MySpace Mike says Masonry is the Church of Satan

Ain't the Internet fun?! Where else can you meet so many nice people?

[Warning: This article contains "dirty words."]


A guy named Mike wrote us the other day at our MySpace account. Mike says of himself in his MySpace profile: "People would describe me as respectful, nice, and fun to be around. My friends say I'm too nice. But in the world of today I think there needs to be more people like me." Mike says he is 31, an auto worker in Michigan, and is going to college to become an accountant. He wears a baseball cap — brim towards the front — in his photo. He's looking for "some cool people to talk to and hangout with." Sounds like a fine fellow, the kind of man who'd make a good Mason, doesn't he?

I don't think so!

Apparently Freemasonry still has a bit of a bad image inside some people's heads. Here's Mike's email to the Widow's Son:

It's NOT just an old man's doughnut and coffee club!

What is said below is what freemasonary really is.

The "Illuminati" sounds fantastic but it is NOT a chimera. Hidden within Freemasonry, it is the Church of Satan. Its membership was known; its premises were raided. Plans and correspondence were seized and published. Defectors attested to the grave danger at formal inquiries. It was suppressed but went underground. It has since grown so powerful that it has literally defined the modern age (under the guise of "progress," "reform" and "revolution") and now threatens the future of humanity. THE ORIGIN OF MODERN DYSFUNCTION The term "Illuminati" means "enlightened ones" and refers to Lucifer, the "light bringer." Its essential philosophy is to substitute "reason" i.e. expedience for "right reason" i.e. universal morality. "Do as thou wilt" was the Illuminati motto. The Illuminati will define reality, not God or nature. Illuminism or "humanism" is a secular religion and a transition to Satanism (i.e. "tolerance").

Illuminati was founded May 1, 1776. Weishaupt wrote: "The great strength of our Order lies in its concealment, let it never appear, in any place in its own name, but always covered by another name, and another occupation. None is fitter than the three lower degrees of Freemasonry; the public is accustomed to it, expects little from it, and therefore takes little notice of it." An understanding was reached with the Masons at the Congress of Wilhelmsbad on December 20, 1781 to add the Illuminati hierarchy to the first three degrees of Masonry. On returning home, Comte de Virieu, a Mason from the Martiniste lodge at Lyons, reported: "I can only tell you that all this is very much more serious than you think. The conspiracy which is being woven is so well thought out that it will be impossible for the Monarchy and the Church to escape it." Nesta Webster in her book World Revolution describes the modus operandi of the Illuminati. It applies to Adolph Hitler as well as Timothy Leary:

I like how you mason's act like you are doing society a favor. Who the hell would question your real activities if you help homeless, sick kids, donations, and all the bullshit? It's just a smoke screen isn't it? You think that by doing go works in the light and then behind closed doors sell your soul to Lucifer. All I can say is FUCK THE FREEMASONS AND FUCK THE ILLUMINATI.

UPDATE:

More conversation was held via email before this spilled out into the comments section. Here are the rest of the emails between Mike and the Widow's Son:

From: Widow's Son at BurningTaper.com
Date: Sep 22, 2006 9:07 AM


It really is just an old man's doughnut and coffee club.

Thanks for writing.

Widow's Son
BurningTaper.com

---

From: mike
Date: Sep 22, 2006 12:22 PM

Yeah sure it is. And so was Adolf Hitler's meetings at the round table, Right?

---

From: Widow's Son at BurningTaper.com
Date: Sep 22, 2006 1:13 PM


Mike,

Where did you get your information? What books and/or websites?

---

From: mike
Date: Sep 22, 2006 2:25 PM

Thanks alot for putting me on you BurningTaper.com website. This isn't the first time something like this has happend. I like a good smear campaign. What have I offended you? Go ahead and get all your brothers of light to rally to you. I don't care. I must have scared you or got you worried. It's all good to me!

---

From: mike
Date: Sep 22, 2006 2:46 PM

Here you can put this on your website too! I guess all these Masons and former Masons are liars.

So if a fellow brother of the craft is guilty you will lie to protect him? Nice were and when can I join!

Excepted:"Further, that I will keep a worthy brother Master Mason's secrets inviolable, when communicated to and received by me as such, murder and treason excepted."

Expected: "I furthermore promise and swear, that I will aid and assist a companion Royal Arch Mason when engaged in any difficulty, and espouse his cause so far as to extricate him from the same, if within my power, whether he be right or wrong."


Masonry ought forever to be abolished. It is wrong - essentially wrong - a seed of evil, which can never produce any good.

President John Quincy Adams
Letters on the Masonic Institution
T.R. Marvin Press, Boston, 1847

"Freemasonry, says the 'Keystone' of Philadelphia has no right to be popular. It is a secret society. It is for the few, not the many, for the select, not for the masses."

The Freemason's Chronicle 1885, Vol I, Pg. 259
Catholic Encyclopedia - Masonry (Freemasonry)
www.newadvent.org

"A Mason should know how to obey those who are set over him, however inferior they may be in worldly rank; or condition."

Macoy's Masonic Monitor, p. 14.
Disobedience and want of respect to Masonic superiors is an offense for which the transgressor subjects himself to punishment."

Mackey's Masonic Jurisprudence , p. 511

"The first duty of the reader of this Synopsis is to obey the edicts of his Grand Lodge. Right or wrong, his very existence as a Mason hangs upon obedience to the powers immediately set above him. Failure in this must infallibly bring down expulsion, which, as a Masonic death, ends all. The one unpardonable crime in a Mason is contumacy, or disobedience."

Webb's Freemasons' Monitor, p. 196

"The first duty of every Mason is to obey the Mandate of the Master…The order must at once be obeyed; its character and its consequences may be matters of subsequent inquiry. The Masonic rule of obedience is like the nautical, Imperative: "Obey orders, even if you break owners."

Mackey's Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, page 525

The Scottish Rite Third-Degree Master Mason Oath

This commits the occult initiate to commit murder, if necessary:
I do promise and swear upon the Holy Bible never to reveal where I have received this degree . . . and in failure of this I consent to have my body opened perpendicularly and to be exposed for eight hours in the open air, so that the venomous flies may eat my entrails, my head to be cut off and put on the highest pinnacle of the world, and I will always be ready to inflict the same punishment on those who shall disclose this degree and break this obligation. So may God help and maintain me. Amen.
Later if he 'advances' in his Masonic career he will learn the secret identity of the God of the Lodge.

"THE MASONS FIRST FACE TO FACE ENCOUNTER WITH THE GOD OF THE LODGE, WITH LUCIFER, WITH EN SOPH, WILL TAKE PLACE IN THE THIRTIETH DEGREE"

Mackey's Scotch Rite Masonry Illustrated
"The Complete Ritual of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, Profusely Illustrated by a Sovereign Grand Commander, 33~"
Published by the Powner Company, Chicago Illinois
"A company from which Masons may order with confidence from a firm which has continuously served the craft since 1867"

Freemasons have traditionally answered their critics in one of two ways:

If the critic is not a Freemason, his criticism is dismissed. Freemasons say he could not possibly know the truth about the society because he has never been a member.

If the critic is a member which has left the society, Freemasons dismiss his criticism by saying that, for some unknown reason, he has developed a hatred against the society. This hatred not only caused him to leave Freemasonry, it has caused him to print absolute lies in an attempt to discredit and destroy the society.

A Masonic Critic


Q. Does the Masonic organization have specified goals for influencing or controlling various Christian churches? How does the influence of Freemasons corrupt Christianity?

A. You have asked some very good questions. Masonry does not directly tell its members to go out and influence, or control, churches. What it does do is to encourage its members to attend churches.

The practical effect is much more far reaching. Many churches are literally controlled by Masons. Many, many Southern Baptist Churches are controlled by deacons who are masons. The majority of pastors are willing to settle for a nice comfortable job. Seldom do they take a stand for truth at any substantial cost. I am not saying that all pastors are like this, but more than half are.

The basic problem between Freemasonry and Christianity is that Christianity holds that Jesus is everything, while Masonry teaches that He is nothing. Freemasonry has a plan of salvation which is based on imitation of their savior, "Hiram Abiff".

A Christian Activist

In the book, Ecumenism, written by a Freemason in 1908, it says "the goal is no longer the destruction of the Church but rather to make use of it by infiltrating it."

Bishop Graber
St. Athanasius, pg. 64-65

In 2002, we became aware of a website belonging to a Knights of Columbus chapter in California. Their Webmaster goes to some length to disparage Freemasonry using the old chestnuts including the Papal Encycals from 1738. It's too bad that there are bigots everywhere and that one person can so poison the well. Fortunately, such hatred does NOT appear on the national organization's website and there are many instances of Knights of Columbus members and Masons working together for the betterment of all mankind. In 2004, we noted that the intolerance and bigotry of Council #1271 of San Luis Obispo at their site formerly titled knightline.org was not only gone but the site's name was up for sale as well. Good riddance to that kind of pedantic hatred!

Edward L. King
Anti-Masonry: Points of View
www.masonicinfo.com

The Thrice Puissant Grand Master points to the papal tiara and declares:
"This represents the tiara of the cruel and cowardly Pontiff. It is therefore the crown of an imposter... that we trample it under our feet."
He asks if the candidate is willing to do this, and then all trample on the pope's crown, brandishing poniards and shouting "Down with Imposture!" Did we understand Pike correctly when he said that men of all races and creeds may take the Scottish-rite degrees without compromising their beliefs? We feel justified in doubting the faith of any Catholic who would insult the emblem of the pope's authority in a lodge ritual. Earlier in the 30th-degree ritual, the prospective Knights Kadosh are counseled,
"And, finally, keep aloof from uniting yourself with any sectional, political, or sectarian religious organization whose principals can in any way bias your mind or judgment, or in the slightest degree trammel with obligations the vows you have just made."
This leaves no question of first loyalty, Church or Scottish rite, should claim a man's first loyalty. President Charles A. Blanchard of Wheaton College pointed out,
"Not less than five or six times in the dreary monotony of this degree is the candidate given to understand that Christianity is a narrow, fanatical, intolerant system, while Masonry is a broad, comprehensive, generous one, and that if he is a good Mason he must not be a Christian."
This blasphemy is delivered by the Advocate in the working of the 31st degree:
"We revolt against the law, by which the crooked limbs and diseased organism of the child are the fruits of the fathers vices. We even think that a God, omnipotent and omniscient, ought to have permitted no pain, no poverty, no servitude. Our ideal of justice is more lofty than the actualities of God."
A recital of the lessons of the preceding thirty-one degrees begins the initiation ceremony of the 32nd degree. The candidates are told that "Masonry will eventually rule the world", and they pray for the "universal dominion of the true principals of Masonry."

William J. Whalen
Christianity and American Freemasonry
Ignatius Press 1958, 1987, 1998

William Whalen is a nationally known expert on comparitive religion, an author of 15 books and numerous magazine articles, and a retired Professor of Journalism of 42 years at Purdue University.

"If the bible was the holy book of the Christian enlightenment, then the Encyclopedia was the inspiration of the Enlightenment. Here was a compendium of human knowledge dealing with arts, sciences mechanics and philosophy which swelled to some 36 volumes by 1780. Begun by the Atheist Diderot in 1751, the Encyclopedia bore the imprints of Voltaire, Montesque, Rousseau, Buffon, Turgot and others. Gracing the title page of Diderot's compendium in the first edition was a drawing of Lucifer, symbol of light and rebellion, standing beside the masonic symbols of square and compass.

The Enlightenment mirrored the Christian religion. Reason became its revelation, nature its god. If the Enlightenment did not abolish the myth of god, it reduced god to a sort of absentee deity, a caretaker to the universe who was nevertheless subject to the laws of nature. Deism arose from the same fertile soil of the Enlightenment as had Atheism, and no doubt many deists were actually Atheists. The deistic god was symbolized in the masonic lodges as the "Great Architect of the Universe", certainly not the god of the Christian superstition."

American Athiests
The Enlightenment, Freemasonry, and The Illuminati
www.atheists.org


'In the period of the union Between Sweden and Norway 1814-1905 the King was simultaneously the Grand Master of the Lodges in both countries and the head of the Lutheran state-churches in both countries. The new Norwegian King Haakon VII did not wish to become Grand Master, not on religious grounds, but because he did not wish to become associated solely with the upper class.

Thus this traditional association between Freemasonry and the Protestant Church might explain why it is seldom questioned by the clergy in Scandinavia. Speculations concerning secret conspiracies were centered on the Jesuits, not the Masons. With the result that Jesuits were banned from entering Norway well into the 1950s.'

Jim Shaw, the demitted 33rd degree Freemason, who resigned from Masonry after becoming a Christian wrote in his book The Deadly Deception: "there is underlying all Masonic thinking and writing, an attitude and spirit of elitism which says, "Masonry is not for everyone, just for the select few." At the same time Masonry teaches it is the only true religion and that all other religions are but corrupted and perverted forms of Masonry.

This is both elitist and contradictory, in that it leaves no hope for the non-elite to ever be able to find the "true religion." Freemasonry proudly proclaims it makes good men better; but this leaves no provision for bad men to ever be able to become good."

He continues: "It is significant, I think, that those whom Masonry rejects and excludes are the very ones Jesus sought out to accept and minister to:

The Lodge excludes and rejects the blind, for they cannot see to engage in the signs and due-guards;

it rejects the crippled and maimed, for they cannot assume the body positions necessary for the signs and due-guards.

The deaf are excluded because they cannot hear the "secret" words.

The poor are excluded, for they cannot pay the fees and dues.

The mentally challenged are rejected because they cannot memorize the correct questions and answers to be recited in rituals in order to function in the Lodge.

The emotionally ill are rejected because they cannot be trusted with the "secrets."

Historically, blacks and women have been excluded simply because they are considered unsuitable."

"Jesus, on the other hand proclaims that "whosoever will, may come" and receive His gift of redemption and that all may "take the water of life freely" (Rev. 22:17). He especially reached out to the blind, the crippled, the mentally challenged and mentally ill, the poor and the unwanted - the very ones Masonry excludes and rejects (as unworthy)."


The late Dr. Walter Martin, world renown authority on comparative religion and author of the Christian classic: The Kingdom of the Cults, during a debate with a self professed "Christian Mason," on The John Ankerberg Show, referred to Masonry as "Metaphysical Satanism."

Dr. Martin also stated of Masonry that he strenuously objected to the paganism within it. Upon visiting the Masonic Temple in Los Angeles, he found there a statue of Moses, a statue of Zoroaster, one of Osiris, and statues of many Egyptian gods and goddesses. His objection was that "when you put Moses, a representative of the God of the Bible, in the midst of the pagan world, which God judged for its evil, condemning them as vile, depraved, and wicked, then you have gone beyond 'just symbols', and are playing with dangerous spiritual fire."

William Schnoebelen, former Witch and Satanist, former 32nd degree Mason, wrote in Masonry: Beyond The Light equating Freemasonry with Witchcraft. In a chapter called "The Witchcraft Connection," he lists the following occultists, witches and sorcerers who have all been high ranking Freemasons during the past century:

Arthur Edward Waite-occult writer, black magician, and Masonic historian who wrote an "Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry."

Dr. Wynn Westcott-member of the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia and founding member of the occult Order of the Golden Dawn whose members introduced "Tantric" perverted ritualistic sex to western society as worship.

S. L. MacGregor Mathers-co-founder of the occultic Golden Dawn.

Aleister Crowley-master satanist of this century who was pursued in letters by pseudo-scientist Afred Kinsey for his "sexual experiences," and who founded the anti-Christ religion, Thelema. He used children in perverted sexual rituals and advocated human sacrifice.

Dr. Gerard Encausse-(Papus) masterful author, teacher of the Tarot and leader of the occult Martinistes society

Dr. Theodore Reuss-head of the O.T.O., a German occult satanic society which made Aleister Crowley its head for the British Isles

George Pickingill-the master warlock of 19th century England, leader of the "Pickingill covens"

Annie Besant-leader of the occult Theosophical society and co-Masonic hierarch

Alice Bailey-founder of the occultic New Age, Lucis (formerly Lucifer) Trust and author of The Externalization of the Hierarchy" which foretells the "New Age" or New World Order" naming 1)Freemasonry, 2)the public School System, and 3)the mainline visible apostate "Christian" church as the three organizations through which the New World Order will insidiously infiltrate the world's society as a Trojan horse - from the inside.

Bishop C. W. Leadbetter-Theosophist, mentor to the failed New Age "Christ", Krishnamurti, and prelate in the occult Liberal Catholic Church

Gerald B. Gardner-hereditary witch largely responsible for reviving Witchcraft in the modern Western world. By 1951 the last of the English laws against witchcraft were repealed and throughout the 50s into the 60s Brother Gardner published some widely read books on the rituals and traditions of his covens which became the basis of the 'New Age' occult religion 'crafted' and marketed by Masonry to the youth of the world - Wicca.

'Zealous' and 'Illustrious' Freemasons one and all.

"The triumph of the Galilean", said the president of the Grand Orient, Senator Delpech, on 20 September, 1902, "has lasted twenty centuries. But now he dies in his turn. The mysterious voice, announcing (to Julian the Apostate) the death of Pan, to-day announces the death of the impostor God who promised an era of justice and peace to those who believe in him. The illusion has lasted a long time. The mendacious God is now disappearing in his turn; he passes away to join in the dust of ages the divinities of India, Egypt, Greece, and Rome, who saw so many creatures prostrate before their altars. Bro. Masons, we rejoice to state that we are not without our share in this overthrow of the false prophets. The Romish Church, founded on the Galilean myth, began to decay rapidly from the very day on which the Masonic Association was established".

Compte-rendu Gr. Or. de France, 1902, pg. 381
Catholic Encyclopedia - Masonry (Freemasonry)
www.newadvent.org


"So the Pope is thinking about excommunicating our Prime Minister, is he? In the religion game, that's called hardball.

We can play hardball too. How about he can excommunicate our Prime Minister and we can get rid of the tax exemption on Catholic Church property? They'd have to start selling their real estate. Failing that, we'd have to seize it and auction it off. It's happened before."

Toronto Star
October 11, 2005


6. BEHAVIOUR TOWARDS A STRANGE BROTHER

You are cautiously to examine him, in such a Method as Prudence shall direct you, that you may not be impos'd upon by an ignorant, false Pretender, whom you are to reject with contempt and Derision, and beware of giving him any Hints of Knowledge.

But if you discover him to be a true and genuine Brother, you are to respect him accordingly; and if he is in Want, you must relieve him if you can, or else direct him how he may be relieved; you must employ him some days, or else recommend him to be employ'd. But you are not charged to do beyond your ability, only to prefer a poor Brother, that is a good Man and true before any other poor People in the same Circumstance.

The Oaths, the Penalties, and the Secrets - whether all disclosed with perfect accuracy or not; whether understood as they were by the murderers of Morgan, or as explained by the defenders of Masonry - are unreasonable, odious, and I believe unlawful. The Oaths of all Masons, heretofor admitted, if they ever had any binding force, are dissolved by the public disclosure of the secrets, which they had bound themselves to keep. Their country calls on them to disclaim henceforth and forever all secrets, and as incidental to the injuction of them, all oaths and penalties. This reasonable and moderate call has not only been resisted by the great body of Freemasons throughout the United States, but no man, high or low, eminent or obscure, has dared to avow this opinion and unite in this call without being assailed in his reputation, robbed of his good name, insulted, abused and vilified openly and in secret, by individual Masons and by organized Lodges, a body of at least two hundred thousand men, scattered over the whole Union, - all active and voting men, linked together by secret ties, for purposes of indefinite extent; bound together by oaths and penalties operating with terrific energy upon the human heart, and upon its fears; embracing within the penalty within its laws the President of the United States and his leading competitors; and winding itself around every great politcal party for its support, like poisonous ivy round a sturdy oak, and round every object of its aversion, like the boa-constrictor around its victim. Such in faint and diluted colors is at this time the image of the Masonic Institution in these United States. Commanding despotically a large portion of the public presses - intimidating by its terrors multitudes of others - and amid all its internal dissensions, uniting with the whole mass of its power against every common adversary, one of the most alarming and pernicious characters in which it now presents itself, is that of its political dominion. You tell me that you are Antimasonic in your opinion and feelings, but are perplexed by the mixture of Politics with Antimasonry. But you place herein the effect before the cause. The mixture of Politics is with Masonry.

President John Quincy Adams
Quincy, Massachusetts
23 September, 1831

One of the most hidden secrets involves the so-called fall of Angels. Satan and his rebellious host will thus prove to have become the direct Saviours and Creators of divine man. Thus Satan, once he ceases to be viewed in the superstitious spirit of the church, grows into the grandiose image. It is Satan who is the God of our planet and the only God. Satan (or Lucifer) represents the Centrifugal Energy of the Universe, this ever-living symbol of self-sacrifice for the intellectual independence of humanity.

Sister H.P. Blavatsky
The Secret Doctrine
Pages 215, 216, 220, 245, 255, 533


It (Satan) is that Angel who was proud enough to believe himself God; brave enough to buy his independence at the price of eternal suffering and torture; beautiful enough to have adored himself in full divine light; strong enough to still reign in darkness amidst agony, and to have made himself a throne out of this inextinguishable pyre.

Brother Eliphas Levi
Historie de la Magie
Pages 16-17

---

From: Widow's Son at BurningTaper.com
Date: Sep 22, 2006 2:57 PM

No, Mike. I'm not scared or worried. Just always looking for good material for the blog. You're today's feature. An up-close-and-personal anti-Mason is always interesting.

Why do you care so much? I mean, it's obvious from the list of sources you sent that you have read a lot, and that this sort of thing interests you.

Are you religious? Is that why you hate Masons? Or are you a believer in conspiracy theories? Or both?

— W.S.

---

From: mike
Date: Sep 22 2006 3:27 PM

I don't hate masons. I and I don't think it's a conspiracy theory when there are alot of former masons who say it's a cult. And as far as why do I care? When high levels of gov. officials are masons it's my right to be concerned. Why is it not in our history books that Washington and many people who's signature is on the constitution are masons? Why is this fact not disclosed. And I have posted a blog of my own on your website. It seem the person who posted before me also believes what I say. Go check it out. But I'm sure you will delete it because yes it's very anti-masonic. GO CHECK IT OUT!

Masons | Masonic | Small Town Freemasonry | Freemasonry | BurningTaper.com | MySpace.com | Burning Taper

The Autumnal Equinox: Welcoming the Lord and Lady

Today is September 21, the Autumnal Equinox. (Yes, yes, I know... it's officially at 4:02 AM GMT on Sept. 23 this year, but I'm being a traditionalist here.)

Since websites all over the world take joy in publishing Masonic rituals, I thought I'd return the favor, sort of, by republishing an Autumnal Equinox Ritual. It's interesting how much similarity there is between Mason and Pagan ritual. The following is reprinted from the Indiana Pagan Resource Network. May you find meaning in it. Blessed be! — W.S.

Autumnal Equinox Ritual

In magick, it's easy to get caught up in "I want" or "I need", or even easier, "I didn't" or "I can't." There's nothing wrong with working towards our own needs; magick is for personal growth, and improving our environment is part of that. But it's also important to appreciate what we get and what we have. Even if you're not a very 'religious' pagan, taking time to think of what works in our lives helps us bolster our abilities to continue to develop and grow. And if you are religious, it's always a good idea to thank the Lord and Lady, not in any sort of subservient way but simply recognizing how very much our interaction with Them enriches our lives. In conjunction with the agricultural cycle, Autumn Equinox is the time of thanksgiving for a successful and abundant harvest. Here in Indiana, farmers may not actually be completely done with the harvest but by now the results are fairly evident and little can change them. The planning and worrying is over; now is the time to reap the results. The same holds true if you've been doing any sort of magickal project that follows the cycle of the seasons: you can now sit back and enjoy the results — it's time. Traditionally, this celebration was observed with a harvest feast that was a surfeit of luxury as a statement of faith — we are so certain we have the gifts we need that we can splurge a bit now, almost in defiance of the coming dark. Today, that is part of what we're doing with the food drive - we are stating that we have such abundance that we can afford to share, to give it to those whose harvest was less abundant than our own this year.

Mabon is also the Autumn Equinox, the balance between light and dark. As we give thanks for the abundance that the long days and strong power have given, we also take this moment to balance, to rest, to simply be, and prepare ourselves for the growing cold and dark. And to recognize and remember, as always, that what appears as death is merely the preparation for rebirth. That what is reaped at the harvest will become seed for the next year. And we remember the mystery — there is no death; all that dies will be reborn. And for this too, we give thanks.

Gathering In

Find the center point within you, the place where you feel 'together' and balanced. Sense that that point is connected to everyone else's balance point, and that of the Earth, the universe. And know that whatever method you use to sense this is just a tool; the end result is what counts, the feeling of relaxed tension, balanced focus. And know that where we are about to enter is truly Between the Worlds.

ALL: Hoof and horn, hoof and horn;
All that dies shall be reborn!
Corn and grain, corn and grain,
All that dies shall live again!

Priest and Priestess bless all after we enter:
We bless you with the smoke of autumn leaves on the Air and the Fire of fall bonfires.
We bless you with the Water of September rains and rich Earth yielding her harvest.
Welcome to the Circle; blessed be.

Creating Sacred Space

Casting the Circle

Join with me in creating this Circle as our sacred space, where we gather in love, joy and friendship; as a boundary between our everyday world and the realms of mystery and magick; as a shield against all stress and worry and care; as a sphere of protection to focus and contain the magick we create. And we bless and consecrate this space in the names of the Lord and Lady. So mote it be!

Calling the Quarters

EAST: As we turn to the East, and call to the winds,
We think of the gifts, the gifts the Air brings
Thanks for the bite of the autumn-chilled air,
Thanks for the wisdom from the winds of change…
(All continue with thanks as inspired)
Welcome, o Air of the East! Welcome the gifts that you bring.

SOUTH: As we turn to the South, and call to the flames,
We think of the gifts, the gifts the Fire brings.
Thanks for the power of will and desire;
Thanks for the warmth from an autumn bonfire…
(All continue with thanks as inspired)
Welcome, o Fire of the South! Welcome the gifts that you bring.

WEST: As we turn to the West, and call to the rains,
We think of the gifts, the gifts Water brings.
Thanks for the richness of cleansing and healing
Thanks for the new frost that wakens my feeling…
(All continue with thanks as inspired)
Welcome, o Water of the West! Welcome the gifts that you bring.

NORTH: As we turn to the North, and call to the stones,
We think of the gifts, the gifts that Earth brings.
Thanks for the harvest, the fruits of the Earth;
Thanks for deep sheltering seeds of rebirth…
(All continue with thanks as inspired)
Welcome, o Earth of the North! Welcome the gifts that you bring.

Priest and Priestess:
The Circle is cast; we are between the worlds.
In this place that is not a place,
in this time that is not a time,
with a willing suspension of disbelief,
we consider the possible,
explore the probable,
and question the truth.

Welcoming the Lord and Lady

Note: PLEASE put down your rituals. Remember, during the welcome, the Priestess and Priest draw down the Goddess and God, but so does every other person in the Circle, as we are all Goddess and God ourselves. Please mentally do your own welcomes with us!

Charge of the Goddess

Priest: Listen to the words of the Great Mother, who of old was called Isis, Freya, Danu, Cybele, Demeter, Kuan Yin, Lakshmi, Shekinah, and many other names:
Priestess: Whenever you have need of anything, once in the month, and better it be when the Moon is full, you shall gather in some secret place and adore the spirit of Me who am Queen of all the wise. Sing, feast, dance, make music and love, all in My presence, for Mine is the ecstasy of the spirit, and Mine also is joy on earth. For My law is love unto all beings. Mine is the secret that opens the door of youth, and Mine is the cup of wine of life that is the Cauldron of Ceridwen that is the holy grail of immortality. I give the knowledge of the spirit eternal and beyond death I give peace and freedom and reunion with those that have gone before. Nor do I demand aught of sacrifice, for behold, I am the Mother of all things and My love is poured upon the earth.

Priest: Hear the words of the Starry Lady, the dust of whose feet are the scattered stars, whose body encircles the Universe:

Priestess: I who am the beauty of the green earth, and the white Moon among the stars, and the mysteries of the waters, I call upon your soul to arise and come unto Me. For I am the soul of nature that gives life to the universe. From Me all things proceed and unto Me they shall return. Let My worship be in the heart that rejoices, for behold, all acts of love and pleasure are My rituals. Let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and reverence within you. And you who seek to know Me, know that your seeking and yearning will avail you not unless you know the Mystery: for if that which you seek, you find not within yourself, you will never find it without. For behold, I have been with you from the beginning, and I am that which is attained at the end of desire.

Welcoming the Lady

Priestess: Lamplight glimmers in darkened rooms
And you fold your hands across a swelling belly
Cradling the fruits of your labor.
The rich scent of new-mown hay, the dark Earth beneath it
Where seeds that fall soon deeply sleep
Here as we move towards the darkness of Samhain
The shadow that brings the light of Yule
Teach us to be willing to pause for a moment
To reflect on the season of growth
The crisp bite of air and the comfort of firelight and shadow.
Demeter, Isis, Arienrhod, Inanna, Freya,
Mother of Shadows,
Welcome!

Charge of the God

Priestess: Hear the words of the God, he who is slain and reborn, the Summer King and Winter Child, the soul of mankind and the mirror in which mankind reflects:
Priest: I who am the glory of the Sun and the Lord of the dance, the ripe grain that is reaped and the seed which is sown, I call to you with the cry of a babe and the horn of the hunter. I am the soul of mankind, born to learn, live, love, die and be reborn. Drink of My vine, the blood of life, and lift a glass to My holy laughter echoing across the hills. But know that I am both harvester and harvest, the sacrificed One of sword, sickle and cross who descends into the womb of the Mother where all souls go to be reborn. For in this I reveal My mystery: that My dance is yours, My path is yours, and My laughter leads the way to the Summerland. For I am you and you are Me. And My light is with you always, to lead you through the shadows and back again.

Welcoming the Lord

Priest: Smoke hangs like haze over harvested fields
The gold of stubble, the brown of turned earth
And you walk under the red light of fall
The scent of fallen apples, the dust of threshed grain
The sharp, gentle chill of fall.
Here as we move into the shadows of autumn
The night that brings the morning of spring
Come to us, Lord of Harvest
Teach us to be thankful for the gifts you bring us
The bounty of your sacrifice
The warmth and the light of friends gathered around the bounty of the earth.
Dionysus, Osiris, Cernunnos, Dumuzi, Frey,
Lord of the grain,
Welcome!

Seasonal Celebration

Spend a moment to ground and center and feel our connection with the Earth and each other.

(Suggestion on how to ground and center: Find your center point, about three inches below your belly button. Focus on this point; feel yourself balance there. Now find the same center point of the Earth around you, and feel the power held there, the power of earthquakes and volcanoes and rich molten magma. Feel the connection between your center and that power like the roots of a tree, taking the power, pulling it higher, bringing it up your spine and through your body, flowing like a river, like sap rising in a tree. When the power reaches your brow, feel it burst forth like willow branches, out and down. Feel those branches intermingling with the branches of the person next to you; feel our energies flow and ebb together. Feel the power flowing through you like a circuit, returning to the earth beneath your feet, making a circle, making a circuit, returning, always returning, through and through. When the circle seems to flow naturally, continue.)

After this, take a moment to think of where you are in your life right now, what you are thankful for, where you have been given abundance. While you are thinking of this, everyone begins to chant quietly:

ALL: We harvest the seeds of rebirth… give thanks for the harvest of Earth.

When you feel right doing so, walk up to the cauldron, take a handful of seed, and if you wish call out "For ________ I give thanks: I harvest the seeds of rebirth!" (Please, keep the statement of thanks to two or three words, no more.)
Now, know that for as much as has been given us, as much as we have created for ourselves, we are capable of that much more, and the adventure lies in the fact that greater things are on their way, whether or no we can see them now. While holding the seeds, the chant increases, and leads into the next one:

ALL: We give thanks for unknown blessings already on the way;
We give thanks for unknown blessings already on the way;
We give thanks for unknown blessings already on the way!

(How to raise a cone: Focus on the feeling of power. Sense the power we together are raising. Does it have flavor? intensity? color? do you feel it inside you, like a tension? do you see it coalescing like a fog? do you hear harmony building, like an orchestra warming up? Use however works for you to sense it, but try your best to sense it however you can. Feel your own power, however you sense it within you; feel the power of the person next to you - is it different? similar? how does it blend with yours? how can you make your own harmonize with it? And feel the power of the group, how it is similar or different from your own, how you can adjust yours to make it in tune with the group, be a complimentary color, feel at the same level. Concentrate, and know that the power we are raising is building up, synergizing, becoming more than any one of us could create alone, becoming more than simply the sum of all of our energies, creating a symphony, creating a painting, creating the tension of excitement and power within and without, feeling it build, build, build... and at the peak when you feel that neither you nor the Circle can hold any more, hold the power for just one moment, make sure that everyone else is at the same point you are, then release, send it forth, know that it is arrowing to the mark, that it will move to enflame your vision, empower your visualization. That which you created in your mind will be. Know this, like you know the sun will rise tomorrow, like you know who you are.)

At the peak of the power, we throw the seeds into the air, knowing that we send out this harvest to seed the next!

Then relax, and let the excess energy drain off into the Mother, who has room in abundance for all that you can't hold. Slowly let your own flows ebb back to normal. Find the center point within you, the place where you feel 'together' and balanced. Sense that that point is connected to everyone else's balance point, and that of the Earth, the universe. And know you just made magick!)

Feasting and Fellowship

We direct our attention to the results of the food drive, and bless it along with the bread we share with each other:
ALL: (to the tune of 'All Good Gifts' from Godspell)
We plow the fields and scatter She sends the snows in winter,
The good seed on the land, The warmth to swell the grain,
But it is fed and watered The seedtime and the harvest
By Her abundant hand. And summer's gentle rain

CHORUS: All good gifts around us
Have come from our Mother Earth,
Then thank Her now, O thank Her now,
With love and joy and mirth...

We thank You then, O Mother, No sacrifice You ask for,
For all things bright and good, For all Your love imparts,
The seedtime and the harvest, For You are our great Mother,
Our life, our health, our food. Your love is in our hearts. (to chorus)

Pass the cup and bread; feel the grounding of the bread, and the fellowship of the cup.
"May you never hunger." "May you never thirst."

Closing the Circle

Priest and Priestess: Lady of shadows and Lord of the grain,
We thank you for your presence with us today,
Knowing you are with us always.
Hail and farewell! Blessed be.

EAST: Who returns, returns to the East?
The air, the air, goes with our thanks
For waking our Circle with wisdom and knowledge.
Hail and farewell! Blessed be.
SOUTH: Who returns, returns to the South?
The fire, the fire, goes with our thanks
For kindling our Circle with power and courage.
Hail and farewell! Blessed be.
WEST: Who returns, returns to the West?
The water, the water, goes with our thanks
For washing our Circle with hope and with love.
Hail and farewell! Blessed be
NORTH: Who returns, returns to the North?
The earth, the earth, goes with our thanks
For firming our Circle with roots and foundation.
Hail and farewell! Blessed be.

ALL: The circle is open, but unbroken.
May the peace of the Goddess
and the love of the God
go in our hearts.
Merry meet, and merry part, and merry meet again!
Blessed be, and divine do!
1... 2... 3... It's a Circle!

Pagan | Ritual | Autumnal Equinox | Freemasonry | BurningTaper.com | Burning Taper

Josh the Baptist demands Big Brother discipline the Flock

From time to time, I like to look in on our old friend Josh the Baptist to see what Loki-like mischief he's spreading.

If you've been a reader of Burning Taper for very long, you'll probably remember Rev. Josh Buice, who first shot to fame by trashing Freemasonry last year. Masons from all over the world zeroed in on his anti-Masonic blog article, which eventually had more than 600 comments before he locked it down. He later threw some of the best postings down the Memory Hole by deleting, leaving the comment count at 528.

Another of Josh's anti-Masonic articles in which he shared a letter he wrote to the Southern Baptist Convention asking them to admonish Baptists who were Masons slipped by me recently. I guess I wasn't paying attention.

Josh is a fundamentalist evangelical, or an evangelical fundamentalist, it's hard to tell.

In his latest article, titled "Does Discipline Work?, Josh does what he does best: Stomp up and down and demand that people live like he says they should. We must, he writes, "guard the purity of the local churches and force disciplined individuals to face their discipline and repent!"

Apparently, Baptist churches today have some of the same problems Freemasonry does: "...[G]reedy... leaders who are more interested in numbers and money than they are about preserving the purity of the local assembly."

Josh bemoans the fact that there are so many Baptist churches, because that means a sinner who has been excommunicated from one church can just "ride in his B.M.W. down the road to the next Baptist church and obtain membership very easily!"

Oh, what to do, what to do!?

According to Josh, Big Brother should be watching. He would like the Mark of the Beast to be placed upon all who would join his church. He writes:

There are several possible solutions to this problem. First, with our technology today, a database could be established under the SBC website that would enable church leaders (pastors and elders) to provide information (name of individual, city, and church name) about all excommunicated individuals who never sought reconciliation and repentance. This data would only be available to the leadership of the church and not accessible by the general public. The data could be protected by a secure connection and available only through passwords given to SBC churches. When a person seeks membership status in a local SBC church, their name could be searched through the database of the system in a matter of seconds and it would provide information on them if they had been disciplined in another church and excommunicated from their fellowship. The major set back to this possible solution is the fact that other churches outside of the SBC would not have access to the database, and therefore, individuals who were disciplined in a church in another denomination would be able to bypass the database check.

Another solution to this problem would be to dismember any church from the SBC that does not make church discipline a priority in their church. If church discipline is an essential mark of a true church (as history verifies), the SBC should only accept churches into membership who meet the qualifications of a genuine church (discipline being one of the qualifications). Money should not be the driving force behind membership! It is not recognized as a qualification for membership into the local church, and it should not be the determining factor for membership in the Southern Baptist Convention.

Achtung, baby! There you go. Josh the Baptist saves the day. Excommunicate all members and all churches! Let God sort them out!

God save us from Your followers!

Masons | Southern Baptists | Josh Buice | Freemasonry | BurningTaper.com | Josh the Baptist | Discipline | Burning Taper

Catholic website touts new anti-Mason book

The pro-Catholic website Spirit Daily is all a-flutter over a "powerful new book" by former Freemason John Salza.

The website says the book is

...[W]orth mentioning not only because it is well-written and extremely informative — a book that, without histrionics, or overwrought conspiracies, tells you everything you need to know about the Masons, their structures, and their beliefs — but also because Salza, a lawyer, is a Catholic and also a former Mason himself.

Recommended? Highly. "An insider reveals the secrets of the lodge" says the subtitle, and indeed he is the first Catholic known to write a major book after leaving the secret organization.

Initiated as an apprentice Mason in 1996 in Wisconsin, he advanced to Master Mason and thirty-second degree in the Scottish Rite, along with membership in the Masonic organization called the Ancient Arabic order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, or "Shriners." He was about to be elected "Worshipful Master."

The review, which cites the book, says that the birth of Masonry was in 1717. We're told Freemasonry was "originally" Christian, but later, "in keeping with the Enlightenment, moved Masonry more toward secularism, the occult, and a vague, general notion of God."

"There was an oppression of religion in favor of the 'rational' study of nature," the review continues.

Typical of most anti-Masonic Christian website, we're further told that "although presenting itself as a spiritual and often even a Christian organization, there is no required belief in Jesus, and God is not seen as personal. There is no Trinity. It is indifferent to the notion of fallen man and redemption."

The article claims that Freemasonic ritual incorporates "agnosticism, pantheism (the belief in many gods), nature religions, and animism (the African occult religion)."

The next installment of Spirit Daily's review promises to share the "nefarious, shocking influence [Freemasonry has] over society."

The article was also published today at Spero News without the screaming loud bold oversize font that Spirit Daily uses.

Masons | Anti-Masons | John Salza | Freemasonry | BurningTaper.com | Burning Taper

The Burning Taper calls on the Grand Lodge of Georgia to recognize Prince Hall Masonry! Desegregate now!

Only the southern states now remain Masonically segregated.

The unconfirmed report we wrote about back in August about the Grand Lodge of Delaware finally recognizing Prince Hall Masons was true.

DelawareOnline.com recently published a most interesting article about it, and Masonic Traveler has shared his insights on his blog as well.

Most Worshipful Brother F. Ray Jackson, Grand Master of Masons in Georgia, sir: What about Georgia? When will the Grand Lodge of Georgia accept black Masons as Masons? When will we overcome the shackles of our own minds and actually live up to the Masonic tenets of the Brotherhood of All Mankind? When will the rest of the Masonic world stop laughing at what they think of (and rightly so) as the good ol' redneck racist boys down south?

I and countless other Masons in good standing call upon you, the "elected" leader of Masons in Georgia, to stop the racism. Don't hide behind the supposed need for committees and discussions and votes at some Grand Lodge communication five years from now. If you can excommunicate Masons with the stroke of a pen like you and your predecessor Bro. Garner did last year with his edict, you, sir, can recognize Prince Hall Masons with a simple edict as well.

Yeah, many Georgia Masons will be unhappy. Some may even hate you for it. Some may fume and fret and threaten to never attend Blue Lodge again. So what?

Do what is right, F. Ray.

The year is 2006. Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves in 1863. Martin Luther King freed our minds in the 1960s. Even my 75-year old southern white parents welcome with open arms African-Americans into their once lilly-white Southern Baptist church....

It's time Masons of all creeds, colors and nationalities sit together in Georgia Freemasonic Lodges!

Please email us your reply, telling us when you will issue this edict, or why you will not, so we can post your words for the world to read.

The Grand Master of Georgia's email address is GrandMaster@glofga.org. Other Grand Lodge officers' email addresses are listed on the Grand Lodge of Georgia's webpage.

Masons | F. Ray Jackson | Masonic Racism | Masonic Segregation | Freemasonry | BurningTaper.com | Grand Lodge of Georgia | Prince Hall | Burning Taper

'Jesus Camp' prepares Christian kids to fight, die for their religion

Every few weeks a story comes along that prompts me to write something like this: "Religion is the number one cause of war, hatred and injustice." A reader almost always then tries to correct me by commenting "no, it's people that cause those things, not religion."

To which I say, "Feh!"

ABC News reported recently on a new documentary, Jesus Camp, that tells of a North Dakota Christian camp called "Kid's on Fire," that is literally training evangelical Christian teens and pre-teens to die for Jesus. Not figuratively, but literally. The mindset is being instilled that these kids should be just as fervently willing to die for their religion as fundamentalist Muslim children are.

At the ABC news site, you can watch a news video about the camp. It seems rather diabolical, for something that purports to be for the glory of the Prince of Peace.

You can watch kids, some who look as young as six or so, speaking in tongues, weeping for salvation, praying for an end to abortion and worshipping a picture of President Bush.

"I want to see them as radically laying down their lives for the gospel as they are in Palestine, Pakistan and all those different places," pastor and camp leader Becky Fisher said. "Because, excuse me, we have the truth."

"A lot of people die for God," one camper said, "and they're not afraid."

"We're kinda being trained to be warriors," said another, "only in a funner way."

Ah, yes, war is fun.

Onward, Christian soldiers
Marching as to war.
With the cross of Jesus
Going on before.

Lauren Sandler, the author of Righteous, a book about the growing evangelical Christian youth movement, says the movement will have a negative impact on the country's future, because even the most moderate young evangelicals are inflexible on issues such as abortion and gay marriage.

"It's an absolute, straight-up us-against-them," Sandler said. "It's, you're either with us or you're against us. Not only are you a sinner, but you are working for the enemy — the enemy being Satan."

Sounds like something the Muslim fundamentalists would say, as they're gearing up to bring World War IV to a street near you, thanks to Pope Benedict the Backpeddler.

With training camps like this, is it possible one day we'll have to worry about Christian zombie soldiers, or even Christian suicide bombers?

Don't think it isn't possible. Last week, ABC News reported that an Athens, Alabama woman and two of her "disciples" held her brother at gunpoint while forcing him to repent of his sins and ask for Jesus's forgiveness. Police were at first skeptical of the story, but after examining evidence, including a bullethole left in the ceiling after Tammie Lee Doss popped off a round because her bubba Randy wasn't praying hard enough, charges of unlawful imprisonment and menacing were filed against the three.

Jesus was unavailable for comment.

Fortunately, God has spoken recently on the subject, giving us the Five Steps to Peace, which I repeat once again for your edification:

You are facing now a new and startling danger — a danger posed to your entire species. A threat to your very survival posed by the combination of a split in ideology and an advance in technology, which makes it possible for you to seek to resolve your differences with tools of human destruction unlike anything you may have heretofore dreamed of in your worst nightmare.

There are five things you can choose now if changing your world, and the self-destructive direction in which it is moving, is what you wish to achieve.

1. You can choose to acknowledge that some of your old beliefs about God and about Life are no longer working.


2. You can choose to acknowledge that there is something you do not understand about God and about Life, the understanding of which will change everything.


3. You can choose to be willing for a new understanding of God and Life to now be brought forth, an understanding that could produce a new way of life on your planet.


4. You can choose to be courageous enough to explore and examine this new understanding, and, if it aligns with your inner truth and knowing, to enlarge your belief system to include it.


5. You can choose to live your lives as demonstrations of your highest and grandest beliefs, rather than as denials of them.

These are the Five Steps to Peace, and if you take them, you can shift everything on your planet.

Update, Sept. 20 — Julie R. Neidlinger, who describes herself as a lifelong Pentecostal Christian and hints at being on her way to spinsterhood at age 32, defends the Jesus Camp in her blog, referring to author Lauren Sandler as "Miss Liberal Feminist" instead of by name. Julie has this disclaimer next to her photo on her blog: "So you think you hate me and wish to leave a nasty comment on this blog covered by the veil of anonymity. Two words: moderated comments. Four words: Don't waste your time." Sounds like someone I want to share a pew with. Julie gives the term "Christian apologist" a whole new meaning. Julie's blog article linked to this one, so we thought we'd return the favor. Hey, Julie!

Evangelical Christians | Jesus Christ | Jesus Camp | Becky Fisher | BurningTaper.com | God | Burning Taper

Eris — A Ball of Confusion

In honor of Eris, newest member of our Solar System, we offer the following pages from Principia Discordia, or How I Found Goddess and What I Did to Her When I Found Her. No hot dog buns.

GP: Is Eris true?
M2: Everything is true.
GP: Even false things?
M2: Even false things are true.
GP: How can that be?
M2: I don't know man, I didn't do it.

---

THE MYTH OF THE APPLE OF DISCORD

It seems that Zeus was preparing a wedding banquet for Peleus and Thetis and did not want to invite Eris because of Her reputation as a trouble maker.*

This made Eris angry, and so She fashioned an apple of pure gold** and inscribed upon it KALLISTI ("To The Prettiest One") and on the day of the fete She rolled it into the banquet hall and then left to be alone and joyously partake of a hot dog.

Now, three of the invited goddesses,*** Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite, each immediately claimed it to belong to herself because of the inscription. And they started fighting, and they started throwing punch all over the place and everything.

Finally Zeus calmed things down and declared that an arbitrator must be selected, which was a reasonable suggestion, and all agreed. He sent them to a shepherd of Troy, whose name was Paris because his mother had had a lot of gaul and had married a Frenchman; but each of the sneaky goddesses tried to outwit the others by going early and offering a bribe to Paris.

Athena offered him Heroic War Victories, Hera offered him Great Wealth, and Aphrodite offered him the Most Beautiful Woman on Earth. Being a healthy young Trojan lad, Paris promptly accepted Aphrodite's bribe and she got the apple and he got screwed.

As she had promised, she maneuvered earthly happenings so that Paris could have Helen (the Helen) then living with her husband Menelaus, King of Sparta. Anyway, everyone knows that the Trojan War followed when Sparta demanded their Queen back and that the Trojan War is said to be The First War among men.

And so we suffer because of the Original Snub. And so a Discordian is to partake of No Hot Dog Buns.

Do you believe that?
________________

* This is called THE DOCTRINE OF THE ORIGINAL SNUB
** There is historic disagreement concerning whether this apple was of metallic gold or acapulco.
*** Actually there were five goddesses, but the Greeks did not know the Law of Fives.

---

What We Know About ERIS (not much)

The Romans left a likeness of Her for posterity — She was shown as a grotesque woman with a pale and ghastly look, Her eyes afire, Her garment ripped and torn, and as concealing a dagger in Her Bosom. Actually, most women look pale and ghastly when concealing a chilly dagger in their bosoms.

Her geneology is from the Greeks and is utterly confused. Either She was the twin of Ares and the daughter of Zeus and Hera; or She was the daughter of Nyx, goddess of night (who was either the daughter or wife of Chaos, or both), and Nyx's brother, Erebus, and whose brothers and sisters include Death, Doom, Mockery, and Friendship. And that She begat Forgetfullness, Quarrels, Lies, and a bunch of gods and goddesses like that.

One day Mal-2 consulted his Pineal Gland* and asked Eris if She really created all of those terrible things. She told him that She had always liked the Old Greeks, but that they cannot be trusted with historic matters. "They were," She added, "victims of indigestion, you know."

Suffice it to say that Eris is not hateful or malicious. But She is mischievous, and does get a little bitchy at times.

*THE PINEAL GLAND is where each and every one of us can talk to Eris. If you have trouble activating your Pineal, then try the appendix which does almost as well. Reference: DOGMA I, METAPHYSICS #3, "The Indoctrine of the Pineal Gland"

Image: Courtesy Grouchogandhi, the beer that made Milwaukee famous

Eris | Goddess of Discord | Goddess Discordianism | Malaclypse the Younger | Omar Ravenhurst | Burning Taper | SacredFems.com

Hail Eris! All Hail Discordia!

The dwarf planet that led to Pluto's recent cosmic demotion has been given a name.

The International Astronomical Union has decided to call the small, icy body on the outskirts of our solar system 136199 Eris, or just Eris for short.

The discovery of Eris last year, and fnord its striking similarity to Pluto, forced renewed talks on what constitutes a planet. Last month, the Union downgraded Pluto to dwarf status, prompting an outcry from sentimentalists.

The Union acknowledges Eris' controversial role. The name honors the Greek goddess of discord and strife, who fnord provokes jealousy and fighting among men.

Eris’ moon has been named Dysnomia after the Daimon spirit of lawlessness, who was also the daughter of Eris.

Eris had been going by the designation fnord of 2003 UB313 until receiving its official name, but its discoverers had informally dubbed it Xena.

From VOA

Visit Grouchogandhi.com for a graphic of the new solar system.

Eris | Goddess | Dwarf Planet | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com

Men's magazine ranks best beers in America

It's only a fairly recent phenomena, the ban on alcohol in lodge activities, in some Masonic jurisdictions in the USA. This ridiculous prohibition of spirits at Masonic functions does not exist in United Grand Lodge of America lodges, nor in most countries outside the USA.

Modern Freemasonry was first practiced inside taverns, which means alcohol, most likely strong beer and ale, has always been an Masonic influence. I mean, all those feelings of brotherly love, not to mention the wacky walks and hand signs, probably owe much to subtle, gentle brain cell stimulation by alcohol molecules.

The October 2006 issue of Men's Journal magazine lists the top 25 beers in the USA.

The magazine ranked Firestone Walker Pale Ale as the best beer in America, followed by Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, made in Milton, Del.

Rounding out the top five are Stoudt's Pils, of Adamstown, Pa.; Russian River Temptation Ale, of Santa Rosa, Calif.; and Avery Mephistopheles' Stout, of Boulder, Colo.

The magazine said its editors put their "sensitive palettes to the test" and have determined the most flavorful microbrews, also judging on the basis of it being refreshing while appealing to a variety of different tastes.

The top 25 beers, according to Men's Journal, are:

1 - Firestone Walker Pale Ale: Paso Robles, CA

2 - Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA: Milton, DE

3 - Stoudt's Pils: Adamstown, PA

4 - Russian River Temptation Ale: Santa Rosa, CA

5 - Avery Mephistopheles' Stout: Boulder, CO

6 - Anderson Valley Boont Amber Ale: Boonville, CA

7 - Great Lakes Holy Moses White Ale: Cleveland, OH

8 - Full Sail Session Lager: Hood River, OR

9 - Rogue Brutal Bitter: Newport, OR

10 - Bell's Expedition Stout: Comstock, MI

11 - Southampton Double White: Southampton, NY

12 - Smuttynose Big A IPA: Portsmouth, NH

13 - Penn Weizen: Pittsburgh, PA

14 - Great Lakes Burning River Pale Ale: Cleveland, OH

15 - Ommegang Hennepin: Cooperstown, NY

16 - Samuel Adams Black Lager: Boston, MA

17 - Sprecher Hefe Weiss: Milwaukee, WI

18 - Alaskan Amber: Juneau, AK

19 - Deschutes Broken Top Bock: Bend, OR

20 - Lost Abbey Avant Garde: San Marcos, CA

21 - Jolly Pumpkin Bam Bière: Dexter, MI

22 - Victory St. Victorious Doppelbock: Downington, PA

23 - Allagash Interlude: Portland, ME

24 - Alesmith Speedway Stout: San Diego, CA

25 - New Glarus Yokel: New Glarus, WI

Image: William Hogarth's painting "Night," showing a drunk Worshipful Master and Tyler being led home after a lodge meeting.

Masons | Beer | 25 Best Beers | Freemasonry | BurningTaper.com | Men | Burning Taper

Official: New Independent Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the Philippine Islands (IGLPI) formally constituted

The following email was received a few minutes ago from Jaime Bantolo, Grand Master of the Independent Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the Philippine Islands (IGLPI).

Dear Brothers in Freemasonry,

Fraternal Greetings to all and those who may read this and to those you may wish to pass this on. Yesterday afternoon The Most Worshipful Independent Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the Philippine Islands (IGLPI) based in Cavite was formally organized and constituted. Initially seven (7) century old and old Lodges, some antedating the GLP, formally declared their INDEPENDENCE from the GLP and united to form the new Grand Lodge asserting their time immemorial inherent rights to form Grand Lodges without the need of approval from any Grand Lodge for reasons and justifications emanating from past and recent events affecting the Lodges and the District. The members of the affiliated Lodges together with brother Masons from other Lodges joined in a parade from vicinity Josephines Resort to the President General Bro Emilio Aguinaldo Shrine in historic Kawit, Cavite, where the ceremonies were held. The program included an Invocation, National Anthem, Pledge to the Flag, Opening and Welcome Remarks, Reading of the Declaration of Independence, Turn-in of Old Charters, Lowering of the Lodge Standards, Oath Taking of the Interim Grand Lodge Officers, Constitution Ceremonies of the New Grand Lodge, Presentation of New Charters to the 7 Lodges, Presentation of the New Grand Lodge Seal, Inaugural Address of the Grand Master, Keynote Speech of the Guest, Singing of the new Grand Lodge song.

We had a new Constitution, a seal, a song, a set of officers. The Charters are beautifully printed. The seal very symbolic with the tenets in tagalog — Kapatiran, Kalinga, Katotohanan (KKK). Our theme is "A Fresh Start for True Masonry"
All duly made MM in a legally constituted Lodge obligating before the altar where the VSL is with the Graet and Lesser lights should be proud of brothers progressing in Masonry. Regardless of origin, creed, color, religion etc, we are all BROTHERS.
When we assembled to petition to be constituted in a GRAND LODGE ACCORDING TO OUR FREE WILL, we also exercise our time immemorial inherent right for our Lodge to join other Lodges to form a new Grand Lodge on our own FREE WILL, WITHOUT SANCTIONS, and without NEED of APPROVAL of the previous Grand Lodge.

The past weeks and days, as the D-Day was approaching, there were many efforts; tame, intimidating, threatening at each Lodge to dissuade them from forming a new Grand Lodge. The PGMs were all over us persuasively. From suspensions to expulsions, to declaring clandestine; to offers of positions, to filing of charges, The Grand Master Yu wielded all his absolute powers, against normal judicial process, to effect discipline and impose obedience. Last July the Board of General Purposes visited Cavite and talked with the WMs and me and asked for time and patience to find solutions to the problems. We have not heard from the Board. The problem is too deep, not an inch to bulged, reason for reason, principles fpr principles, morals to morals. But the empowering ABSOLUTE POWERS beyond question or constitutional boundaries are too enormous and weilded to Cavite. We thought the age of Dictators whom the Masons fought yesterday are gone. We cannot prolong our stay in GLP where all the powers are vested in the GM alone. The DGM, GSW and GJW are powerless. Our efforts for reconsiderations, our resolutions for trials and justice, our resolutions for reforms did not deserve any action or reply. Punishment was swift.From the past to the present to the future, we forsee little or no hopes for TRUE MASONRY to thrive. We have to craft our own Constitution to surgically excise the errors of the past. We had to leave but are not allowed to leave safely, not even a safe conduct pass.

We will send soonest copies of our Declaration of Independece and our democratic Constitution.

To the GLP please give us a warm and brotherly departure to carve our history. We are Masons forever, a Brother, a friend to all. To those belonging to another Grand Jurisdiction, we are not clandestine.

Please find our attach Circulars as reference to know us and our first judicial acts to correct a mistake.

Please pass to Cavite Masons particularly to those whose Lodge are now affiliated with us. We will respect present member status. Thank you very much.

Fraternally yours,

Jaime V Bantolo
Grand Master

Masons | Philippines | Filipino Freemasonry | Freemasonry | BurningTaper.com | Independent Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the Philippine Islands | Burning Taper

The Many Paths of Wisdom

Whenever Bro. Darren picks up his pen and paper (or keyboard and mouse) and expresses himself, you know it's going to be interesting reading. Whether as himself or under his pen name F. Roy Dean-Schlipp, Bro. Darren aims high and usually hits his target. He holds nothing back when he rails against Christian fundamentalists like Josh the Baptist or Masonic fundamentalists like Bros. Ed King and Tim Bonney.

But Bro. Darren is at his best when he takes a deep breath and ponders the gentler, deeper side of Freemasonry, as he does in today's The Path(s) of Wisdom.

The Path(s) of Wisdom by Darren Simpson

In today's society, we find ourselves asking, "Where can true wisdom be found?" As Freemasons, we have committed ourselves to a life-long quest for true wisdom and have sworn to protect such wisdom with our very lives from those who would use that knowledge for baser means and self-fulfillment. With such high aims and aspirations, you'd think that Freemasons such as ourselves would be beyond discrimination in our quest. You would think that our journey would be one of genuine learning from all of the available sources of human experience.

That is what you would think....

But we are far from that idyllic example, are we not? We have one faction that is throwing out the pre-Christian origins and heritage of our masonic forebears, and you have some groups disdaining the wisdom of the Christian saints and desert fathers in a blind polarization to esotericism and Eastern mysticism. My only question is, "Why?" Why trap ourselves into our own pre-conceived notions of wisdom?

Read the entire article at Le Chevalier Maconnique.

Masons | Masonic Paths | Darren Simpson | Freemasonry | BurningTaper.com | Fundamentalists | Burning Taper

30% of Americans don't know when 9/11 happened!

As churches, public officials and every talking head on every news program in the country gear up to tearjerk * the populace on the fifth anniversary of the sad and frightening set of events now commonly known as "Nine-Eleven," consider this:

• 30% of adult Americans don't remember what year it happened. Fourteen percent gave the wrong year; 16% simply said they had "no idea."
• Five percent can't even remember the month and date!

The website Sploid.com points out that most of this 30% are age 55 or over... the same people who most regularly vote. And the same people who make up probably 85%-90% of American Freemasonry.

Scary, huh?

* Tearjerk — Verb; to speak or publish audio-visual content in a calculated attempt to provoke an emotional response, usually for a sinister or controlling purpose.

Sources:
CBS Broadcasting, Inc.
Sploid: Nation of Retards

9/11 | September 11 | World Trade Center | Terrorism | BurningTaper.com | Ground Zero | Burning Taper

Terrorist priest confesses to Madonna concert bomb threat

What the world needs now is love, sweet love... and a whole lot less religion.

Religion remains the number one cause of war, bigotry and hatred.

On Friday, a 63-year-old priest confessed to phoning in a fake bomb threat to a Madonna concert in Amsterdam last week.

"He was hoping to stop her from performing her famous 'crucifixion' act," prosecution spokesman Robert Meulenbroek said, referring to a scene in the pop star's latest show.

The scene, a re-enactment of the crucifixion of Christ, offended some Christians during earlier concerts in Italy and Germany.

The priest was arrested almost immediately after making the threat Sunday, since he used his home phone to make it, and he called an emergency services number where the call was automatically traced.

The priest was brought before a judge Friday and has been released pending judgment, Meulenbroek said. "We take bomb threats seriously, but in this case it was clear very quickly that it was not real," he said.

Though the priest was quickly identified by police, his identity has apparently not been released. I read six different stories about this incident; not one gave the terrorist priest's name.

Religion | Catholic Church | Terrorism | Madonna | BurningTaper.com | Amsterdam | Burning Taper

Dumpster-divers freed after serving 10 days of a six-month sentence

After serving 10 days of a six-month sentence, the dumpster divers in Steamboat Springs, Colorado that we wrote about last week have been released. My thanks to an anonymous poster for pointing out a website called Colorado Freedom, which was set up last week to track this story. The activity of this site as well as the protests of many Steamboat Springs townspeople led to the release of the two young men charged with burglary for taking rotten fruit from a dumpster.

The Denver Post wrote in today's edition that David Siller and Giles Charlé were freed on Wednesday. Asst. District Attorney Kerry St. James, who during the prosecution said "I'm going to send a message to the community," cooked up a release deal after he became an international laughingstock. The story gained worldwide attention when it was featured last week on the Drudge Report, a website visited by 14 million people a day.

Dumpster Divers | David Siller | Giles Charlé | Fruit | BurningTaper.com | Kerry St. James | Steamboat Springs, Colorado | Burning Taper

Highway Fun: Rocket Balloons

Automobiles | Cars | Balloons | Rockets | BurningTaper.com | Burning Taper

Interview with Dr. Sigmund Freud: Shriners Parody

Interview with Dr. Sigmund Freud: Shriners Parody by Sandy Frost

Today we have with us the father of psycho therapy, Dr. Sigmund Freud. Thank you for being with us, Herr Doktor. Or should I say “Danke sehr.”

Freud: You are welcome, Sandy. What is on your mind?

Well, Herr Doktor, our topic today is the Shriners. In the mid-1800s, corporations were considered to have same legal status as a “person.” As you know, the Shriners Hospitals for Children is a non profit corporation. How would you diagnose the “personality” of the Shriners corporation, say, using the diagnostic criteria of the DSM-IV, the standard diagnostic tool of psychiatrists and psychologists?

Freud: According to these guidelines, most corporations have a highly anti-social personality. In the case of the non profit corporation otherwise known as the Shriners, it seems that they exhibit symptoms of “psychopathic” behavior.

Herr Doktor, can you please explain?

Freud: This corporation, on the surface, claims to benefit sick and crippled children. Yet twenty years ago, their corporate fundraisers known as circuses exploited these same children in a ticket re-sale scam that led to the discovery that most of the money raised on behalf of these children didn’t go towards the hospitals. It was also discovered that there was an incestuous relationship between a local government attorney and the head of the convention center, both Shriners, who tried to cover this up.

Herr Doktor, please go on.

Freud: These incidents are just a few that seem to match identifiers listed on the Psychopathic Behavior Checklist and in particular:

• being conning/manipulative
• lack of remorse or guilt
• poor behavioral controls
• irresponsibility
• early behavioral problems

Since the circus scam, this corporation has been challenged and questioned about their finances. Instead of answering the questions, this corporation behaves with a “grandiose sense of self-worth.” The corporation acts as if nothing is wrong while exhibiting additional psychopathic traits of being persuasive, glib, and charming through public relations rather than answering these questions, all the while using the children to raise more money.

Herr Doktor, did you know that the corporation control nearly $10 billion dollars?

Freud: If we refer to the list of psychopathic traits, this could be related to “parasitic behavior” since the corporation seems to prey on the elderly and the affiliate fraternal membership for “charitable, tax-deductible” contributions. In my opinion, the corporation clearly demonstrates traits of “aggressive narcissistic” psychopathic behavior.

Herr Doktor, let’s move on please. What do you make of their symbols the crescent moon, the star and the Scimitar?

Freud: It is clear that the crescent moon represents the “Erectile Dysfunction Syndrome” or ED experienced by many men who are the age of this corporation’s leadership. They want to relive their “glory days” and perceive themselves as stars or maybe super stars, particularly in the bedroom. The scimitar is a symbol of the large hard-as-steel weapon they like to believe that they wield, both in the bedroom and in the boardroom. It is also a symbol of patriarchal phallic power and represents a weapon that can be wielded to control the membership as well as the entire corporate “organ-ization.” There is another issue here of ethnic exploitation of these symbols and terms from the Islamic culture but we can discuss that another time.

Herr Doktor, there have been reports about the corporation and members of their affiliates allegedly having drunken orgies, molesting children and being hit with sexual harassment lawsuits. What do you make of this?

Freud: This is not surprising to see this corporation display the Psychopathic trait of promiscuous sexual behavior. Many elderly men are attracted to younger women to prove their virility and potency through the sex act. The pedophiliac deviancy is similar to the psychopathic behavior of another type of non profit corporation, the Catholic Church. Corporate “organ-izational” dysfunction such as this is similar to the dysfunction found in incestuous families where the primary modus operandi is secrecy. Secrecy is a symptom of dysfunction and the dysfunction is based in the perpetrator’s need for power, whether it’s in the corporate world or in the home next door.

Herr Doktor, this brings us to one of the main questions and that is what do you make of the term for the fraternal leaders, that of “Potentate.”

Freud: It is clear that these men are at the age when they are prone to suffer from ED. Thus, they have decided to prop themselves up and declare to the world that by the power vested in them through their positions of leadership, control and unquestioned authority, they are “potent.”

Herr Doktor, how, then, do you analyze the term “Potentate?”

Freud: It is clear that many in this position crave and wield ultimate, unquestioned power over this corporation’s fraternal general membership. A May 2006 directive “By Order of the Potentate and in Concurrence with Imperial Shrine” states that:

1) No one has the authority to speak outside the Temple to anyone on legal matters of the Temple without permission of the Potentate.

2) No member of any Temple will give interviews to any media without the permission of the Potentate who must know what will be discussed.

3) Members are forbidden from requesting Shrine Unit or Shrine Club records from any source.

4) No one has the authority to contact the Imperial Potentate without first contacting the Potentate with a copy of the signed complaint. If the Potentate refuses to forward the communication, then the member may transmit it directly to the Imperial Potentate. A representative may communicate directly with the Imperial Potentate.

5) It is also ordered that no Shriner enlist the help of a non-Shriner to get around Shrine law.

6) Anyone conducting an investigation of a Shrine Club or Shrine Unit without the Potentates’ permission is hereby ordered to cease and desist.

Herr Doktor, what, then, is your final analysis?

Freud: This “gag” order that is “in concurrence with the Imperial Shrine" sounds dictatorial, illegal and unconstitutional, but this is not my area of expertise. However, the term “Potentate” is a reflection of the subconscious mind of these aging leaders who crave power at any cost. It is my opinion that they should be recognized for what they truly are and be referred to as ‘Impotentates’.”

Herr Doktor, thank you for your valuable insights and help in writing this parody.

Reprinted with permission from Sandy Frost's blog at Newsvine.com.

Image: Note the large ring on Freud's left hand... Masonic?

Masons | Shriners | Shrine Club | Freemasonry | BurningTaper.com | Imperial Potentate | Sandy Frost | Burning Taper

The Pagan Temple looks at George Reeves and 'Hollywoodland'

Having owned up to having a geek gene in my DNA in the DragonCon article the other day, I might as well 'fess up to this fact, too: I dig Superman.

Long before Christopher Reeve donned the blue tights in the late 1970s, I was tying towels around my neck and watching reruns of George Reeves in The Adventures of Superman. Though Reeves appeared in the classic Gone With the Wind as one of Scarlett O'Hara's suitors, and during his run as Superman appeared in the nearly-equally classic From Here to Eternity, Reeves felt he was forever typecast as the Man of Steel.

Patrick Kelley at the Pagan Temple writes an eye-opening article today about the events surrounding the mysterious "suicide" of George Reeves, which is the subject of the new film Hollywoodland.

Superman | Man of Steel | George Reeves | Hollywoodland | BurningTaper.com | Burning Taper

Men sentenced to six months in jail for dumpster-diving for rotten produce

One of my family's favorite places to eat is a soup and salad restaurant called Sweet Tomatoes. I also take a lot of friends there. I love vegetables and salads and soups, and often I make the joke, "If I'm ever homeless, this place's dumpster is the one I'll eat out of."

I may have to rethink that idea.

An assistant district attorney in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, has made a name for himself for prosecuting two men who went dumpster-diving for rotten fruit and vegetables outside the Sweet Pea Produce store.

The owner of the store, Jonathon Heib, calls it "ridiculous," and refused to press charges. That didn't stop Asst. D.A. Kerry St. James. He charged the men, Giles Char­lé, 24, of Somersworth, N.H., and David Siller, 27, of Wayne, Pa., who were passing through town on their way to North Carolina, with felony second-degree burglary and misdemeanor theft. To secure a conviction, he then offered them a lesser charge of misdemeanor trespass, which they accepted after consulting with several local attorneys. The men were sentenced to six months in jail and must pay "restitution" to the produce store of $15.

St. James also asked the judge to fine the men $42 a day, each, for the costs the county will incur for incarcerating the men for six months. The judge refused.

Law and order? Justice? Are the streets safer now that two vagabonds are spending six months picking up trash alongside the highway (something ironically similar to their "crime")? Hardly.

What kind of Asst. District Attorney wastes taxpayer money prosecuting cases like this? Alas, the kind of A.D.A. who will probably be elected governor one day running on a "Law and Order" ticket.

If the men had just come to town offering to make stone soup for everyone, they'd have been considered heroes, not thieves.

Dumpster Diving | Law and Order | Steamboat Springs, Colorado | Kerry St. James | BurningTaper.com | Burning Taper

A weekend with the wookies: GrouchoGandhi and the Widow's Son go to DragonCon

My co-conspirator pal GrouchoGandhi and I got together on Saturday and ventured ITP/404 to spend some time at this year's DragonCon extravaganza. Neither of us are hard-core science fiction / fantasy fans, but we do own up to each having at least one geek gene in our DNA. I'd never been to DragonCon before, but Gg and I did attend a few PhenomiCons and SubGenius Slacker Devivials back in the 20th Century.

Gg and I went in the costumes of "mundanes," which is what DragonConners call people who refuse to wear costumes. Mostly we just tested our liver capacities and character-watched. We saw Cosplay girls, Star Trek crewmen, Supergirl, dragons, furries, Harlequinn clowns, Snake from Escape from L.A. (not to be confused with Snake from Escape from New York), Whoopi Goldberg, Batgirl, John Carter (or Conan the Barbarian, we weren't sure), Tomb Raider Laura Croft (several), five Ghostbusters, Alex and his droogies, Jack Sparrow (several), Darth Vader, Wonder Woman, Superman, Blade Runner people, Klingons, Romulans, Wookies, cowboys, Burger King, lots of midriffs bared by women who shouldn't be baring their midriffs, Storm Troopers, Iron Man, way too many guys in kilts (though kilts do look comfortable), Green Lantern, several people who had drawn on their skin with Majik Markers instead of making costumes, a waitress in a nurse's uniform, overly ambitious and evil security people and, of course, John and Alana, who weren't a couple.

We also passed out home-printed flyers for BurningTaper.com and GrouchoGandhi.com, so it's just a matter of time before all 30,000 DragonCon attenders begin petitioning Masonic lodges around the country. They already have the role-playing and script-memorizing down pat, and they'll love the pageantry and costumes of Masonic ritual work.

Needless to say, I don't have a lot to say today, so here's a roundup of what other bloggers in "the network" have been blogging about lately:

• Bro. Darren at Modern Freemasonic Journal has been writing about the fear he sees among the "old guard" of the Masonic Brotherhood when confronted with new brothers seeking modernization of the Fraternity.
• Born Jesus has been laughing at how a fake rabbi scammed a Christian church, and how a evangelist qualified for the Darwin Awards by accidentally drowning himself while trying to prove he could walk on water.
• Cristo Lumen suggests that if Jesus were telling His parable today about the Good Samaritan — Samaritans were the most reviled people of His time — that he'd be telling the Parable of the Good Homosexual.
• It's great to see Antient Masons starting to blog about the racism still rampant in Freemasonry. After last week's radio expose' that "outed" Alabama Gov. Bob Riley for being a member of a racist organization (Alabama Freemasonry), Iowa's Bro. Tim Bonney of Freemasonry Resources joins his voice with ours (Burning Taper's) and the United Grand Lodge of America in calling for southern Grand Lodges to recognize Prince Hall Masonry.
• Blessed Blogger Bunny is using her blog to do what blogs do best, by showing off her new headshots. Lookin' good!
• Bro. Jeremiah is back from hiatus with tales and photos from his visits to Masonic lodges in Hawaii and around the Pacific Rim.
• AltHealthNews.com tells the sad story of a 9-year-old boy from Pennsylvania who died last week from an encephalitis virus transmitted via a mosquito bite!
• Jon Swift praises the heck of a good job President Bush is doing in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
• Bro. Greg at Masonic Traveler warns us that, according to the Christian anti-Masons, Jesus is coming back with a bad attitude towards Masons, so look busy!
• Bro. Tom at the Tao of Masonry reminds us that we can't guard the gate if we're not watching the door.
• Bro. TubalCain420 takes us down the rabbit hole with an article on energy fields whose title is actually longer than the article.
• SacredFems.com writes about the recent death of Nellie Connally, former Texas First Lady, who was the last survivor in the car with JFK when he was assassinated. The article also links to a newly released "stabilized" version of the Zapruder film of the shooting.
• Goddess Blogger Irina (who is always right) talks about her recent move from Baltimore to New York City, fulfilling her dream which began when she first saw the Robert deNiro film Taxi Driver.

Image #1: Oh, nurse! The guy on the left is some semi-famous science fiction writer I'd never heard of.

Image #2: John and Alana are not a couple. I asked them if they had come dressed as Lilo and Stitch.

Even more DragonCon photos.

DragonCon | Cosplay | Science Fiction | Freemasonry | BurningTaper.com | Atlanta, Georgia | Burning Taper

The Democratic Decalogue

The Democratic Decalogue by Leo Rosten, LOOK Magazine, January 15, 1963

Democracy works because of ten central ideas that we have made sacred:

1. Political power is power over others, and power over others must always be watched, guarded, and circumscribed.

2. No man, no group, no sect, no party ever has a monopoly on truth, virtue and competence.

3. This means that no man, no group, no party is wise enough and good enough and sane enough to be entrusted with too much power. For good men are often silly and competent men are often wicked, and even the combination of virtue and ability in no way guarantees judgment or reason or sanity. Good intentions do not necessarily lead to good results; purity of heart is not always linked to political skill or emotional balance. Human history is studded with tragedy precisely because too often have “sincere” and passionate men seized the power (or bamboozled others into letting them exercise it) to do what they happen to think best.

4. Those we like may be wrong; those we hate may be right. The only way to find out what is best, for whom, is to let the ideas and the theories, however disturbing, roll out in uninterrupted contest. The right to talk creates the duty to listen.

5. Freedom dies under dogma. In a free society, no person or group or policy can be permitted to exist beyond scrutiny, criticism, even ridicule. When dogma gains enough power to punish those who oppose it, it becomes fanaticism. When dogma is invested with enough power to suppress opposition, it becomes tyranny. And when men are afraid to say what they think — however cockeyed or unpopular it may be – freedom has been violated, for it has been corrupted by fear.

6. The only thing worse than a too powerful minority is a too powerful majority. Government must at all costs protect all minorities against any majority — including the government itself.

7. Every man has a right to opportunity, to respect, to fair treatment under law. Justice is a right, not a favor. No man shall be penalized for his parentage or his pigmentation or his faith.

8. No man, however disagreeable or dangerous, shall be denied an open trial, on specific charges. No man shall be judged by the same people who accuse him. Every man has the right to confront those who accuse him and try to prove them liars.

9. It is up to the authorities to prove a man guilty; it is not up to a man to prove himself innocent.

10. The true and final purpose of government is so to arrange life that each man can do as he damned pleases — so long as it does not harm or menace others.

The greatest political invention known to the race of man is the idea that men shall be protected in their sacred right to criticize the state itself; that every man shall be free to think what he pleases, read what he pleases, say what he pleases — so long as it is within the bounds of decency and does not incite others to violence.

Originally posted by W. Bro. Tim Bryce at FreemasonInformation.com

Masons | Look Magazine | Leo Rosten | Freemasonry | BurningTaper.com | Democracy | Burning Taper