On Prayer & '78 Chryslers

By Ann Barnhardt @ Barnhardt.biz

I get a steady stream of emails from people telling me that I'm not really Christian because

A.) I'm Catholic and Catholicism is a pagan cult and

B.) If I was really a Christian I would know that nothing in the world matters and all of my actions are a complete waste and a distraction from the only truly Christian activity, which is prayer.

In regards to point A, all I can say is “thank you” for letting me know, because I'm obviously not very well read, struggle with abstract and critical thought and am an extremely gullible follower-type. I just became Catholic for the Bingo.

With regards to point B, the scripture passage used to justify the whole Quietism heresy, which is what that argument is, is good old Ephesians 6:12.

“For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places.”

First, in a nutshell, Quietism is a Christian heresy that declares that man's highest perfection is physical and mental self-annihilation wherein the individual no longer thinks, wills or acts on its own account. It is a total and complete passivity during one's earthly life, made to sound pious by claiming that this passive state is “prayer”, when it is really a Hindu-Buddhist nihilistic meditation.

God did not make man so that man might NOT exist. God made man so that we might dwell in the Triune Godhead, the entire essence of which is “To Be”, “To Love” and “To Reason”. Quietism is like going to Rocky Mountain National Park on the most beautiful day of the year and then locking oneself in a Porta-John. Enjoy that scenery and fresh air, Tiger.

Now to Ephesians 6:12. Ephesians 6 is quite possibly the most militaristic, kick-butts-and-take-names passage in the New Testament. If I may be permitted to make a Taco Bell simile, the imagery is Seal Team Six crossed with a Spartan Phalanx, all wrapped in the Chalupa of the Church Militant.

What Ephesians 6:12 is saying is that the power behind the earthly flesh-and-blood enemy is satan and his demons, and we must be mindful of that fact at all times, using prayer to fortify ourselves against their attacks on our spirits, which can lead directly to despair and a loss of faith as we fight the good fight on earth.

People misread this verse to say that we need not worry AT ALL about flesh and blood enemies, when it says no such thing. It is saying that when we engage flesh-and-blood enemies we must remember that the drivers of those fleshy enemies are demons that we can't see. In other words, AMBUSH, AMBUSH, AMBUSH!

We know that Ephesians 6:12 is talking specifically about demons because of the words “principalities, powers, and rulers.” The realm of angels are divided into three Spheres with each Sphere consisting of three sub-types of angels. Even if you think this is starting to sound goofy and a little too “fairy tale” for you, stay with me, because this gets FASCINATING.

Because satan and demons are fallen angels, they are organized in exactly the same way as angels. God made them, and they are what they are except that they have freely chosen to pervert themselves into evil agents.

The First Sphere of angels consists of Seraphim, which surround the Throne of God. Next are the Cherubim, which act as guards. In scripture they guard both the Throne of God and the Tree of Life. Since Jesus is the Fruit of the Tree of Life, it makes sense that Cherubim were standing guard for Him when Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden. Wait, you didn't know that Jesus and the Eucharist was in the Garden? You didn't know that it was God's will for humanity to physically consume Him as Divine Food even before the Fall? You didn't know that Jesus (the edible Fruit) nailed to the Cross (the Tree of Life) was the re-establishment and re-invitation for humanity to re-enter the Garden and eat? Yeah, it's pretty amazing the stuff you can learn playing Bingo.

The third class in the first sphere are called “Thrones” or sometimes “Wheels”. They are living symbols of God's Justice and Authority. Within the last hundred years or so, some very trippy heretics have taught that they are UFOs/space aliens. They are not amused by this.

The Second Sphere consists of heavenly governors. First come the Dominions, who regulate the duties of lower angels. Next come the Virtues who supervise the workings of the cosmos and physical universe. The Virtues are big physics buffs except they have no body odor and can totally talk to girls if they need to do so. Could it be that the demonic equivalent of the Virtues are behind natural disasters? Hmmm. That would explain quite a bit, wouldn't it.

Then come the Powers, who are mentioned in Ephesians 6:12. They are – get this – the bearers of conscience and keepers of history. They are WARRIORS whose duty is to oversee the distribution of power among men. And remember, all of these classes of angels have demonic counterparts. Is it all starting to make sense now?

Finally, the first class in the Third Sphere consists of Principalities or Rulers, which are specifically mentioned in Ephesians 6:12. Their job is to oversee groups of people and to inspire people in art and science. In other words, they put good ideas in men's heads. And yes, they have demonic counterparts, which is what St. Paul is so strongly warning us to be aware of and to defend ourselves against.

AMBUSH, AMBUSH, AMBUSH!

Next are the Archangels who are the guardian angels of nations and countries and are concerned with politics, military matters, commerce and trade. What? You think they aren't involved in those things? You think they just fly around and play with each others' hair? Remember once again that there are demonic counterparts here as well - as there are in the last group, Angels, who are our personal guardian angels. It is comforting to think that we have a super-awesome celestial being covering our six, but this also means that we have at least one demon working on us too. My guardian angel probably wants to turn me over its knee and give me a good spanking. He'll have to take a number and get in line.

Do we now see that St. Paul wasn't telling us to ignore the world in Ephesians 6:12, but rather to keep one eye on the world and one eye on the demons driving the world from their “high places”? This is why we must “pray at all times in the spirit” (verse 18), because we are fighting a war with two very real fronts that MUST be engaged simultaneously. Ignore one front and the other WILL defeat you.

Now about the '78 Chrysler . . .

Link:

• On Prayer & '78 Chryslers

My Fellow Americans, Thank You For Your $8 Billion Gift To Chrysler

Henry Blodget | May. 6, 2009, 9:40 AM

The White House confirmed yesterday that the $8 billion in "bridge loans" the U.S. taxpayer has given to Chrysler over the past six months, including $4 billion in bankruptcy financing, won't be paid back. Taxpayers also won't be getting a big slug of Chrysler stock in exchange.

Instead, the wreckage of Chrysler will be divided up among Fiat, Chrysler's unions, and Chrysler's debtholders. Which means that the taxpayers' $8 billion was just a gift to these three consitituencies.

We don't know about you, but we can think of a few dozen charities that we'd rather have given that $8 billion to than Chrysler's debtholders, Chrysler's unions, and Fiat.

Is the White House going to explain this one, or are we just supposed to ignore it?

• Link

Ford is not Obama Motors

"NEW YORK – General Motors and Chrysler put on their best brave faces here at the New York International Auto Show, but Ford Motor came out guns blazing, determined to separate itself from the other two Detroit-based auto makers...

And Ford, unlike its Detroit rivals, had an army of senior executives, designers, engineers and marketers here, all available to talk the Ford line. Ford is trying desperately to shape its message and that message boils down to this: 'I'm not with stupid.'

That's my own harsh translation, but make no mistake: Ford does not want to be lumped in with GM and Chrysler. Ford is not taking government bailout money, company types say. Bottom line: Ford is not Obama Motors..."

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