I found it interesting that prayer
was compared to having a placebo effect.
All signs of well being that nurture joy in living might even extend
one’s life.
Prayer and religious beliefs can have a placebo effect, just like a sugar pill.
Barker, who was once a Christian Fundamentalist preacher before developing
serious doubts about his religion, states that one of the strongest factors in
recovery from an illness is a sense of connectedness with a community and people
who care about you. Even if we mumble our prayers only when we are ill or if
there is no God to hear them, the new research indicated that religious thoughts
could help to heal.
The new doctrine taught that salvation would be achieved when the Indians purged
themselves of the evil ways learned from the white man, especially the drinking
of alcohol. Believers were encouraged to engage in frequent ceremonial
cleansing, meditation, prayer, chanting, and most importantly, dancing the Ghost
Dance.
he will try and stray as many of Adam's descendants off the path to their deity during his period of respite. God accepts this as Iblis says, and lets him and his children roam the earth to test the wills of Adam's children. The rest of that story says he was sent to earth with Adam and Eve after he was able to lure them into eating the apple.
On the Day of Judgement, it is assumed that Iblis will be sent to Jannaham, the Islamic form of Hell.
Service in the armed forces or any form of allegiance to government is prohibited
Blood transfusions, along with ingesting blood, are considered wrong, as God said the soul is in the blood. Bone marrow transplants are left to the individual conscience
A good example of televangical misdirection at work is Joel
Osteen. This man is about as transparent a
huckster as you can get. This guy is DEVOTED to material wealth while
dressing it up as the "Will of God". Holy Cow! How can people listen to that
soft voiced, toothy salesman and call themselves "Christians"? His pitch is
wealth gathering. He should change his name to Tony Robbins and call a spade a
spade, since he comes across more as a Neuro Linguistic Programmer rather than
someone concerned with the Beatitudes taught by Christ.
How long does this take, will it happen the first time?
Possibly, possibly not. We can’t determine how long this process takes, all we
can do is persevere, intent is all that’s required and the ability to loose your
mind. What we do know is that the experience enriches your spirituality and
makes future communications a damn sight easier.
Remember that I draw these techniques from my own early
explorations and they worked for me. Be inspired by them, don’t accept them as
written in stone, explore and develop your own unique method of connection. Us
it all by all means, or twist and tweak them to your own suiting. Above all,
enjoy the process, loose yourself in a relationship that will last forever.
Pick a day and time that is significant to you, perhaps a festival of the
turning year, a phase of the moon applicable to what you know of the deity from
your research. Use astrological attributes, solar and stellar movements. Immerse
yourself in your desire to know them, loose yourself in small rites and rituals
that lead up to the big day. On the day itself take yourself to a place where
you will not be disturbed for at least an hour. If you have, take with you a
drawing or sculpture you have created to express the deity, or anything that
pertains to your connection so far. Be confident that you will meet your deity
and connect to it.
In ancient times dancing had been an integral part of worship. Exodus 15:20
records how Miriam and others danced for joy to celebrate their deliverance by
the mighty Hand of God. The Hebrew Scriptures mentions numerous times when
dancing was used to express one’s thankfulness to the Lord.