With regard to UFOs being demonic, Fermi’s Paradox was a thought exercise by Enrico Fermi, of atomic bomb fame. He posed the question of why we have not had any contact with extraterrestrial civilizations. A number of answers were proposed, but another possible answer besides the usual (and may have been proposed, I’m not sure) is that the technology to travel from one star to another simply does not exist and will never exist.
Realistically, it would take perhaps 400 years to travel from one system to another - on paper. The odds of managing even that are depressingly low, due to solar radiation, tiny bits of matter that would devastate a vessel moving at one hundredth the speed of light, the dubious ability to construct a ship that would sustain human life over many generations, and so on. Contact by radio would be a little easier, but signal strength dies off fast over those distances. In short, it may not be feasible to make contact or travel great distances in space.
By definition, this means that UFO activity would have to be supernatural, capable of breaking known limits and laws of physics or of some origin that is not within the natural realm. In other words, a supernatural origin for UFOs becomes the more reasonable point of view. Whether or not they are demonic remains to be seen, but of even some of the accounts of close contact claim to be true, it seems to be a terrifying event. Yes, angels are terrifying to behold as well, but they bring joy and peace along with that are. I have not heard of accounts of joy and peace with UFOs.
Last, I guess this explains Tucker’s interest in UFOs in recent years, and perhaps part of the reason why he was booted from Fox. It’s one thing to be an outlier and truth teller on worldly matters, perhaps quite another to be one on supernatural matters.
But electricity may be the way—-light particles. Or as St. Paul says, “the ruler of the power of the air.” Noble Prize Physicist Niels Bohr has interesting things to say about opposites being complementary. Like—if something is deeply true—so may be its opposite.
Re: ... that the technology to travel from one star to another simply does not exist and will never exist.
That is easily and obviously the most logical answer to "Why no alien visitors?"
Re: By definition, this means that UFO activity would have to be supernatural,
Nope. First off, it could be a combination of:
A) Hoaxes and frauds
B) Misperceived and/or misunderstood natural and/or technological phenomena
C) Hallucinations
Also, another possible explanation: visitors from other Earths across the multiverse (who may be very different from us). I'm not insisting on that, just speculating. Really, I think the three categories I gave above are able to explain UFOs.
I was a high functioning alcoholic for years. (There are many people like I was. After about half a year of sobriety I mentioned it on social media. Other than my closest closest friends and a few people very close to me most people seem not to have known. I heard a lot of "I had no idea you had a problem" Not all, and in fact I would bet heavily most, alcoholics aren't out getting into brawls and wrecking cars.)
Anyway when I quit drinking I tried to do it on my own and thought I wouldn't get delirium tremors. I was wrong. One of the things I saw was a little demon sitting on the dining room table. It was about 10 inches tall and was sitting calmly. When I looked back it was gone. I have no idea if it was real or not. Eventually when I realized the hallucinations weren't going to stop my wife took me to the hospital. When I came home my wife asked our priest to come bless and exorcise the house. I think this was wise.
Like I said, I don't know if the demon was real or a hallucination, I'm agnostic on that. However I would say this, if you are going into a burger place and see someone you know and shake their hands, you would be foolish to then eat with your hands without cleaning them first.
(At the time of this writing there are now specialty medical centers here who deal with detoxing without the whole 30 day lockdown process. We did not have them then. If you need to detox but don't have the month to take out of your life (very much a reality) I would advise you to look into it. If you ever start to see things detoxing on your own, get medical attention immediately.)
I can tell you another story about baptism and demons. A priest friend of mine years ago was having a very difficult time assisting a family oppressed by demons. After six months, it occurred to him to ask if they were baptized. It turned out three of them were not. It turned out to be the three who had the most problems.
So soon after, he took them to his church and baptized them. The demonic stuff ceased immediately.
That is the bare bones of the story. There are a number of freaky details I left out.
I know two people whom I consider credible (one is one of my closest "brother from another mother" friends, I trust him) who claimed to have encountered aliens personally and are into UFO culture pretty seriously. Both of them (independent conversations) say that while there are good races of aliens, there are also malevolent ones. People looking to aliens for enlightenment might consider the way that human beings treat animals. Sometimes that with benevolence, sometimes very much the opposite.
Physical assault by a spiritual entity may sound oxymoronic, but is attested to in Scripture and in the history of the Church. To list just a few:
Jacob wrested with an angel (Genesis 32); an angel of Satan beat St Paul (2 Corinthians 12).
Two modern era priests, St John Vianney (died 1859) and Padre Pio (aka St Pio of Pietrelcina, died 1968), cases are well-documented. The exorcism case that inspired the 1973 Exorcist film reported various words forming in the mysterious scratches that appeared on the possessed young boy's body.
This is true. Those that hold to the idea that spiritual entities cannot take physical form are ignoring lots of passages in Scripture, never mind various accounts from people, clergy and non. Angels can appear human and interact with others in human form. Speak in physical voices, can touch people and objects. They can eat. They can bring objects and give them to people. And, depending on how you understand and interpret the concept of Nephilum, they can copulate with humans, creating half-breeds. Michael Heiser holds to this. The spirit world is not just this thing on the other side of the barrier, pricking at our minds with messages, temptation and hallucinations.
Re: Those that hold to the idea that spiritual entities cannot take physical form
I think they can manipulate matter certainly (heck, we can do that-- animals can do that-- tree roots can shatter rocks given enough time). What I do not believe is that they can openly break natural laws, like the conservation of mass/energy. Only God as the Creator of All can do that.
In addition, one major limitation they have is that they do not know the future within our universe (heck, if they did they would foresee the failure of many of their attempts). In the intro to Living in Wonder, Rod writes of his friend Nino's experience with two 'aliens' who predicted a bird landing on the window sill and a car backfiring. I would submit these two small events never happened, that they were illusions created to make the 'aliens' more believable and so draw Nino further in.
Not even if God tells them certain physical phenomena (or their exceptions) are off limits to them? God certainly can do so.
There is a lot of evidence in deliverance / exorcism literature that the demonic view of the future is similar to the human view: hazy and very imperfect. They have access to hidden knowledge of the future, things that are hidden to most humans, but of such things at least one human knows and so that person is their source. I am unaware of a singe such case otherwise.
That's God's will. Not mechanical laws. Their major limits are God's will and their own nature/makeup, the latter we know nothing about, except it is not the same as the material realm.
I agree they cannot see the future, anymore than we can. But they can fake it well. They are immortal and have existed since the beginning and have observed the entire time. They know intimate details about your life and those around you. They can communicate across apacetime instantly. So, when pretending to be a dead relative, they ca, at least to a point, fake the funk. Especially of you are open to such deception
I've recently connected with an old friend, and the more we talk, the more I am convinced that he's under some sort of spiritual oppression/obsession, to the extent that I've been in contact with a priest because I have no other idea what else could be going on. My friend is not a Christian; he didn't really grow up with it & was always one of those "rational" math/science types. The only reasons that he even seems somewhat open to "church stuff" are that he's suffered so much already, and doctors & the like are completely baffled, and that he's now experienced things that are both unexplainable & terrifying. I don't know that there isn't a certain amount of synchonosity involved; even a year and a half ago, even being an Orthodox Christian and accepting of a good deal more "woo" than I once was, I don't know that if he'd told me what he has recently, that I wouldn't have been more worried that my friend is simply losing his mind. Obviously I can't say much specifically, but for anyone so inclined, prayers for Michael would be much appreciated.
Katja, have you invited him to go to church with you? Have you given him a Bible? A prayer book? You could say a prayer with him, asking him first of course.
I’ve come to believe demons can affect the material world whereas previously I thought they were spirits and could only affect the spiritual world. However, regarding possession - Christians commonly say believers cannot be possessed by demons. But what if possession occurred earlier in life, before someone became a Christian, due to a generational curse? This might apply a case like Emma's - she could have been possessed during childhood, before proper baptism or accepting Christ.
Some commentators on Allie Beth's podcast cried heresy, saying Emma could not be demon-possessed "as a Christian." But maybe they are missing something. A person currently a Christian may have lacked protection from possession if they weren't properly baptized (like Emma), hadn't reached the age of accountability, or hadn't yet accept Christ as their Savior. So, couldn't it be, to put it in their language, “Emma was possessed before she was saved.” Also, from a non-Reformed Protestant perspective - and most Protestants are non-Reformed - and from a Catholic perspective, couldn't a Christian become vulnerable by losing their salvation or falling into mortal sin?
I personally do not know the answer to whether Christians can be fully possessed or not - I am open to the possibility but wonder if Emma was possessed before she was a Christian.
Rod’s warning is important of course, whether Christians can be possessed or not. He lets us know demons remain a real spiritual threat to all, including believers.
I've heard from a charismatic minister that I like a lot (Ken Fish) that he has delivered lots of Christians from demons. Some they got from their ancestors. Others they got themselves by opening doors in their lives (for instance through yoga). When a Christian opens a door to a demon, this is usually called "oppression" instead. It's like the demon has a right to hang on to you and cause you trouble. However, you are not "possessed" in the sense that the demon lives inside of you and controls you. In other words, there are distinctions here.
Yes, people can differ on that whether Christians can be possessed after becoming Christian - and we've discussed it here.
But that was not my question.
My question was not about whether Christians can be newly possessed. That is - can't possession continue after becoming a Christian if possessed before? Even baptized infants have times they are alive and not yet a Christian.
What about generational curses and other openness to demons before salvation? Couldn't the demon remain?
From what I understand scripturally, demons are very legalistic. If you give them a legal foothold in your life, then they will remain because that is their legal right to do so. You have to renounce whatever gave them that legal right - even if it wasn't you but your great-grandfather who gave them that legal right.
The opposite way is legally oriented as well. Where Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen," those are legal terms. Faith is like having a title deed to a property that you haven't seen. It doesn't matter that you haven't seen it because you have the title that says you own it. You have the legal right.
Your legal rights under the blood of Christ then can cancel the enemy's legal rights to possess you. But you have to affirm your rights. You have to believe that what Christ did for you is true. Some times demons are broken off automatically upon salvation. Other times, you have to battle for your legal rights spiritually.
I know I don't know enough to say with theological authority. But I'm not really concerned. I know Christians suffer from demons. Some suffer a lot. And I know they can be delivered. I'd rather focus on delivering those who need help.
I once heard a story of a Christian lady who was oppressed/possessed/whatever and ended up in a mental institution with her mind nearly all gone. A minister came in and told her to keep reciting a particular verse about Christ. As long as she did that, the fog began to lift. She did stick to it and eventually was released from the facility.
I don't really think it matters what we call such things.
The Catholic take on this is, yes, Christians *can* be possessed, oppressed or obsessed. Some through no fault of their own e.g. generational curse or external curse. Others because of post-Baptismal apostasy / grave sin.
These remain rare - some lead long, disordered lives with no obvious preternatural impacts (God is patient and merciful) - but you don't have to read very far into exorcist literature to come to the conclusion that anyone *can* become possessed if they bathe in evil, effectively renouncing Christ. Those with a 'once saved, always saved' theology will disagree and I understand that.
LInda, IMO a practicing Christian can become oppressed, obsessed and possessed because a practicing Christian can fall into mortal sin. Haven't we witnessed great men fall in our lifetimes? What happened to Fr. John Corapi? (I am assuming he repented, and have read online that he has repented and returned to monastic life and has nothing further to say.) What happened to Michael Voris? I'll tell you what--Michael Voris was helping a lot of people--and so, "the empire struck back" (ditto Fr. John Corapi). Didn't Jesus warn Peter that the devil wants to "sift him like wheat" to try to get a handle on St. Peter! That's why it's so important to keep praying, receiving the sacraments (esp. confession), to "clean house" and "examine the conscience" daily.
The devil wants everyone, he wants to pull us all down into hell, and he will never give up until our dying day. So run the race, and run so fast spritually that the devil can't catch you. ("Devil on the deep blue sea behind me. Vanish in the air, you'll never find me. I will turn your face to alabaster, when you learn your servant is your Master." (Sting, "Wrapped Around Your Finger")
Something tells me you are not personally in grave danger, ha ha, not with St. Mathew "Passion" on your favorite music list. Handel's "Messiah" is also a great "jamming device" for any form of temptation that assails one. I used to play it loudly in my 4-unit apartment building in Jacksonville when I was in my mid-twenties. Must have driven the upstairs neighbors mad. Served them right--they were stealing kerosene from me, those bums. And the young lady living across the hall from me was an alcoholic whose boy friend broke into my apartment and stole my TV. They needed to hear Handell's "Messiah" through the wall and ceiling, which they did! No one every complained, strangely.
LInda, from my personal experience (and from what I've casually heard from others), if one is a practicing Christian and has fallen into a state of mortal sin, unbeknowst (how can that happen--uh, it can happen because temptation is all around and people make excuses and are weak), "there's going to be a RUMBLE." That has been my personal experience. I was a practicing Catholic, and there was a spiritual rumble (short, but effective). And that is a long story, but basically I got baptised in the HS in a RCC confessional "by surprise". The priest was charismatic, which I didn't even know existed (charismatic priests--I thought, yeah, the Apostles could lay hands on people, but I thought that had stopped in the Ancient world).
I believe devils can manifest themselves physically if we beieve the testimony of exorcists. Monsignor Stephen Rossetti has had the devil break in on telephone conversations that he was having with other advisors (like with psychiatrists) about someone in the process of being exorcised. Also, Monsignor Stephen Rossetti has had the devil send him TEXTS, for crying out loud!
I believe many people on this and other substacks (including Rod, and Paul, including commenters) have had similar spiritual "visitations" or "experiences" to what I experienced. We aren't supposed to ASK for this extraordinary experience, but it seems to me many Christians experience God in a sensory way, judging from all the ardour for our Lord that is displayed by Christians (Prots, RC and Orthodox).
Most of what I’ve personally dealt with in helping others deal with demonic bondage has been believers and the attachments happened before they came to faith. However, some believers, immature in the faith, sometimes open doors to the enemy after coming to faith (even believers can ignorantly experiment with the occult). Regardless, I’ve seen too many cases in which the enemy had some control over the person, sometimes rather significant, to think that demonization can’t occur in believers.
Thank you. I've not seen your story before Benjamin - sorry if you have told us. How is it that you are a minister and a priest and as your profile says, in Alaska?
Rod, I think the demon mauled Tucker Carlson because Tucker tells the truth, and is influencing a lot of people in his sphere of influence (which is very large and growing) to accept the truth. Tucker is part of the reason Trump/Vance will win--now whether the election will be interfered with or Trump allowed to take office (as he was not in 2020, when the election was clearly "interfered with" under the cover of Covid) is another matter. And that's where are prayers and fasting mean so much, which is why we must all try to carry on with our prayers and sacrifices for purpose of saving the country.
It may be pride (probably), but I feel confident that Our Lord will not allow a devil to physically manifest itself to me. For one, I keep a rosary in the nightstand (and use it, thanks for that advice Monsignor Stephen Rosetti, who drove off an attacking demon by resorting to the rosary). For two, I'm a practicing Third Order Carmelite, and that entails pretty much devotion to Our Lord and Lady, the entire Holy Family--I'd say an average Third Order Carmelite (Domincan, Franciscan, Opus Dei member) prays two hours a day--and not just them. A lot of Prots pray that much, and Orthodox. And for three, I'm in solitary places a lot of time working, and if devils started manifesting themselves to me, that work would cease because I'd be afraid to be alone. I make things (think fabric, thread and yarn) for Our Lord, which means productive solitude.
So what about these others you describe? I don't know. I have different types of crosses, so I assume that is "in lieu of" overt demonic manifestations. But I notice God seems to put these others who are cursed by Occultist distant forebears in touch with holy people (like exorcists) who bring them relief. God is fair--actually, I've come to believe the playing field is tilted in our favor, we just have to be attuned enough through belief that we don't miss our time of divine visitation.
If one does a good deed, I've notice, there is always "blow back." In other words, "the Empire strikes back." So expect trouble, because holy book writers are landing blows on devils and winning souls over for Our Lord--gird your loins, there will probably be some blowback. Simply carry on, come what may.
I am a big fan of all the exorcists, because these men are incredibly heroic and are saving many souls. They give everyone good advice and encouragement. Also, I want to know my enemy.
Here's a song for you. Peter Townsend seems to have had some mystical experience. He also he seems to have FALLEN BIG afterwards (caught with child porn on his computer some time ago), which confirms Fr. Dan's admonition that once one has freed oneself of the devil (using sacraments--confession is very powerful, I found), one better throw oneself into a life-long pursuit of Christ thereafter to ward off a return of the original demon and several "added" demons. I agree with Fr. Reehil about this, because Christ Himself warned about this, and I've found it to be personally true.
Jon does it not occur to you that while you condemn others for sowing discord that your habit of arguing or at least weighing in on constantly also sows discord?
I think that you you think you're justified because you think you're on the side of righteousness and that we all need your guidance. I wager Carlson feels the same way.
Jon, is that why FOX kicked him off their godless FOXNEWS, which is run by Leftie Murdoch son Lachan (or whatever his name is)? No, they kicked him off for telling the truth! Can't have that, oh, no!
For the record, I do not listen to Tucker, I've decided that I'm going to spend my time on the best stuff ever written in the time I have left on planet earth (I'm 71) (like reading the greatest works of literature) from here on out, including the holy book writers. But I'll take Tucker over smirking MSNBC news announcers. How anyone can look at Rachel Maddow, with her permanent smirking, irksome know-it-all-cuz-I'm-a-Leftie-Lesbian face, I'll never know. I watch ZERO TV. Prefer reading and "the greats." Re-reading "War and Peace". Haven't decided what's up next (besides "Living in Wonder").
<<Rod Dreher, a socially conservative writer who was then opposed to Trump, gave it an early rave review on his blog for The American Conservative.>>>
Argh - no. It is because of Rod's interview that JD Vance rose to prominence. There were not write-us about JD before this. After it went viral, so many joined the band wagon I remember when people started to talk about Vance and Hillbilly Elegy. I did not know at the time who first drew attention to Vance and his book, but now I do. And so do a lot of other people.
I googled that article back up just now and in 2017 Joshua Rothman of the New Yorker said: "Last year, his interview with J. D. Vance, the author of “Hillbilly Elegy,” was largely responsible for bringing the book to the attention of both liberal and conservative readers."
That would explain his hatred of Catholic migrants - the demon in him hates the true faith. And it would also explain his Daddy Trump spanking fantasy that he shared last week - it is the demon putting perverted fantasies into his mind.
Not wishing to grant entry into your home for a permanent visit to a bunch of complete strangers is not "hatred". It's prudence. You ought to pay more attention to your language. It's your only tool when arguing, you know.
Carlson lost me with the David Irvingite amateur historian, whom he described as "most interesting mind" or some gobbledygook like that. There is a Churchill cult, and it does a lot of damage, but Churchill was completely without power during Munich, and for many years before, and had zero to do with either Chamberlain's March 1938 speech after Hitler annexed what was left of Czechia and granted Slovakia satellite status, or with the lunatic Polish guarantee. He may have approved of the guarantee, but nobody consulted him. It would be more plausible to pin the war on Duff Cooper, for goodness sake, who resigned over Munich. Churchill was what is called a private member, without a cabinet post, until the war started, when he became First Lord of the Admiralty. The Second World War is Hitler's doing, with a strong assist from Stalin. Period. To say otherwise is nonsense, and it's dangerous, because it gives an opening to not only real Nazi sympathizers, but ammunition to the Left who want to brand us all as such. Carlson has much too much of Limbaugh in him (more interested in ratings than anything else). For example, I don't know what I think about the demon story, it's plausible enough. But to go public with it on Halloween is suspect.
Also, David Bentley Hart suggested that there's a certain crypto-erotic sadomasochism that's built into integralism. Well, our new friend here is an integralist, and he keeps talking about that Carlson fantasy, so well . . .
You are correct about Churchill, Hitler and World War Two. Carlson's interview of that crank was an act of foolishness. Yet Carlson has such media power that he can inflict that crank on millions of gullible, poorly read conservatives like my own brother who accepted the crank's theses like a school of Spanish Mackerel chomping at mullets.
That's the heart of the matter. Most people thought Churchill fouled his nest with his postion on the gold standard, his fierce opposition to Halifax's India bill (and Churchill turned out to be right as to what would happen with partition) and really effed up with his support of Edward before abdication. And nobody had forgotten about the Dardenelles. He was largely regarded as a crank, surrounded with louche associates like Bracken. I bring up this detail not to show off but to show how easy it is to bamboozle people like your brother who are not in possession of the detail. The difference between the Churchill cult and the real Churchill of history is something not many people care to learn.
That's the problem with intelligent people who get most of their information from facile television rather than the written word. They wouldn't know anything about what you just explained. Dardanelles. Getting Britain back on the Gold Standard. India. Edward VIII. Churchill had no real political power in 1938-39 as he was a backbencher. His only power was through his writing.
I have to say my confidence in Tucker's discernment has plummeted since he sat there without objection as the strange historian on his podcast made the case that Churchill was the main villian of WW Ii
I'm reading Rod's book now...on page 180...thought-provoking and valuable...highly recommended.
Re JD Vance's decision to enlist in the Marines, I can relate. March of my senior year in college. I was pretty depressed. Still dealing with the fallout from the shock of my Dad's death from cancer that blew up our family...and the nice lives we'd had. No idea what exactly I was going to do with a political science degree or if I would spend the rest of my life in small-town Pennsylvania going nowhere.
So I'm walking down a city street, pass by a Marine recruiting office...and seized by an impulse said to myself, screw it, I'm going to turn over the gameboard. Like, people had a hard time absorbing it when I told them I joined the Marines and would be leaving for Parris Island after graduation: YOU DID WHAT??!! YOU'RE GOING WHERE??!! But oh, what a life-altering and I think life-saving journey it started me on.
For many people, the word miracle conjures up healing from illness...the crutches displayed on the wall at Lourdes. Much too crimped a view. Miracles can be a lot less obvious than that.
I believe faith is a function of will. I don't have deep personal experiences of God. But the older I get, the more I see how His hand has guided, protected, and rescued me from myself...over and over. And the more gratitude I feel for that. And the more pride I have in the title: Marine. And the more bitterness I feel over what this current crop of godless, faithless scumbags has done to my country, its institutions, and even my Church.
But they won't prevail in the end. If even one man takes refuge in Truth and refuses to surrender to them, the power of God will one day do the rest. We win. They lose. That's how this ends. At some level, they know that, which is why they're so filled with rage and the demonic determination to destroy everyone and everything in their way.
Oops, sorry for getting off on a personal tangent. Don't know what got into me this morning. We now return you to regularly scheduled programming.
How long did you stay in the Marines and what did you do afterward? My Dad's life changed when he joined the Navy as a Navy pilot trainee during WW2. He went down in his early 20's to the recruiting office (in Dettroit MI) during the war, and they said "we'd take you, but you're too heavy. Lose 40 lbs and come back." He lost 40 lbs in one month! I asked him "how you'd do that Daddy?" He said "I ate nothing but roast beef for one month, and didn't overdo that."
So then what happened? Then he became a career ace Navy test pilot who fought in WW2 (the Pacific), Korea, and VN. (VN broke his heart.) He was on "high alert" (like loaded into the plane ready to take off from Sanford, FL NAS) during some parts the Cuban Missile Crisis. Boy, was THAT a close call. Did you know one Russian nuclear submarine commander prevented WW3 then because he absolutely refused to agree to launch a nuclear submarine attack--and his agreement was essential. The Lord works in mysterious ways.
The Russian's name was Vasily Askhipov, and he was Hollywood handsome. Ah, and so was Claus von Stauffenberg, who ALMOST got Hitler in summer of 1945 with his bomb under the table plot. That is one on my question list for God--"Why didn't you let von Staffenberg (and company, which included Dietrich Bonhoeffer succeed, which would have perhaps spared Anne Frank and Bonheoffer and many others?" (Edith Stein may have been spared, for instance, as well, if Hitler had died July 1944.) Well, have to wait for that answer, but I am thinking even if Hitler had been killed then, Goebbels, Himmler and Goering would have just continued on anyway and ended up killing all those people anyway.
I served a single 3-year tour in the Marine Corps. Received two meritorious promotions over the course of that time and ended up separating with the rank of Sergeant (E-5).
Mindbogglingly (given what I expected life in the Marines to be), they sent me to an all-services language school where I spent nine months learning Russian on the beautiful coast of central California (Monterey). The training and experience I got in the Marines later propelled me into a government career.
It was a very rich three years, starting in Parris Island. I could write a book about my time there. It would sound like a rip-off of Full Metal Jacket...except it actually happened.
It is important to remember that as Christians, we're involved in spiritual warfare whether we like it or not. I don't know about Tucker Carlson's case specifically, but I wouldn't be surprised if people on the occult side (i.e., witches) cursed him and brought about the attack he suffered. While people can open themselves up to demons in various ways, demons can also be sent to attack, and will succeed to some extent if you are not spiritually protected. I have heard of congressmen who say they can really feel when Christians are praying for them and when they are not. The thing is, we are pretty much ignorant of how all this works. Well, it sounds like we need to learn pretty quick.
A funny story I heard is of Carlos Annacondia, the Argentine revivalist who was known for not just having people pray a sinner's prayer, but also casting the demons out of them when they came forward for salvation. He would pray and some of the people would manifest a demon in some way, often falling on the ground. The workers were trained to take the manifesting people to a different tent where they would be prayed over for deliverance. One night, a pastor's wife tripped over a tent wire and fell to the ground. Immediately the workers picked her up to take her to the deliverance tent. She tried to get them to stop, but they assumed it was the demon trying to trick them, so they kept telling the demon to be quiet!
Rod quotes "Jonah" as saying, “These drugs can bring you into contact with spiritual reality but in a manner rife with misinterpretation, ego inflation disguised as humility, confirmation bias, or even more openly demonic forms of deception.”
The part about "ego inflation" jumped out at me. This is exactly what the AI does. It's constantly telling me what brilliant insight I have. Interesting.
I am trying to stay out of AI (I know it's not entirely possible) and Zuckerberg's Meta-universe. Do not put that visual thing on your face, don't even try it, to access the meta-universe. It's sure to be highly addictive.
When I first looked into UFO's back in the 80's I quickly ran across claims that the aliens were showing people holographic videos of Jesus dying on the cross, and telling them that Jesus was sent by them to help humanity evolve. It's one thing to have our government tell us that aliens are real, it's another thing to have aliens appear and tell us things, and it's still another thing to have them show us videos from history. That to me is what the Great Deception will involve.
Well Jesus seem to say that we'll know it's Him and not the Antichrist because Christ is coming from the sky. The Antihrist will claim to be Christ and will show signs and wonders, but he will not be coming out of the sky.
Also, there will be a great heresy that will fool even many believers. So far, I don't see any such heresy that is fooling believers--rock-ribbed Christians aren't buying the gay-is-great, trans-is-great, abortion-is-great line. What they MAY buy is "euthanasia" is great. They shoot horses, don't they? "You don't want to be a burden, do you?" So, since we cannot seem to "fix" the neurodegenerative diseases, "wouldn't it be kinder, more merciful, more "Christian" to put these poor wretches out of their misery with a big shot or morphine? Why should the terminally ill be made to suffer?" See Canada. And what starts out as permissible soon becomes mandatory. I think that's going to be "the great heresy." Maybe "designer babies" will be thrown in for good measure, because who doesn't want a genetically perfect, beautiful, gifted, agreeable child?
Someone correct me if I'm mistaken in thinking Jesus will return from the sky, in an unmistakable way. Also, the cosmos will be shaken--the moon turn blood red, hosts of heaven shaken, which I take to mean there's going to be shooting stars, sun "irregularities", meteors hitting earth, that sort of thing.
I don't know when these different events will happen. The antichrist and the Great Deception could well happen before Jesus returns in the sky, or the moon turns to blood. Just ask yourself what would you do if aliens are allowed to demonstrate signs and wonders and show the world how they sent Jesus to help us, and now they're here to take us to our next level. For me, a BIG giveaway is that demons lie. So if aliens ever show up, listen carefully to what they say and see if they don't lie. I think they will.
With regard to UFOs being demonic, Fermi’s Paradox was a thought exercise by Enrico Fermi, of atomic bomb fame. He posed the question of why we have not had any contact with extraterrestrial civilizations. A number of answers were proposed, but another possible answer besides the usual (and may have been proposed, I’m not sure) is that the technology to travel from one star to another simply does not exist and will never exist.
Realistically, it would take perhaps 400 years to travel from one system to another - on paper. The odds of managing even that are depressingly low, due to solar radiation, tiny bits of matter that would devastate a vessel moving at one hundredth the speed of light, the dubious ability to construct a ship that would sustain human life over many generations, and so on. Contact by radio would be a little easier, but signal strength dies off fast over those distances. In short, it may not be feasible to make contact or travel great distances in space.
By definition, this means that UFO activity would have to be supernatural, capable of breaking known limits and laws of physics or of some origin that is not within the natural realm. In other words, a supernatural origin for UFOs becomes the more reasonable point of view. Whether or not they are demonic remains to be seen, but of even some of the accounts of close contact claim to be true, it seems to be a terrifying event. Yes, angels are terrifying to behold as well, but they bring joy and peace along with that are. I have not heard of accounts of joy and peace with UFOs.
Last, I guess this explains Tucker’s interest in UFOs in recent years, and perhaps part of the reason why he was booted from Fox. It’s one thing to be an outlier and truth teller on worldly matters, perhaps quite another to be one on supernatural matters.
Fermi’s Nobel was obviously relevant to the atomic bomb, bit he was famous and accomplished before his involvement in that project.
*preternatural
Supernatural is of God alone.
This is all so fascinating.
But electricity may be the way—-light particles. Or as St. Paul says, “the ruler of the power of the air.” Noble Prize Physicist Niels Bohr has interesting things to say about opposites being complementary. Like—if something is deeply true—so may be its opposite.
Re: ... that the technology to travel from one star to another simply does not exist and will never exist.
That is easily and obviously the most logical answer to "Why no alien visitors?"
Re: By definition, this means that UFO activity would have to be supernatural,
Nope. First off, it could be a combination of:
A) Hoaxes and frauds
B) Misperceived and/or misunderstood natural and/or technological phenomena
C) Hallucinations
Also, another possible explanation: visitors from other Earths across the multiverse (who may be very different from us). I'm not insisting on that, just speculating. Really, I think the three categories I gave above are able to explain UFOs.
I was a high functioning alcoholic for years. (There are many people like I was. After about half a year of sobriety I mentioned it on social media. Other than my closest closest friends and a few people very close to me most people seem not to have known. I heard a lot of "I had no idea you had a problem" Not all, and in fact I would bet heavily most, alcoholics aren't out getting into brawls and wrecking cars.)
Anyway when I quit drinking I tried to do it on my own and thought I wouldn't get delirium tremors. I was wrong. One of the things I saw was a little demon sitting on the dining room table. It was about 10 inches tall and was sitting calmly. When I looked back it was gone. I have no idea if it was real or not. Eventually when I realized the hallucinations weren't going to stop my wife took me to the hospital. When I came home my wife asked our priest to come bless and exorcise the house. I think this was wise.
Like I said, I don't know if the demon was real or a hallucination, I'm agnostic on that. However I would say this, if you are going into a burger place and see someone you know and shake their hands, you would be foolish to then eat with your hands without cleaning them first.
(At the time of this writing there are now specialty medical centers here who deal with detoxing without the whole 30 day lockdown process. We did not have them then. If you need to detox but don't have the month to take out of your life (very much a reality) I would advise you to look into it. If you ever start to see things detoxing on your own, get medical attention immediately.)
I can tell you another story about baptism and demons. A priest friend of mine years ago was having a very difficult time assisting a family oppressed by demons. After six months, it occurred to him to ask if they were baptized. It turned out three of them were not. It turned out to be the three who had the most problems.
So soon after, he took them to his church and baptized them. The demonic stuff ceased immediately.
That is the bare bones of the story. There are a number of freaky details I left out.
I know two people whom I consider credible (one is one of my closest "brother from another mother" friends, I trust him) who claimed to have encountered aliens personally and are into UFO culture pretty seriously. Both of them (independent conversations) say that while there are good races of aliens, there are also malevolent ones. People looking to aliens for enlightenment might consider the way that human beings treat animals. Sometimes that with benevolence, sometimes very much the opposite.
Physical assault by a spiritual entity may sound oxymoronic, but is attested to in Scripture and in the history of the Church. To list just a few:
Jacob wrested with an angel (Genesis 32); an angel of Satan beat St Paul (2 Corinthians 12).
Two modern era priests, St John Vianney (died 1859) and Padre Pio (aka St Pio of Pietrelcina, died 1968), cases are well-documented. The exorcism case that inspired the 1973 Exorcist film reported various words forming in the mysterious scratches that appeared on the possessed young boy's body.
These phenomena have a history.
This is true. Those that hold to the idea that spiritual entities cannot take physical form are ignoring lots of passages in Scripture, never mind various accounts from people, clergy and non. Angels can appear human and interact with others in human form. Speak in physical voices, can touch people and objects. They can eat. They can bring objects and give them to people. And, depending on how you understand and interpret the concept of Nephilum, they can copulate with humans, creating half-breeds. Michael Heiser holds to this. The spirit world is not just this thing on the other side of the barrier, pricking at our minds with messages, temptation and hallucinations.
Re: Those that hold to the idea that spiritual entities cannot take physical form
I think they can manipulate matter certainly (heck, we can do that-- animals can do that-- tree roots can shatter rocks given enough time). What I do not believe is that they can openly break natural laws, like the conservation of mass/energy. Only God as the Creator of All can do that.
In addition, one major limitation they have is that they do not know the future within our universe (heck, if they did they would foresee the failure of many of their attempts). In the intro to Living in Wonder, Rod writes of his friend Nino's experience with two 'aliens' who predicted a bird landing on the window sill and a car backfiring. I would submit these two small events never happened, that they were illusions created to make the 'aliens' more believable and so draw Nino further in.
And they only can act with permissions/openings. Bur no, they are not limited by the physical laws of the material universe.
Not even if God tells them certain physical phenomena (or their exceptions) are off limits to them? God certainly can do so.
There is a lot of evidence in deliverance / exorcism literature that the demonic view of the future is similar to the human view: hazy and very imperfect. They have access to hidden knowledge of the future, things that are hidden to most humans, but of such things at least one human knows and so that person is their source. I am unaware of a singe such case otherwise.
That's God's will. Not mechanical laws. Their major limits are God's will and their own nature/makeup, the latter we know nothing about, except it is not the same as the material realm.
I agree they cannot see the future, anymore than we can. But they can fake it well. They are immortal and have existed since the beginning and have observed the entire time. They know intimate details about your life and those around you. They can communicate across apacetime instantly. So, when pretending to be a dead relative, they ca, at least to a point, fake the funk. Especially of you are open to such deception
I've recently connected with an old friend, and the more we talk, the more I am convinced that he's under some sort of spiritual oppression/obsession, to the extent that I've been in contact with a priest because I have no other idea what else could be going on. My friend is not a Christian; he didn't really grow up with it & was always one of those "rational" math/science types. The only reasons that he even seems somewhat open to "church stuff" are that he's suffered so much already, and doctors & the like are completely baffled, and that he's now experienced things that are both unexplainable & terrifying. I don't know that there isn't a certain amount of synchonosity involved; even a year and a half ago, even being an Orthodox Christian and accepting of a good deal more "woo" than I once was, I don't know that if he'd told me what he has recently, that I wouldn't have been more worried that my friend is simply losing his mind. Obviously I can't say much specifically, but for anyone so inclined, prayers for Michael would be much appreciated.
Katja, have you invited him to go to church with you? Have you given him a Bible? A prayer book? You could say a prayer with him, asking him first of course.
I have a question:
I’ve come to believe demons can affect the material world whereas previously I thought they were spirits and could only affect the spiritual world. However, regarding possession - Christians commonly say believers cannot be possessed by demons. But what if possession occurred earlier in life, before someone became a Christian, due to a generational curse? This might apply a case like Emma's - she could have been possessed during childhood, before proper baptism or accepting Christ.
Some commentators on Allie Beth's podcast cried heresy, saying Emma could not be demon-possessed "as a Christian." But maybe they are missing something. A person currently a Christian may have lacked protection from possession if they weren't properly baptized (like Emma), hadn't reached the age of accountability, or hadn't yet accept Christ as their Savior. So, couldn't it be, to put it in their language, “Emma was possessed before she was saved.” Also, from a non-Reformed Protestant perspective - and most Protestants are non-Reformed - and from a Catholic perspective, couldn't a Christian become vulnerable by losing their salvation or falling into mortal sin?
I personally do not know the answer to whether Christians can be fully possessed or not - I am open to the possibility but wonder if Emma was possessed before she was a Christian.
Rod’s warning is important of course, whether Christians can be possessed or not. He lets us know demons remain a real spiritual threat to all, including believers.
I've heard from a charismatic minister that I like a lot (Ken Fish) that he has delivered lots of Christians from demons. Some they got from their ancestors. Others they got themselves by opening doors in their lives (for instance through yoga). When a Christian opens a door to a demon, this is usually called "oppression" instead. It's like the demon has a right to hang on to you and cause you trouble. However, you are not "possessed" in the sense that the demon lives inside of you and controls you. In other words, there are distinctions here.
That's generally my take as well.
Yes, people can differ on that whether Christians can be possessed after becoming Christian - and we've discussed it here.
But that was not my question.
My question was not about whether Christians can be newly possessed. That is - can't possession continue after becoming a Christian if possessed before? Even baptized infants have times they are alive and not yet a Christian.
What about generational curses and other openness to demons before salvation? Couldn't the demon remain?
From what I understand scripturally, demons are very legalistic. If you give them a legal foothold in your life, then they will remain because that is their legal right to do so. You have to renounce whatever gave them that legal right - even if it wasn't you but your great-grandfather who gave them that legal right.
The opposite way is legally oriented as well. Where Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen," those are legal terms. Faith is like having a title deed to a property that you haven't seen. It doesn't matter that you haven't seen it because you have the title that says you own it. You have the legal right.
Your legal rights under the blood of Christ then can cancel the enemy's legal rights to possess you. But you have to affirm your rights. You have to believe that what Christ did for you is true. Some times demons are broken off automatically upon salvation. Other times, you have to battle for your legal rights spiritually.
At least that's how I see it.
So I think you just said you believe a Christian can be possessed.
I know I don't know enough to say with theological authority. But I'm not really concerned. I know Christians suffer from demons. Some suffer a lot. And I know they can be delivered. I'd rather focus on delivering those who need help.
I once heard a story of a Christian lady who was oppressed/possessed/whatever and ended up in a mental institution with her mind nearly all gone. A minister came in and told her to keep reciting a particular verse about Christ. As long as she did that, the fog began to lift. She did stick to it and eventually was released from the facility.
I don't really think it matters what we call such things.
In the historical record there are cases of nuns being possessed so I do think we have to be open to the possibility.
The Catholic take on this is, yes, Christians *can* be possessed, oppressed or obsessed. Some through no fault of their own e.g. generational curse or external curse. Others because of post-Baptismal apostasy / grave sin.
These remain rare - some lead long, disordered lives with no obvious preternatural impacts (God is patient and merciful) - but you don't have to read very far into exorcist literature to come to the conclusion that anyone *can* become possessed if they bathe in evil, effectively renouncing Christ. Those with a 'once saved, always saved' theology will disagree and I understand that.
I don't know for sure, but demons would definitely want Christians to believe that it isn't possible. They can also afflict without possessing.
Or that it is too easily possible. Either extreme is dangerous for the soul.
LInda, IMO a practicing Christian can become oppressed, obsessed and possessed because a practicing Christian can fall into mortal sin. Haven't we witnessed great men fall in our lifetimes? What happened to Fr. John Corapi? (I am assuming he repented, and have read online that he has repented and returned to monastic life and has nothing further to say.) What happened to Michael Voris? I'll tell you what--Michael Voris was helping a lot of people--and so, "the empire struck back" (ditto Fr. John Corapi). Didn't Jesus warn Peter that the devil wants to "sift him like wheat" to try to get a handle on St. Peter! That's why it's so important to keep praying, receiving the sacraments (esp. confession), to "clean house" and "examine the conscience" daily.
The devil wants everyone, he wants to pull us all down into hell, and he will never give up until our dying day. So run the race, and run so fast spritually that the devil can't catch you. ("Devil on the deep blue sea behind me. Vanish in the air, you'll never find me. I will turn your face to alabaster, when you learn your servant is your Master." (Sting, "Wrapped Around Your Finger")
Something tells me you are not personally in grave danger, ha ha, not with St. Mathew "Passion" on your favorite music list. Handel's "Messiah" is also a great "jamming device" for any form of temptation that assails one. I used to play it loudly in my 4-unit apartment building in Jacksonville when I was in my mid-twenties. Must have driven the upstairs neighbors mad. Served them right--they were stealing kerosene from me, those bums. And the young lady living across the hall from me was an alcoholic whose boy friend broke into my apartment and stole my TV. They needed to hear Handell's "Messiah" through the wall and ceiling, which they did! No one every complained, strangely.
Well...erm...the evil spirit did leave King Saul alone when David played his harp. But I'm not going to count on Bach giving me a free pass :)
LInda, from my personal experience (and from what I've casually heard from others), if one is a practicing Christian and has fallen into a state of mortal sin, unbeknowst (how can that happen--uh, it can happen because temptation is all around and people make excuses and are weak), "there's going to be a RUMBLE." That has been my personal experience. I was a practicing Catholic, and there was a spiritual rumble (short, but effective). And that is a long story, but basically I got baptised in the HS in a RCC confessional "by surprise". The priest was charismatic, which I didn't even know existed (charismatic priests--I thought, yeah, the Apostles could lay hands on people, but I thought that had stopped in the Ancient world).
I believe devils can manifest themselves physically if we beieve the testimony of exorcists. Monsignor Stephen Rossetti has had the devil break in on telephone conversations that he was having with other advisors (like with psychiatrists) about someone in the process of being exorcised. Also, Monsignor Stephen Rossetti has had the devil send him TEXTS, for crying out loud!
I believe many people on this and other substacks (including Rod, and Paul, including commenters) have had similar spiritual "visitations" or "experiences" to what I experienced. We aren't supposed to ASK for this extraordinary experience, but it seems to me many Christians experience God in a sensory way, judging from all the ardour for our Lord that is displayed by Christians (Prots, RC and Orthodox).
Most of what I’ve personally dealt with in helping others deal with demonic bondage has been believers and the attachments happened before they came to faith. However, some believers, immature in the faith, sometimes open doors to the enemy after coming to faith (even believers can ignorantly experiment with the occult). Regardless, I’ve seen too many cases in which the enemy had some control over the person, sometimes rather significant, to think that demonization can’t occur in believers.
Thank you. I've not seen your story before Benjamin - sorry if you have told us. How is it that you are a minister and a priest and as your profile says, in Alaska?
Your writing always lines up with thoughts I am having about my own life, my Orthodox worshio/life. Thank you for sharing bits of your book with us.
Rod, I think the demon mauled Tucker Carlson because Tucker tells the truth, and is influencing a lot of people in his sphere of influence (which is very large and growing) to accept the truth. Tucker is part of the reason Trump/Vance will win--now whether the election will be interfered with or Trump allowed to take office (as he was not in 2020, when the election was clearly "interfered with" under the cover of Covid) is another matter. And that's where are prayers and fasting mean so much, which is why we must all try to carry on with our prayers and sacrifices for purpose of saving the country.
It may be pride (probably), but I feel confident that Our Lord will not allow a devil to physically manifest itself to me. For one, I keep a rosary in the nightstand (and use it, thanks for that advice Monsignor Stephen Rosetti, who drove off an attacking demon by resorting to the rosary). For two, I'm a practicing Third Order Carmelite, and that entails pretty much devotion to Our Lord and Lady, the entire Holy Family--I'd say an average Third Order Carmelite (Domincan, Franciscan, Opus Dei member) prays two hours a day--and not just them. A lot of Prots pray that much, and Orthodox. And for three, I'm in solitary places a lot of time working, and if devils started manifesting themselves to me, that work would cease because I'd be afraid to be alone. I make things (think fabric, thread and yarn) for Our Lord, which means productive solitude.
So what about these others you describe? I don't know. I have different types of crosses, so I assume that is "in lieu of" overt demonic manifestations. But I notice God seems to put these others who are cursed by Occultist distant forebears in touch with holy people (like exorcists) who bring them relief. God is fair--actually, I've come to believe the playing field is tilted in our favor, we just have to be attuned enough through belief that we don't miss our time of divine visitation.
If one does a good deed, I've notice, there is always "blow back." In other words, "the Empire strikes back." So expect trouble, because holy book writers are landing blows on devils and winning souls over for Our Lord--gird your loins, there will probably be some blowback. Simply carry on, come what may.
I am a big fan of all the exorcists, because these men are incredibly heroic and are saving many souls. They give everyone good advice and encouragement. Also, I want to know my enemy.
Here's a song for you. Peter Townsend seems to have had some mystical experience. He also he seems to have FALLEN BIG afterwards (caught with child porn on his computer some time ago), which confirms Fr. Dan's admonition that once one has freed oneself of the devil (using sacraments--confession is very powerful, I found), one better throw oneself into a life-long pursuit of Christ thereafter to ward off a return of the original demon and several "added" demons. I agree with Fr. Reehil about this, because Christ Himself warned about this, and I've found it to be personally true.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9-IyAqsn9k
Re: I think the demon mauled Tucker Carlson because Tucker tells the truth, and is influencing a lot of people in his sphere of influence
I would say the opposite. The man hob-nobs with open racists and anti-semites. He's a purveyor of Greed, Envy and Wrath. He's doing Hell's work.
Jon does it not occur to you that while you condemn others for sowing discord that your habit of arguing or at least weighing in on constantly also sows discord?
I think that you you think you're justified because you think you're on the side of righteousness and that we all need your guidance. I wager Carlson feels the same way.
What is hateful unto you, do not do unto others.
Jesus hob-nobs with prostitutes and tax collectors.
Good thing, too--it's the sick who need the physician.
Jon, is that why FOX kicked him off their godless FOXNEWS, which is run by Leftie Murdoch son Lachan (or whatever his name is)? No, they kicked him off for telling the truth! Can't have that, oh, no!
For the record, I do not listen to Tucker, I've decided that I'm going to spend my time on the best stuff ever written in the time I have left on planet earth (I'm 71) (like reading the greatest works of literature) from here on out, including the holy book writers. But I'll take Tucker over smirking MSNBC news announcers. How anyone can look at Rachel Maddow, with her permanent smirking, irksome know-it-all-cuz-I'm-a-Leftie-Lesbian face, I'll never know. I watch ZERO TV. Prefer reading and "the greats." Re-reading "War and Peace". Haven't decided what's up next (besides "Living in Wonder").
<<Rod Dreher, a socially conservative writer who was then opposed to Trump, gave it an early rave review on his blog for The American Conservative.>>>
Argh - no. It is because of Rod's interview that JD Vance rose to prominence. There were not write-us about JD before this. After it went viral, so many joined the band wagon I remember when people started to talk about Vance and Hillbilly Elegy. I did not know at the time who first drew attention to Vance and his book, but now I do. And so do a lot of other people.
I think is one of the best articles I've happened to read on Rod happens to be from the New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/05/01/rod-drehers-monastic-vision
I googled that article back up just now and in 2017 Joshua Rothman of the New Yorker said: "Last year, his interview with J. D. Vance, the author of “Hillbilly Elegy,” was largely responsible for bringing the book to the attention of both liberal and conservative readers."
So Tucker Carlson is possessed?
That would explain his hatred of Catholic migrants - the demon in him hates the true faith. And it would also explain his Daddy Trump spanking fantasy that he shared last week - it is the demon putting perverted fantasies into his mind.
Not wishing to grant entry into your home for a permanent visit to a bunch of complete strangers is not "hatred". It's prudence. You ought to pay more attention to your language. It's your only tool when arguing, you know.
Carlson lost me with the David Irvingite amateur historian, whom he described as "most interesting mind" or some gobbledygook like that. There is a Churchill cult, and it does a lot of damage, but Churchill was completely without power during Munich, and for many years before, and had zero to do with either Chamberlain's March 1938 speech after Hitler annexed what was left of Czechia and granted Slovakia satellite status, or with the lunatic Polish guarantee. He may have approved of the guarantee, but nobody consulted him. It would be more plausible to pin the war on Duff Cooper, for goodness sake, who resigned over Munich. Churchill was what is called a private member, without a cabinet post, until the war started, when he became First Lord of the Admiralty. The Second World War is Hitler's doing, with a strong assist from Stalin. Period. To say otherwise is nonsense, and it's dangerous, because it gives an opening to not only real Nazi sympathizers, but ammunition to the Left who want to brand us all as such. Carlson has much too much of Limbaugh in him (more interested in ratings than anything else). For example, I don't know what I think about the demon story, it's plausible enough. But to go public with it on Halloween is suspect.
Jzefi strikes me as one of those lonely people who troll communities like this one because they can get attention without getting countertrolled.
Are you saying we're too nice around these parts?
Also, David Bentley Hart suggested that there's a certain crypto-erotic sadomasochism that's built into integralism. Well, our new friend here is an integralist, and he keeps talking about that Carlson fantasy, so well . . .
You are correct about Churchill, Hitler and World War Two. Carlson's interview of that crank was an act of foolishness. Yet Carlson has such media power that he can inflict that crank on millions of gullible, poorly read conservatives like my own brother who accepted the crank's theses like a school of Spanish Mackerel chomping at mullets.
That's the heart of the matter. Most people thought Churchill fouled his nest with his postion on the gold standard, his fierce opposition to Halifax's India bill (and Churchill turned out to be right as to what would happen with partition) and really effed up with his support of Edward before abdication. And nobody had forgotten about the Dardenelles. He was largely regarded as a crank, surrounded with louche associates like Bracken. I bring up this detail not to show off but to show how easy it is to bamboozle people like your brother who are not in possession of the detail. The difference between the Churchill cult and the real Churchill of history is something not many people care to learn.
That's the problem with intelligent people who get most of their information from facile television rather than the written word. They wouldn't know anything about what you just explained. Dardanelles. Getting Britain back on the Gold Standard. India. Edward VIII. Churchill had no real political power in 1938-39 as he was a backbencher. His only power was through his writing.
My brother has also come across David Irving, a crank historian that John Lukacs demolished years ago.
Irving is obviously a Nazi sympathizer. Which he's fully entitled to be. But he won't say so.
Oh good grief, that demonic attack is not a sign of possession. The demon was outside of him.
I have to say my confidence in Tucker's discernment has plummeted since he sat there without objection as the strange historian on his podcast made the case that Churchill was the main villian of WW Ii
You are very sad to read.
I'm reading Rod's book now...on page 180...thought-provoking and valuable...highly recommended.
Re JD Vance's decision to enlist in the Marines, I can relate. March of my senior year in college. I was pretty depressed. Still dealing with the fallout from the shock of my Dad's death from cancer that blew up our family...and the nice lives we'd had. No idea what exactly I was going to do with a political science degree or if I would spend the rest of my life in small-town Pennsylvania going nowhere.
So I'm walking down a city street, pass by a Marine recruiting office...and seized by an impulse said to myself, screw it, I'm going to turn over the gameboard. Like, people had a hard time absorbing it when I told them I joined the Marines and would be leaving for Parris Island after graduation: YOU DID WHAT??!! YOU'RE GOING WHERE??!! But oh, what a life-altering and I think life-saving journey it started me on.
For many people, the word miracle conjures up healing from illness...the crutches displayed on the wall at Lourdes. Much too crimped a view. Miracles can be a lot less obvious than that.
I believe faith is a function of will. I don't have deep personal experiences of God. But the older I get, the more I see how His hand has guided, protected, and rescued me from myself...over and over. And the more gratitude I feel for that. And the more pride I have in the title: Marine. And the more bitterness I feel over what this current crop of godless, faithless scumbags has done to my country, its institutions, and even my Church.
But they won't prevail in the end. If even one man takes refuge in Truth and refuses to surrender to them, the power of God will one day do the rest. We win. They lose. That's how this ends. At some level, they know that, which is why they're so filled with rage and the demonic determination to destroy everyone and everything in their way.
Oops, sorry for getting off on a personal tangent. Don't know what got into me this morning. We now return you to regularly scheduled programming.
How long did you stay in the Marines and what did you do afterward? My Dad's life changed when he joined the Navy as a Navy pilot trainee during WW2. He went down in his early 20's to the recruiting office (in Dettroit MI) during the war, and they said "we'd take you, but you're too heavy. Lose 40 lbs and come back." He lost 40 lbs in one month! I asked him "how you'd do that Daddy?" He said "I ate nothing but roast beef for one month, and didn't overdo that."
So then what happened? Then he became a career ace Navy test pilot who fought in WW2 (the Pacific), Korea, and VN. (VN broke his heart.) He was on "high alert" (like loaded into the plane ready to take off from Sanford, FL NAS) during some parts the Cuban Missile Crisis. Boy, was THAT a close call. Did you know one Russian nuclear submarine commander prevented WW3 then because he absolutely refused to agree to launch a nuclear submarine attack--and his agreement was essential. The Lord works in mysterious ways.
The Russian's name was Vasily Askhipov, and he was Hollywood handsome. Ah, and so was Claus von Stauffenberg, who ALMOST got Hitler in summer of 1945 with his bomb under the table plot. That is one on my question list for God--"Why didn't you let von Staffenberg (and company, which included Dietrich Bonhoeffer succeed, which would have perhaps spared Anne Frank and Bonheoffer and many others?" (Edith Stein may have been spared, for instance, as well, if Hitler had died July 1944.) Well, have to wait for that answer, but I am thinking even if Hitler had been killed then, Goebbels, Himmler and Goering would have just continued on anyway and ended up killing all those people anyway.
Cool story about your Dad, Anne...thanks.
I served a single 3-year tour in the Marine Corps. Received two meritorious promotions over the course of that time and ended up separating with the rank of Sergeant (E-5).
Mindbogglingly (given what I expected life in the Marines to be), they sent me to an all-services language school where I spent nine months learning Russian on the beautiful coast of central California (Monterey). The training and experience I got in the Marines later propelled me into a government career.
It was a very rich three years, starting in Parris Island. I could write a book about my time there. It would sound like a rip-off of Full Metal Jacket...except it actually happened.
It is important to remember that as Christians, we're involved in spiritual warfare whether we like it or not. I don't know about Tucker Carlson's case specifically, but I wouldn't be surprised if people on the occult side (i.e., witches) cursed him and brought about the attack he suffered. While people can open themselves up to demons in various ways, demons can also be sent to attack, and will succeed to some extent if you are not spiritually protected. I have heard of congressmen who say they can really feel when Christians are praying for them and when they are not. The thing is, we are pretty much ignorant of how all this works. Well, it sounds like we need to learn pretty quick.
Tens of millions are praying for the protection of Trump/Vance, their families and associates. That's why Trump's still alive.
That is good, but ultimately it's not numbers that matter. It's the faith of those who pray that matters.
A funny story I heard is of Carlos Annacondia, the Argentine revivalist who was known for not just having people pray a sinner's prayer, but also casting the demons out of them when they came forward for salvation. He would pray and some of the people would manifest a demon in some way, often falling on the ground. The workers were trained to take the manifesting people to a different tent where they would be prayed over for deliverance. One night, a pastor's wife tripped over a tent wire and fell to the ground. Immediately the workers picked her up to take her to the deliverance tent. She tried to get them to stop, but they assumed it was the demon trying to trick them, so they kept telling the demon to be quiet!
Ha! Remind me to stay away from Carlos' revivals.
Rod quotes "Jonah" as saying, “These drugs can bring you into contact with spiritual reality but in a manner rife with misinterpretation, ego inflation disguised as humility, confirmation bias, or even more openly demonic forms of deception.”
The part about "ego inflation" jumped out at me. This is exactly what the AI does. It's constantly telling me what brilliant insight I have. Interesting.
I am trying to stay out of AI (I know it's not entirely possible) and Zuckerberg's Meta-universe. Do not put that visual thing on your face, don't even try it, to access the meta-universe. It's sure to be highly addictive.
When I first looked into UFO's back in the 80's I quickly ran across claims that the aliens were showing people holographic videos of Jesus dying on the cross, and telling them that Jesus was sent by them to help humanity evolve. It's one thing to have our government tell us that aliens are real, it's another thing to have aliens appear and tell us things, and it's still another thing to have them show us videos from history. That to me is what the Great Deception will involve.
Well Jesus seem to say that we'll know it's Him and not the Antichrist because Christ is coming from the sky. The Antihrist will claim to be Christ and will show signs and wonders, but he will not be coming out of the sky.
Also, there will be a great heresy that will fool even many believers. So far, I don't see any such heresy that is fooling believers--rock-ribbed Christians aren't buying the gay-is-great, trans-is-great, abortion-is-great line. What they MAY buy is "euthanasia" is great. They shoot horses, don't they? "You don't want to be a burden, do you?" So, since we cannot seem to "fix" the neurodegenerative diseases, "wouldn't it be kinder, more merciful, more "Christian" to put these poor wretches out of their misery with a big shot or morphine? Why should the terminally ill be made to suffer?" See Canada. And what starts out as permissible soon becomes mandatory. I think that's going to be "the great heresy." Maybe "designer babies" will be thrown in for good measure, because who doesn't want a genetically perfect, beautiful, gifted, agreeable child?
Someone correct me if I'm mistaken in thinking Jesus will return from the sky, in an unmistakable way. Also, the cosmos will be shaken--the moon turn blood red, hosts of heaven shaken, which I take to mean there's going to be shooting stars, sun "irregularities", meteors hitting earth, that sort of thing.
I don't know when these different events will happen. The antichrist and the Great Deception could well happen before Jesus returns in the sky, or the moon turns to blood. Just ask yourself what would you do if aliens are allowed to demonstrate signs and wonders and show the world how they sent Jesus to help us, and now they're here to take us to our next level. For me, a BIG giveaway is that demons lie. So if aliens ever show up, listen carefully to what they say and see if they don't lie. I think they will.