What is Demonic?

People often think being "Demonic" or possessed is some weird Spiritual or Christian event. Some form of evil inhabits a person against their will, and they start acting in an odd manner. The Catholic Church has historically promoted this "Supernatural Event." The New Testament indicates that, at the time of Christ, demonic possession was a real thing (Mark 5:1-20). Zechariah 13:2 tells us that this will occur as part of the time of the Messiah. The OT Testament does not speak of possession as seen in the Mark reference. But as a Christian, I must disagree.

The term "devilish" or "demonic" is only used once in the Bible. Demonic is what is called a transliteration of the word  daimoniōdēs:

dahee-mon-ee-o'-dace
From G1140 and G1142; daemon like: - devilish.

James, the brother of Jesus Christ, writes:

But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic.

(James 3:14-15 NASB1995)

"Demonic" comes from "bitter jealousy and selfish ambition," not from a supernatural force. James further indicates it is "earthly, natural":  It is the product of greed or selfishness. Oddly enough, throughout history, until recently, self-centeredness has been considered harmful to society. Some place along the timeline, a shift from a "we" culture to a "me" culture occurred. With it came all types of societal woe and lamentation. Even "Alcoholics Anonymous" indicates that:

 "Selfishness, self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles. Driven by a hundred forms of fear, self-delusion, self-seeking, and self-pity, we step on the toes of our fellows and they retaliate. Sometimes they hurt us, seemingly without provocation, but we invariably find that at some time in the past we have made decisions based on self which later placed us in a position to be hurt. So our troubles, we think, are basically of our own making."

Alcoholics Anonymous, pg 62 Paragraph 1.

Buddhism promotes "Self-lessness," Islam promotes a lack of self, to act following the will of Allah (i.e., Al-Hashr 59:9). For millennia, western and eastern cultures have promoted the concept "for the greater good." The fantastic thing is that what is defined as "good" tends to be universal. Does a man-altered religion or belief often slip from this higher authority mindset? Sure. Suni versus Shi'ites, Catholic versus Protestant or the Westburrow Baptist Church. What do all these "factions" have in common? At some point, a person decides to make a slight change to the message. Paul in the New Testament often spoke of these "other gospels" (Galatians 1:6-7).

So the secular folks point at religion as evil when it is the person who is usually "demonic," not evil. It is all about the feel goods. A person with "Selfish ambition" seeks what is in their mind best for them. It could be a place of power, a relationship, or other self-serving activity.

Paul also refers to this as "carnal":

Romans 8:6-7
For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.

"Carnal" refers to the physical body, or even "meat," in so much as we are sacks of meat. Being meat-minded drives us to seek physical pleasure. Hence a dog in France contracts Monkey Pox from its owners.

I am not saying people ought to be forced into a religion. I only recognize that society works better when people are more worried about what happens around them than what happens to them.

The 2020 election is a prime example. People were so uptight about a candidate's blatherings, the party's etiquette, and the carnal things around that person that  "We the people" failed to elect somebody competent. Instead, Americans chose the promise of higher gas prices, economic insecurity, and social unrest. We now have the hubris to complain when we get what we were promised. 

Though seemingly tolerant, phrases like "You do you boo" or "do what you want" are carnal phrases—centered around transient pleasure. A great example of this is Ian Crossland. He is a contributor on one of my favorite YouTube Channels: TimCast IRL

Ian is a caring carnal soul. He wants to help everybody and goes for the simple solution of making the Government do it. He considers himself "Liberal" in the classical sense yet always wants the Feds to step in. Ian loves to promote "DMT" (N-dimethyltryptamine) as the source of his spiritual guidance. Mr. Crossland seems to believe that "getting high" awakens some inner level of connectedness to universal consciousness. Do I think Ian is a nice guy? Yes. Do I think he is Demonic? Yes. That does not make him evil, just self-centered.

Why do I bring this up?

I hear everyday people who claim to be "Christian" and will argue that "Satan is physically active" or a person seems "possessed" in their behavior. I hate to disappoint everybody; some people will succumb to temptation. But that is not an act of Satan, and it is an act of personal choice and will. They are giving in to the desires of the meat puppet over choosing the Will of God.

Is there a solution?

Yes, but most people will be too far gone to choose it. All religion aside, come to an understanding that a moral society will succeed, and an immoral society will fail. It is not complicated. 

Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country!
John F Kennedy – Inagualr address, 1961.

Though I would encourage looking to our local communities versus trying to serve the whole country, the sentiment is the same. Things are better when service is honored.

George Washington's Badge of Merit

The solid truth is that wealth is created by serving others. A restaurant, store, author, or any service is successful through serving the customers. It is not an opinion or "My truth." It is a principle of society as sure as that gravity is an absolute force. Try to make money by providing inferior or unwanted products; eventually, you will fail.

A return to our fundamental principles based on a worthwhile moral compass will be necessary for the United States to thrive again. Without that shift, we will collapse ins selfish desire and evil actions based on the narcissism of the

Gregor - Back from the brink! From there and back again. A spiritual Hobbits journey.

Is 44 countries enough?

In 27 of 44 Countries, Mandatory Face Masks reduce Deaths?

Recently in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine published a study declaring that the mandatory use of masks in the SARS-CoV-2 and MERS environment prevented deaths.  It was a “ModelingCovid-19 Mortality across 44 Countries” indicating face coverings “may reduce” mortality.  The study was simple enough but it brought to my mind some questions. I have always thought the most important part of any discussion was asking the right questions.  The basic results of the study indicated there were 288 deaths per million people in countries that did not mandate masks and only 48 per million in countries that did.  A significant difference. Two things to point out about this is that the death rate in both instances was very low.  Even the 288 as almost the same as a Flu epidemic of two one-hundredths of 1% death rate in the population.  That is still higher than four one-thousandth of 1% for the masked.

NOTE: The data for this study was from February to May 2020 so Vaccines were not a factor.

Why deaths?

In the material the claim was it reduced virial load.  Maybe I suppose, but then just simple isolation would also be a determining factor and that does not seem to be true. People place in isolation still get worse. They paid no attention to the infection rate, which in some of these places we know to be quiet high.

We know from experience that despite masking: age, population density and general population health are contributing factors.

Was age a factor?

According to the model, the average age for the 17 “non-masking” countries was slightly higher at 42 years old versus 41 years old on average for the 27 countries forcing the masking.  This really does not sound like a lot.  Until you understand that the over 60 population was moderately higher in those non-masking, immigration was major factor and as well as population density which was higher in the 17 non-masking countries. This would indicate a more stressed medical community and possibly lead to a higher death rate on its own merits.

Did the 27 lower death rate masked countries have a different treatment protocol?

It is not indicated in the research if any protocols were used in the lower death rate countries different than the non-mask countries either.  If the treatment methods were the same, then the study is valid.  If most if not all of the masked countries also used varied treatments or any significant treatment at all, then the study is really flawed.  Ivermectin and Hydroxychloroquine were already being used in some places by then.

Assuming that just masking was the primary factor is a false promise.  There is also no real indication that they looked at the population’s compliance.  It is one thing to force a mandate, it is another to comply.  Japan is known to have one of the highest mask compliant populations at 91%, Ireland is about 88%.  So the level of compliance could affect the results.

Why 44 countries?

I am always skeptical of limited quantity studies.  Back in the 1960s the “Mediterranean Diet” was based on something called the 7 Countries studies. Seven countries had diets that were low in Saturated fat and high in carbohydrates that had a low rate of heart disease.  It made Olive oil a cure-all and was touted as the secret to a long life.  Soon after America became a far more obese nation.  What is never mentioned is that they had data for some 30+ countries.  They chose 7 because the charts made the wanted result. Low fat, moderate carb, less heart disease.   In truth, if you mapped all the data there was no conclusion in the amount of saturated fat.  Countries like Switzerland and France wherein there, both had high fat, medium to low carb diets, yet their level of cardiovascular disease was also minimal. 

So here we are with a minimal sample size really.  It was too complicated to use county data in the US or province data in Canada because, well I don’t know.  So we have 44 countries picked out of probably 70 we have data for?

When you limit your data, it always looks like you want a specific result.  That is the joy of statistics.  You can always get the results you want, it is just how you look at the data points. So I  encourage you to be skeptical.  There is an awful lot we are not being told. 

What percentage of deaths in the US are vaccinated?  In Oregon, 99% of people over 65 are vaccinated. And they account for 90+ percent of the deaths in the state.  So how many of them are vaccinated?  Nobody will say. Some states have indicated 50% of those dying are vaccinated.  60% o the new infections are vaccinated.  To me, the vaccine, that I did get, does not seem to be effective.

Why are miscarriages up over 60% in Invitro Fertilization Clinics Nationwide among vaccinated women over 2019?

Why are cardiovascular issues up 100% in men below 40 and in good health nationwide in 2021?

Why are school districts in Oregon asking children to eat lunch in 35 degrees in December when the risk of death in children below 16 is so low, vaccinated or not?

Asking questions is how we learn.  Asking the right question is how we advance.  Currently I wear a mask for the fear of others.  Not because I am afraid of them, but because they are afraid of me.  It is a sad situation.

Next time you see a person with a mask remember it is YOUR FEAR that drives that.  

Here’s a question: How long do you want to live in fear? 

Gregor - Back from the brink! From there and back again. A spiritual Hobbits journey.

Is the Constitution of the United States unique?

The Preamble:

“We the People of the United States, in order to form the a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the General Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty for ourselves of Liberty and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

September 17^th, 1787 the Second Continental Congress ratified and approved the Constitution of the United States, replacing the Articles of Confederation that had organized our republic for 13 years.  This act was really the culmination of the first Civil War of the United States. No shots were fired in this war. We had ended the war with England just four years before. And we successfully had a bloodless civil war proving the concept of a republic is a superior brand of self-governance.

It was a war of ideas.

The forging of the constitution was brought about because the Articles of Confederation were Libertarians look at Nervana. It gave the Federal Government so little power that the states literally considered warring with each other, on more than one occasion state militias faced off. More unity was needed.  Some way of keeping the state independent, the federal government fostering unity yet allowing individual liberty to reign was needed.  Hence the Second Continental Congress was formed as the tools, history was the anvil and ideas the forge to create what we have today.  The US Constitution.

Note the purpose of the Constitution:  to secure the Blessing of Liberty for the individual and our descendants. That is what makes it unique. It is about the individual. 

Yet our President has said it is not about Freedom, it is about safety.  That brings us back to the old Benjamin Franklin quote “People willing to trade their safety for temporary security deserve neither and will lose both.”

The SARS-CoV-2 virus is unlike other things we have “gotten rid of”.  Polio, Whooping Cough, and such are not transmissible from the animal population.  There are no interspecies reservoirs.  Research indicates that White Tail Deer, possibly Dogs, and some other species, though not susceptible to the disease can carry it and pass it on.  As an airborne contagion, that means we will never eliminate it, just like the annual flu.  It will return and mutate in cycles.  Just like the flu, it should get weaker over time.  Yet the Delta Variant is more contagious and oddly seems to be more lethal, and it will infect younger people.  If you are vaccinated or previously infected your survival is practically guaranteed. This means the very notion of “flattening the curve” is a lie, it is no longer possible.  It is not a pandemic but an endemic situation.  Something we need to live with.

Fear and panic are being sown to continue to limit your liberty. The Powers That Be (PTB) would have us in our “Dark Mirror” rooms feeding us through our IP connections. Unwilling to socialize outside of the IP interface.  Sort of like Sandra Bullock and Sylvester Stalone in “Demolition Man” where VR rules the day.

Without a herculean effort on our part, we will stay under the thumb of our government.  This started twenty years ago with the “Patriot Act” and it is being pushed under the guise of health and safety. The tools that were supposed to protect against terrorists continue to be used to track whomever the government wants. 

We seem unable to arrest the people that cause billions of dollars in damages nationwide during two years of riots, but the 500 people that walked through the US Capital can be arrested and held without charge or bail no problem. What is the difference? One group had a single person shot to death by police, the other killed over 30 people and injured hundreds of others in 2 years of protests, not to mention the property damage in “Mostly Peaceful Protests.” The rule of law was unjustly served.

And that is what makes our constitution so unique.  We are not supposed to fall under the rule of a person, but the rule of law.  

Currently, President Biden has disobeyed the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) regarding rental forgiveness and his actions on the US/Mexico Border.  He has chosen to ignore them.  Presidents are to be brought in to line by either the Judicial Branch, who has said no and been ignored or the Representative Branch who is cheering him on. 

So who is left? Who needs to force the issue? The sovereigns of the United States,  the Citizens.  We the People have to stop the madness. As a Christian that could put me in a hard place.

Is Resistance to the President of the United States a Sin?

TRIGGER WARNING: The Following is a religious as well as a political discussion.  If religious speech is offensive then I suggest you leave now. 

Yes, this will be both political and religious.  And no I’m not indicating any sort of violence.  Resistance is not violence in the context of this blog post.  I am only looking at this from a Biblical view.  And it may get me kicked out of my congregation.  But I’ll deal with that when and if it comes…

Romans 13: 1 is pretty clear:

“Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.”

This concept is backed up in Titus 3:1-2 and 1 Peter 2.

Then there are many other scriptures pointing how we are to be above reproach among the world,  Peter said for example.

“…having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.

Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.”
1 Peter 2:12-16 (NKJV)

I am not arguing against that.  There is truth in those words, inspired by God. 

Who is “King” in the context of the United States?

Have you ever noticed in the Pledge of Allegiance we do not make mention of the President or Congress?

The United States of America is unique in the aspect that our head of state is not our sovereign leader.  That right belongs to the individual citizen.  Our government is not an officeholder, it is founded upon the law as laid out and based on the Constitution and its amendments.  SCOTUS is the actual final arbiter of the law, yet their whole purpose is to be sure that laws conform to the spirit and purpose of the Constitution, literally nothing else.  When these more liberal justices start talking about international law and such, they are breaking their oaths. An impeachable offense.

When our chief executive legislates via executive order or gets his departments like the CDC to use emergency powers, they probably should not have, based on Supreme Court decisions, to legislate power, he is outside of the government. A leader like this unchecked is a tyrant. Our 45^th President was accused of that, our 46^th is doing that, and met with cheers. “So this is how Liberty  dies, with thunderous applause.” Senator Amidala – Revenge of the Sith

So as a Christian what am I to do?

Make your own choice, do what you think is right in the eyes of God. That part is easy.

The hard part is what if some of the brethren think differently and want to go against the standing order of the President, Governor or other “official?” Or require that everybody follows said orders and you do not want to?  Here is where the rubber (AGAPÉ, unconditional love) meets the road.  I’m not going deep here, I’m just saying for me, If I am causing such division, I would want to change something before I split a congregation.  But that is just me.  Though Dante’s levels of Hell are fictional, part of my brain assigns a special place for those that cause division.

Some folks think that the question is will you be condemned by God for not wearing a mask, for wearing a mask, getting a vaccine, or not getting a vaccine <insert reason here>?   As usual, that is not the right question.  My wearing of a mask at Worship has nothing to do with what Governor Kate Brown has ordered and more what my brethren in my home congregation. Currently, most wear masks. So I wear a mask.  If people stop, I will stop.  Do I believe masks do any good?  No.  Why? Because countries like Japan or Ireland that have high mask use have incredibly high infection rates.  Places like Kentucky who had 15 counties without mask mandates had lower fatality rates than the 60 counties with mask mandates.

In the Church described in the New Testament, I am not to cause my fellow Christians to stumble. If me not wearing a mask will cause another to stumble, so be it.

'But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. '
I Corinthians 8:9(NKJV)

Jesus was clear on not saying much about politics.  They are outside the realm of the Christian Domain. Even though the idea of abortion was present in Ephesus, Corinth, and other places, as well as child sacrifice, Jesus did not address these things directly.  “Render to Ceasar what is Ceasar..” was about the most directly political statement he made, yet he drove the money changes from the temple.  Cleaning his Fathers house.  We do not have a Temple save our bodies.  

One of the greatest lines that Edmund Burke never said was “For evil to prevail all that needs to happen is for good people to do nothing.” I am not sure who actually said it.  But there is no record that Edmund did.  It is still great wisdom.

So doing nothing is not an option anymore and violence is not the answer.

The dumpster fires that are Portland Oregon and Chicago Illinois should prove that.

Bowing down is not an option either.  By giving them that satisfaction you're approving the tactics and relinquishing the rights that so many have fought and died to provide for you. Just in the Afghanistan conflict 2,460 brave souls lost their lives, and 20,746 brave people sustained an injury keeping the wolves in Afghanistan. That is not including some of the sideshows like Syria and Jordan.  That is just in the last 20 years.  If you were to total the dead over the last 245 years… well you get the picture. Freedom is not free.  Yet we treat it as such.

So what can a Christian do?  Speak Truth to Power.  When the leftist socialists say that they are talking about a relative truth that they made up.  It is a lie they tell to get their way.  If we speak, we must speak the actual truth, but not in a hateful manner.   Be factual, be honest, and do not be sparing in truth.  You will hurt feelings.  But do not be cruel.  Just be honest. 

If a person who identifies as a woman, but is obviously sporting a Y chromosome, wants to chat? Be compassionate and honest.  Address them respectfully.  It is your choice what pronoun to use because that is between you and God.  If they correct you, ask them if they have a Y chromosome,  they may lie to you.  But you can respond with compassion or you can leave or they can.

Write fair, honest, and compassionate letters to newspapers.  Not quoting scripture so much as the principles of the scriptures.  They will have trouble not publishing if you are not spouting what they see as “religious doctrine.”

Write your local and state representatives.  Use actual Letters.  Drives them nuts.  But again, no hate mail.  Just logic, facts, and compassion. 

Write pamphlets to PDF and share them.  Let people see what you think.  Alexander Hamilton changed our country with the Federalist Papers writing under the pen name Publius.  With a web page or a Social Media page, you can o the same.  

Do not be silent, but be respectful, factual, and honest.

Do I follow the law though?

Is it a law if the President decrees it? Is it a law if it has not gone through the House and Senate? Is Obedience to a tyrant acting contrary to the established law of the land something that God will judge you for?  I think that depends on how you do it.  If you are arrested, fined, and then fight to the supreme court and win, no. If you kick, scream and whine like a baby, yes.  One way is within acceptable behavior and above reproach.  The other is not.  The question is, are you willing to risk the freedom and treasure to do so in a Christian manner.

If the State of Oregon Outlaws Christianity tomorrow, and the police show up at my door.  I am guilty and go quietly.  But I will fight in the courts as with the full force of the law.  I would hope that if I end up on the table waiting for the needle, my last words would be an audible prayer for the forgiveness of those around me.

But causing violence to defend the constitution?  I see that as a no-win.  The Civil war demonstrated how ugly that could be.  I for one do not want to see that.  For starters, the lines would not be a North/South kind of thing.  It would be city vs rural,  or coastal vs central. In other words an absolute mess.

Do you know what you fight for?  Saying you fight against tyranny is not enough.  Fighting for Freedom or Liberty is not enough.  If you read the Declaration of Independence, our founding fathers knew what they wanted.  If you look at their writings and broadsides from the continental congress, both the first and second, they were clear in their purpose.  Are you?

The Progressive Socialists want a National Government that controls everything.  They want national elections and everything controlled at the top. Congresspeople even encouraged the President to just go against SCOTUS “Because what are they gonna do” – Maxine Waters (D). That will make it easier to control everything.  Central control always does. That is why our founders wanted a Federalist system that we sort of let melt away since Theodore Roosevelt (R). Thank you Progressive Movement.  

The Federal Government filed suit against Texas over the “Heart Beat Abortion Law.”  Assuming SCOTUS upholds the Law, there are 48 other states that they can go to to have an abortion without consequences (Oklahoma passed the same Law Thursday, September 9^th). This law only rules Texas, does not impede the right of the mother.  So what standing does the federal government have? I am sure there will be charities that will fly the Women who want abortions anywhere in private planes with media coverage to be sure the world knows that Texas was defeated. The fine city of Portland Oregon has already established a $200K fund to aid Texas Women. Because they could not figure out how to boycott Texas, so they did that instead. People will threaten to move from Texas.  And Texas will yell “Yeee haw! don’t ferget ta close the gate on yer way outa here.” Liberty is preserved. If the President loses the suit, what will he do?  Send in the Army? Are you sure?

At about 2800 words this is the longest post I’ve ever written.  It is a celebration of our Constitution.  The one thing that does make America Great.  Because we are supposed to value the rule of law.  But the principle of “Equal Protection” has gone away.  The premise of Black Lives Matter Inc is that People of Color are more equal than others, and as a less brown person I owe something even though my ancestors were not even in America when there was a slave trade.

We need to demand equal treatment.  That is all I want.  Nothing more.  No special treatment, not anything but what is fair.  Not the “New Equity” where if your melatonin levels are correct you get more equal than others.

Principles are hard but important.  Politics are based on vanity and greed. Take the hard road.

 

 

 

 

 

Gregor - Back from the brink! From there and back again. A spiritual Hobbits journey.