New Apostolic Reformation

[Mr. H.]

Christianity would be more successful if it focused on the individual, and not the individual's place in society.

How do you help the individual without helping them see their place among society and before God?

Know thyself.

 

[Sky Dancer]

GLENN: Yeah, the 7 Mountain Mandate. Why did you find it? Okay, good, good, he’s got the sources. He’s got the sources. It was some guy that, it was some preacher, I don’t know who he was, and he said I mean, why don’t you just take a chalkboard out? He went to this big writing tablet and he just started drawing these mountains and he said that the problem with the world right now is that there are seven mountains and one is the media and one is government and one is, I guess family life, I don’t know. I don’t remember what all the seven mountains were. And one of them is church. And church has just said, we’re just going to occupy this little mountain. But that’s not what we’re supposed to do. As church people or people of faith, we’re not supposed to just occupy that pew on Sunday or Saturday. We’re not supposed to do that. We’re supposed to be children of God. We are supposed to believe in something. And those things are supposed to permeate our life, and we’re supposed to effect the nation as a whole. It is really what our founders did.
Glenn Beck: Left attacking people of faith – Glenn Beck

Interesting.

So you think that letting faith permeate our lives and building communities of values is bad?

Letting religion take over every aspect of secular life is wrong. You may think it's fine to live in the theocracy of Utah, but I dont.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Sky, this is pathetic.

Rise of Buddhist-Extremism in Sri Lanka | Asian Tribune

 

[California Girl]

Sky, this is pathetic.

Rise of Buddhist-Extremism in Sri Lanka | Asian Tribune

She has 'issues'.

 

[midcan5]

We were discussing this in my thread on Republican Ideology, past hundred years. Given that elections today are at the margins and too few vote, this could have great impact on the rights of all people to practice whatever they wish. It is strange how religion has entered the right wing of the republican party and now controls it to the point individual freedom is only freedom if you follow their dictates.

American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us - Pew Research Center

 

[Sky Dancer]

Sky, this is pathetic.

Rise of Buddhist-Extremism in Sri Lanka | Asian Tribune

Yes, it's very sad. Religion is dove tailing with tribalism in Sri Lanka.

 

[Sky Dancer]

Sky, this is pathetic.

Rise of Buddhist-Extremism in Sri Lanka | Asian Tribune

She has 'issues'.

What "issues" would that be, my friend?

Buddhism was introduced to Sri Lanka in 236 b.e. (cir. 250 BCE) and became the national religion of the Sinhalese from that date. According to the early chronicles relating the historical traditions of Sri Lanka, a prince named Vijaya and his followers who came from India and landed in Lanka on the day of the Parinibbaana of the Buddha were the first human inhabitants of this island.

It is evident from the chronicles relating the early history of Sri Lanka that before the introduction of Buddhism in the reign of King Devaanampiya Tissa (250-210 BCE) there was no single religion which was widely accepted as the national religion of the country. Nevertheless, there was a wide range of religious beliefs and practices, different from one another, and each individual seems to have freely observed his religion according to his belief.

A branch from the Bodhi tree where the Buddha attained his enlightenment was planted in Sri Lanka during Emperor Asoka's time. The tree was planted with great flourish and care and remains a sacred object to this day.

The Tamils invaded Sri Lanka, and they were not interested in Buddhism. Another relic came to Sri Lanka much later, the Buddha's tooth in 805 bce. The Portugese claimed later to have captured the relic in 1560. The British Government seized the relic in 1818 and remained in British custody. until 1853.

The Sinhalese Buddhist commentaries were replaced by the Pali Canon. The political situation from the fifth century to the 11th century was not favorable toward Buddhism. There was continuous warfare between the King and invaders. A reigining king defeated in battle would go to India and return with a Tamil troop to regain power. That is how the Tamils gained power. Buddhism went through periods of decline and revivial.

The Portugese arrived in 15th century and persecuted Buddhists. They sought to impose Catholicism on the Sri Lankan people. The Dutch arrived in the 16th century and they imposed Protestantism. Then the British arrived and defeated the Dutch in 1796. The British had no intention of respecting Buddhism. They actually oppressed the Buddhists and favored Christians. During British rule, Baptists, Methodists and Church of England engaged in vigorous missionary activities.

In 1860, a Buddhist challenged Christian clergy in open debate and won. Buddhists were overjoyed. There followed a Buddhist renaissance. 65%of Sri Lankan population today is Buddhist, 6.5 million people. 6,000 monasteries, 15,000 monks. Sri Lanka gained it's independence from Britain in 1948.

Just to give some background to the current conflict.

 

[Sky Dancer]

The Sri Lankan civil war is off topic but here is some more info:

Known as "Serendip" to Arab geographers, the island fell under Portuguese and Dutch influence and finally came under British rule when it was called Ceylon.

Army and Tamil separatists fought a long conflict involving air raids, roadside blasts, suicide bombings, land and sea battles
More than 70,000 killed
1983 - Start of war
2002 - Ceasefire is signed but violence escalates in 2006
2008 - Ceasefire ends, renewed fighting erupts
2009 - Government forces re-conquer all rebel-held territory

There is a long-established Tamil minority in the north and east. The British also brought in Tamil labourers to work the coffee and tea plantations in the central highlands, making the island a major tea producer.
But the majority Buddhist Sinhalese community resented what they saw as favouritism towards the mainly-Hindu Tamils under British administration.
The growth of a more assertive Sinhala nationalism after independence fanned the flames of ethnic division until civil war erupted in the 1980s between Tamils pressing for self-rule and the government.
Most of the fighting took place in the north. But the conflict also penetrated the heart of Sri Lankan society with Tamil Tiger rebels carrying out devastating suicide bombings in Colombo in the 1990s.

The violence killed more than 70,000 people, damaged the economy and harmed tourism in one of South Asia's potentially prosperous societies.
International concern was raised about the fate of civilians caught up in the conflict zone during the final stages of the war, the confinement of some 250,000 Tamil refugees to camps for months after the war, and allegations that the government had ordered the execution of captured or surrendering rebels.


A Buddhist lawyer from the Sinhalese ethnic majority, Mr Rajapaksa draws the core of his support from rural Sinhalese voters whose rights he championed as labour minister in the 1990s.
Despite the end of the Tamil war, murders, physical attacks, kidnappings, threats and censorship continue, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Many crimes of violence against journalists have gone unpunished. "Of the world's democratically-elected governments, Sri Lanka's is the one that respects press freedom least," RSF said in 2011.

BBC News - Sri Lanka country profile

 

[Disir]

According to Albert James Dager “dominion theology is predicated upon three basic beliefs: 1) Satan usurped man’s dominion over the earth through the temptation of Adam and Eve; 2) The Church is God’s instrument to take dominion back from Satan; 3) Jesus cannot or will not return until the Church has taken dominion by gaining control of the earth’s governmental and social institutions.

So - the NAR/dominionist’s goal is to transform society into the kingdom of God on earth. How? By controlling various aspects of society. The term they use is the “Seven Mountains,” or “Seven Spheres” of society. The Seven Mountains are: 1) Arts and Entertainment; 2) Business/Economy; 3) Education; 4) Family; 5) Government; 6) Media; 7) Religion. The NAR holds that as they accomplish ridding the world of evil, things will get better and better and then Jesus Christ will return to set up His kingdom.
Dominionists are on the move

They have every intention of controlling it. There is no opt out. This is all you get. They manipulate verses to achieve it.

I have been reading through this material for the better part of the day. One of the surprising things is the number of other Christians that are speaking out against this movement. This is good.

There is a great deal of money to made in this and I feel badly that there are a great many people that are going to/are being taken for a ride. I do not like people that manipulate others for the purposes of religion. Further, when looking through the literature you realize that it is their "one true way" which means that all other sects are going to be eradicated as well.