To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: 11/15/98 TV Program
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 1998 10:28:07 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
10:00 PM Eastern
History Channel
History Undercover. Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust. The
same year that Hitler unleashed WWII, Eugenio Pacelli, Bishop of
Padua, became Pope Pius XII and an opponent to totalitarian regimes.
Then how do we explain his silence against the persecution of Jews by
Hitler? Was it a question of naked survival for the Church, or were
his motives more insidious? We search for possible answers. [TV PG]
--- BPR
BPR Web Site - http://philologos.org/bpr
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: Pope gives employees 2.5 million
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 1998 10:32:20 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
Pope gives employees 2.5 million dollars
VATICAN CITY, Nov 9 (AFP) - Pope John Paul II has given the Vatican's
4,000-odd employees one million lira (625 dollars) each, or a total of
2.5 million dollars, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his papacy,
the Vatican said on Monday.
He has also given an undisclosed sum to retired staff.
The pope has personal assets, the amount of which is not known, made
up of contributions made to him from around the world.
The exact number of employees at the Holy See is not known. Vatican
officials are not entitled to disclose the number, which is considered
classified information.
[unknown amount to retired staff
unknown amount of personal assets
unknown number of employees
why the secrecy? is it a Mystery?]
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: Vatican rejects Israeli opposition to Pius sainthood
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 1998 10:36:56 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
Vatican rejects Israeli opposition to Pius XII
beatification
VATICAN CITY, Nov 13 (AFP) - The Vatican has rejected Israeli demands
that the beatification of Pope Pius XII be delayed by 50 years due to
the late pope's ambivalent attitude to the Nazi persecution of Jews,
it was reported Friday.
Father Peter Gumpel, the German Jesuit prelate in charge of the
beatification process told the Italian weekly publication Liberale
that the Israeli intervention would not stop moves already underway.
"Those who have Israel's cause at heart should avoid behaving so
wrongly and maladroitly," warned the prelate.
"We will not be intimidated by anyone," he said.
"This intervention cannot block a beatification process which is
already underway," said Gumpel, in reference to the postponement urged
by Israel's ambassador to the Vatican, Aharon Lopez, earlier this
month.
Lopez called for light to be shed on the late pope's position on the
Nazi persecution, about which he has been accused of turning a blind
eye and of failing to use his moral authority to stop the Holocaust.
Gumpel angrily rejected Lopez's hint that there were archives as yet
unseen in the Vatican which could clarify Pius XII's attitude.
"The ambassador does not know or does not want to know that 12 volumes
of 8,000 pages containing over 5,000 documents from the Vatican's and
other archives have been published," he said.
The prelate said that all documentation would be put before the
Vatican body concerned with beatification in a year's time.
Catholic historians argue that, contrary to Israeli versions of his
war-time role, Pius XII supported undercover actions for fear of
provoking Nazi reprisals against German and Polish Catholics.
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: Potential Speaker Opposes Favoring Israel
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 1998 11:16:03 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
POTENTIAL SPEAKER OPPOSES FAVORING ISRAEL: Sources in
Jerusalem are keeping an eye on the elections for the post of speaker
of the House of Representatives in the US. Rep. Bob Livingston, the
front- runner, has criticized Israel's dependency on US economic aid,
and is a critic of some Israeli policies in Judea and Samaria
including settlement construction. The relationship between Livingston
and Netanyahu is known to be rocky. Livingston has been a consistent
critic of settlement construction since Yitzhak Shamir was in power.
In his current post as head of the House Appropriations Committee, the
Louisiana Republican has been a key critic of the high level of US
economic aid to Israel. (HA'ARETZ)
F.Y.I. - Israel in the News
Week Ending: 14 November 1998/25 Cheshvan 5759
Web site: http://www.tzemach.org/fyi
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: Volunteer Needed
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1998 06:54:57 -0500
From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
Hi folks....
The Earthly Matters section of the BPR News page is needing a
volunteer to help maintain it. It's basically a monthly tabulation
of events related to weather, earthquakes and volcanoes, disease,
famine and drought. The page can be as detailed or as brief as you
want. No knowledge of HTML or web maintenance is needed. So if you
visit the news sites reqularly on the net and would like to keep such
a "commentary" for BPR, please contact me for me more details.
You may visit the current listing at:
http://philologos.org/bpr/news/Earthly_Matters/nov98.htm
Thank you...
--- BPR
BPR Web Site - http://philologos.org/bpr
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: ETs and Middle East peace
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1998 18:49:03 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
In my reading today I came across the following:
"...Syrian President Hafez Assad, in an interview with 'Time'
magazine, expressed the belief that *only* an extraterrestrial power
could bring real peace to this world. He has had a long-standing
interest in UFOs and takes these unidentified flying objects quite
seriously, believing they are space probes from other planets. 'Time'
asked Assad, 'Suppose, as we discussed earlier, there were an
extraterrestrial power and it tried to solve the Middle East's
problems. What would you want it to do?' Hafez replied, 'Certainly it
would be a big power, and we would expect it to be unbiased.'"
A Cup of Trembling: Jerusalem and Bible Prophecy
Dave Hunt
1995
--- BPR
BPR Web Site - http://philologos.org/bpr
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: Outbreaks, Post Hurricane
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1998 01:03:54 -0500
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
[Mod Note: there's more to a storm than wind and rain]
OUTBREAKS, POST-HURRICANE - GUATEMALA - HONDURAS - NICARAGUA
<http://www.healthnet.org/programs/promed.html>
Nicaragua Sunday launched a massive vaccination campaign targeting
more than a million children and their mothers across the country.
Nicaragua [has] reported 31,888 cases of acute respiratory
infections, 422 cases of diarrhea and 150 cases of cholera in the
aftermath of Hurricane Mitch.
In Guatemala at least eight people had died of cholera since Thursday
and 20 others were being treated for the disease, authorities said.
[In the wake of the devastation caused by Hurricane Mitch, Honduras
[has] recorded 858 cases of malaria, 53,617 cases of respiratory
illnesses, 12,393 cases of gastrointestinal ailments and two cases of
cholera.
--- BPR
BPR Web Site - http://philologos.org/bpr
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: Misc. Infobeat items
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1998 10:00:12 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
*** Globalization political, not just economic - Annan
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Tuesday the
U.S. and other world powers needed to deal with globalization as a
political issue and not just focus on trade and technology. "Rarely
are the political aspects of globalization recognized by either its
friends or foes," he said. Annan also said the more than $1 billion
owed by the U.S. to the world body was the fault of politicians in
Washington. Americans were not to blame for their government's
inability to honor its U.N. obligations. But Annan emphasized the U.N.
had a role to play in world economic reform because it recognized that
economic problems were also political and security problems. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2557168879-5f3 ***
Also: World Bank chief sees end to world economic crisis, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2557165819-8f8
*** Russian region warns of split with Moscow
MOSCOW (Reuters) - The leader of an ethnic region in southern Russia
raised the prospect of new rifts with Moscow by warning Tuesday he
would withhold taxes and might seek autonomy after a breakdown of
federal funding for local bodies. Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, flamboyant
36-year-old millionaire and president of the traditionally Buddhist
Republic of Kalmykia, said he would not fund the federal budget unless
Moscow paid its debts, in remarks that could strike a chord with local
leaders across Russia. Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov, appointed in
September to sort out Russia's worst economic crisis since the fall of
communism, has warned financial dislocation could lead to the Russian
Federation falling apart just as the Soviet Union did in 1991. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2557166903-0e1
*** Saddam spends oil dollars on cosmetic surgery - UK
LONDON (Reuters) - The British government accused Iraqi President
Saddam Hussein Tuesday of spending his country's oil-for-food dollars
on luxury goods. Labor MP Tam Dalyell, who supports an end to
sanctions against Iraq, asked Foreign Office minister Tony Lloyd what
evidence the government had to back allegations Saddam had imported
specialist surgical equipment to carry out cosmetic surgery on his
associates. Lloyd said Iraq's requests to the U.N. for imported goods
under the oil-for-food deal included silicone breast implants, a
liposuction machine worth more than $16,000 and a teeth whitening
laser worth $126,000. "The U.N. would not of course approve these
items at the expense of more pressing needs," Lloyd said. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2557165327-1fd
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: Nov 18, 1998 TV Programs
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1998 10:00:12 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
8:00 PM Eastern
TLC - EXTREME MACHINES - "Smart Weapons" - The future
technology of battlefield weaponry.(CC)(TVG)
10:00
HIST - MODERN MARVELS - "Satellites" - Documentary
traces the technological race to build
satellites.(CC)(TVG)
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: UN/Vatican news
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1998 15:42:46 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
UN General Assembly Adopts Draft Recognizing Palestinian State
A report yesterday by the Voice of Palestine (VOP) said the UN
General Assembly today adopted a draft resolution emphasizing the
Palestinian people's right to self-determination, in addition to a new
paragraph that does not exclude the state option. The draft
resolution, presented by Egypt, was adopted by 172 states, including
the EU states. Some 146 members voted in favor of the resolution, two
voted against, and seven abstained. The resolution is expected to win
more than 160 votes when it is presented to the UN General Assembly
during its general session.
This is the first time the international community has adopted,
almost unanimously, a draft resolution stressing the Palestinian
people's right to self-determination without excluding the option of
establishing an independent Palestinian state.
Another report from the VOP today confirms that Mahmud 'Abbas, also
known as Abu-Mazin, secretary of the PLO Executive Committee,
yesterday met with Israeli Public Security Minister Avigdor Qahalani.
Abu-Mazin said that during the meeting Israel agreed to release 250
prisoners from the occupation prisons on Friday. This is the first
group out of 750 detainees who will be released according to the Wye
River Agreement. I&G News, Nov. 18
[Vatican City] Vatican on Jerusalem, Iraq
Rome La Repubblica (Internet version) in Italian 5 Nov 98
Interview with Vatican Secretary for Relations With States Jean-
Louis Tauran by Marco Politi in Rome "'No Mediation for the General'"
-- first paragraph is La Repubblica
[La Republica] We met with Monsignor Tauran at the headquarters of
the international Political Charity organization, where he gave a
talk, together with the Moroccan Ambassador to the Vatican, Abdelouhab
Maalmi, who is enthusiastic about the Vatican Foreign Minister's
recent remarks about the status of Jerusalem, "It is an extraordinary
statement that reflects the majority line within the international
community."
[Politi] Monsignor Tauran, why is the Vatican intervening now in
connection with Jerusalem?
[Tauran] This has always been our position. Patriarch Sabbah
organized a symposium on the status of the Holy City to heighten the
awareness of the bishops of the world's leading nations, especially in
the West. The Pope and the Secretary of State thought that this was
the appropriate occasion to present our stance.
[Politi] You stressed the injustice the Israeli occupation of East
Jerusalem.
[Tauran] We repeat what is stated by the UN resolutions. We are
not alone in holding this stance.
[Politi] Is the Vatican calling for an international conference to
define the status of early city?
[Tauran] No, let me explain. The time will come for two-way
negotiations, between Israel and Palestine, on the city of Jerusalem
and on the question of sovereignty -- for instance, whether Jerusalem
should be the capital of one state or of two states. We have nothing
to do with that.
[Politi] But you claimed that Jerusalem could become the center of
both nations.
[Tauran] That could be. There is nothing that forbids it. But it
is a matter for bilateral negotiations that concern only the Israelis
and the Palestinians.
[Politi] When does the Vatican consider its necessary to
intervene?
[Tauran] At the time when the juridical situation of the holy
places sights is discussed, it would be a good thing for the three
religions (Jewish, Christian, and Muslim) to be able to make known not
only their aspirations, but also their wishes. At that time there
must be the a means for the three religions to be heard.
[Politi] The Vatican is keeping an anxious watch on the evolution
of the international scene, from Kosovo to Iraq. Serbia came close to
being bombarded.
[Tauran] The Vatican has always argued that when such measures are
adopted it is necessary constantly to measure the evil that it is
intended to combat against the damage that will be inflicted on the
population. To assess the proportion between the evil and the
remedies.
[Politi] What about Iraq?
[Tauran] The sides involved must be careful not to do anything
irreparable. It would not take much to cause the situation to
degenerate. Common sense, prudence, and far-sightedness are needed.
[Politi] Let us return to relations with Israel. Ambassador Lopez
is calling for the suspension of the process of beatification of Pius
XII. For a five-year a moratorium.
[Tauran] Why not 60?
[Politi] There is a growing demand for the Vatican archives to be
opened up.
[Tauran] Our archives are not comparable to those of other states.
Some 80 percent of our material concerns religious affairs,
confidential information about bishops, all politicians, about private
matters, about matters of conscience. We have already published, on
Paul VI's decision, all the material on the Vatican's political and
humanitarian activities during World War II. There is nothing else in
the archives of Section 2 (the Vatican's foreign department -- La
Repubblica editor's note). We cannot invent it. I always tell our
Jewish friends "If you have things that we do not have, then produce
them."
[Politi] Netanyahu has invited the Pope to visit, and so has
'Arafat. When will he visit the Holy Land?
[Tauran] For the present there are no specific plans. If the peace
process goes ahead, it will become feasible. The Pope wants his
pilgrimage to represent a coming together of peoples.
Israeli & Global News
http://www.cmep.com
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: The Jerusalem Puzzle
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1998 13:04:21 -0500
From: Don Hornsby <dhornsby@enter.net>
Hello,
For those who have the capiblity to hear Real Audio files, there is an
excellent four minute commentary on the "Jerusalem Puzzle". I think that
many of you will find it interesting. The commentary is located at:
http://www.church-of-god.org/
I hope you enjoy it.
Warm Regards,
Don Hornsby
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: 1999 solar eclipse
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1998 17:17:27 -0500
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
[Mod Note: Ummm... we found this a bit amusing. Hope it doesn't
offend anyone, but ... is this world getting weird or what? <g>]
No sex please, there's a solar eclipse on the way
LONDON (Reuters) - Women in Cornwall are being warned not to get
pregnant this month in case they end up giving birth during next
year's solar eclipse. Doctors fear there will be so many people in the
southwestern English county next August to watch the rare total
eclipse that women in labor will not be able to get to the hospital
through the traffic-clogged roads. As many as 2 million people are
expected to descend on the region in nine months for the best and
longest view of the eclipse - the first to be seen in Britain since 1927.
The warning was issued by the Local Medical Committee of Cornwall,
which represents general practitioners in the area.
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: Ezekiel 38-39 Study
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1998 17:25:02 -0500
From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
Hi folks...
Each Monday night around 9pm EST we meet on IRC for informal chats.
We've currently been focusing our attention on Gog and Magog as
outlined in Ezekiel Chs 38-39, but basically we just chatter back and
forth on current events and such.
We are also involved in private studies on the same topic, so if you
wish to share some of your findings with us, please feel free to do
so.
Monday nights, 9pm EST
irc.epix.net
join #bpr
Thanks...
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: Misc. Infobeat items
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1998 10:04:42 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
*** China, Russia to strengthen anti-U.S. coalition
BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese President Jiang Zemin is expected to flex
Beijing's diplomatic muscles in a visit to Moscow next week, opposing
U.S.-backed pressure on Iraq and strengthening the budding partnership
between China and Russia, analysts said. Jiang travels to Russia Nov.
22 to 25 for a summit meeting with ailing President Boris Yeltsin.
Jiang is also expected to meet Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov and
leaders of the State Duma, or parliament. The visit would mark the
sixth summit between China and Russia and the first informal
"no-necktie" meeting between the two heads of state. It comes soon
after the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Malaysia, where
Jiang met Primakov. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2557188032-39b
*** UN Assembly backs Bethlehem 2000 project
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The Israeli-Palestinian conflict intruded
Wednesday when the General Assembly adopted a resolution supporting
the Palestinian Authority's Bethlehem 2000 project to mark the new
millennium with events focusing on the birthplace of Jesus. The
celebrations, due to begin at Christmas 1999 and conclude at Easter
2001, involve religious and cultural events, economic development and
tourism. The organizers expect some 2 million visitors. The resolution
was introduced by ambassador Ibra Ka of Senegal, chairman of the U.N.
committee on the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, and was
sponsored by 42 delegations. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2557182694-d3a ***
Also: U.S. official tells Arabs to better Israel ties, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2557182621-ff9 ***
And: Annan recommends renewing UN Golan Heights force, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2557183037-bd8
*** Life-sized elephant statue makes it to UN
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Driven down the streets of Manhattan, a
life-sized bronze bull elephant sculpture made it to the gardens of
the U.N. Wednesday after years of wrangling about where it should go
and how it should be transported. The elephant, weighing 7,000 pounds
and standing 11 feet high, was cast by Bulgarian-born sculptor Mihail
Simeovov who went to Kenya 18 years ago, tranquilized a 50-year wild
bull elephant and took a cast of it before releasing it unharmed into
the wild. It was dedicated in a ceremony that included the ambassadors
of Kenya, Namibia and Nepal, who gave the sculpture as a gift to the
U.N. "The sheer size of this creature humbles us,''
Secretary-General Kofi Annan said. ``It tells us that the Earth
is not ours, but a treasure we hold in trust for future
generations.'' "If and when the elephant wakes up because we have
failed in our duty, chances are it will ask for much more than
peanuts,'' he said. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2557183096-505
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: (Fwd) NEWSchurch57: eni-summary: 98-11-18
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1998 08:37:11 -0500
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
[Mod Note: I always find these kind of statements like the one below
interesting. Christians shouldn't be "apprehensive" and filled with
personal doom about prophetic events. If they are, then something is
wrong. Non-Christians on the otherhand, should be filled with doom
and apprehension. They do have something to worry about. "Wild
prophecies" should be dismissed if they are contrary to the Word of
God I agree. But telling everyone to simply dismiss these "wild claims"
and welcome the third millennium with hope, reminds me of Noah's
day. Granted, we don't know when Christ will return, but the "Sit back,
drink and be merry folks -- There's plenty of time!" attitude will catch up
with you.
That boat sitting on dry land looked pretty "wild" I bet..... ]
------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
18 November 1998
Replace fears of doom with millennium hope, say US Lutheran bishops
New York (ENI).
The bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
have issued a pastoral letter dismissing "wild prophecies" that the
world is about to end and declaring that the third millennium should
be welcomed with hope. The statement by H. George Anderson, the
church's presiding bishop, and the 65 synodical bishops of the ELCA,
which has more than 5 million members, said the letter was necessary
because of growing apprehension about the turn of the
millennium.[ENI-98-0520, 809 words]
ENI News Highlights contain summaries of ENI articles published
today.
This summary may be copied or re-posted in total provided the
information listed below is retained.
Individual paragraphs may be reproduced provided ENI is
acknowledged
as the source
For details of the full ENI News Service, which contains full text
articles, contact ENI at the address below.
Ecumenical News International
ENI on the World Wide Web - http://www.wcc-coe.org/eni
Latest News Highlights from ENI -
http://www.wcc-coe.org/eni/latest.html
ENI
Tel: (41-22) 791 6087/6515 Fax: (41-22) 798 1346
E-mail: eni@wcc-coe.org
PO Box 2100 CH-1211 Geneva 2 Switzerland
eni-summary - Majordomo 1.93
--- BPR
BPR Web Site - http://philologos.org/bpr
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: Netanyahu address to Jewish Federations Assembly
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1998 14:07:24 +0000
From: moza@butterfly.mv.com
---------------------------------------------------
The Prime Minister's Report
Volume 2, Number 41
November 19, 1998
---------------------------------------------------
Address by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at
the Jewish Federations General Assembly
Jerusalem, November 16, 1998
I want to welcome all of you to Jerusalem, our eternal and undivided
capital. And I want to especially welcome your decision to hold the
General Assembly in Jerusalem on our 50th anniversary.
I used to walk in this city in my childhood, and I wondered then, as I
do now, if our kings and prophets walked the same paths, if they
stepped where the sidewalks are today.
And I felt the kind of bond to this land and to this city, which all
Jews must feel as they walk here. It's a bond without parallel in the
history of peoples. And your being here today confirms this bond.
It shows that we agree on one basic precept, the centrality of Israel
in Jewish life.
Yesterday my wife and I attended an enormously moving ceremony for Max
Fisher, on his 90th birthday. Max's message was really this: to make
Israel the central pillar of Jewish life, and to ensure that Jews
everywhere devote themselves to this core of Jewish life.
We have all the same goals: Jewish survival, Israel's security, and
the attainment of peace with security with our neighbors.
These three goals unite us. I think they unite virtually all Jews,
everywhere.
Now, we must preserve this unity; and we're going to do it. This is my
commitment and this is the commitment of our government.
But we can only do it if we remember, if we keep in mind one basic
truth: We are all equal members of the same people. There is no such
thing as a second class Jew!!
All Jews are equal before God. All Jews must be equal before man.
This does not mean that we should not have and cannot have diversity
of opinions. I'm sure there's no danger that we'll have uniformity of
opinions, I don't think there's any danger of that.
But it does mean that we must resolve our differences with patience,
understanding, reason and mutual respect for one another.
It means that problems arising from differences from various trends in
Judaism should be resolved through dialogue.
We should avoid as much as we can, as much as is possible, court
decisions and legislation to solve these differences.
We need goodwill, we need loyalty to our common heritage, and we need
a sense of responsibility. This is what we have been trying to do over
the past two years,
as we tackle theological issues of immense consequence for us. They
may
have objective consequence, more often than not they have subjective
consequence, but it is consequence just the same. And what we have to
do is understand how sensitive, delicate and important these issues
are and how we must tread very, very carefully around them.
I don't think I exaggerate when I say that what's at stake is the
survival of the Jewish people, because we cannot and we must not have
internal strife and schisms among us. We have too many other problems
to solve.
We are celebrating today half a century of Israel's existence. In two
years we'll mark the end of this, the best and worst century in the
history of man.
It is also the best and worst century in the history of the Jewish
people. It is a century in which, in its mid-point, we had to wrest
survival from the jaws of extinction, and we barely made it. We
created a beachhead here for the Jewish people, and had we not created
Israel I believe the Jewish people would have ultimately disappeared.
We all share an observation that had there been an Israel there might
not have been a Holocaust. I would say: there would not have been a
Holocaust.
But equally I can say that if Israel had not come to be after the
Holocaust, I doubt if the Jewish people would have had a future.
The first goal that we had to achieve was to prevent the annihilation
of this bridgehead of our new-found independence. And we have devoted,
in the last half century, enormous resources - all of us; you in the
Diaspora, and we here - to the State. To fortify the State, to repel
invasion and aggression by those who would snuff out the life of the
Jewish State.
We have succeeded in ensuring the wellbeing, the protection, the
defenses and the security of the State of Israel. In most ways, we
have pushed away and rolled back the threat of physical annihilation
of the Jewish State, and that is an enormous achievement.
The first half-century of our life as a state was devoted to securing
the life of the State. I believe that the next half century must be
devoted to securing the life of the Jewish people.
Each of you, in your own lives, in your own families, in your children
and grandchildren, know to be true: that the threat of annihilation is
no longer physical but spiritual. That the greatest threat is the
inexorable process of assimilation and the loss of identity in
inter-marriage that threatens like a powerful centrifugal force to
tear the Jewish people apart.
Half a century ago, at the end of World War II, at the end of the
greatest calamity that our people sustained, we lost 6 million of our
members. We numbered 12 million. By the slowest rate of population
increase that we recognize in Western societies we should have been
now at least 24 million Jews. But our numbers are still 12 million.
For the moment. Because there is an internal process which shows that
those numbers would decline in the Diaspora. And we have to ask
ourselves, here on this 50th General Assembly of the representative of
North American Jewry, here in the Jewish State, what is it that we can
do to arrest this decline, this terrible ravaging of our numbers, of our people?
The first solution is massive aliyah from every country of the
Diaspora, including the United States, including Canada. I believe
that such an aliyah is not an impossible dream. I believe that it also
safeguards the remaining communities because it forms a human bridge
between the members of the families who are here and those who are
there. It forges meaning, it gives meaning, it gives content - a
Jewish content - to their lives.
I said that I don't think it's an impossibility because the day is
near when Jews will immigrate to Israel both to fulfill themselves as
Jews and yes, to improve their quality of life.
This may sound strange to you. But it's already happening from a
number of Western countries. Soon, people will be able to live in this
country in conditions similar to those of the United States.
Even today, our GDP per capita, our income levels are equal to the
average Western European standards. Not Eastern European, Western
European standards. And they are approaching those of the United
Kingdom.
We have the brain power, the economic capability to significantly
improve these standards. Israel today has over 3,000 hi-tech start-up
companies. That's more than any other country in the world, other than
the United States, in absolute numbers - not in relative numbers.
This is a country of 6 million. This is not a billion point two
Chinese, or a billion Indians, or France or Germany or Japan.
Israel has more hi-tech start-up companies than any of them. We are
perfectly suited for the information economy, for the economy that
produces conceptual products and services, and there is wealth - human
wealth and material wealth - that comes with that.
I don't expect massive immigration from the Western countries in the
immediate future. But I believe that it will happen, in greater
numbers than we anticipate as we achieve our goals of prosperity and
security and peace.
What we must do immediately is form a close partnership between the
Jews of Israel and the Jews of the Diaspora, and to make this
partnership meaningful, to emphasize the importance we attach to it,
this government has appointed a Ministerial committee for Diaspora
Relations headed by my good friend Natan Sharansky.
It will oversee all aspects of cooperation between Israel and Jews who
live abroad, and it will be a national priority at the highest
governmental level.
I think that beyond Aliya, the main goal of our efforts, your efforts,
our common efforts, should be Jewish education and Hebrew studies.
Jewish youngsters today, in the United States, Canada, Western Europe,
Latin America, or other countries, study a foreign language, usually
French, Spanish, yet most of these Jewish youngsters, overwhelmingly,
cannot speak a word of Hebrew. The People of the Book are becoming the
People who can not even read the Book. That is why Charles [Bronfman],
I so much appreciate your successful attempt at speaking, reading and
writing Hebrew.
Jewish Day Schools are an antidote to assimilation. They promote
participation in Jewish life, and more Jewish education means more
Jewish consciousness. Such schools, I believe, should be affordable.
They should be attractive. They are the surest means of ensuring
Jewish continuity in the Diaspora.
We will continue to promote such programs as the "Israel Experience"
and "Birth Right". And I want to take this opportunity and thank
Michael Steinhardt and Charles Bronfman for their tremendous
contribution to this effort.
Bringing Jewish youngsters to Israel is like the weather - everyone
talks about it but few do anything about it. Well, Charles and Michael
are doing something about it, but they can do a great deal more if all
of you pitch in, and I expect you will. Because what we have in mind
right now is a concept, a partnership between the Jewish Diaspora and
the Jewish State where we will put in money...You're shocked. Yes,
Israel is going to give money to the Diaspora to help promote Jewish
education, Jewish identity, visits of Jewish youngsters to Israel. At
the 50th anniversary of the Jewish State, it's time we gave something
back.
We will soon embark on a detailed program to bring many many more
youngsters here. I know that nothing, nothing, makes such an indelible
impression on them - they either stay here or they go back forever
changed as Jews. And they will touch the hearts and minds of other
Jews.
Now, there has been another area of successful cooperation.
With your indispensable help, this government has done a great deal to
bring about the restitution of Jewish property robbed by the Nazis.
This is not only a matter of extending help to victims of the
Holocaust and their families, and the actual victims, as you know, are
dying out.
What we are seeking is not merely to retrieve a tiny fraction of the
property that they lost, but to bring a modicum of justice for the
greatest crime ever committed. But this is also a way to remind the
world of what happened, and combat those who would deny history.
And I want to thank all of you here, and some who are not here, who
have been involved in this sacred task. I must mention again the name
Bronfman. This family is doing a great deal for the Jewish people, and
I salute Edgar Bronfman and many of his colleagues who have done an
enormously important job.
As Zionists we view all of these endeavors as a means to a common end,
a prelude to the ultimate aim of Zionism: the ingathering of the
exiles.
This is no longer a distant or prophetic dream.
I think that within a decade, at most a decade and a half, for the
first time since the days of the Second Temple, 2000 years ago, the
majority of the Jewish people will live here in the Jewish land.
But this is not enough. I want you to think how different, how
powerful, how invincible this nation will be if the overwhelming
number of Jews decided to make their home here.
And I am sure this day will come, the day of the full realization of
the Zionist dream.
To bring it about we must achieve the other two of the three goals on
which we agree.
In the 50 years of the State of Israel we have gathered and integrated
Jews here from 100 countries, revived the Hebrew Language, created a
unique culture, established a place in the forefront of world art and
literature, made immense strides in science and technology and built a
solid economy.
Yesterday I gave prizes to outstanding policemen. There were 12 of
them. And I looked at them. And you just hear their names - Leonid,
Jamil )a Druze(, Berkovitch, Shriki, Mandler and Gatate, Gatate is
from Ethiopia. >From Ethiopia, from Russia, from Morocco, a Druze,
there was also an Arab, a volunteer there who did wonderful work.
And I thought this represents what Israel is becoming - the home of
the Jewish people with room for others in a very, very unusual new
tapestry that is emerging here. I think that this job of integration,
of living together, is perhaps our greatest success.
The only other major goal of Zionism not yet accomplished is the
conclusion of peace agreements with all of our neighbors. And we are
committed to achieving this goal. This is a number one priority, for
us, for this government, for every citizen of Israel.
We have achieved peace with Egypt, with Jordan, a preliminary peace
agreement with the Palestinians, another peace agreement that I
believe will be approved by the Knesset tomorrow, after some debate.
But we are committed also to achieving peace with Syria and peace with
Lebanon. We are aware, we have been made aware today of the tremendous
cost to us in protecting our security in the Northern border. We lost
today several more brave soldiers in Lebanon.
We have no desire to be there, but we shall stay there as long as we
are needed to protect the North of Israel. We would like to see the
Lebanese government fan the Lebanese army to the South, right up to
the fence.
We have no conditions for departing from Lebanon, not even a peace
treaty, which we believe we'll achieve. But what we want to see is
someone to take up the slack and that someone must be the Lebanese who
will make Lebanon a responsible country that does not afford a safe
haven and a launching ground for the Hizballah terrorists against us.
As soon as we are convinced of that we will leave Lebanon immediately.
No people have suffered more from the agonies of war than the Jewish
people in this century, including the Jewish people in this land. We
don't have a family that has not been touched and wounded and grieved
by the ravages of war, or the war between wars, known as terrorism.
And this is why no one is more sensitive and more aware of the
suffering of the Palestinians caused by the wars that were launched
against us.
We want to alleviate and end this suffering for all of us. We want to
achieve a just and secure and durable peace with the Palestinians and
with all our neighbors.
But peace is meaningless without security. And if the experience of
the Middle East has taught us anything, it is that peace cannot be
achieved unless we see things as they are.
This is difficult, mighty difficult. Because it is far more tempting
to receive praise, and you'll always be patted on the back for giving
more and conceding more and more, giving more and more without
receiving any security in return.
We know that taking the easy route invites disaster. We could do it in
Lebanon today. If I gave you a proposition that said - we shall sign a
peace treaty with Lebanon and exit Lebanon forthwith, and we'll
continue to have Hizballah terrorists after we sign the peace treaty,
you'll say - well, that's ridiculous. Peace and terrorism cannot
coexist. It's either one or the other, but not both.
And therefore we demand an end to terror, the achievement of peace, an
end to violence. The demands that we make on our partners for peace:
that they stop the violence, or at least make a whole-hearted, full,
unabridged effort to quell the violence in their midst. This is not
just a necessary complement to peace, it is the essence of peace. You
cannot separate peace and security. They are intertwined.
I think that only a realistic approach, only this sober insistence,
unclouded by illusions, will bring peace.
This realism that I am talking about includes our recognition of the
fact of the Palestinian entity.
And this is why we insisted that the agreement we signed at Wye River
is based both on this recognition and on linkage and reciprocity.
I want to tell you that it is personally painful for me. I think it's
painful for every member of this government, to give up any part of
Eretz Yisrael.
If we do so it is because we remain faithful to an agreement that was
signed by the previous government, and responsible governments honor
the agreements signed by their predecessors.
If we want other agreements to be honored, and this I say to some of
my colleagues who criticize us, you cannot expect that to happen if we
do not keep the commitments made by previous governments.
But if the Palestinians are to be our partners for peace, they must
live up to their agreements and to their commitments. We cannot give
up territory and get terrorism in return. We are not making any new
demands. The late Yitzhak Rabin, Prime Minister of Israel who signed
the Oslo accords, made essentially the same demands more than five
years ago.
He signed the Oslo agreement only after he got assurances from Yasser
Arafat that the Palestinians would annul or abolish their Charter
which calls for Israel's destruction, that they wage all-out war
against terrorism, that they'll cease the endless antisemitic and
anti-Israeli propaganda in their official pronouncements, in their
official
media. And other commitments.
We are still waiting for them to fulfill these commitments.
And the Wye Agreement was structured to create a timetable for mutual
commitments to be fulfilled. Over a period of three months, the
Palestinians would carry out some of their commitments and we would
withdraw from some of the land. Over the next period they would carry
out more commitments and we would withdraw from still more land, and
so on into the third phase.
This is the essential logic of Wye and it is sound.
But to say, as Chairman Arafat did yesterday, that they would make the
Eastern part of Jerusalem their capital by raising rifles against us
is not a declaration of peace. It runs contrary to Wye, it runs
contrary to Hebron, it runs contrary to the Oslo Agreements. It is
unacceptable.
Nor are those antisemitic pronouncements delivered every day by
Palestinian leaders, or the statements which deny their obligation to
vote down the charter articles which calls for Israel's destruction at
the PNC meeting that will be attended by President Clinton. All of
those are contrary to the agreement we concluded in Wye, verbally and
in written form.
I announced today in the Knesset that I will implement the first phase
of our withdrawal only after the Palestinians retract the most
obnoxious of these pronouncements. Especially those that say that
there will be no negotiations and that the decision will be dictated
to us and dictated by violence.
I want to tell you that I believe we can reach an agreement.
Essentially, the agreement must balance the Palestinians' desire to
run their own lives with our desire to protect our life and our vital
interests. That can only be done through negotiations.
There's no other way. Any attempt to force a decision by them on us or
for that matter by us on them, will remain in the realm of protracted
conflict with tragic, even catastrophic consequences. So the
commitment to the peace process means a commitment to a negotiating
process. And we must be prepared to negotiate continuously, tirelessly
until we achieve a resolution.
We want to conclude this agreement and move on to the permanent status
talks. We want to reach a final peace agreement with the Palestinians.
But we are not prepared to give up land only to bolster hostility,
encourage terrorism and endanger Israel's security.
I'm often asked if I'm optimistic about the prospects for peace. I
believe that a realistic assessment is not incompatible with optimism.
If we stay united in the search for peace. If we know how to make
compromises but refuse to give up on what we consider our vital
security needs. And if we can separate reality from wishful thinking,
we will achieve peace. I'm absolutely confident of that.
In this 50th anniversary year we recognize that the Zionist movement
and the State of Israel are a spectacular success story.
But I'm sure that as future generations will view our successes, they
will say "They did not realize that this was just the beginning. They
did not realize that the best was yet to come".
I believe all of you realize this. The significance of this
achievement was brought home to me in a recent visit that my wife and
I made to Beijing. We met the President of China, Jiang Zemin, a very
impressive personality.
He said that he very much admired the Jewish people who made an
unusual contribution in history. He said, you know, the Jewish people
and the Chinese people are two of the oldest peoples in the world.
I said you're right Mr. President, there's a third, the Indians. The
Indians, the Chinese and the Jews, are five thousand years and four
thousand years old, respectively.
I said, Mr. President, how many Chinese are there? He said, a billion
two, we're counting. How many Indians? About a billion. How many Jews?
Well, he wasn't sure.
He was quite surprised when I told him that our numbers, that we
number only 12 million. I said, this is strange, because two thousand
years ago, at the height of the Roman Empire, we numbered about 10
percent of the population of the Roman Empire, and by any fair
extrapolation today, we should number about two hundred, two hundred
fifty million people, but we're only 12 million.
He said why is that. I said for many reasons, but one main reason. The
Chinese kept China, the Indians kept India, but the children of Israel
lost the land of Israel and that is why we've come back, and having
come back, we'll protect our state and our land and our security and
build an economy and bring in the exiles, and refurbish our national
lives and above all, protect our city, our united city of Jerusalem.
This, I think is what we can all unite about, and I want to thank all
of you for coming here to make that point once again.
Thank you very much.
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: Islamic Verdict on Unification of Religions
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1998 19:46:37 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
11/19/98
The Islamic Verdict on Trialogue and Unification of Religions
The Presidency of Islamic Research and Ifta, Riyadh, Under The
General Supervision of the Grand Council of Scholars.
Fatwa No.19402, dated 25 Muharram 1418H.
Praise be to Allah alone, and salaat and salaam be upon Muhammad,
his family, companions, and those who righteously follow him until the
Day of Judgment.
The Permanent Committee for Islamic Research and Ifta has reviewed
the inquiries, opinions and essays propagated in the mass media
concerning the "Call for the Unification of Religions," i.e. Islam,
Judaism, and Christianity, and studied what has resulted from this
call, including:
-The building of a Mosque, a Church, and a Jewish Temple in one
area, especially in universities, airports, and public squares, etc.
-A call for printing the Noble Qur'an, the Torah, and the Bible in
one book.
-Conferences, symposiums,and solicitations established both in
the East and the West.
After comprehensive study, the committee resolves the following:
1. One of the fundamentals of Faith in Islam, which is known as an
essential part of the religion and upon which all Muslims have agreed,
is that there is no true religion on the earth except Islam, and that
it is the Final religion which abrogated all previous religuions and
creeds. Therefore, no other religion remains on earth by which Allah
can be worshipped except Islam. Allah The Most High says, "And whoever
seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him,
and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers." [Al-Qur'an 3:85].
2. One of the fundamentals of faith in Islam is that Allah's Book
(the Qur'an) is the last Book that was revealed by the Cherisher of
the Worlds. It abrogated all the Books revealed by Allah before it,
such as the Torah, the Psalms, and the Bible, and as such, no other
Book is left by which Allah can be worshipped except the Qur'an.
Allah, The Most High, says, "And We have sent down to you (O Muhammad)
the Book (the Qur'an) in truth, confirming the Scriptures that came
before it, and trustworthy in highness and a witness over it (old
scriptures). So judge between them by what Allah has revealed, and
follow not their vain desires." [Al-Qur'an 5:48]
3. It is our belief that both the Torah and the Bible were
abrogated by the Qur'an, and that they were changed, by means of
additions and deletions, by their followers. This is indicated in some
verses in Allah's Book - the Noble Qur'an. Allah, The Most High, says
in His Qur'an, "So because of their breach of their covenant, We
cursed them, and made their hearts grow hard. They change the words
from their (right) places and have abandoned a good part of the
Message that was sent to them. And you will not cease to discover
deceit in them, except a few of them." [Al-Qur'an 5:13]
"Then woe to those who write the Book with their own hands and then
say, 'This is from Allah,' To purchase with it a little price! Woe to
them for what their hands have written and woe to them for thet they
earn thereby." [Al-Qur'an 2:79]
"And verily, among them is a party who distort the Book with their
tongue (as they read), so that you may think it is from the Book, but
it is not from the Book, and they say, 'This is from Allah', but it is
not from Allah; and they speak a lie against Allah while they know
it." [Al-Qur'an 3:78]
Accordingly, even whatever is considered as correct in these Books
has been abrogated by Islam. The remaining parts are altered. This is
proved by the following incident. The Prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi
wassallam) got angry when he saw 'Umar ibn Al-Khattab holding a sheet
containing some verses from the Torah, and he said to him, "O 'Umar!
Are you in doubt? Have I not brought (the Message) as clear as white?
If my brother Musa ('alaihi salaam) were alive, he would have followed
me." Narrated by Ahmed, Ad-Daarimi and others.
4. Another fundamental of Faith in Islam is that our Prophet and
Messenger Muhammad (sallallahu 'alaihi wassallam) is the seal of all
the prophets and messengers. Allah says, "Muhammad (sallallahu 'alaihi
wassallam) is not the father of any man among you, but he is the
Messenger of Allah and the last (end) of the Prophets. And Allah is
Ever All-Aware of everything." [Al-Qur'an 33:40]
As such, no other messenger is left to be followed except Muhammad
(sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam). If any of Allah's Prophets and
Messengers had been alive, they too, along with their followers. would
have followed Muhammad (sallallahu 'alaihi wassallam). Allah, The Most
High, says, "And (Remember) when Allah took the Covenant of the
Prophets saying 'Take whatever I gave you from the Book and Hikmah
(understanding of the Laws of Allah etc.) and afterwards there will
come to you a messenger (Muhammad) confirming what is with you. You
must then believe in him and help him.' Allah said: 'Do you agree (to
it) and will you take up My covenant (which I conclude with you)?'
They said, 'We agree'. He said, 'Then bear witness; and I am with you
among the witnesses (for this)." [Al-Qur'an 3:81]
When Jesus ('alaihi salam), the Prophet of Allah, comes in a later
time, he will follow Muhammad (sallallahu 'alaihi wassallam) and rule
according to Muhammad's (sallallahu 'alaihi wassallam) legislation.
Allah, The Most High, says, "Those who follow the Messenger, the
Prophet who can neither read nor write (Muhammad) whom they find
written with them in the Taurah (Torah) [Deut. CVIII,15] and the
Injeel [Gospel of John XIV,16]" [Al-Qur'an 7:157]
In addition, one of the basic pillars of faith in Islam is that
Muhammad (sallallahu 'alaihi wassallam) was sent to all human beings,
and Allah says, "Say (O Muhammad) 'O mankind! Verily, I am sent to you
all as a Messenger of Allah - to Whom belongs the dominion of the
heavens and the earth, none has the right to be worshipped but He."
[Al-Qur'an 7:158]
5. One of the fundamentals of Islam is that any Jew or Christian
who does not embrace Islam must be considered and designated as an
unbeliever (Kaafir) as well as an enemy of Allah, His Messengers, and
the Believers (Muminoon), and such people will be the people of the
Fire. This is in accordance with Allah's Saying that, "Those who
disbelieve from among the people of the Scriptures (Jews and
Christians) and among al-Mushrikoon (Polytheists), were not going to
leave (their disbelief) until there came to them clear evidence."
[Al-Qur'an 98:1]
And Allah says, "Verily, those who disbelieve (in the religion of
Islam, the Qur'an, and the Prophet Muhammad, sallalahu 'alaihi
wassallam) from among the people of the Scriptures (Jews and
Christians) and al-Mushrikoon (Polytheists) will abide in the Fire of
Hell. They are the worst of creatures." [Al-Quran 98:6]
It was narrated in Sahih Muslim that the Prophet (sallallahu
'alaihi wassallam) said, "Anyone of this Ummah, whether a Jew or a
Christian, who heard about me and died without believing in what was
revealed to me, he will be among the people of the Hell-Fire."
Based on the above, anyone who does not charge Jews and Christians
with Kufr will be a Kaafir himself, according to the Shari'ah
principle (i.e., anyone who does not charge the Kaafir with Kufr will
be Kaafir himself.)
6. Adulterating the fundamentals of Islamic Faith and the facts of
Islamic Law (Shari'ah) to serve the call (for the unification of
religions), by mixing them together and casting them in one mould is
but a wicked call. It aims at mixing the Truth with Falsehood,
destroying Islam, demolishing its foundations and bringing all Muslims
to clear apostasy (Riddah). This can be seen in the saying of Allah,
The Most High, "And they will never cease fighting you until they turn
you back from your religion (Islamic Monotheism), if they can."
[Al-Qur'an 2:217].
Allah Says, "They wish that you reject faith, as they have rejected
(Faith), and thus that you will become equal (like one another)."
[Al-Qur'an 4:89]
7. The inevitable consequence of such evil calls are:
-The cancellation of differences between Islam and Kufr, Truth and
Falsehood, and complete negation of enjoining the right and forbidding
the wrong.
-Breaking of barriers of alienation between Muslims and Kafiroon
(unbelievers) so that no loyalty nor Jihad nor struggle for the sake
of elevating Allah's Word on Allah's earth may take place. Allah, The
Most High, commands "Fight against those who (1) do not believe in
Allah, (2) nor in the Last Day, (3) nor forbid that which has been
forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, (4) those who acknowledge not
the religion of Truth - i.e. Islam - among the people of the
Scriptures (Jews and Christians), until they pay the Jizyah with
willing submission, and feel themselves subdued." [Al-Qur'an 9:29]
"And fight against the Mushrikun (polytheists, pagans, idolators,
disbelievers in the oneness of Allah) collectively, as they fight
against you collectively. But know that Allah is with the pious."
[Al-Qur'an 9:36]
If this call (for unification) emanates from a Muslim, it will be
considered explicit Riddah (apostasy) from Islam, as it is in conflict
with the principles of Islamic faith, and accepts disbelief in Allah -
The Glorified. This call annulls what was proved by the Qur'an as
true, and denies that the Qur'an has abrogated all the books that
preceded it, and also negates that Islam had abrogated all the
previous religions.
Based on this, the call for unification is rejected according to
Shari'ah and is strictly prohibited by all evidences of Islam as found
in the Qur'an, the Sunnah, and Ijmaa' (consensus).
Based on the aforesaid:
-It is not permissible for any Muslim who believes in Allah as the
Rabb (Creator/Provider/Owner), in Islam as the religion, and Muhammad
(sallallahu 'alaihi wassallam) as a Prophet and Messenger, to call for
this abominable belief, or encourage others to join it, or spread it
among other Muslims, let alone accepting it, attending its conferences
or symposiums, and affiliating with its assemblies.
-It is prohibited for any Muslim to print the Torah and the Bible
even independently. So how could it be permissible to print them with
the Qur'an in one book? Accordingly, whoever does that, or calls for
it, has strayed far away (from the Right Path), as this is but a
combination of the Truth (the Noble Qur'an) with the altered or
abrogated books of the Torah and the Bible.
-It is prohibited for any Muslim to respond to that call for
building a mosque, a church, and a temple in one complex, as this
would imply a confession that there are religions besides Islam by
which Allah can be worshipped This would also involve a denial that
Islam is the purest of all the religions. It would also imply a
serious admission that religions are three and that people on earth
may adopt whatever they wish of them, equally, and that Islam has not
superceded the religions that preceded it.
-Undoubtedly, approving, believing, or accepting this call is
considered Kufr (disbelief) and explicit error as it plainly
contradicts the Noble Qur'an, the Purified Sunnah, and the Muslim
Ijmaa' (consensus). It would also imply an agreement that the
alterations done by the Jews and Christians are from Allah - Glory Be
to Him. Moreover, it is not permissible to call churches "Allah's
houses," as the Christians do not perform worship that is acceptable
to Allah, and it is a kind of worship not based on Islam. Allah, The
Most High, Says, "And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it
will never be accepted of him, and in the hereafter he will be one of
the losers." [Al-Qur'an 3:85] Rather, they (churches) are houses where
Kufr Billah is practiced. We seek refuge with Allah from Kufr and
those who belong to it.
Shaykh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah rest his soul in peace)
stated in "Majmoo` Al-Fatawa" (collection of Islamic Rulings) 162/22,
the following: "Churches and Synagogues are not Allah's houses, but
Allah's Houses are the Mosques. Rather, they (churches and synagogues)
are houses of Kufr even though Allah's name is mentioned in them.
Houses are judged according to the creed of the people. These people
rejected Allah's last Prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wassallam) and as
such they are Kuffaar (disbelievers), and hence their houses are but
houses designated for the worship practiced by the Kuffaar."
It is noteworthy that calling the Kuffaar in general, and the
People of the Book in particular, to Islam is incumbent upon all
Muslims as per the explicit texts of our Noble Book, the Qur'an, and
the Sunnah. However, a response may not be achieved except through
kind words and sound arguments. It should, nonetheless, be done on
condition not to drop any of the rules of Islam, so that they might
either be convinced of Islam and embrace it, or reject it and die
after a clear warning (had been given) to them. Allah, The Most High,
Says, "Say (O Muhammad) 'O People of the Scripture! (Jews and
Christians) Come to a word that is Just between us and you, that we
worship none but Allah, and that we associate no partners with Him,
and that none of us shall take others as lords, besides Allah. Then if
they turn away, say, 'I bear witness that we are Muslims.'" [Al-Quran
3:64]
However, debates, meetings, and dialogue held with them in order to
enable them in achieving their desires, fulfilling their aims,
breaking the bonds of Islam, and bending the Fundamentals of Islamic
Faith are all considered invalid, rejected by Allah, His Messenger
(sallallahu 'alaihi wassallam), and all believers. Allah, The Most High, Says,
"And follow not their vain desires, but beware of them lest they turn
you (O Muhammad) far away from some of that which Allah has sent down
to you." [Al-Qur'an 5:49]
The committee, in resolving and issuing this verdict for all
people, also advises all Muslims in general and scholars in
particular, to fear Allah and protect Islam and preserve the Muslim
Creed from error, and its callers to error and from Kufr and its
people. It also urges them to take precautions against this obvious
Call for Unbelief (for the Unification of Religions) and against
falling into its traps. We seek refuge with Allah for every Muslim
from becoming a conduit for bringing such an error to the Muslim
nations and dpreading it among them. We ask Allah by His Supreme Names
and Attributes to protect us from these devious afflictions and make
us guides and be guided to The Right Path, and make us protectors of
Islam deriving light and guidance from our Rabb till we meet Him and
he is pleased with us. He is the Granter of success, and may His
salaam be upon our Prophet Muhammad (sallalahu 'alaihi wassallam) his
family and all his companions.
The Permanent Committee for Academic Research and Ifta (Verdict)
Abdul-Aziz Ibn Baz, President Abdul-Aziz Ibn Abdullah Al-Shaykh
Abdullah, Vice President Salih Ibn Fawzan Al-Fawzan, Member Bakr
Ibn Abdullah Abu Zaid, Member Our final call is indeed, all
praises are for Allaah, Lord of all the Worlds. May His prayers and peace
be upon His Messenger Muhammad, his family and Companions and on all
those who strive to follow them in goodness.
Israeli & Global News
http://www.cmep.com
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: Help finding Army tech manual
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1998 22:40:24 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
Hello everyone,
In our Monday night chats on irc, we have started an indepth study
into Gog/Magog etc. in Ezekiel, chapters 38 and 39. In
chapter 39 it speaks of needing 7 months to bury the dead after the
Gog/Magog war. Ezekiel 38:15 specifically says:
"And the passengers that pass through the land, when any seeth a
man's bone, then shall he set up a sign by it, till the buriers have
buried it in the valley of Hamon-gog."
We have found a reference on the net to this same procedure being
outlined in an Army tech manual. We cannot find a copy of this manual
(or find anyone familiar with the procedure). If anyone can help
with this, we'd appreciate it.
Operator's Manual for Marking Set.
Contamination: Nuclear, Biological, Chemical (NBC)
Technical Manual
3-9905-001-10 written in 1982
Thank you,
Moza
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: CATHOLIC SEERS WARN OF IMMINENT TROUBLE
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1998 18:03:30 -0500
From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
CATHOLIC SEERS WARN OF IMMINENT TROUBLE
by Peter P.
Special for "Earth-Changes Weekly"
In recent communiques, two Roman Catholic seers -- John Leary and
Carol Ameche -- shared messages of troubled times ahead.
Leary, a 50-something grandfather who began receiving messages
from Jesus & Mary after a trip to Medjugorje, recently presented a
series of warnings about an upcoming schism in the Church.
Purportedly from Jesus, the messages instructed believers "to prepare
to go into hiding as your Pope John Paul II leaves Rome" in exile.
The Pope's departure will signal the start of a period of "Tribulation,"
during which "many will be dragged from their homes with no
warning", the establishment of "a new monetary system that will only
allow the Mark of the Beast to be used for Electronic transactions"
(money will be worthless without some kind of "chip"), and a round-
up of Christians "in order to torture and kill them in sporting arenas."
It will be John Paul II's successor, called the "Anti-Pope" in the
messages forwarded by Leary, who will cause the aforementioned
schism, exploiting divisions within the Church -- misleading even
some of the faithful -- all the while working with the Anti-Christ
himself.
The dark days of the Tribulation will be followed by an "Era of Peace",
but not before "everyone, both clergy and laity, must at last prove to
Me how much you love Me," Jesus stated through Leary, adding,
"There will be no more 'grey areas' to hide behind. You will either be
WITH Me or AGAINST Me."
Those with Him, and his "Pope Son", John Paul II, will see "New
Jerusalem". Those against? An all-expenses paid trip to the fiery
bowels of hell, alongside the Anti-Christ and his agents.
Less epic in scope, recent messages forwarded by Scottsdale(AZ)-
based Carol Ameche -- again, said to be the words of Jesus --
addressed the tense situation in Iraq.
The return of weapons inspectors to that country will signal the start
of "a time of destruction that is planned and agreed to by major
powers."
"The events will escalate into nuclear conflict in a matter of weeks, as
nations join the fray, one by one," Jesus stated via Ameche.
It goes without saying that there will be much weeping and gnashing
of teeth if this prophecy is fulfilled. The communiques by both Leary
and Ameche presented very specific "signs", for those who want to
watch.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The preceding article originally appeared in the Nov. 8 - 14 edition of
EARTH-CHANGES WEEKLY. (c) 1998, ECW. All rights reserved.
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: Cult Not Welcome in Israel
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1998 18:14:13 -0500
From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
November 9, 1998
Cult Not Welcome In Israel - (TEL AVIV, Israel) -- Israeli officials say a
Denver cult leader and his followers aren't welcome in Israel. Friends
and relatives of Monte Miller and his followers suspect the cult
members are trying to get to Israel. They disappeared last month after
selling their belongings, returning vehicles to dealerships and
abandoning their homes. Miller is the leader of the Concerned
Christians group. He tells his followers that he is God's last prophet
and that he will die on the streets of Jerusalem in December 1999, and
be resurrected. Israeli officials say they have no evidence that the
group is in their country. If Miller and his followers do arrive, the
government says it turn them back.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/headlines/local/state/colorado/story.html?s=v/rs/19981109/co/index_2.html#3
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: Thai astronomer predicts 2097 doomsday
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1998 18:21:14 -0500
From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
Friday November 13, 12:01 AM (EST)
Thai astronomer predicts 2097 doomsday
BANGKOK, Thailand, Nov. 13 (UPI S) _ A Thai astronomer has
calculated that the Tempel-Tuttle comet, which is cause of an expected
spectacular meteor shower next week, will collide with Earth on Nov.
15, 2097, causing planet-wide devastation. The Nation newspaper
(Friday) quotes Khao Muanwong (``KAO MUAN-wong'') as saying
the impact of the comet could be accompanied by huge floods and
earthquakes and possibly the end of life on Earth.
http://news.stocksmartpro.com/ss-news/CX1364737.html
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: Increase in miraculous sightings
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1998 18:21:14 -0500
From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
Published Tuesday, November 3, 1998, in the Miami Herald
Increase in miraculous sightings may be a symptom of millennium
fever
By CHRIS MORRIS
Canadian Press
The approach of the new millennium is producing a doomsday effect
on some people and experts say that could be a factor in the growing
number of miracle sightings.
Just as the computer world is frantically trying to get its parts in order
before the year 2000, individuals may be unconsciously preparing
themselves for some deep spiritual experience.
That could explain the steady increase in miraculous sightings -- such
as the image of Christ recently seen by thousands on the wall of a
Nova Scotia doughnut shop -- and reports of religious statues that
weep, bleed, move around, have beating hearts or sway on their
pedestals.
Skeptics dismiss most of these phenomena as hoaxes and the
products of overheated imaginations. But despite scientific evidence
to the contrary, people around the world still cling to the possibility of
the supernatural.
In September, in the Cape Breton town of Bras D'Or, Nova Scotia,
about 4,000 people showed up one evening at the local Tim Hortons
doughnut shop to view what many believed to be the face of Christ --
a glowing image formed by ambient light on an outside wall.
Pilgrims included the curious, the sick, the crippled and those
desperately seeking visible proof of their faith.
The image vanished when the doughnut shop's lighting was changed.
There have been other cases in Canada in recent years.
A scar on an elm tree in downtown Halifax in 1996 had people lining
up to look at what appeared to be an image of the Virgin Mary formed
in sap.
Thousands flocked to a Greek Orthodox church in Toronto a couple of
years ago after a priest claimed the church's Virgin Mary icon was
shedding tears. Although at least one expert declared the tears bogus,
people continued to show up and donate money.
Right now in a community near Boston, a teenage girl who has been
near-comatose for years is attracting thousands of people who believe
she has the healing power of God, although she can't heal herself.
And in Santa Fe, N.M., there's still a shrine for the ``holy taco'' cooked
up by a homemaker several years ago when she was preparing a
burrito. The faithful see a clear picture of Christ in scorch marks on the
flatbread.
``For many people, there's a feeling that they want some tangible
effect of religion, something they can personally experience,
something concrete,'' says Joe Nickell, author of Looking for a Miracle
(Prometheus, 1993).
Nickell, a senior research fellow in New York with the Committee for
the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, has spent
years exploring all facets of the paranormal, from religious visions to
UFOs to haunted houses.
He says he has never examined a phenomenon that couldn't be
dismissed as a hoax, a fraud or some natural trick of light or sound.
Nickell believes widespread media coverage of religious sightings has
contributed to what he calls a contagion of visions. But he admits the
millennium is also a factor.
``People are always looking for revelatory experiences,'' he says.
``There's a long history of doomsday prophecies. . . . In fact, 2000 is
just another year. But to the superstitious, it can seem like something
special.''
Some Christians believe mankind is approaching a major cataclysm.
They talk about the coming rapture or ``end of times'' followed by
1,000 years of Christ's reign on Earth, years that will be marked by
complete peace.
Jean-Marc Laporte, director of the Toronto School of Theology, said
2000 has no special biblical significance, but people are attaching a
symbolic significance to the year.
``I don't think there's any objective basis in terms of scripture
prophecies, but I think there's a symbolic dimension that people get
caught up in,'' Laporte says.
``These apparitions and visions are partly fueled by a sense of
anticipation. People are more on the alert [for spiritual experiences]
and more on the lookout for it and more responsive when it happens.''
DEBUNKED MIRACLES
Some people believe it's OK to stretch the truth to promote religious
faith. Some examples:
Montreal: A plaster statue said to be weeping blood in 1986 was
tested in a Quebec laboratory. Human blood traces linked to statue's
owner. He admitted to smearing his blood and mink oil on the image.
Italy: Madonna of Pantano icon was said to be weeping blood. Taken
to Rome by a skeptical bishop in 1995, the Vatican lab found blood to
be from a male.
Ireland: Statue of Virgin Mary was said to be swaying. TV cameras
fixed in place revealed onlookers were swaying, statue was stationary.
Chile: A bleeding statue was tested by coroner's office and found to
be rare blood type. DNA testing showed it to be blood of owner, who
declared it must be a miracle.
http://www.herald.com/americas/canada/digdocs/047971.htm
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: Nov. 20, 1998 TV Programs
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1998 09:42:39 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
8:00 PM Eastern
HIST - HITLER AND THE OCCULT - Ancient prophecy and
occult ritual fascinate Nazi Germany.(CC)(TVPG)
10:00
TLC - SOLAR EMPIRE - "A Star Is Born" - Graphics illustrate
the inner workings of the sun.(CC)(TVG)
11:30
CNN - NEWS CONFERENCE - "President Clinton and
President Kim Dae Jung" - President Clinton and South Korean
President Kim Dae Jung; Seoul.(CC)(Starts 11:20pm)
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: Bridges for Peace news items
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1998 09:52:41 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
ANTI-SEMITISM ON RISE IN RUSSIA
"We must get rid of the Jews from the government and press because the
Jews are blood suckers." So said General Makashov, a senior Communist
party member in the Russian Parliament during a leftist rally. Similar
calls are repeatedly being heard in communist party demonstrations,
but particularly disturbing was Makashov's use of an especially
derogatory reference to Jews.
Political figures from the right quickly condemned the remarks while
leftist political figures defended Makashov and claimed he was being
unjustly attacked. An attempt to remove his Parliamentary immunity so
that he can be tried for incitement failed. At another communist
demonstration he threatened to "kill the Jews based on a prepared
list." After these comments, President Yeltsin ordered the state
attorney to consider how Makashov can be stopped, but unless his
Parliamentary immunity is revoked, there is little that can be done.
Communist Party leader Ziaganov tried to defuse the issue by saying
they were "not anti-Semites - but internationalists" This did not go
very far with the Russian press who quoted Ziaganov as saying they
were "not anti-Semites - but international anti-Semites." While
anti-Semitism within the Communist party is not new, the Israeli
Consulate in Russia has reported that the lines of Russian Jews
inquiring about emigration to Israel has recently become much longer.
A recent US News & World Report article compared the current state of
Russia with that of pre-World War II Germany. As with Hindenburg in
Germany, President Yeltzin is old and viewed as weak. In addition, as
was the case with Germany, Russia is a country, which quickly fell
from a position of importance in the world, to a country plagued with
high inflation, and a currency, which is quickly losing its value. And
as with Germany, a leftist, nationalist opposition is trying to gain
political control. (YEDIOT ACHRONOT, November 19, 1998)
NEW VACCINE COULD FIGHT BIO-WEAPONS
Jerusalem researchers have developed synthetic vaccines that could
eventually immunize masses of people against emerging viral diseases
and biological weapons.
The vaccines are in the form of a skin ointment or an oral pill
modeled on strains of the herpes virus that evoked an immune response
in mice.
Details about the work, begun at the Hebrew University-Hadassah School
of Medicine four years ago, were reported at the third biennial
Symposium on Science for Peace, which was held at HU's Mt. Scopus
campus. Run in conjunction with UNESCO, the weeklong event was chaired
by Prof. Yechiel Becker, a prominent HU molecular virologist who leads
the vaccine team. Becker said that dendritic cells in the skin's
epidermis have been shown in lab animals to pass synthetic viral
peptides (protein chains) on to the lymphatic system in the body,
creating an immune response by cytotoxic T-cells. This mechanism,
dubbed "peplotion" by the researchers, can be a more effective means
of vaccination than injection, especially in Third World countries
that lack disposable hypodermic needles. (Jerusalem Post, November 11,
1998)
ETHIOPIAN JEWRY CELEBRATES SIG'D FESTIVAL
Jews of Ethiopian extraction just celebrated their annual Sig'd
festival, which commemorates their longing for Zion. Prime Minister
Netanyahu participated in the event.
Rabbi Menachem Waldman, an expert on Ethiopian Jewry, explained that
the holiday is traditionally celebrated 50 days after Yom Kippur, (the
Day of Atonement) and that it features prayers and Bible passages
regarding Zion, a half-day fast, and then a festive meal.
Rabbi Waldman went on to comment about he Falashmura who remain in
Ethiopia. Many, whose grandparents or great-grandparents converted to
Christianity - have now returned to a Jewish way of life, and Israel
should not blanketly refuse to allow them to immigrate. He said that
each case should be checked individually.
Immigration Minister, Yuli Edelstein, said the government's position
is that most of those remaining there are simply not Jews.
"Unfortunately, after the government made a humanitarian decision to
allow a certain amount of Falashmura to immigrate, certain
irresponsible elements encouraged many more of them to arrive at the
Addis Ababa camp, where they live in very difficult conditions, in the
vain hope that Israel would allow them to immigrate." (Arutz 7,
November 18, 1998)
http://www.bridgesforpeace.com
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: Old News: Mirages in China
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1998 08:47:33 -0500
From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
Hi folks...
I was just going through our archives and found this story that
appeared on the list this past summer, and I'm curious as to if
anyone has heard anymore about it.
-------------
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: Thousands see mirages in China
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 16 Jul 1998 18:49:46 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
Thousands see mirages in eastern Chinese cities: report
Wed, 15 Jul 1998
BEIJING, July 15 (AFP) - Several thousand tourists and local residents
of eastern Penglai city saw mirages of cities and mountains appear in
the sky in recent days, the official Xinhua news agency reported
Wednesday.
Witnesses reported seeing a foggy belt of lights with mountains and
cities -- complete with buildings, chimneys and street lights --
appearing alternately above.
The images lasted about an hour, before slowly disappearing, Xinhua
said.
Tourists have flocked to the city in recent days in hopes of catching
a re-occurrence, it said.
Located on the Bohai sea, Penglai has a reputation as an
appearing-place of gods in Chinese legends, the agency said. Several
mirages are recorded in local chronicles, it added.
The report offered no possible scientific explanation for the sky
images.
--- BPR
BPR Web Site - http://philologos.org/bpr
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: What's New at BPR
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1998 09:44:50 -0500
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
Bible Prophecy Research and Study List
Additions and updates made since Nov 11, 1998:
Vol 1, Number 7
Nov 20, 1998
---------------
Greetings folks!
We've had an enjoyable time this past week studying God's
Word. We also get together on Monday Nights on IRC to talk
about our studies as well. You are certainly welcome to drop in
for a visit if you like.
Monday Nights, 9pm EST
irc.epix.net
join #bpr
---------------
> Added: Abaddon/Apollyon/Apollo
http://philologos.org/bpr/files/a-009-01.htm
"And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the
bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon,
but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon" (Rev 9:11)
------------
> Added: Azazel
http://philologos.org/bpr/files/a-010-01.htm
(Lev 16:8-10 NRSV) "and Aaron shall cast lots on the two goats,
one lot for the LORD and the other lot for Azazel. {9} Aaron shall
present the goat on which the lot fell for the LORD, and offer it as
a sin offering; {10} but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel
shall be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement over
it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel."
------------
> Added: Gen 10: Table of Nations
http://philologos.org/bpr/files/Misc_Studies/ms-016-a.htm
An ongoing study into the families of Noah's three sons and the
countries that originated from them. (Work still in progress).
-------------
Also see articles related to our continuing study in Ezekiel 38-39.
http://philologos.org/bpr/files/List_Studies/ez2.TOC.htm
> Added: "Thus shall they cleanse the land"
http://philologos.org/bpr/files/List_Studies/Ezekiel/ez-2-0.htm
A look at the ritual in Ezekiel 39 of burying the dead after the
defeat of Gog and its possible connection to Purim.
> Added: Meshech and Tubal
http://philologos.org/bpr/files/List_Studies/Ezekiel/ez-2-1.htm
A simple reference to trading in metals in Ezekiel, confirms the
location of these two countries. "All scripture is given by
inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine..." (2 Tim 3:16).
> Added: Magog is Not Russia
http://philologos.org/bpr/files/List_Studies/Ezekiel/ez-2-2.htm
A study into the identity of Magog by one of our list members.
> Added: Red Beast/Islam/Ottoman Empire
http://philologos.org/bpr/files/List_Studies/Ezekiel/ez-2-3.htm
A study in the background, history, and possible future of Islam
and the Ottoman Empire.
-------------
> Updated: Armageddon
http://philologos.org/bpr/files/a-005-01.htm
> Updated: The Four Horsemen
http://philologos.org/bpr/files/f-005-01.htm
> Updated: anti-Christ
http://philologos.org/bpr/files/a-003-01.htm
> Updated: Marriage
http://philologos.org/bpr/files/m-003-01.htm
Thank you!
owner-bpr@philologos.org
http://philologos.org
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: Hypnosis of Hitler may have affected history
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1998 20:09:02 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
11/20/98
Hypnosis of Hitler may have affected history-study
By Jua Nyla Hutcheson
BATON ROUGE, La. (Reuters) - Adolf Hitler's belief he was
meant to rule the world may have stemmed in part from a hypnotic
suggestion given during treatment for hysterical blindness in 1918, a
Louisiana psychiatrist said in the November Journal of Forensic
Science.
Dr. David Post, a forensic psychiatrist at the state's
forensics hospital in Jackson, Louisiana, based his theory on a book
he believes used material from a German military hospital where Hitler
was treated after he was temporarily blinded in a mustard gas attack
in the First World War in October 1918.
Hitler was a corporal at the time, but the hospital records
from that period were later destroyed by the Gestapo, although
Hitler wrote of his sudden blindness and his resolve to enter
politics if he regained his sight.
After Germany's surrender on Nov. 11, 1918, Hitler wrote
that he had ``a supernatural vision ... A miracle came to pass'' and
he could see again.
In a book called ``Eyewitness'' by Ernst Weiss, an exiled
German doctor and novelist, a German psychiatrist in a military
hospital uses hypnotic suggestion in a still-accepted medical protocol
for post-traumatic stress syndrome.
He tells the patient A.H.: ``I am a simple doctor. But
perhaps you yourself have the rare power, which occurs only
occasionally in a thousand years, to work a miracle. Jesus did it.
Mohammed. The saints. ... An ordinary person with such a condition
would be blind for life. But for a person of particular strength and
will and spiritual energy, there are no limits.''
``You have to have a blind faith in yourself, then you will
stop being blind ... You know that Germany needs people who have
energy and blind self-confidence. Austria is at an end, but not
Germany,'' the book passage stated. Hitler was born in Austria.
Post believes that passage was based on the German Pasewalk
Military Hospital notes and records of Weiss' friend, Dr. Edmund
Forster, chief of the Berlin University Nerve Clinic, who
treated Hitler at Pasewalk in 1918.
``It was chilling and disturbing to me to read what I
believe may have been an account of his hypnotic session,'' Post told
Reuters.
Weiss wrote the book for a literary competition in Paris in
1933. He committed suicide as the German army marched into the
city and the book was not published until the 1960s.
Weiss also was on the board of a German exiles newspaper
Forster contacted in Paris in 1933, taking copies of his records from
Pasewalk. Forster warned the editorial board not to be surprised if he
were killed.
Shortly after returning to Germany, Post said, Forster was
picked up by the Gestapo on charges of ``harboring a subversive
attitude toward the new (Hitler's) regime.'' After 13 days of
interrogation, Forster was reported to have killed himself.
The records of Hitler's 29-day stay at Pasewalk later were
destroyed by the Gestapo, Post said.
Although Hitler suffered what are now considered classic
symptoms of mustard gas poisoning, including depression, he was
diagnosed as a ``psychopath with hysterical tendencies'' by Forster
even before the hysterical blindness, Post said.
Post is a faculty member at the Louisiana State University
Medical Center in New Orleans and a former fellow in forensic
psychiatry at Harvard University Medical School, where he began his
research on Hitler.
Post documented connections between Weiss and Forster
through interviews with historians, a Hitler biographer, a copy of a
1943 U.S. Naval Intelligence report declassified in 1973, and records
of the German exiles' newspaper.
``Because of the deaths and the records' destruction, we'll
never be able to prove definitively if Weiss' book is a direct
account from Forster's reports or just an incorporation of key
passages,'' Post said. ``But I'm convinced the account is
true.''
http://www.infobeat.com
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: Jacob & Esau & the first vampire?
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1998 22:14:23 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
This is a couple of weeks late, but I just came across this in my
reading today. This is in regards to when Jacob met Esau for the
first time after leaving Laban:
"In the vehemence of his rage against Jacob, Esau vowed that he would
not slay him with bow and arrow, but would bite him dead with his
mouth, and suck his blood. But he was doomed to bitter
disappointment, for Jacob's neck turned as hard as ivory, and in his
helpless fury Esau could but gnash his teeth."
The Legends of the Jews
Volume I: From the Creation to Jacob
Louis Ginzberg
Please be advised that this domain (Philologos.org) does not endorse 100 per cent any link contained herein. This forum is for the dissemination of pertinent information on an end-times biblical theme which includes many disturbing, unethical, immoral, etc. topics and should be viewed with a mature, discerning eye.