WriteNiche - Religion

New age Destiny Church in NZ is facing further criticism...

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:31:00 -0700

The new age Destiny Church is facing further criticism, after hundreds of men pledged to honour its leader - self-appointed Bishop Brian Tamaki and his church.

At the church's annual conference in Auckland at Labour weekend, about 700 men swore a "covenant oath" of loyalty and obedience to Bishop Tamaki.

But some say the oath goes too far, stifling freedom of speech, with church members ordered to speak of Mr Tamaki in a favourable light.

However, Destiny Church spokesman and oath author Richard Lewis says that is not the case.

"We can't make people do anything, the members of Destiny Church are here because they want to be - there is no obligation for them to stay," he says.

Knowing the Will of God

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 21:27:46 -0700

As a Christian close to 2 decades I found out that determining the will of God is one of the greatest concerns of many Christians. I had that problem too and I wish to tell everyone there is a simple formula to follow, it’s one plus two equal three but unfortunately it’s not that clear cut.

Many a time the problem lies not in God but ME! Not having a strong relationship, unable to listen to the voice of God and not sensitive to the Holy Spirit are some of the possible causes. Not knowing the will of God often leads to frustration, failure and missing the best plan of God.

A Near Miss

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 15:55:26 -0700

I nearly got confirmed once, in the Anglican church. I was visiting my relatives for the holidays and attended church and Sunday school every week, which I didn't do at home. My cousins were in the confirmation class, so I joined them.

I was getting quite excited about the ceremony and the confirmation gifts, but then it all fell apart. It turned out that the actual ceremony would take place after I had returned home. That was that – I never came close to being confirmed again.

The eight-year-old widow: A modern and ancient tale

Tue, 06 Jun 2006 11:31:26 -0700

I was recently privileged to view the movie "Water" by Deepa Mehta. It's a rare movie that is at once moving and horrific.

In the film, Mehta tells a tale set in 1938 but that could have been set today in India. It is the story of Chuyia, an 8-year-old girl who was married at an apparently even younger age, then becomes a widow when her husband, a grown man, dies.

The first few minutes of the film show the man's death as an event that Chuyia is barely aware of. There is a heartbreaking scene where Chuyia's father wakes her and asks if she remembers getting married.

She replies no, then her father tells her that her husband has died and she is a widow now. She asks her father, "For how long, Baba?"

Gay Rights and Wrongs: Destroying Marriage Once and for All

Mon, 05 Jun 2006 11:04:16 -0700

As we approach a Senate vote on the proposed marriage amendment to the Constitution, there is a growing sense of inevitability about the whole business.

Despite growing pressure to pass such an amendment, there is a widespread belief that it is an exercise in futility.

Hollywood and the rest of the media have been preparing Americans to accept homosexuality for so many years that most voters are neutral on the subject.

Cowardly legislators have allowed the issue of gay marriage to be decided in state and federal courtrooms instead of in the public spotlight of this land's legislatures.

Democrats go in search of a religion

Wed, 31 May 2006 13:30:20 -0700

One of the topics this weekend when the Democrats assemble for their convention in Eugene, Ore., reportedly will be a half-day seminar on religious outreach.

Since at least the last presidential election, when Democrats decided it was "the values thing" that did in their candidate John "Cash-In" Kerry, the party has been hunting for a way to appeal to religious voters, particularly middle-of-the-roaders and conservatives.

Party Chairman Howard "Howler Monkey" Dean recently appeared on the Rev. Pat Robertson's "700 Club" to make nice, and ended up apologizing to gay groups for implying that Democrats support traditional marriage. That hasn't stopped Dean from hoping to make another appearance on the show.

Vibrating for God: Why I don't sing in church

Tue, 30 May 2006 12:30:12 -0700

I stand before you a repentant singer.

I'm a hypocrite. I know it.

I love God, I love talking about God, I love thinking about God.

And I know God loves me, even when I'm my usual stubborn, butt-headed, smart-mouthed self.

We Christians are supposed to give ourselves over to God -- totally, no holding back. That's supposed to be the only time things really go right. And I can testify to that from my own experience. God grabs hold when we let go -- "Jesus take the wheel," and all that.

But I'm a bit of a mule and like to dig my feet in sometimes. Especially when it comes to singing in church.

"DaVinci" translation: Orgies for Christ

Mon, 22 May 2006 09:42:21 -0700

There were only two moments that rang true in seeing "The DaVinci Code" during opening weekend, and I'm not sure which was the sadder: the preview of Nicolas Cage's upcoming movie about 9/11, or the scene at the end of the film where Tom Hanks as Prof. Langdon asks rather pitifully, "Why couldn't Jesus have been a father and done all the things he did?"

Even for a veteran moviegoer such as myself, professionally trained at a secret monastery in the ancient art of willing suspension of disbelief, nothing between those two events felt real. That's because everything in "The DaVinci Code" hangs on a whopping historical lie, the main conceit of the movie, that Jesus and Mary Magdalene had a child, Peter was jealous, and the Magdalene and her heirs had to go into hiding from a church that would kill her to protect its own power. The sad thing about Langdon's question is that the likely answer to it points out just how absurd this movie's plot is.

"DaVinci" debut: A time to teach, not a time to boycott

Wed, 17 May 2006 12:59:53 -0700

"The DaVinci Code" is about to hit theaters, and Christians are gearing up. With calls for boycotts, many Christians are charging out to meet the enemy like soldiers ferreting out EMDs (entertainments of mass destruction).

I think it's the wrong approach. I'm usually all for the holy warrior thing, but history has shown that boycotts usually accomplish the opposite of the intended result. (They were invented by liberals; what do expect?) A boycott just plays into the media marketing campaign and makes people think maybe they're missing out on something.

Far more effective is education. Demystify the conspiracy theories presented in the book and movie, and people may lose interest. At the very least, they'll be armed against the nonsensical claims of author Dan Brown.

'New' Judas story just revisionist fluff

Wed, 03 May 2006 11:14:17 -0700

Attention, conspiracy theorists: We are happy to announce the next New York Times best seller, "The Gospel of Judas." Soon to be a major motion picture starring Tom Hanks. Wait, scratch that last part; that's "The Da Vinci Code."

A newly translated codex that scholars purport to be the long-lost "Gospel of Judas" is supposedly shaking up traditional views of Christianity by depicting Judas as Jesus' best friend who was only following Jesus' orders when he sold out to the authorities.

"Judas the hero" is the headline of the day for TV, radio, Web sites and newspapers. The appropriate response from Christians should be a collective yawn.

The earliest mention of a "Gospel of Judas" comes from St. Irenaeus, circa 180 A.D. Irenaeus refers to members of a Gnostic sect calling themselves Cainites. In their gospel, according to Irenaeus, Judas was portrayed as a man who knew secret "truths" that led him to betray Jesus. Part of the newly completed translation says of Judas in relation to the other disciples: "But you will exceed all of them. For you will sacrifice the man that clothes me."

So, far from betrayer, Judas is the enabler, even a hero. Holy plot twist!

Actually, it's just typical Gnostic fluff, but this story will have legs for the same reason "The Da Vinci Code" became a best-seller. Both are suited perfectly to take advantage of the public's ignorance of history.

There are plenty of Gnostic so-called "gospels" floating around, most of them claiming to relate the "real story" about some aspect of Jesus' life. This was the inspiration for "The Da Vinci Code" and "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" years before it. According to Bible revisionists, these widely accepted gospels were excised from the Bible by closed-minded men at the Council of Nicaea who forced people to accept the radical notion that Jesus the Son and the Father were one.

Reality check: The Council of Nicaea dealt with the issue of Arianism, which denied that Jesus and the Father were equal. Of the 250-300 bishops present, only a few opposed the Nicaean Creed as it was formulated. Their opposition was to the use of wording that was not in the Bible, though not to the ideas expressed in the creed. The other burning issue at this gathering of radicals? When to celebrate Easter.

No editing. No burning of heretics. No suppression. The bishops simply expressed what was already accepted, centuries-old doctrine.

The simple fact is that Gnostic groups were never as widely popular as revisionists would have us believe. They weren't even a cohesive movement, but a variety of groups who held several views in common, among them that creation itself is evil; the body is a hindrance, a mere vessel for the spirit; women especially are corrupt.

"The Gospel of Judas" is no different. Written very late to be considered in any way authoritative, it also faces the unique difficulty that its supposed source, Judas, killed himself. I suppose that Judas conceivably could have thrown the 30 silver coins back in Caiaphas' face, stopped off for coffee, and written down or related the "real" events of the previous week before going off to hang himself, but I find myself strangely skeptical on this point.

But loose facts and logic never stopped a good story. Maybe Tom Hanks will be available for this movie, too: "Life is like a box of bad chocolates. You never know when one will turn on you."

-- Tad Cronn
My Web site

religion

Scientology: From the Outside Looking In

Sat, 29 Apr 2006 11:38:34 -0700

Scientology: From the outside looking in.

I am not a religious person.

I believe in logic over everything and thus I’m left with very little room for faith. Taking this approach in life has given me the intrinsic ability to solve off of life’s questions in an almost mathematical manner.

Thus, I have never seen God therefore I can not say that God exists. I have not seen everything in the universe; therefore I can not say that God does not exist. Now unfortunately I must apply this formula to Scientology. I have never seen an Intergalactic Walrus therefore I can not state that they don’t exist.