10-31-99 - PROJECT MEGIDDO
- Preparing for Terrorism
The agency said the document analyzes ``the potential for extremist criminal
activity in the United States by individuals or domestic groups who attach
special significance to the year 2000.'' The research report is named Megiddo
after an ancient battleground in Israel cited in the Bible's New Testament
as the site of a millennial battle between forces of good and evil. `Israeli
officials are extremely concerned that the Temple Mount, an area already
seething with tension and distrust among Muslims and Jews, will be the stage
for violent encounters between religious zealots,'' the Post quoted the study
as saying. ``Additionally, several religious cults have already made inroads
into Israel, apparently in preparation for what they believe to be the
endtimes.''
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Should we know more about Project Megiddo?
Date: 11/09/1999 1:37:25 PM Central Standard Time
From: mcdonalds@airnet.net (ScanThisNews)
Sender: owner-scan@efga.org
======================================================================
SCAN THIS NEWS
11.9.99
Should we know more about Project Megiddo?
by: Scott McDonald
Note: This report should not be taken as a reflection on any individual, group, or religion other than as specifically implicated in context. This writer does not believe anyone can determine another persons character based upon affiliations; nor can you predict what they may or may not do based upon their professed religion.
This post concerns government profiling based upon religious beliefs.
"Project Megiddo" is the FBI's name for its "strategic assessment of the potential for domestic terrorism in the United States undertaken in anticipation of or response to the arrival of the new millennium."
The report generated under Project Megiddo states its intent is "to analyze the potential for extremist criminal activity in the United States by individuals or domestic extremist groups who profess an apocalyptic view of the millennium or attach special significance to the year 2000."
This study reveals that there is reason to believe the sources relied upon by the FBI for their Project Megiddo report had their own preconceived political, social, and possibly even religious opinions about the groups implicated in the report which creates an unacceptable bias on the part of some of the outside sources.
Project Megiddo places particular emphasis on "bible-based" cults. The entire report is centered around the subject of Christian beliefs as they regard the "end times" and "the Battle of Armageddon."
Due to the use of obscure, esoteric, and sometimes vague but insinuating terminology used throughout the Project Megiddo report; and due to the direct implication of Christian beliefs contained therein, there is legitimate reason for concern that some law enforcement agencies and officers throughout the U.S. who review the report may misinterpret the "profile" patterns set out therein which could result in unintended groups or individuals being targeted and investigated. For this reason, this report will focus solely on factors directly related to that possibility.
The FBI report states that:
: "For apocalyptic cults, especially biblically based ones, the millennium is viewed as the time that will signal a major transformation for the world. Many apocalyptic cults share the belief that the battle against Satan, as prophesied in the Book of Revelation, will begin in the years surrounding the millennium and that the federal government is an arm of Satan.
: Therefore, the millennium will bring about a battle between cult members -- religious martyrs -- and the government.
No one would seriously argue that this passage is discussing any group other than Christian believers. And, this study reviews the report from the perspective of a Christian.
The first question to ask then is: Who did the FBI rely on as their source of information in developing their "profiles" for "religious-based" or "biblically-based" cults? Isn't this question relevant? Or, are we to believe that the "profilers" were totally detached from any bias and rendered a completely objective opinion without regard for their own beliefs and convictions? What if the sources had religious beliefs and convictions that are contrary to those of the implicated groups? Might that cast the entire report in a different light; and impact the credibility of the report? In a totally hypothetical example: What if a study was done on "the benefits of beef" and the "sources" used were from a group called "People for the rights of cows"? Would that raise any questions about the integrity of the study? You bet it would. And who do you suppose would be complaining?
Cattle farmers!
In essence there are three sources listed in the report under the heading "Apocalyptic Cults." They are:
1) Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary 10 th Edition [which I also use];
2) Law Enforcement Online, (www.leo.gov/) [which at the time of this writing is a dead link];
3) Margaret Thaler Singer[1] [a board member of the "AFF" (American Familly Foundation)]; and, lastly, B.A. Robinson, host and owner of the Ontario Counselors on Religious Tolerance group web site domain.
In dispensing with the first cited source, Merriam Webster, it is noted that the definition used in the report for "cult" is provided, in the broadest meaning, as being composed of "individuals who demonstrate great devotion to a person, idea, object or movement."
Secondly, the "Law Enforcement Online material" will not be further review either, it is understandable why the FBI would rely upon their own source for information.
Therefore, the focus hereon only concerns the two "outside" sources the FBI credited in generating its "factors" which indicate a penchant for "religion-based" violence. These two individuals are B.A. Robinson and Margaret Thaler Singer.
The FBI report directs readers to the web site hosted and owned by B.A. Robinson for additional information on "profiling" religious cults. The link provided in the FBI report takes the reader to the page entitled "Common Signs of Destructive Cults" (www.religioustolerance.org/cultsign.htm). (Seems to be off line)
Others have also questioned who the OCRT "really" is: The introductory pages propose to answer this question:
: "We really are a group of 4 volunteers: two Unitarian Universalists (one Agnostic and one Atheist), one Wiccan and one liberal but unaffiliated Christian.
: Three of us are female; one male. All are heterosexual.
: We range in age from late 20's to early 60's. One of us is a retired Electronics Engineer; others are a Registered Nurse, urban planner and unemployed waitress.
It must be noted that definitions are extremely important on the OCRT web site. Without an understanding of their meaning of words and phrases, a reader can be totally mislead.
They say so themselves:
: "In engineering and medicine, the precise use of terminology is of paramount importance. Otherwise, misunderstandings will occur. Bridges will fall down, and patients will die from medication errors.
: In those professions, great care is taken to define terms clearly and unambiguously. But religion is another field entirely. Many religious terms have multiple meanings; sometimes those meanings are mutually exclusive. The result is mass confusion and an inability to communicate effectively. The solution is to avoid using certain confusing words and/or to carefully define in advance the meaning of specific ambiguous words within your article or essay.
The word "Christian" is sometimes used on the OCRT web site without modifiers. One paramount example of "mutually exclusive terms" is "liberal Christian" (also referred to on the site as "main-line") contrasted with, what they call "fundamentalist" or "conservative" Christians.[2]
To clarify this distinction, there probably is no better indicator than these examples provide on the site:
: [Q] Concept of God
: [Conservative] Lawgiver. Father, Judge, Creator, Redeemer.
: [Liberal] Parent, Lover, Healer, Liberator.
: [Q] Concept of Jesus
: [Conservative] Divine; co-eternal with God
: [Liberal] Various beliefs
It appears the author lost sight of the importance of definitions when it comes to the subject of Jesus.
: [Q] How to Understand the Bible:
: [Conservative] One must first be 'saved' before the Holy Spirit will help you understand the Bible.
: [Liberal] By studying infusion of religious ideas from other cultures surrounding Palestine and the biases of the authors.
: [Q] Errors in the Bible
: [Conservative] Inerrant, free of errors, except for a few isolated copying mistakes
: [Liberal] Many. Books are created by fallible human authors promoting their own beliefs
: [Q] Vision of Christian faith
: [Conservative] Essentially fixed
: [Liberal] In constant change
: [Q] Basis of salvation
: [Conservative] Repentance, trust in Jesus as savior
: [Liberal] Universalism: all will be saved
: [Q] Second Coming of Jesus
: [Conservative] Imminent.
: [Liberal] Not expected.
: [Q] Converting Jews to Christianity
: [Conservative] Of vital importance; given a high priority.
: [Liberal] A religiously intolerant activity
Clearly, the reader can see that the two definitions of "Christians" are as diametrically opposed as any two religious beliefs on earth! Unfortunately, the word "Christian" is woven throughout the OCRT web site often without clarifying modifiers causing the meaning to be ambiguous which leads to confusion about its contextual meaning at critical junctures in the discussion.
It is fair to say, however, that the "liberal Christian" member of the OCRT does not "believe" in the Apocalypse, the "return of Christ to judge the wicked," or the resurrection since these are not listed in the above chart under that heading. I'm sorry, let me back up here, the "resurrection" is not listed on the page. I guess they forgot.
However, there are many other additional "criteria" listed there.
It can also be concluded that whenever the site speaks of "Apocalyptic" or "Doomsday" beliefs, they are talking about "Conservative Christians" in accordance with their above definition. And it can likewise also be concluded that, since readers of the FBI report are directed to this site for additional information on Apocalyptic or Doomsday cults, that they too are talking about the same group of "Conservative" or "Fundamental" Christians when the word "Apocalyptic" is used.
Since the central theme of the Project Megiddo report is religious in nature, we are only going to look at the "warning signs" that might lead a law enforcement officer to view traditional religious beliefs as cultic behavior.
It is implied in both the Project Megiddo report and in the writings of B.A. Robinson that presence of some or most of the "warning signs" is an indication of a potential for violent acts. The web page that the FBI report directs readers to provides the following information about warning signs:
: "Doomsday groups represent the most dangerous fringe of mind control groups. We have studied a number of organizations that have lost membership through suicide or killing. They have exhibited most or all of the following common factors the leader's preaching concentrates on the impending end of the world, often at a great battle (e.g. War of Armageddon).
[Note: This was Billy Graham's central theme in thousands of sermons presented to millions of people around the world.
: they are led by a single male charismatic leader.
[Most Protestant Churches fit that description.
: the leader totally dominates the membership, closely controlling them physically, sexually and emotionally
[Many Protestant Churches fit that description
: there is often extreme paranoia within the group; they believe that they are in danger and that they are being closely monitored and heavily persecuted by governments or people outside the group. People on "the outside" are demonized.
[A ton of very subjective terms used there.
: they follow a form of Christian theology (or a blend of Christianity with another religion), with major and unique deviations from traditional beliefs in the area of end-time prophecy
That is basically all the information contained on the link provided in the FBI report. However, what is perhaps even more revealing is that the "main feature" of the page is a group of links to 4 other sites with material on warning signs of Doomsday cult behavior.
The 4 web sites linked directly from the FBI's source page are:
1) The Institute for First Amendment Studies, Inc. (IFAS) - (www.berkshire.net/~ifas/)
2) The American Family Foundation, Inc. (AFF) - (www.csj.org/)
3) Isaac Bonewits's Neopagan Homepage - (www.neopagan.net/)
4) The Global Ideas Bank - (www.globalideasbank.org)
More details on each of these groups follows with some selected excerpts from each of their web sites:
: 1) INSTITUTE FOR FIRST AMENDMENT STUDIES, (IFAS), - "The Institute for First Amendment Studies, a 501(c)(3) non- profit educational and research organization, was founded in 1984 by former fundamentalist minister Skipp Porteous and attorney Barbara Simon, to expose and counter the political activities of the Religious Right," (http://www.ifas.org/about.html)
We include the following comments about the IFAS page provided on the OCRT page:
: "They promote freedom of religion and the separation of church and state. They oppose various political activities of conservative Christian groups."
: "They have [a] checklist of symptoms to be sensitive to when you, a friend or family member becomes involved with a religious group. ... These early warning signs were prepared by former deprogrammer and current exit counselor, Rick Ross. Ross was recently found guilty of conspiracy to limit the civil rights to freedom of religion of a member of a Pentecostal church. However, the above guidelines appear to have merit in spite of the background of the author."
: 2) THE AMERICAN FAMILY FOUNDATION, INC., (AFF), - "A secular, nonprofit, tax-exempt research center and educational corporation," (http://www.csj.org/)
Please note that Margaret Thaler Singer, the only other "source" cited in the FBI report is a board member of this group, the AFF, which is linked from the OCRT web page.
: http://www.csj.org/rg/rgessays/rgessay_identitymov.htm "Not surprisingly, there is considerable crossover in membership from the KKK to Identity groups and some of the Militia and Patriot movements. These ties have given supremacists access to people with weapons and violent agendas. This is a problem that will continue well beyond the year 2000."
: http://www.csj.org/rg/rgessays/rgessay_dysfunchurch.htm "Unfortunately, sociologists of religion (as well as many exmembers) know that some churches are also dysfunctional, even to the point of being spiritually abusive. If truth in advertising standards could be applied to religion, some churches would be required to display a sign reading:
: "Warning: this church could be harmful to your spiritual and psychological health."
: "What are the hallmarks of unhealthy, aberrant churches? The key indicator is control oriented leadership, ministers who have a need to "lord it over the flock." Abusive leaders demand submission and unquestioning loyalty. The person who raises uncomfortable questions or does not "get with the program" is cast aside. Guilt, fear, and intimidation are used to manipulate and control vulnerable members, especially those who have been taught to believe that questioning their pastor is comparable to questioning God."
: Cult - 101
: http://www.csj.org/infoserv_groups/grp_index.htm "Check here for an abridged list of groups about which AFF has information."
Go to the above link and you will find the following categories of "possible" cult groups: bible-based, psychotherapy, eastern, racist, fourth way/gurdjieff, sales training: mlm's, marketing; large group; awareness training; satanist; neo-nazi/militia; scientology; new age; substance abuse/12-step; syncretistic; political; UFO; and, other.
It appears that the AFF considers a lot of organizations to be "cult-like."
Go to the link for "political" groups and you'll find over forty organizations listed, including: NAZI, California Homemakers Association, Skinheads, Women's Press Collective, KKK, and Shining Path
Go to the link for "Bible-based" cult-like groups and you will find over 200 churches mentioned with links to additional information on nearly half of them.
Go to the "Satanism" page and you will not find one single link to any organization, nor does the AFF have any additional information on Satanic "cult-like" groups listed there, which would imply, there are none.
Obscured under the "other" category you will find Witches and Wicca mentioned, but there are no links to additional material provided on the AFF page. Not only are there NO links, most notably missing from this list at the "Cult - 101" database is any mention of Pagans or Neopagans which happen to be the subject of the next link.
: 3) ISSAC BONEWITS'S NEOPAGAN HOMEPAGE - Neopagan : (http://www.neopagan.net/)
: "This website contains materials by and about Isaac Bonewits and his topics of expertise: Druidism, Paganism, Witchcraft, magic(k), liturgical design, polytheology, and polyamory.
: "There's probably more material here on Paleo-, Meso- and Neopagan Druidism than any other site on Earth."
:"Are you 11-16, looking for practical information on how to become a Witch? Get Silver RavenWolf's bestselling, Teen Witch, from Amazon.com."
The Political Implications of Neopagan Druidism - : http://www.neopagan.net/NeoDruidismPolitical.HTML
: One of the very few ways we have of defending ourselves and our fellow passengers (human and other) on this Spaceship Earth is through the careful and judicious use of magic.
: Neopagan Druidism is political because only a Nature worshipping religion can give people sufficient concern for the environment to make them willing to make the sacrifices that must be made in terms of lifestyle and consumption patterns. Monotheism is a major cause of the current state of the world's ecology. We need a strong public religion that tells the polluters, "No, it's not divinely sanctioned for you to rape the Earth!"
: Neopagan Druidism is political, at the bedrock level, because it can teach people how to use their Gods-given psychic and other talents to change the way things are. Make no mistake, magic works, at least as often as poetry, music or political rallies do. Magic is a form of power that we, the people of the Earth, have available to use, not just for psychological "empowerment" (making ourselves feel better) but to actually control the individuals and institutions responsible for our planet's current mess.
: Warriors and Soldiers and Cops -- Oh My! 2.0.2 - : http://www.neopagan.net/Warriors_Part_1.HTML
: I perceive important distinctions between "warriors" and "soldiers," with the former word having positive meanings for me and the later negative ones. In order to define my terms clearly, I will now oversimplify:
: A "warrior" is a person who has been trained to use violence both effectively and selectively, but who refrains from doing so except when she/he perceives a genuine danger to her/himself or to others in the community whom she/he deems worthy of protection. She or he strives to use exactly the minimum amount of violence (if any) of whatever sort is necessary to defeat the danger, and is willing to risk her/his life in the process. A warrior prefers to see the face of his/her enemy, and takes personal responsibility for the ethics of his/her behavior. While she/he may enjoy her/his occupation and may experience and appreciate the thrill of battle, she/he does not enjoy or disregard the emotional and moral effects of killing.
: [I]f someone from an ecological action group has decided to destroy bulldozers, or sink whaling ships or dump bags of red paint on members of a government commission who are neglecting their duties to protect endangered species -- then we have a problem. Their activities are clearly illegal, and are indeed crimes that have victims (the developers, the whalers, the bureaucrats), yet they are being done to prevent even greater crimes, ones that many Neopagans would also oppose. Personally I cheered when I heard about the "eco-guerrillas" who sank the (empty) whaling vessel in Iceland, wrecked the whalers' mainframe computer and destroyed their freezing units. By committing crimes against property, they saved the lives of scores of whales who would have been slaughtered by that machinery.
: A genuine warrior confronts his enemy as another human being, not as a faceless stranger or a nonhuman "thing". A genuine warrior is willing to risk her own life, job, reputation, family relationships, and more, to fight for what she believes is morally and ethically right.
: Thor, Indra, Athena, and Kali are not impressed by fancy costumes, expensive weapons, or self-serving excuses. They are the ones who will judge whether someone is really a warrior or a blowhard -- not me, not the Druids, and not the Neopagan Community. So if we are going to have Neopagan warrior cults, their organizers are going to have to have their acts together. Each of them should select a cause with which most Neopagans can agree, then train themselves to fight for it effectively (not just romantically -- but that's another whole essay), and begin the process of fighting.
Clearly and without question, integral to the Neopagan religions is a desire and a plan to influence government and law enforcement. As stated, their agenda includes forming cults and preparing for war.
In light of the above, the next natural question, then becomes: Who are the enemies of which he speaks? This question is relevant because, for example had the FBI relied upon his advice, in light of the above, the material may be skewed to favor this political perspective. And the ememies mentioned above would likely become the target of the skewed agenda. Therefore, we rely upon the very same authority, Isaac Bonewits, for the answer:
: "Anti-Christianity" and Who-Hates-Who? 1.2 -
: or
: "There are people in this world who do not love their fellow human beings, and I hate people like that!"
: http://www.neopagan.net/Anti-Christianity.HTML
: I say, "Rather than accusing me of being biased, please, clean up your own house first." If you want to love "practitioners of evil," you can start with the Scribes and Pharisees in the Christian Coalition and the 700 Club, sexually abusive priests and ministers, right-wing hypocrites in government, and all those wonderful Christians in the KKK and the American Nazi Party.
: We have our beliefs and our spiritual experiences, and a fairly hefty number of "miracles," to back them. Stop trying to bully us verbally, or spiritually through prayer (with or without sugar-coated language), none of it will work. ... We will resist. And we will win.
It cannot go without noting, the groups mentioned above are also targeted in the Project Megiddo report.
More on defining who the enemies of this Neopagan's are:
: Understanding the Religious Reich 1.5
: http://www.neopagan.net/ReligiousReich.HTML
: Only now is the "Religious Right" beginning to realize and admit that it has already lost the "culture wars" with the rest of modern society. This bitter pill is combining with millenial fever to put some fundamentalist Christian leaders into a frenzy. Many of them actually hope that the dreaded "Y2K Bug" will lead to a collapse of the national and state governments, so that they can use their already existing political networks and militia groups to take over in the "power vaccuum". When 2001 c.e. arrives and neither the longed for "Armageddon" nor their "Second Coming" has occurred, their political and cultural power will be finally, irreparably, broken.
: For the purposes of this essay, I could simply refer to "ultra-conservative monotheists," but "fundamentalists" is somewhat shorter and the modern Christian Protestants who call themselves by this term are, in fact, the primary threat to our lives and freedom right now.
: It's the Christian fundamentalists, however, in whom we inspire the greatest anger, hatred, and fear. They routinely denounce Buddhism, Taoism, the New Age, and all other competing belief systems, just as they have always done, but seem to save their greatest vituperation for occultists in general and Neopagans (especially Witches) in particular.
: There are a number of theological reasons why fundamentalists of any monotheistic persuasion would find Neopaganism disturbing; after all, we disagree with them about almost everything they consider important.
: If they succeed in taking over America because the rest of us were too lazy to fight them and too cynical to bother voting - or if their cherished "cultural collapse" should occur -- they fully intend to institute the death penalty for being homosexual, for having or performing (or assisting someone to have or perform) an abortion, for living in "sin" (including all "unconventional" partnerships, lovestyles, and family structures), for practicing "witchcraft" (any minority religious, metaphysical, astrological or New Age belief system), and for having or distributing "pornography."
: No matter how friendly, reasonable and ecumenical they may occasionally act towards non-Christian groups, on the day they decide they don't need us anymore they will cheerfully rip our throats out.
Many readers will already be satisfacrotially convinced at this point as to who the enemies of this particular Neopagan's are. But we must provide yet more evidence for the benefit of the doubters, especially since this is a source readers of the FBI report are directed to via their provided link. The evidence of their own religous predisposition against Christians must be made clear. Note that in the following essay, "Satanists" are viewed as the Christians' enemy, and Christians are the Neopagans' enemy.
: The Enemies of Our Enemies 2.7 -: http://www.neopagan.net/Enemies.HTML
: Another type of Satanist is the Conservative Orthodox or fascist sort: generally middle-aged, uneducated, and unsuccessful (the basic KKK or American Nazi Party recruit), though their leaders can be quite clever and successful. These are the right wing Satanists who like to stress the might-makes-right, dictatorial side of the Satan image.
: Note that right wingers (whether Satanic or other Christian sorts) often present themselves under more appealing terminology, such as by calling themselves "Libertarians."
[It is noted here that, in this instance KKK and Nazi Party [members are referred to as "Satanists," while in other places [Bonewits refers to them as "Christians." What he is in effect [saying is that Christians are Satanists, and he groups KKK [and Nazi members into this mix along with Libertarians.
: This brings us to the last, and by far the largest, category of Satanists: the fundamentalist Christians themselves, who spend all their time inflating the image of Satan, feeding psychic energy into the archetype, and publishing detailed descriptions of the sorts of evil acts that devil worshippers are supposed to engage in... ."
: Satanism is a part of the occult community -- being the "occult" or hidden side of Christianity -- and many Satanists do practice various sorts of ceremonial magic. As we know, however, the occult/magical/metaphysical community comprises a wide variety of organizations and individuals -- good, bad, ugly, and just plain weird. We don't have to be friendly to all of them, nor do we have to accept them all as equals or allies. Neopagans have enough trouble interacting with those Mesopagans (such as the Crowleyites, Odinists, and Voodooists) who engage in activities of which many Neopagans disapprove. ."
: Christian fundamentalists, whether they are wearing crosses or goat heads, are simply not welcome, and never will be.
These three are the sites which reflect a decidedly anti-Christian bias. The following site is called the Global Ideas Bank and it does not present its opinions directly, but "ideas" are published for commentary, imput, and voting to see which ones are most intuned with global thinking.
: THE GLOBAL IDEAS BANK : http://www.globalideasbank.org/
: New Money Systems and Financial Innovations : http://www.globalideasbank.org/money.html
: The benefits of a compulsory switch from cash to e-cash The technology of electronic money - 'e-cash' - spurred on by the Internet, is developing rapidly - Mondex, VisaCash, Geld Kartes (in Germany), Proton (in Belgium), DigiCash and CyberCash (on the Internet).
: If everyone used e-cash, then transaction costs for society as a whole would be lowered, simply because it's cheaper to handle than notes and coins.
: What about those who in future can't or won't move to e-cash? There are, essentially, three options:
l.people should be allowed to continue to use notes and coins at their own expense; or
2.people should be allowed to continue but at someone else's expense; or
3.people : should not be allowed to continue to use physical cash.
: While options 1 or 2 might intuitively seem to fit with people's conservative nature, and while certain lobby groups (for the aged, the poor and so forth) might prefer option 2 over option 1, it might well be that taking the apparently extreme step of dumping notes and coins altogether is the only realistic future.
: Spirituality : http://www.globalideasbank.org/spirituality.html
: World's Best Ideas - A Global Ideas Bank Compendium
: 1.Abortion ceremonies
: 2.Humour to save us from Judaeo-Christianity
: 3.Drive your karma; curb your dogma
: 1.Design your own ten commandments
: Amanita muscaria and cannabis sativa - keys to Christianity? : http://www.globalideasbank.org/SD/SD-152.HTML
: by: Jason Fitzgerald
: "Editorial comment: We hold no brief for marijuana - indeed there are credible research reports which state, for instance, that it can trigger schizophrenia in susceptible individuals. But the following article is an interesting restatement of the claim that Christianity has emerged from an ancient mushroom cult."
: ABORTION CEREMONIES : http://www.globalideasbank.org/wbi/WBI-179.HTML
: Summarised from an item entitled 'When abortion is a sacrament' by Patricia O'Connor from New Age magazine (March '98) monitored for the Institute by Roger Knights.
: "Curtis Boyd, M. D. and his wife Glenna at clinics in Albuquerque and Dallas in the States have for many years helped women to design abortion ceremonies and rituals.
: "Women are bombarded by the media and by anti-abortion groups and get the message that they are bad people," says Boyd, an ex-Baptist minister. A ceremony helps the woman undergoing an abortion to realise that she is "a good and caring person who made the best decision she could under difficult circumstances. It also gives her a way to honour the foetus - to be aware of her grief and to express her loss."
: Ceremonies, Boyd believes, can help to heal, honour and comfort.
: 'Bless her and her family as they move forward in their lives'
: One particular such ceremony involved low lights, the soft playing of North American flute music and a guided meditation. The woman held a covered silver bowl which contained the remains of her six-week pregnancy, whilst Curtis Boyd intoned: "We ask your blessing, in the name of love," concluding with the prayer: "We ask that you honour this woman's courage and bless her and her family as they move forward in their lives."
---
[footnotes:]
[1]Margaret Thaler Singer, Ph.D.
http://www.csj.org/csj.org/infoserv_profile/singer_margaret.htm
Board of Directors:
http://www.csj.org/aff/board_aff.htm
---
[2]DIVISIONS WITHIN PROTESTANT CHRISTIANITY http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_divi.htm (This site is off line)
---
See also: PAGANS, WITCHES AND PROJECT MEGIDDO
http://www.networkusa.org/fingerprint/page1b/fp-pagans-witches.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Social security is the bane of individual liberty. - SAM
======================================================================
Don't believe anything you read on the Net unless:
1) you can confirm it with another source, and/or
2) it is consistent with what you already know to be true.
======================================================================
======================================================================
To subscribe to the free Scan This News newsletter, send a message to <mailto:majordomo@efga.org> and type "subscribe scan" in the BODY.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
"Scan This News" is Sponsored by S.C.A.N.
Host of the "FIGHT THE FINGERPRINT!" web page:
http://www.networkusa.org/fingerprint.shtml
======================================================================
The Making of Project Megiddo & The Secret Agenda to Destroy Christianity in America
http://www.networkusa.org/fingerprint/page1b/fp-secret-agenda.html
======================================================================
SCAN THIS NEWS
12.6.99
The Making of Project Megiddo & The Secret Agenda to Destroy Christianity in America
http://www.networkusa.org/fingerprint/page1b/fp-secret-agenda.html
-----Original Message-----
From: W.G.E.N. [mailto:idzrus@earthlink.net]
Sent: Monday, December 06, 1999 12:10 PM
To: mcdonalds
Subject: Scott : Fwd: God save the Republic!
From: "Michael D. Heit" <bearman@compuplus.net>
To: "American Freedom lovers" <americanfreedomlovers@egroups.com>,
<1776misc@maelstrom.stjohns.edu>
Subject: God save the Republic!
Date: Mon, 6 Dec 1999 10:41:22 -0700
I just recieved this moving letter from a fellow Patriot and friend in Michigan and wanted to share it with you. The mainstream media would portray "Militia types" as violent anti-social elements of a far right wing segment of our Nation. What the media today forgets to say is that it was and always shall be, lovers fo freedom and liberty, "Militia types" such as Norm and myself and many others that helped forge this Nation, and will give of our "fortunes, our lives and our sacred honor" to keep this Nation free. Norm, your not alone. There are many like us and more comming on every day. I feel so sad that the people working for the government are so badly informed and ignorant of so many basic Constitutional facts. Even sadder is that the majority of the population is just as ignorant or unwilling to face the truth when it is presented. Nature has a way of cleansing though, and this Nation is headed for the clensing of its soul. I pray that all us "wannabes" are ready and able to do our part in Gods scheme of things to protect, preserve and defend our Constitutional Republic from all enemies, foreign and domestic... may God help us all.
Michael Heit
State Chairman
The Constitution Party of Montana
<http://www.ahpom.org>http://www.ahpom.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In a message dated 99-12-06 08:56:52 EST, you write:
An open letter to the FBI:
I am pleased--no, delighted--that I have been included in your Megiddo Report. What you say about me is entirely true! You got something right for a change. I DO believe that the coming tribulation will be the greatest hardship the world has seen since the Noahic Flood.
Your report portrays me as a radical...a dangerous religious nut who believes that God will harshly judge America for the corruption, evil, injustice, abomination, and the murder of millions of unborn citizens under the protection of the man's highest court. Again, your accuracy amazes me.
Your agency and the people at the SPLC have said that Norm Olson is dangerous. I want to assure you that I am. My thoughts and my message to the oppressed ARE revolutionary. I stand where Jesus stood and speak the words that Jesus spoke as he stood against injustice and oppression. I guess I stand where most of the great men and women of this country who truely loved liberty stood. Yes, I am a threat to the blind ambition, injustice, and thuggery posed by brutal agencies of the Clinton regime. If you are determined to be part of the continued injustice and corruption of the Washington Government you serve and vow allegience to, then I stand against you also. You MUST mark me high on your list of primary targets.
Your agency and the SPLC paints me as a "wannabe" . . . one of those misguided, frustrated, angry white men in America. That's okay with me. I wannabe a wannabe!
-- I wannabe included in the vast number of the greatest Americans I've had the priviledge of knowing over the past six years: The men and women of the land who love liberty more than life and who esteem honor and intregity above all else: the patriot men and women of the militia.
-- I wannabe able to stand with courage and determination against evil men. Together with others if possible, but alone if necessary.
-- I wannabe ready always to shake the gun in the tyrant's face.
-- I wannabe numbered with other wannabes: those who stood their ground at Lexington...those Native Americans who stood their ground at the Little Bighorn and Wounded Knee... Those Black Americans who stood their ground in Selma and Birmingham... They were all wannabes who cried "We Wannabe FREE!"
-- I wannabe seen with proud men of great courage who can damn the treacherous flattery of a demagogue without so much as winking.
-- I wannabe included with those sun-crowned noble men who stand above the fog and the noise of corruption and avarice.
-- I wannabe like Patrick Henry and Nathan Hale and the men who penned their names of Declaration of Independence.
-- I wannabe a trainer of men, preparing them physically, mentally, and spiritually to stand in the gap..to make up the hedge for the land's sake.
-- I wannabe in front of the patriots in battle, to be seen riding into the fray without concern for my own life, leading the way.
-- I wannabe confident that should I fall, that the standard of liberty will not touch the ground before it is picked up by those following close behind.
-- I wannabe brave before my persecutors and executioners, facing whatever is coming with unflinching bravery.
-- I wannabe remembered by my children and grandchildren as a man who demonstrated my love by fighting against evil, thereby giving them the best possible chance to continue the battle in their lifetime.
-- But most of all, I wannabe found loyal and faithful to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the Son of the Only True God, ... and on that day, I wannabe the one who hears the words, "Well done, thou faithful servant."
( AMEN )
Thank you so much for including me in your document, aptly entitled the Megiddo Report. I pray that I am worthy of the threat you say that I pose. I will do my best to make sure I do not disappoint you.
Most Sincerely,
Norman Olson, Commander
Northern Michigan Regional Militia
Pastor, Freedom Church, Wolverine, Michigan
Owner, The Alanson Armory Gun Shop, Alanson, Michigan
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Social security is the bane of individual liberty. - SAM
======================================================================
Don't believe anything you read on the Net unless:
1) you can confirm it with another source, and/or
2) it is consistent with what you already know to be true.
======================================================================
Reply to: <scan@networkusa.org>
======================================================================
This free ScanInReview email newsletter is an abbreviated
compendium of regular ScanThisNews posts sent to contributors.