What Lucifer really means |
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Not at all. In Latin at the time, "lucifer" actually
meant Venus as a morning star. Isaiah is using this metaphor for a bright
light, though not the greatest light to illustrate the apparent power of
the Babylonian king which then faded." Therefore, Lucifer wasn't equated
with Satan until after Jerome. Jerome wasn't in error. Later Christians (and
Mormons) were in equating "Lucifer" with "Satan". So why is this a problem
to Christians? Christians now generally believe that Satan (or the Devil
or Lucifer who they equate with Satan) is a being who has always existed.
Therefore, they also think that the 'prophets' of the Old Testament believed
in this creature. The Isaiah scripture is used as proof (and has been used
as such for hundreds of years now). As Elaine Pagels explains though, the
concept of Satan has evolved over the years and the early Bible writers didn't
believe in or teach such a doctrine. The irony for those who believe that
"Lucifer" refers to Satan is that the same title ('morning star' or
'light-bearer') is used to refer to Jesus, in 2 Peter 1:19, where the Greek
text has exactly the same term: 'phos-phoros' 'light-bearer.' This is also
the term used for Jesus in Revelation 22:16. So why is Lucifer a far bigger
problem to Mormons? Mormons claim that an ancient record (the Book of Mormon)
was written beginning in about 600 BC, and the author in 600 BC supposedly
copied Isaiah in Isaiah's original words. When Joseph Smith pretended to
translate the supposed 'ancient record', he included the Lucifer verse in
the Book of Mormon. Obviously he wasn't copying what Isaiah actually wrote.
He was copying the King James Version of the Bible. Another book of LDS
scripture, the Doctrine & Covenants, furthers this problem in 76:26 when
it affirms the false Christian doctrine that
"Lucifer" means
Satan. This incorrect doctrine also spread into a third set of Mormon scriptures,
the Pearl of Great Price, which describes a war in heaven based, in part,
on Joseph Smith's incorrect interpretation of the word "Lucifer" which only
appears in Isaiah. A Mormon apologist responds.
On a lighter note, Arthur Clarke, in his fictional book 2061 correctly uses the word "Lucifer". He uses it as a name for a new sun in the solar system which is correct since the new sun is a second 'morning star' of 'original' 'light-bearing' substance--not some evil being of religious mythology. David Grinspoon comments on the historical aspects of the word as follows: "The origin of the Judeo-Christian Devil as an angel fallen from heaven into the depths of hell is mirrored in the descent of Venus from shining morning star to the darkness below. This underworld demon, still feared today by people in many parts of the world, is also called Lucifer, which was originally a Latin name for Venus as a morning star." (Venus Revealed p. 17) Actually, Grinspoon should just refer to the "Christian Devil" since the Jews never believed in such a creature and still don't to this day. |
WITH 6/6/06 ALMOST UPON US,JAMES ELLIS TAKES AN EXCLUSIVE LOOK AT LUCIFER
Just
what does the Devil look like? It's a question that's perplexed people for
centuries and no one seems able to come up with a definitive ....... until
now. With today being the neighbour of the beast and excitement and fear
rising among occult worshippers and Christians about tomorrow's 6/6/06 date
(although many seem to forget Old Nick failed to show up on June 6, 1906),
we can present you with what graphic artists think is the face of Beelzebub.
The artists have been working on the image for a satellite TV show being
screened tomorrow called 666: Searching For Satan, which investigates the
many cultural forms the Devil has taken through history including incarnations
of him as man, dog and beast Six images have been created from six stories
that led to the composite; most would agree it looks surprisingly similar
to the Satan we would expect. But when looking at the image, remember one
thing: many people believe the Devil's greatest trick is convincing people
he does not exist.
1. Goatman: Maryland in the US has a forest legend,the goatman,a
beast that looks similar to the Greek god Pan.
2.Possessed eyewitness account: In the aptly named town of Wilder, Kentucky, Bobby Mackey's Music World is a nightclub that many think houses the gateway to hell. The club was once a slaughterhouse and a basement tunnel would pour blood from dead animals into a nearby river,while a group of Satanists would practise rituals on the site. Carl Lawson,a former resident caretaker of the club,believes he was possessed by the Devil while working there,saying: " I firmly believe the spirits were in me.Satan would make me stay up for days on end. I could see his face in the bar mirrors. He had piercing red eyes." Lawson was later exorcised by a priest.
3.The Dog: The question of whether the Devil can take on any living form has raged for years. Son of Sam serial killer David Berkowitz,whose bloody reign terrorised New York in the late 1970s,seemed to think so. He claimed his neighbour's dog was a messenger of the Devil that drove him to murder. His attorney,Mark Jay Heller,says: "The dog's howling was a sign to David.He felt he was an instrument of a greater power." Before he was captured,Berkowitz taunted police with notes saying: "I am the monster,I am Beelzebub."
4.Charles Manson: The man widely regarded as Satan in human form instructed his followers - The Family - to kill five people,including Roman Polanski's pregnant wife Sharon Tate on August 9,1969.Manson's followers described him as "having magical and hypnotic powers" and he often referred to himself as both Christ and the Devil. According to other Family members,Manson's right hand man,Charles "Tex" Watson,exclaimed: " I am the Devil and I have come to do the Devil's work" while on the murder spree.Manson's name has since become synonymous with evil in popular culture.
5.Jersey Devil: As featured in Metro recently,the Jersey Devil has been described as a bat/dog/goat hybrid that roams the Pine Barrens of the American state of New Jersey.Witnesses have reported hearing blood-curdling screams in the night and bizarre unexplained footprints have been found.
6.Pazuzu: Pazuzu is an Assyrian demon on which The Exorcist was based.He is said to have the body of a man,the head of a lion,talons instead of hands and a scorpions tail. Nico Claux a convicted Parisian murderer,necrophile and cannibal,firmly believes he is one of Pazuzu's servants,saying: "Cannibalism is a communion with the Devil.When I die,I will go to hell and sit on his left side. People say I am the Devil but I am not,I am just a tool in his hands." Disturbingly,after serving eight years for murder,Claux is now not only free but has also been declared legally sane.
DIGITS THAT ARE A SIGN OF SATAN | ||
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Hell's angels: people in the town are planning to celebrate tomorrow's date - 6.6.06 |
THINGS are hotting up in Hell as residents gear up to celebrate 6.6.06. Those
who live in the hamlet of Hell, Michigan - 100km west of Detroit - are hoping
to mark tomorrow with a bang. Tourists from throughout the US are expected
to visit the town, which has just 72 residents.
Souvenir shop owner John Colone, who is also the mayor, said: 'I've got "666"
T-shirts and mugs. I'm only ordering 666 (of the items) so, once they're
gone, that's it. 'Everyone who comes will get a letter of authenticity saying,
"You've celebrated June 6, 2006, in Hell".'
Most of the 60-year-old's goods are on sale for $6.66 (£3.50), including
deeds to one square inch of Hell. A fancy dress contest is also planned.
Mike 'Smitty' Hickey, owner of the Dam Site Inn, said: 'We're all about having
fun here. 'I don't think we're going to get the cult crowd, the devil worshippers
or anything like that.'
But not all residents are happy with the town marking the day. Jason LeTeff,
said: 'Here I am living in Hell, taking my kids to church and trying to teach
them the right things - and the town I where we live is having a 666 party.'
There are two theories about how Hell, Michigan, got its name. The first
is that two German travellers stepped out of a stagecoach one sunny afternoon
in the 1830s, and one said to the other, 'So schön hell' - which roughly
translates as, 'so bright and beautiful'. Apparently,
some locals overheard and the name stuck. The second idea is that the town
founder George Reeves was asked what he thought the unnamed hamlet should
be called after Michigan was made a state in the late 1930s. He is said to
have replied: 'I don't care, you can name it Hell if you want to. The name
was officially changed on October 13,184l.
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Look of horror: Mr Colone reads a comic outside his souvenir shop |
JONATHAN GODDARD FINDS THAT IT'S NOT ALL GLOOM AND DOOM ON THE INTERNET MORTALITY-BASED SITES
Nothing is certain except death and taxes,' said Benjamin Franklin. If he'd lived in the age of the information super highway, he would have added:'... and the exploitation of both on the lnternet.' Sure, death may be a rather depressing subject but that doesn't mean it can't be fun and informative, as these sites prove....
Near Death Experiences And
The Afterlife
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I Am Dead
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The Death
Clock
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The Lee Atwater Invitational
Dead Pool
'This is The Home Of The Celebrity Dead Pool. Stiffsville,Death Central. We make fun of famous people and the people who make them famous (ie you) and our instrument of ridicule is our contest.' making money out of misery - it's an age-old pursuit that shows no sign of dying (snarf) thanks to the Internet. At stiffs.com, and at a host of other death pool sites, gamblers are invited to take part in a morbid-sweepstake - pick ten famous people you think are likely to die this year and whoever predicts the most correct deaths wins the pot. This year, the entry fee is $15 and total prize money $2,005. It's only May but the current leader has already lost half his team, despite leaving Pope John Paul II on the bench. But It's the dark hurnour that sets Stiffs.com aside from others of its ilk, especially its one-time obits for the dearly departed (Arthur Miller: Death of a playwright, who just happened to have spent five years boning Marilyn Monroe). www.stiffs.com |
The Death:The Last
Taboo
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BY ROB LYONS
ZOMBIES
rising from the dead sound like the stuff of horror films and nightmares
- but it could soon be reality. Scientists have discovered a way to bring
dead dogs back to life. Using a so-called suspended animation technique,
they emptied the dead animals veins of blood and filled them with ice cold
saline solution to preserve the tissues and organs. The animals had no heartbeat
or brain activity and were classed as being clinically dead. The saline solution
was then replaced with fresh blood and electric shocks were used to restart
the heart. The dogs appeared unharmed by their suspension and had suffered
no brain damage.Scientists at the Safar Centre in Pittsburgh hope to use
the technique on humans within a year and are in talks with hospitals about
trials on trauma patients. They believe it could save the lives of people
who have suffered massive blood loss, such as battlefield casualties or stabbings
victims. 'The results are stunning. They have these dogs with complete cardiac
standstill for three hours and they recover to normality,' said trauma surgeon
Dr Howard Champion.
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