This is Ishtar: pronounced "Easter"

Earthquakes and the Pope: Trickster Theater

The world shared a global shudder of anxiety at the news that North Korea's earthquake yesterday was no "earthquake" but an earthquake due to a "nuclear test."

Checking the U.S. government's earthquake site, which I do several times a day, I see that Tonopah Nevada and surrounding area has had four earthquakes today. The largest being 5.1. That seemed very odd to me, so I Googled Tonopah, Nevada, to find that the area is a test range:

Tonopah, Nevada carries a legacy of being the home to the nation’s development and testing of smart bombs extending back to World War II where it was noted for its bomber bases. Follow the links to learn more about Tonopah’s role in our nation’s wars.

Not a coincidence.

And to really go down the rabbit hole, while I don't seriously think there is a connection between the above and the Pope's resignation, that last news item is a biggie. The Trickster Theater has been very busy these past few days!

Russian, Once an "atheist" country...

Remember when, all you fellow baby boomers, during the cold war/ duck and cover/ 1950s pinko commie era, when we were warned about those godless, heathen, atheist Russian commies?

Russia, the big bad evil empire and the worst thing about Russia, the very worst, we were told, was its atheism.

Today's news has brought us two stories that contradict any atheistic beliefs. Three women: Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich,  sentenced to a two year prison sentence for offending the Church, and a 100 year ban on pro-gay parades, speech, etc.

Of course, Pussy Riot's protest on the church steps pissed off Putin and that's why they were sentenced. Church followers are just thrown into the mix for added support for the Putin cause. It isn't really about religion; it's about politics. It's about control.

The anti-gay edict: totalitarian governments, not promoting religion, well again, it's about control. I wonder if (while trying not to be cliche)  an already fringe group, often a majority of thinkers and creative individuals are considered a danger to the powers that be. No one wants that. Religion has nothing to do with it; it's about control. Maintaining power. Maintaining control.

Debunker Faces Arrest for Debunking Watery Jesus

(This story dates back to March of this year.) Debunker and member of the Indian Rationalist Association Sanal Edamaruku faces arrest for his participation in doing what skeptibunkies do. He says he explained/exposed the watery seeping Jesus in Our Lady of Velankanni Church, in Mumbai.

India has laws against insulting religions and  "...deliberately hurting religious feelings and attempting malicious acts intended to outrage the religious sentiments of any class or community,” according to the Slate article.  On the surface Edamaruku is doing what's expected of debunkers, but I suspect there is a cultural and historical context at the root of his actions. (Italics mine):

What do you fear might happen to you?
If it comes to a trial, I have nothing to fear. I would welcome the opportunity to throw some light on the role that the Catholic Church played and is still playing today here in India. The possibility of arrest is threatening, however.

The religious zealotry, dogmatism and fanaticism Edamaruku fights is ironically mirrored by his own version of same:

Do you have any regrets about intervening? Why would one not intervene when somebody gives gullible people sewage to drink? But my reason is broader. The promotion of superstition and belief in paranormal phenomena dulls people's minds and establishes dangerous misconceptions about reality in our society. Such efforts have to be countered.

Edamaruku refused to back off and in fact, got quite contentious with critics. While India has the anti-insult to religions law, it also has this, according to Stephen Law.

Clause (h) of Article 51-A of Constitution of India states that : ‘It shall be the duty of every citizen of India to develop the scientific temper, humanism and spirit of inquiry and reform.’

"Monsignors' mutiny" revealed by Vatican leaks - Yahoo! News

"Monsignors' mutiny" revealed by Vatican leaks - Yahoo! News

Colin Andrews announced at the McMinnville UFO Festival two years ago that soon we'll be seeing these whistle blower type events unfold...

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Call it Conspiracy City. Call it Scandal City. Call it Leak City. These days the holy city has been in the news for anything but holy reasons.

"It is a total mess," said one high-ranking Vatican official who spoke, like all others, on the condition of anonymity.

The Machiavellian maneuvering and machinations that have come to light in the Vatican recently are worthy of a novel about a sinister power struggle at a medieval court.

Senior church officials interviewed this month said almost daily embarrassments that have put the Vatican on the defensive could force Pope Benedict to act to clean up the image of its administration - at a time when the church faces a deeper crisis of authority and relevance in the wider world.

Among the heap of scandalous topics: Vatican and banks, over all corruption, "cronyism,"
the true "owners" of the Vatican, power plays. In other words, the usual.

Alien Nativity

 Aliens and a  Shamanic Santa, created by a Portland, Oregon artist:

Jeff Belanger: Santa is a Legend Not a Lie

I love this article by Jeff Belanger: Santa is a Legend Not a Lie

I don’t care if you’re Christian or not. I’m a paranormal guy. I believe in possession. In Judaism there’s the concept of the “Dybbuk,” which is a type of spirit possession. This possession can be a bad thing: like if you’re inclined to drink too much or do drugs, a spirit that did that in life may cling to you and push you over the edge; or it can be a good thing: you’re trying to get healthy and exercise and a spirit who did that in life may be drawn to you to help. We get possessed by good ideas, gut instincts, and inspiration all of the time. We also get inspired by great legends… like Santa Claus.

Santa’s legend and story has spread throughout the world. Each Christmas we get inspired… nay, possessed by this good spirit. I’m thrilled my daughter is eagerly awaiting St. Nick visiting our house. I want her to know the magic this figure holds.

By carrying on these traditions which were based on a real man, I become a part of the legend. I write myself into the story. I write my daughter into the story in the hopes that one day she too will become possessed by the spirit of Christmas. That she will be reminded to behave because someone is out there watching, that she will feel the urge to give to charities a little more, that she will know there’s still magic in the world.

This same perspective can be used for UFOs, Marian apparitions, etc. which is what I try to convey, but Belanger did it more articulately...

"Santa is Satan"

I think they're actually serious, despite the Darth Vader voice:

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

After uproar, Ky. church revisits interracial ban - Yahoo! News

After uproar, Ky. church revisits interracial ban - Yahoo! News
However, racism has nothing to do with this, according to Melvin Thompson, the person behind voting for such a resolution and "former pastor" (!):

"I am not racist. I will tell you that. I am not prejudiced against any race of people, have never in my lifetime spoke evil" about a race, Thompson said earlier this week in a brief interview. "That's what this is being portrayed as, but it is not."

20 Most Evil People of the 13th Century CE | Francis of Assisi

Interesting, but both Jewish and Catholic bigotry. Who knew St. Francis of Assisi was Jewish, for example.20 Most Evil People of the 13th Century CE | Francis of Assisi

Giovanni Bernadone Morosini (Moriconi) (aka Francis of Assisi and aka Marino Morosini) was born in Paris as one of several children to powerful Jewish Sephardic Venetian trader/banker Pietro Bernadone Moriconi and Pica de Bourlemont from France.
The name "Francis" is a nickname and was never his proper name--simply meaning "Frenchman" -- on account of his birth in Paris. Similarly, "Assisi" is a deliberate corruption of the ancient word for the location Ascesi meaning "(he) has ascended". Therefore the fuller nickname "Francis of Assisi" properly translates to "the Ascended Frenchman".
And the rest at link.

Contrary to revised history, the Venetians had not yet seen any compelling reason to convert to Christianity until this period, so Giovanni was almost certainly Jewish. By the end of the 12th century, the Morosini family banking and trading empire in wool, fine cloth, salt and grain stretched from England to Constantinople. However, events leading up to the Treaty of Venice and the expulsion of Venetians from France in 1182 and Byzantine in the same year which ruined the family fortunes.

Christianity Explained

On my Twitter; responded to by someone who said, of The Daily Grail's post of the following: Illustration and caption, Christianity explained that "I think this says more about atheists than Christians. I dare you to say the same about Islam." I don't understand the atheist reference, but it sums it up for me. After all, the Christian myth is about a man, human, er, God, no wait, there's only one God, but he's up there, yet down here, .... oh, never mind. Many sacred myths predating Christianity with the same story. As far as Islam goes, they in turn took much of Christian and Judaic myth and turned into their own. As humanity does.

Oh My God It's Real! "Jesus Ween Christian Festival"

Apparently some Christians have moved on from the "they're stealing Christmas" whine and are busy with attempts to rid the nation of Halloween. (As long as Christians continue to freak over Christmas being "stolen" while at the same time doing their best to obilerate Halloween, I'm going all out every Halloween; wherever I can, however I can. Stuffy hypocrites.) So, now there's "Jesus Ween" and it doesn't appear to be a joke. Jesus Ween Christian Festival:

JesusWeen is a God-given vision which was born as an answer to the cry of many every October 31st. The dictionary meaning of Ween is to expect, believe or think. We therefore see October 31st as a day to expect a gift of salvation and re-think receiving Jesus.

Every year, the world and its system have a day set aside (October 31st) to celebrate ungodly images and evil characters while Christians all over the world participate, hide or just stay quiet on Halloween day. Being a day that is widely acceptable to solicit and knock on doors, God inspired us to encourage Christians to use this day as an opportunity to spread the gospel. The days of hiding are over and we choose to take a stand for Jesus. “Evil prevails when good people do nothing”. JesusWeen is expected to become the most effective Christian outreach day ever and that is why we also call it” World Evangelism Day”.

I discovered "Jesus Ween" via a link in an article by Mary Valle: All Candy, No Jesus: Halloween in America. Valle is a bit sympathetic to the idea of Jesus Ween and other like minded Halloween Harvest Fest type observances, like "Trunk or treats" etc. Valle correctly points out that many Christians do participate in Halloween, as long as the Halloween part is removed. As in witches, devils, "evil spirits," etc. Because, cough, they're not "fictional characters." Valle interviews both Christians and pagans/Wiccans for their thoughts on Jesus Ween.

Valle points out that as a culture, we in the States have a huge issue with death: we don't deal:

We Americans don’t like to talk about death or the dead, though, really. Our bodies are disappearing in clouds of ash and our oldish cemeteries crumble, untended. One of my aunts recently offered to send me some old letters and a picture of her parents if I wanted them, and I was thrilled. I told her I don’t actually have a picture of my grandparents. A Catholic brother, Jeffrey Gros, told me that since most English-speaking American Catholics no longer practice the old-world customs, and “since many Protestants have difficulty with Catholic practices around prayer to the saints and prayers for the dead, our practices around All Saints’ and All Souls’ days have drifted in very different directions, leaving more space for the secular, non-religious practices around these festivals: Halloween.”

Years ago I worked at an art gallery that put on a Day of the Dead exhibit every year. School groups were invited to come and tour the many altars and related artwork, and get a bit of history on the ideas behind the Day of the Dead. We had altars created by children whose parents, grandparents and other family parents had died among the altars displayed. Of all the hundreds of children, from 1st grade on, that came, I never had a child become upset or otherwise "freaked" at the images of altars, the stories of loved ones passed on, skeletons, etc. I did have many children talk, sometimes shyly, sometimes almost happily, about the family members or friends in their lives that had died. Children loved the idea of creating altars to remember their grandparent, or other relative. Yet, as I led groups around the center, talking about the Day of the Dead, I saw many grimaces among the adults. At the end of one tour, I had a teacher come up to me, who was returning later that afternoon with another class. She asked me to "not talk about death so much" during the next tour.

As one Latina artist said to me once, about "gringos" integrating Dia de los Muertos into their lives: "Oh, we don't mind, it's great! But one thing we really wish you gringos would do: lighten up!"

(hat tip to one of my favorite blogs, Mystic Politics, for the link.)

Asherah -- God’s Wife Edited Out of the Bible

God’s Wife Edited Out of the Bible - Almost (Videos)

God had a wife, Asherah, whom the Book of Kings suggests was worshiped alongside Yahweh in his temple in Israel, according to an Oxford scholar.

In 1967, Raphael Patai was the first historian to mention that the ancient Israelites worshiped both Yahweh and Asherah. The theory has gained new prominence due to the research of Francesca Stavrakopoulou, who began her work at Oxford and is now a senior lecturer in the department of Theology and Religion at the University of Exeter.

Information presented in Stavrakopoulou’s books, lectures and journal papers has become the basis of a three-part documentary series, now airing in Europe, where she discusses the Yahweh-Asherah connection.

"You might know him as Yahweh, Allah or God. But on this fact, Jews, Muslims and Christians, the people of the great Abrahamic religions, are agreed: There is only one of Him," writes Stavrakopoulou in a statement released to the British media. "He is a solitary figure, a single, universal creator, not one God among many ... or so we like to believe."

"After years of research specializing in the history and religion of Israel, however, I have come to a colorful and what could seem, to some, uncomfortable conclusion that God had a wife," she added.

US priest who backs women's ordination detained - Yahoo! News

US priest who backs women's ordination detained

VATICAN CITY (AP) — A U.S. Catholic priest who supports ordination for women has been detained by police after marching to the Vatican to press the Holy See to lift its ban on women priests.

The Rev. Roy Bourgeois and two supporters were taken away Monday in a police car after their group marched down the main boulevard leading to the Vatican and chanted outside St. Peter's Square "What do we want? Women priests!"

Happy Halloween!

Teeny devils and ... fruit? Onions? Drinking and running amok on the dinner table!

Secret Codewords Of The Cult Of Jeebus

Do you "speak Christian?" And if you do, do you know what the hell you're talking about?

piglipstick: Secret Codewords Of The Cult Of Jeebus

Ukraine's nationalists protest Jewish pilgrimage

The protesters shouted "Ukraine for Ukrainians" at Sunday's rally.

Even if you're Ukrainian but also Jewish? That would have surprised my grandparents. . .

Back then of course it wasn't "just" the Ukraine but Russia. Another example of shifting borders and names, and identities attached to both.

BBC News - Child protection measures apply regardless of religious rules

Some Catholics are not happy about this: BBC News - Child protection measures apply regardless of religious rules -- new law in Ireland that mandates child abuse be reported, despite the religious position of the abuser. Cardinal Brady, who "defended the seal of the confession" and others are affronted by such laws:

Cardinal Brady stressed it was a "sacred and treasured" rite.

During his homily to worshippers at Knock shrine in County Mayo, on Sunday, the archbishop of Armagh and primate of all Ireland said: "Freedom to participate in worship and to enjoy the long-established rites of the church is so fundamental that any intrusion upon it is a challenge to the very basis of a free society" he said.

Thanks to Boing Boing for link.

A few Catholics still insist Galileo was wrong - latimes.com

Not a majority and many are embarrassed by a small and vocal group of Catholics that insist the world does revolve around usA few Catholics still insist Galileo was wrong - latimes.com One Catholic who doesn't believe this is the keeper of the Vatican Observatory:

"I have no idea who these people are," said Brother Guy Consolmagno, curator of meteorites and spokesman for the Vatican Observatory. "Are they sincere, or is this a clever bit of theater?"

While it may seem quaint, harmless even, and of no account, they did manage to have a conference last year in Indiana: Galileo Was Wrong. The Church Was Right.