22 thoughts on “My problems with religion ~”

1. Ahhh Bill, I like Paul’s style and he is so right. From my perspective there are so many layers to religion and there are so many everyday people who are kind and compassionate to others and go to church that I view as very spiritual.

   I think intent plays a large a part in our lives – you know the intent to control and have power over others. And because they are religious as such their behaviours justified because of the dogmas of the churches.

   it becomes so amazingly clear when comes out of the church closet!

   Am I rambling Bill?

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   • Yes Angie, you’re rambling… haha… no you’re not. You make a lot of sense… as usual!

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     • Are you confusing “religion” with certain extreme forms of radical Protestantism or Islam ?

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   • No, Angela, you’re so not!!!

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   • you know the intent to control and have power over others. And because they are religious as such their behaviours justified because of the dogmas of the churches.

     This description is exactly contrary to my experience.

     Catholic Christianity seeks no “control” of nor “power” over others, and no Dogma can justify the sort of totalitarian theocratic abuses that you seem to be alluding to.

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     • If you were a woman in the Catholic Church you may not be able to have that same view. I appreciate your opinion, as Christ would wish this to be so– however the male dominated dogma has gotten sidetracked from the teachings of the Spirit and Divine awareness that was Christ’s intent. You need not forsake Catholic theology all together . But open your heart and you will know the truth that Christ is for all and the church has slid behind, Pope Francis is making strides in the right direction.

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       • Catholic Theology nor Dogma nor Spirituality is NOT “male-dominated”, and Priests are servants, not masters.

         Political ideology and political agitation are foreign to Christian Spirituality — Mark {12:17} Respondens autem Iesus dixit illis: Reddite igitur quæ sunt Cæsaris, Cæsari: et quæ sunt Dei, Deo.

         If you were a woman in the Catholic Church you may not be able to have that same view

         Well I’m sorry, but my conversion to the Catholic Faith is from numerous divine interventions — and there is none among God’s Faithful whom I would ever venerate more strongly nor greater love than the Lord’s mother Saint Mary, the Holy Virgin and the greatest among all of the Saints who have ever lived, Graced as she was to receive the very Living Godhead Himself into her womb and to give Him the Flesh of her flesh.

         False ideologies of what women are supposed to be, which is to say — against the Christian Faith — do not inform my views.

         You need not forsake Catholic theology all together

         This OTOH *IS* a suggestion of Heresy.

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       • I have responded to this, but I think it’s in the spam queue.

         I’ll wait a while longer before doing so a second time.

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2. This excerpt is filled with fundamental errors.

   Briefly, he’s setting up a strawman argument about religion, in his purpose to shoot it down — and seriously : “align your frequency to the Christ vibration” ????? What is this supposed to even MEAN, or must I adopt some New Age ***doctrines*** to “understand” it ?

   I’ll have a go with it more at length, because the falsehoods in his claims about religion are very extensive, but not now ; later.

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3. I may break this into several parts.

   Religion has been created as a manifesto individually for different groups to make changes in consciousness.

   This is a frankly ludicrous statement, based seemingly on nothing more substantial nor meaningful than 18th-20th Century radical anti-Catholic anticlericalism, informed by Masonic ideologies and Marxist social dogma.

   More fundamentally, it posits “religion” as being fundamentally political in nature, which of course it is not. The “manifesto” word is blatantly Marxist.

   He implicitly albeit very clearly posits “religion” as being of a human “creation”, again simply parroting various “enlightenment” anti-clericalist doctrines from atheism, notwithstanding the utter incompatibility of these ideas with the actual (general) nature of religion as such, which is “the shared practice of a common Spirituality”.

   Changes in Spiritual consciousness are NOT the result of political actions by groups constituting “religion” — they are the result of Divine Graces in the Spirit, and they are ALWAYS individual in scope ; NOT political, not collectivist, and most certainly NOT via crypto-Marxist conceptions about “religion”, informed by Freemasonry and radical anticlericalism.

   Ultimately, the focus of all religions in truth, and the true religions, the religions that benefit spirit, are to bring up the frequency of those who engage in it.

   New Age mumbo jumbo gibberish, sorry.

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4. This is not about religion

   Well, he says something true anyway — this is all about setting up his own ideology as being superior to “religion”.

   Nothing however that he’s written is pertinent to Religion as such.

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5. But the level of distortion that religion has received through acclimation to agendas, to politics and the use of fear to control those who would benefit from a shift in consciousness has gotten to the point where we must make this distinction.

   MORE 19th Century anticlerical atheist Dogma.

   Is Paul Selig a Freemason ?

   oooooh what a “surprise” — http://paulselig.com/2014/10/masonic-nyc/ — Yes he is.

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6. A doctrine is a set of rules, if you think about it,

   A direct falsehood.

   Doctrine means “what’s deserving of being taught”.

   And look — his claim that “a doctrine is a set of rules” is just another doctrine of his own invention.

   I do not admire this manner of rhetorical hypocrisy, called “impure rhetoric” in the Classical understanding. Here is, quite typically, a phrase deliberately intending to deceive, in suggesting that following his own sets of rules can somehow “free” people from rules — whereas meanwhile, back in reality, rules are a universal condition of human existence.

   Genuine Spirituality does not “liberate” anybody from any rules — that is the “task” of paranoid schizophrenia or certain forms of autism.

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7. A doctrine is a set of rules, if you think about it,

   A direct falsehood.

   Doctrine means “what’s deserving of being taught”.

   And look — his claim that “a doctrine is a set of rules” is just another doctrine of his own invention.

   I do not admire this manner of rhetorical hypocrisy, called “impure rhetoric” in the Classical understanding. Here is, quite typically, a phrase deliberately intending to deceive, in suggesting that following his own sets of rules can somehow “free” people from rules — whereas meanwhile, back in reality, rules are a universal condition of human existence.

   Genuine Spirituality does not “liberate” anybody from any rules — that is the “task” of paranoid schizophrenia or certain forms of autism.

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   • Dear Julian – haha, I knew that post would get you going!!

     Many thanks for these responses. Your viewpoint is much needed on this website, and I do very much appreciate the time and trouble you take to counter my heretic rhetoric!

     It’s morning here in Australia and I have to get going to the editing room, where I am making an even more heretical film! haha – but I will respond to these comments in the next couple of days.

     You know I have great respect for your scholarship and intellect and beliefs – even though I don’t necessarily agree with all you write here. But that’s ok – it makes for good debate, and you challenge me to consider my views.

     Thank you – Bill

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     • I don’t think you’re a heretic Bill, I think you’re wrong about a few things ; but if being wrong were sufficient to constitute heresy, then everyone could be accused of it — errare humanum est.

       (apart from one in the spam queue, all I’ve left would be to more specifically address my concerns about demonic influence — it’s somewhat important now that I address this, I think, but it’s a VERY dangerous and confusing topic, and I must be careful with it ; again, just as being wrong is insufficient to constitute heresy, so not every promotion of evils against the Church of Christ is directly inspired by a manifest demonic presence in the person relating such promotions — nevertheless, the demonic presence is clearly quite strong in this man’s atrocious claims against Divine Spirituality in true Religion ; and I can feel that demon with my soul, trying to prevent me from typing this – right now)

       ——-

       Otherwise, best of luck with the editing — dunno how Swannies are doing, but we other red & white thrashed Spurs the other night at Wembley !!!

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       • there’s a second in the spam queue, responding to Kathryn

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       • Julian – I encourage you to read Paul Selig’s books. Start with I AM THE WORD. This is not about which is better, spirituality (to call it that) or Christianity – more it’s about DIY hamburgers versus Fatburgers…

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8. It is a frequency of consciousness that was manifested in form by Jesus and by others in different names over this time of history, over the last thousands of years. That is the truth.

   No, it’s made-up New Age fantasy.

   Jesus was a real man who lived in Israel 2000 years ago, not some weird artificial delusional abstract “vibration”.

   There is a difference between fact and fantasy — and it is vitally important to comprehend it.

   Now when one group of people claims to have any answer that precludes other people from knowing something, you better watch out.

   Same then when these New Age “channellers” claim that they have “special” information or “knowledge” or “insight” available nowhere else, exactly BTW as every Gnostic or neo-Gnostic cult in History has ?

   You CANNOT justifiably claim any set of “rules” and “doctrines” (and this man’s claims that he seeks to “free” people from them are risible) that you then present as being applicable only against others, never yourself or your buddies.

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9. And we say this AKA the Freemasons as far as I can see — this “we” is in any case highly suspect, and is directly contradictory of his narrative of intrinsic personal value — which is BTW what the Church actually teaches, not his paranoid claims.

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10. There is no “my way or the highway” in consciousness

    A deeply meaningless comment.

    Freedom of religion (and spirituality) (the basic name of this freedom and universality of the Spirit is : Catholicity, from Greek “Universality”), despite some horrid abuses during the 15th-17th Centuries and later, has been a core element of the Christian Faith since the Christ and His Apostles first preached it — it is a foundational Christian Value.

    Consciousness itself however is a Gift and Grace of God provided to every Free Willed created Soul, whether Living or Spirit. Even the Devil and his demons have this Grace of consciousness from God.

    Murderers and Saints, thieves and missionaries, slanderers and healers, ALL living mortals have this Grace, so that it is, again, a LIE (albeit a more subtle one) to claim that “religions” somehow “reserve” consciousness to themselves — except that implicitly, just this sort of reserving to New Age and to “channelling” of consciousness itself is what this man’s mendacious rhetoric seeks to suggest.

    Consciousness is not in and of itself holiness. Consciousness also belongs to the Devil and his legions.

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11. only the way religion can be and has been distorted over the millennium

    … and just such distorting is exactly what this man is attempting.

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