Protestant Puritans Outlawed Christmas

The Examination and Tryal of Father Christmas, 1686

Parliament, ruled by the Protestants, outlawed Christmas throughout England in 1644, specifically citing the Christmas tree as a pagan symbol, and the associated drinking as sinful.  It was demonized as being godless and Catholic.  The concept spread Across the Pond, and was embraced in New England.

Puritans in Boston and the Plymouth colony outlawed the celebration of Christmas in 1659, and the law stayed on the books for over 20 years (until 1681).  A five-shilling fine was to be levied against anyone "found observing, by abstinence from labor, feasting or any other way, any such days as Christmas."  Town criers in some areas were said to walk the streets on Christmas Eve shouting, "No Christmas! No Christmas!"

The laws against Christmas in England were lifted in 1660, but it did not become an official holiday until 1856.  Schools continued holding class on December 25^th until 1870.

© The Weirding, 2016

More Friday the 13th Church Stuff

Yesterday, we discussed a little about why Friday the 13^th is considered unlucky by some. My takeaway is that it specifically has to do with the ascendancy of the "Antipope" on Thursday the 12^th, but it is also interesting to note that it was on this day in 1981 that Pope John Paul II was shot in St. Petersburg Square.

It seems certain that the would-be assassin knew his Catholic History and planned the attempt to accord with the dates, but the [Roman-]Catholic Church has made its share of enemies throughout the centuries, so it cannot be certain that he acted alone.

Years later, the Catholic Church would find itself in yet another bad position as it faced numerous claims of child molestation and abuse from across the world. While this has little to nothing to do with Friday the 13^th, it may have factored into the attempted assassination.

© The Weirding, 2016

The Cathars and the Knights Templar - Friday the 13th

Aurora

If you have ever wondered why Friday the 13^th is considered unlucky, it dates back to long before any of us were even thought of and, as is often the case, involves the Romans and Judaeo-Christian religious beliefs (at least, according to my limited research and memory):

According to some, the Cathars held secret religious beliefs Christians and similarly-aligned religious despots believed heretical. The Cathars, so it is said, thought themselves to be the good guys -- as those with deeply-held religious beliefs often do -- opposed to the evil god of the material world, who the Christians worshiped. Some say the Cathars Perfecti were vegetarian celibates whose initiates were allowed to eat fish. Some of their beliefs may have been Islamic in nature, suggesting to some scholars that they were converts to Islam.

If all of this sounds strangely familiar, it's because a lot of this appears to have been taken -- possibly confused with, or possibly presented as counter-intelligence -- from the history of the [then Roman-]Catholic Church. In fact, Rome is said to have been the most stringent opponents of Catharism. There was also a small congregation of vegetarian women in England known as The Shakers who remained celibate (and their cult is said to have died because of this).

Some time in the mid 13^th-Century, the last remaining stronghold of the Cathars was felled. Some of them were said to have absconded with a secret treasure the Knights Templar (and others) believed to have been The Holy Grail -- or a mummified cockatrice known as "Baphomet," which the Knights Templar were later said to have worshiped. Discrepancies as to where the word "Baphomet" comes from remain, but the mummified remains could have been dinosaur bones, and the remains of animals not native to Europe, that scholars of the day pieced together incorrectly, basing their assumptions on their provincial knowledge. The Cathars who survived the night are said to have surrendered the following day and they were immediately burned at the stake.

The Knights Templar may or may not have been the very force which drove the Cathars from their roost, and continued to pursue them to retrieve their secrets and treasure, but the two cults were almost certain to have had some contact during their eras of activity. In fact, following the Cathars' fall, many may have become Knights Templar, as some scholars say the Cathars had been entirely eliminated by the end of the 13^th-Century, while the Knights Templar are said to have persisted until the early 1300s. There seems to be little information regarding the Knights Templar prior to the Cathars, and either may have been converts to Islam.

In the early 14^th-Century, the King declared the Knights Templar heretical and killed them all, as well, after torturing them into "Confessing" to alleged crimes they may or may not have committed. At any rate, the date on which the last of the Knights Templar were either first attacked, or finally murdered, is said to have been Friday the 13^th.

The Antipope Nicholas V ascended on Thursday the 12^th, 1328.

Now, all of this is hard to confirm -- especially online -- and I may well have much of it confused, but it is interesting enough to post (as I've been meaning to do many times before). Remember that although I try to research what I can to ensure you are getting plausible information, I do not have all the answers -- nor even the right questions! In fact, this post from the venerable Mental Floss (UK, apparently) sheds more light on this traditionally "unlucky" day which mentions none of this, and may well be correct. 

However, the connection to the ascendancy of the "Antipope" is likely the smoking gun behind this superstition.

© The Weirding, 2016

German Ice Church

More than a century ago, believers in Mitterfirmiansreut, Germany were denied the right to build a church, so they built one out of ice and snow as "an act of provocation." The defiance started an annual ritual which was this year delayed due to unseasonably warm weather, during which a Catholic church is built of ice and snow. This year's sculpture cost nearly $200,000 and anticipates thousands of visitors before it melts.

© C Harris Lynn, 2011

Vatican Sponsors Workshop on Exorcism, Satanism

The Vatican is sponsoring a weekend workshop at the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical University in Rome, focusing on Satanism, exorcism, and sharing information on various Devil-worshiping sects. According to some Catholic experts, the Internet makes learning about Satanism and the Occult so much easier that it's resulted in a surge of interest in these dark interests.

The workshop brings together professionals from several realms, including psychologists and doctors. Non-religious people often argue demonic possession and similar concepts in which the victim loses control of his will or body are actually attacks brought upon by some mental/emotional dysfunction.

© C Harris Lynn, 2011

Lithuanian Clergy Puts Stop to Ad Campaign

Lithuanian-area monks and nuns effectively ended a regional advertising campaign that featured a Franciscan monk hoisting a mug of beer. The company behind the campaign said it was only trying to link monks' historical past as brewers to their product and meant no insult, but nuns and monks from the area wrote to tell the company that they found it offensive. The company has ended the campaign and apologized for the error.

© C Harris Lynn, 2011

Catholic Church Held Exorcist Weekend

The Catholic Church registered well over 100 priests and bishops for a two-day weekend workshop in Baltimore over the November 12^th, 2010 weekend. The workshop was to train the attendees in the ritual of Exorcism.

According to an Illinois Bishop, "a small group of priests" claim to receive requests for exorcisms from across the continental United States, but very few are trained to perform the Exorcism rite. A staple of modern, American, horror cinema (thanks in large part to the Oscar-winning The Exorcist from 1973, based on the book of the same name by William Peter Blatty), Exorcism is a very real and scared Catholic rite.

Though extremely rare, exorcisms do take place in modern America. Most professionals believe victims of "dæmonic possession" to be mentally ill; most consider them "paranoid schizophrenic," a classification some medical communities around the world have since dropped.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Vatican Castigates Opus Angelorum Sect

The Vatican has decreed the Opus Angelorum sect "wayward," and warns anyone who might come into contact with followers to distance themselves. Specifically, the Vatican says it has reason to suspect the Opus Angelorum is distributing propaganda associating itself with traditional Catholicism.

The Vatican basically gave Opus Angelorum a pass, so long as it promised not to distribute or mention information relating to its core sect beliefs, which were formed largely by its founder, Gabriele Bitterlich. One of the most dangerous of which is that women who have had abortions are possessed by demonic entities.

Bitterlich claimed to have been directed by an Archangel with whom she was in contact. This Archangel coached Bitterlich, and she discovered the names of the angels and demons fighting for control of peoples' souls.

The Opus Angelorum operates mostly throughout India, Brazil, and Germanic Europe.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

 

Catholic Church Considering Miracle for Pope John Paul II's Beatification

"I stand before you today and can say, to my mind, Jory is a miracle," Father Art Snedeker told a press conference the other day.  He was talking about Jory Aebly, who sustained a point-blank bullet wound to the head, "execution-style," during a mugging and has made a near-complete recovery.  Aebly and his family, along with Father Snedeker, attribute the miraculous healing to a rosary blessed by Pope John Paul II.

For absolutely no good reason, many Catholics have vied for Pope John Paul II's canonization.  For this to happen, at least two miracles attributed to him have to be documented and verified by the Catholic Church.  So far, the Church has found none, but some are saying Aebly's recovery may be the first.

But one commenter on the ABC news site pointed-out that:

The fact that Pope John Paul II presided over the Catholic Church during its dirtiest scandal since indulgences [sic] (i.e. the pedophile priest sex scandals) and did nothing to stop it really diminishes anything else this man might have done in his lifetime. I wouldn't call that " living a life of heroic virtue."

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Quick Bits of Oddity

As I say so often, just because there are no new posts does not mean I am not working. I work everyday -- every day -- whether or not I actually post anything. Usually, this consists of surfing around, reading and researching different subjects and articles.

I realize there haven't been as many in-depth articles lately, and that is because I have simply lacked the time. Much of what I have been bringing you are mere rewrites and coverage of articles that interest me, or that I hope will interest you. Writing a full article is exactly what it is: it is no different from writing a piece for submission, writing an essay for school, writing a report for work, etc. It takes several days, even weeks, and lots of research, editing, rewrites, and so forth. With everything else on my plate right now, I haven't had the time for that. 

Rest assured, more are on the way and several are already up (check the archives) -- but, for now, there are none immediately planned.

Anyway, I was going through the bookmarks and noticed a ton of stories I never got around to. Many of them are several days, or even weeks, old -- so you may already have heard about them. It occurred to me that, with everything else going on, it might be best to link to them and let you check them out on your own. An OddBlog Rundown, if you will. 

And so, without further ado:

• Pope condemns frog statue - because with all the other shit going on, that's what most concerns God.
• Intact mammoth skull uncovered - an actual mammoth's skull, not a giant skull... well, I mean it is giant, but... just read it.
• Buddha statue found in Bamiyan - hey, the demolitions crew missed one!
• The white priestess of black magic - too many double-entendres here.
• New species of insect found on eBay - and you thought there were just a bunch of rats and asses!
• Hearing visions

Obviously, I usually go into more detail on my own, tying them to other discussions and subjects we cover, but I am so far behind by this point, I figured I would just share these with you and let you do as you will. Enjoy!

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Pope to Apologize to Aussies

Pope Benedict XVI will apologize to the general Australian public for the Catholic Church's history of child abuse during his trip to the country.

Abuse victims plan to rally during the visit and authorities in the state of South Wales introduced laws to protect pilgrims. Civil liberties unions denounced such measures as "repugnant." Others are rallying against the Church's stance on homosexuality.

The Pope said that pedophilia is "incompatible" with being a priest. This is largely in response to Australian Cardinal George Pell's coming under fire for his handling of a 1982 abuse case.

Pope Benedict XVI will also apologize to Australian aborigines for injustices by Catholic missionaries. He is then expected to speak about climate change and will preside over an open-air mass.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Vatican: God Created Aliens

The Pope's chief astronomer says that life elsewhere in the Universe cannot be ruled-out.

Father Gabriel Funes said alien lifeforms, created by God, could exist. The search for extraterrestrial life does not refute the existence of God, Father Funes wrote. He even speculated that some of these lifeforms could be free of Original Sin.

The Vatican is organizing a celebration of the birth of Charles Darwin next year.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

You're an ANIMAL!

We just got one step closer to the world of comics and RPGs.

Scientists at Newcastle University have created the world's first part-human, part-animal embryos. While they only survived for up to three days, the hopes are that they will be useful in understanding, possibly even curing, a range of illnesses, including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. The Catholic Church called the advancement "monstrous."

The scientists created embryos from cows' eggs because human eggs are in short supply. They say the embryos would never be allowed to develop beyond two weeks, at which point they are still only about the size of a pinhead. Researchers want to extract stem cells from the embryos for further testing.

Of course, the Catholic Church considers the entire concept "immoral" and sinful, but who really cares what a bunch of poncing, aged queens think? Sadly, if the cures for any diseases come from this type of research, the Catholic flock will gladly avail themselves of said treatment; poetic justice would be a thinning of the herd by Papal Decree -- when it is adjudicated that Catholics who use such treatments are Sinners who must face a slow, agonizing, and painful death.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

UPDATE:  Not only was this post tampered with and the links removed, the source links online have been tampered with and/or removed.  One was accessed as recently as January 12. - 2018

St. Padre Pio on Display in Italy

St. Padre Pio's body will be on display in Italy to commemorate the 40^th anniversary of his death.

St. Padre Pio was said to have had stigmata - a Christian affliction (and paranormal oddity) in which the sufferer bears Christ's wounds, generally manifested in bleeding from the hands and feet and, even more rarely, from the side or head; St. Pio's was said to be on his hands, feet, and side. While his body is well-preserved despite no measures having been taken to achieve this (incorruption, also a Christian paranormal oddity - which fall under the category of miracles here - often associated with sainthood), there is no sign of stigmata. Of course, St. Padre Pio's blood has long stopped flowing.

Beatified in 2002 by Pope John Paul II, Padre Pio had legions of followers before his death - but the Catholic Church was not among them. In fact, Pio was banned from attending or performing public mass. Many thought him a fraud, and several contend that to this very day; one skeptic suggested he used carbolic acid to create his wounds (a pretty ludicrous claim).

Born in 1887 in the village of Pietrelcina in Southern Italy, St. Pio joined the Capuchins at 17 and lived for 11 years as a novice. On September 20^th, 1915, he began experiencing severe pains in his side and extremities for which doctors could find no reason nor cause. Exactly three years later, to the date, St. Pio fell to the floor in agony at the altar of the church in Foggia. His fellow monks found him there, unconscious, bleeding from his side, hands, and feet. He bore the stigmata unto his death; no medical efforts healed them and no evidence of imposture was ever found.

Throughout his lifetime, Padre Pio was attributed many miraculous cures, as well as the gifts of precognition and bilocation. Pio rarely left his monastery and died peacefully on September 28, 1968.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Curing Disease a Sin, Say Child Molesters

The Catholics are at it again: this time, they've developed a list of the "new" seven deadly sins.

Sound odd? That's why we're reporting it!

Yes, as usual, the Catholics are retooling the Bible and its message to suit their own purposes - that of putting asses in the pews. According to some study or another, confession attendance amongst Italians was down 60% some 20 years ago and it certainly hasn't gotten any better since then. So a bunch of pedophiles (and/or accessories to pedophilia) got together - not to discuss proper methods of promoting the idea of confession being a good thing - to channel the spirit of Cotton Mathers and find new threats of Eternal Damnation with which to frighten people into attending church.

Strangely enough, pedophilia and abortion made the list. Archbishop Giotti, who formed the list, dismissed the link between pedophilia and the Catholic Church as "exaggerations by the mass media aimed at discrediting the Church." He said he believed the greatest modern sins to be in the areas of genetics manipulation and ecology.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Bolivian "Priest" Smuggled Cocaine Under Robes

A man claiming to be a Catholic priest was arrested in Amsterdam trying to smuggle nearly 10 pounds of cocaine under his robes.

When he approached a boarding gate, he refused to allow officials to search him on "religious grounds."  When they noticed him going to a different gate, that immediately seized and searched him, finding 7.7 pounds of cocaine beneath his robes.  Even after arrest, the Bolivian man insisted he was actually a priest.

There are no "religious grounds" which prevent one from being allowed to be searched when entering Europe, according to an official.

Pope Grants Indulgences

Very important historically and religiously, Pope Benedict XVI has authorized special indulgences to commemorate the 150^th anniversary of the Virgin Mary's appearance at Lourdes to shepherdess, Bernadette Soubirous, in 1858.

The pontiff said that Catholics praying at places of worship dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes from February 2^nd to 11^th will receive indulgences, as will those visiting the actual site in December of next year. Indulgences reduce the time spent in Purgatory.

They became infamous in the 16^th-Century for being sold, as opposed to being earned, which lead to the Protestant reformation.

Bernadette Soubirous claimed to have seen a vision of the Virgin Mary in a cave, which told her she was the Immaculate Conception and that a church should be erected at the site. Authorities tried to force her to recant, but she remained strong and even had further visions throughout the year. Suddenly, a spring emerged from the cave and was reputed to have extraordinary healing powers. Authorities tried to stop the flow of the spring and delay the construction of the church, but the stories reached the French Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III, and construction went forward.

Bernadette Soubirous was beatified in 1925 and canonized in 1933.

The Ancient Art of Alchemy

Most balk at Alchemy, though they know nothing about it.  The truth is that Alchemy and its practitioners -- the Alchemists, Witches, and Wizards of their day -- were the very forefathers of modern-day scientists, doctors, pharmacists, and more.  They were persecuted mercilessly by the emerging medical practitioners, mostly under the auspices of the Catholic Church.

While Alchemy was, at its basest, the search for transmuting lead into gold, this was only the most physical aspect of the art (and the ultimate prize); Alchemists claimed that its study brought forth interior changes -- psychical changes within the Alchemist himself which transformed the "lead" of his everyday life into spiritual "gold."

One of the most famous, and most recent, alchemists was none other than Israel Regardie himself, author of the now infamous Golden Dawn (whose publication got him thrown out of the circle and scorned by his peers and one-time colleagues), though he admitted he never actually completed any great Transmutation through the practice.

One of the most authoritative documents claiming to have succeeded in Alchemy is almost certainly a fraud:

Attributed to one Nicholas Flamel, it first appeared in 1612.  A very rich man who had made public his interest in Alchemy (1130-1417), Flamel was a scrivener, a preparer of legal documents, and the date of his supposed Alchemical breakthrough given in this autobiography was Monday, January 17^th, 1382.   But the 17^th of January, 1382 was not a Monday --- an easy mistake for anyone else, but an unlikely one for a scrivener.

We'll delve much further into the Art of Alchemy as the weeks go on.

© C Harris Lynn, 2007

Church Reverses Limbo Thinking

For years, Catholics have been taught that children are born with Original Sin and those babies who are not baptized go to Hell or exist perpetually in Limbo - a state of grace but without God. The new Pope has finally changed these teachings.

I'm not Catholic, but I've always disagreed with these sorts of guilt-ridden teachings so capitol to their beliefs. Speaking personally, if God is in fact like the one Catholicism teaches, I'm not sure I would follow Him. Catholicism teaches that He is hard and unforgiving - in short, they make Him sound rather cold, calloused, even cruel - why would you want to follow such a being?

At any rate, I completely agree with this decision. I suppose we are all born with Original Sin, but I also believe in a Father that Christ taught us about: forgiving and kind, wise and even-tempered. Sure, He can be angered and bring down His wrath upon those He deems deserving, but He is otherwise a kind of laid-back cat who understands that, as men, we mere mortals are fallible - even prone to making mistakes and Sin, in general.