioeconomic, whatever our identities are — they are relativized and renewed in the new life that we have in Jesus Christ.”

Dr. David Jensen

The focus on renewal in Christ applies to gender, according to Jensen, as much as it does to any other characteristic that a person might want to claim is fixed and untouchable. Jensen’s teaching and research explore the interconnections between Christian theology and daily living. Jensen, the author of over nine books, has tackled theologies of human sexuality, parenting, childhood and work. For Jensen, God’s grace transforms and is always transforming in all aspects of people’s lives. There is no part of humanity that God’s grace cannot touch and change, including gender. “Gender essentialism blocks God’s grace,” said Jensen.

Jensen looked to the early church theologian Gregory of Nyssa, who cemented the basics of Trinitarian theology and orthodox understandings of the “both/and” nature of Christ as divine and human.

“Gregory says that humanity’s original creation is genderless,” posited Jensen, and “to be human is beyond gender.” Male and female come later and are a concession to reproduction and, in a certain sense, to sin, according to Jensen’s interpretations of Gregory of Nyssa. “For him, the most key insight,” said Jensen, is that “we are to be genderless in the new life in Christ. That is our true nature and our true destiny.”

Jensen also drew on literary scholar Judith Butler’s seminal work, “Gender Trouble,” from 1990, and a more recent theological work, Susannah Cornwall’s “Constructive Theology and Gender Variance,” to further explore the dangers of gender essentialism and the more faithful approach to gender through queer theology and transgender activism. By putting these contemporary scholars in conversation with early Christian thinkers, Jensen argues that Christians go beyond tolerance of transgender people and consider how “trans people help us better live into our basic Christian beliefs about Christ, Creation and eschatology.”

Susannah Cornwall’s book on queer theology imagines the consummation of the Christian life as genderless.

Ending his talk with a discussion of 2 Corinthians 5:17, Jensen invited listeners to see how Christ, who holds his own human/divine nature together, also heals humanity’s competitive categories: “Everything that seemed to be in opposition to one another, whether one gender over another, one culture over another,” Jensen said, summarizing Cornwall, “all of that is healed, transformed, helped together and changed.” Everything old has passed away, and new things have come into being, as the verse in Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth imagines.

“Gender is for humanity, not humanity for gender,” Jensen said as he invited listeners to consider Cornwall’s eschatological claim that “we live in a between time, and in this between time, gender identity is slipping away.” The Christian life is an invitation to connect — parts of ourselves, with each other, with God. “Through gender nonconformity and transgender Christians,” according to Jensen’s summation of Cornwall, “we see an expansion of the ways in which we are called to connect with one another.”

Faculty members of Austin Theological Seminary are offering online talks this spring as part of the “Cultivating Ideas” faculty webinar series.

“At the end of the day, that is a deeply Christian thing — to connect, to be changed, to be transformed by grace — so that we might flourish together with one another, drawing life from the living God, the giver of all gifts,” Jensen concluded.

Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary’s “Cultivating Ideas” series was created to offer “some of the most compelling, fresh ideas from Austin Seminary’s faculty,” according to the seminary’s website. Past lectures including Jensen’s are available in the archives on the seminary’s website.

Anyone with any serious comprehension of Christian doctrine can see that these "scholars" are twisting scripture, and that they and the people whose alleged gender they're celebrating are not Christians; even the liberals whom Carl McIntire was criticizing didn't go so far as to embrace this nonsense.

See also my previous posts:

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) narrowly rejects West Bank divestment (July 6, 2012)

60 years ago: Two liberal denominations combine to form the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (May 28, 2018)

This is what passes for "deeper life" at a Canadian Evangelical university

The following requires little comment; it's yet more evidence that anyone who thinks that "Evangelical" universities and colleges are Christian isn't paying attention. The 2023 edition of "Deeper Life Day" at Antichrist Ambrose University (yes, again) took place on October 1 (bold, links in original).

What Is The Purpose Of Deeper Life Day?

The aim of Deeper Life Day is to integrate Christian faith and learning in a way that will help our students flourish in every way. The events of this day embody our spiritual goals for all Ambrose students—formation, discernment, and transformation. We encourage faculty members to participate in DLD, incentivize students to join them on the day, and consider how the themes could be integrated into the courses they are teaching this Fall Term.

PLENARY SPEAKER

photo courtesy of ARIN SANG-URAI

Josh Larsen

Josh Larsen is the co-host of the radio show and podcast Filmspotting, author of Movies Are Prayers and Fear Not! A Christian Appreciation of Horror, as well as editor/producer for Think Christian, a website and podcast exploring faith and pop culture. He’s been writing and speaking about movies professionally since 1994.

Morning Plenary: 9:30 AM

Part 1: Christian (Pop) Cultural Engagement

For most North American Christians, engaging with popular culture is no longer an option. This is the air we breathe. How can we do so with grace, discernment, and appreciation?



Morning Plenary:

Part 2: Movies Are Prayers

Movies can be many things: escapist experiences, historical artifacts, business ventures, and artistic expressions. Considered alongside the Christian ideas of God's sovereignty and common grace, they can also function as prayerful expressions of lament, praise, joy, confession, and more.

Lunch: Noon - 1:00 PM

There are only 100 spots for this light-hearted lunch with our speaker. In addition to movie trivia and fun games we will be hosting a COSPLAY competition. Come dressed as your favorite Movie, TV or gaming character. A panel of judges will determine a winner for a chance to win a Cineplex movie night for two (with popcorn and pop). Other prizes will be available as well.

Room: Airhart (1085) I Limit: 100 people

Afternoon Breakout Sessions: 1:00 PM

Engaging The Mind Of Christ (Through Metallica, Van Gogh, And High Mountain Hydrology)

John Van Sloten

John is a Calgary-based pastor, writer, and columnist for the Calgary Herald. His books include, The Day Metallica Came to Church (2010), Every Job a Parable (2017), and God Speaks Science (2023).

This workshop will give you theological tools to help you practice Christ’s presence everywhere. If all things were made through Jesus, then all things (to some degree) reveal his wisdom. Knowing Christ through the bible we can know Christ through creation—through physical nature, human nature, and the cultural creations of human nature.

I Think I've Seen This Film Before: The Death And Resurrection Of Taylor Swift

Glendon Frank

Glendon is a recent alumnus of Ambrose University, having graduated in 2021 with a Bachelor's degree in English Literature. Since graduation he continues to study and write about pop culture on various platforms. Endlessly fascinated by the intersection of faith and art, he is particularly drawn to films and stories that explore the complexity and nuance of the human condition.

This session is a discussion of the meteoric stardom of Taylor Swift and her career, as well as digging into the themes of love, life, and lament in her lyricism, all through the lens of asking what it means to engage with popular art while considering the Imago Dei. In an age of AI and algorithms where the ethics of art and consumption are at the forefront of our imagination, what does Taylor Swift's unique success mean and how ought we consider it?

Pressing The Right Buttons: Aligning Your Values In-Game And IRL

Alyssa Michaud

Alyssa is a musicologist who works at the intersections of technology, culture, and music. Her research focuses on the dynamics between audiences and artists in today’s technologically mediated society, and she is currently at work on a SSHRC Insight Development Grant in which she is exploring fan responses to digital and holographic concerts. Outside of her work in music research, Michaud once placed third in a national Dance Dance Revolution tournament, has 100% achievements on Steam in FTL: Faster Than Light, and cleared the original Binding Coil of Bahamut before it was nerfed in Final Fantasy XIV.

In 2022, the gaming industry was estimated to be worth $170 billion in global revenues—valued higher than both the global film and music industries put together. In this interactive breakout session, we will critically examine our relationships to this powerful medium by examining the ways in which gaming can foster positive values and also assessing its pitfalls. Through discussions, activities, and lots of examples from the world of gaming, this session will equip you to make more informed decisions about your approach to video games, and unpack the ways in which our controllers can connect us to deeper insights about ourselves and the world around us.

Princess Mononoke And Peacemaking: Studio Ghibli's Prophetic Masterpiece

Julian Erb

Julian is the Director of Community Life at Ambrose and he loves learning people’s stories. He enjoys getting out to the mountains with his family, the Beatles, and yummy food. He also serves part time at Grace Anglican.

How does an anime fantasy epic set in feudal Japan connect to our polarized context and the way of Jesus? We will look into this timeless story and seek to "see with eyes unclouded by hate" and the subversive invitation of peace making.

Afternoon Breakout Sessions: 3:00 PM

On Earth As It Is In Barbieland: Gender Expression, Christianity, And Barbie

Nikayla Reize

Nikayla Reize is the lead pastor of a parish church in Calgary called Awaken. She also serves as a sessional instructor at Ambrose University teaching Old Testament and Biblical Theology. She teaches workshops and seminars at churches around Southern Alberta and especially enjoys teaching on gender, inclusion, and the Bible.

This is a session exploring themes of gender expression in the past (tradition) and in the future (the coming Kingdom of Heaven) with the help of Greta Gerwig's Barbie. Barbie invites us to question the way things have always been done and dream about how they could be in our shared future. We will look at concepts such as patriarchy, matriarchy, and kyriarchy within Western Christianities as we discuss what it means to have the power to communicate ideas and make decisions for others versus being the product of someone else's ideas for how things should be. Barbieland is an imaginary place where young girls can pretend the world could be shaped according to their own hopes and dreams for a life that doesn't fit in a box. Is the Barbie movie envisioning a world that is anti-men or presenting a prophetic lament for a world that is anti-women? No one wants to be an accessory for the fulfillment and success of another and no one wants to be kept in a box. Body sovereignty and embodiment are deeply Christian ideas. Come prepared to discuss the Barbie movie and how the intersections of gender and power depicted there relate to our faith as Christians.

When Songs Become Friends: The Music That Helped Us Through Difficulties, Helped Us Know Ourselves, And Led Us To Solidarity And Healing.

Justin Bills

Justin Bills is a pastor, student and podcast host. Justin grew up in a missionary household in Los Angeles California. Key to surviving a lonely homeschooled upbringing was finding solidarity in music. Bands such as Pedro The Lion, Sufjan Stevens, Radiohead and Mewithoutyou became friends to help through adolescence and adulthood. Justin lives in Calgary with his wife and 3 daughters and is a Student at Ambrose.

Faith And Social Media: Navigating The Digital World With Jesus

Bryce Ashlin-Mayo

Bryce is the Dean of Theology at Ambrose. When he is not working at Ambrose, you will find Bryce preaching in Churches, doing Seminars, writing books, or building retro video arcade consoles. Bryce has written several books on social media and digital ministry including, “Age of Kings: Pursuing God’s Heart in a Social Media World.”

What does the Bible teach about navigating a digital world? Let's explore this topic together and delve into the story of King David in the Bible. We'll discover some valuable and enduring lessons on how to live a faithful life in our modern, high-tech world.

Evening Public Lecture: 7:00 PM

In partnership with the Chair of Christian Thought

Location: Central Library Topic: Fear Not! A Christian Appreciation of Horror Movies

Why would anyone want to watch horror movies? Why would Christians, in particular, bother with the genre? Combining critical observation and theological reflection, critic Josh Larsen makes the case that monster movies, creature features, slashers, and other fright films artfully reflect our deep worries in a way that resonates with the Christian experience.