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tzalam2
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E.U. MYSTERIOUSLY STUMBLES BUT EFFORTS AT GLOBALIZATION, WORLD RELIGION
REMAIN
There is a lot of talk about the intercession of the late Pope John Paul
II since his death more than two months ago and we are beginning to
wonder if that intercession has occurred on more than a personal scale.
Specifically, we are alluding here to the European Union: It was John
Paul II who was so upset with the way the European Union was forming --
ignoring the Christian roots of Europe in a proposed new constitution.
Now, and suddenly, shockingly, that constitution has stumbled. It seems
like the juggernaut it once was overnight has evaporated.
Is the E.U. dead? Hardly. And the Church believes there are good aspects
to it. In fact, bishops have offered the hope that it can be a vehicle
for stabilization and peace.
But the constitution has been dealt a serious blow, and Pope John Paul
II railed against it nonstop for two years as one of his highest
priorities, right unto his death; his last statement was issued just
weeks before his funeral. Under John Paul the Holy See said the draft of
the European Constitution had two key flaws: It recognized neither the
continent's Christian heritage nor the proper role of churches.
In the signing of a constitution that does not acknowledge Europe's
religious history, the Vatican saw proof that the E.U. is distancing
itself from Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular.
Now, from the other side (where it is easier to get things done), he is
undoubtedly praying it toward a more Christian end.
Put another way, the unified secularization of Europe, which is also
foremost among Benedict XVI's concerns, is stalled for the moment. Even
the euro, which has been usurping the dollar, is in sudden trouble.
The rejection of the 448-article constitution by France -- one of the
founding members of the E.U. -- is likely to plunge the 25-member union
into a period of inertia.
Ironically, it was France -- a key bastion of irreligion -- that, for
reasons other than Christianity, shot the charter down, followed by
Holland!
Is this not one of those striking twists of fate? Is it not a bit
miraculous?
And now the Polish -- John Paul's own countrymen (although they may not
choose to do so) -- have the chance to vote down the constitution, which
acted as if Christianity never did really exist.
If the E.U. becomes a new superpower, many will view it as a major piece
of the new-world puzzle. There are those who warn that it could become a
potential launching pad for anti-Christian movements (and according to
some, even a personage of evil).
Just this week, Benedict XVI again warned about anti-Christian bias in
Europe. Read: there is fear of a coming persecution.
This gained renewed attention when Cardinal Giacomo Biffi, a major
theologian who was archbishop of Bologna from 1984 to 2003, recently
penned an essay about a novel by philosopher Vladimir Sergeyevich
Soloviev, who had written a fictional account of the anti-christ. In
Soloviev's tale, the antichrist is elected president of the United
States of Europe, acclaimed as emperor in Rome, takes possession of the
entire world, and finally imposes his command even over the life and
organization of the Churches.
While Cardinal Biffi was not pointing to Soloviev as a specific
political prophecy (but more as a prescient projection on modern morals
and "ambiguous religious identity"), many are those who worry about the
actual possibility of a nefarious world leader.
A central world government is a concern to Christians who believe that
too much centralized power would make way for a sinister anti-religious
order. Despite the recent setbacks in Europe, the spirit of secular
globalization is gaining an almost mystical momentum.
The worry goes beyond the European Union. Just north of San Francisco,
where the League of Nations was first born, is the Presidio, a former
military base and now a national park where ministers at an
interfaith center meet in search for a globalized New Age-style
religion, or at least one based on eco-spirituality (instead of Jesus).
Is the "force" with such a movement? This month approximately 1,500 of
filmmaker George Lucas' employees are moving to the Presidio of San
Francisco, which is just south of the Golden Gate Bridge. When a
dysfunctional hospital complex was taken down, Mr. Lucas won the bid to
develop the land – 900,000 square feet of beautiful new buildings,
magnificently landscaped, on 23 acres of the Presidio.
The land is operated by the parks service in conjunction with the
Presidio Trust, a special public-private governmental agency tasked with
managing most of the buildings of the Presidio and making the park
financially self-sufficient by 2013.
As a U.S. Army post, the Presidio protected commerce and trade, and
played a logistical role in every major U.S. military conflict from 1848
until closure.
Now, meetings often aimed at a new world order are held here.
Lucasfilm, which has a bit of a New Age tendency, will share this prize
piece of San Francisco real estate with the Gorbachev Foundation, the
Thoreau Center for Sustainability, FEMA, the United Religions Initiative
(URI), the United Nations Resource Center, and a host of other
environmental, spiritual, educational, and governmental organizations.
Together they share a common crusade: to build a unified, earth-friendly
global civilization based on "new" universal beliefs and values, as one
description put it.
It is good to seek unification with love. The Vatican is open to
religious globalization to a degree. Just Thursday, Benedict XVI met
with the World Council of Churches. And it has lauded certain aspects
of the United Nations.
But the Vatican loudly has expressed
concern over attempts to unite religions in a way that would water down
(or, as in the case of the E.U., to simply ignore) Christianity,
inserting paganism. Already, there is a Council for a Parliament of the
World's Religions.
Some of the one-world-religion proponents have been influenced by
outright occultists who have predicted that the transition to the New
Age would occur between now and 2010.
Bishop William Swing of San Francisco, the spiritual leader of the
Episcopal Diocese of California, publicly announced his United Religions
dream in June 1995 at a worship service at Grace Cathedral marking the
fifttieth anniversary of the United Nations.
Since then, he and a growing global band of interfaith activists have
been laying the foundations for the organization. Swing was recently
interviewed in an office at the United Religions headquarters -- at the
Presidio. (``We sat in this room for three years working on a
charter,´´ he told a reporter. ``What we came up with is like
nothing ever seen in the world of religion.´´)
Swing has been bucked by the Vatican, the leadership of Orthodox
Christians, Muslims, and the Southern Baptist Convention. A Vatican
representative refused to attend one of his conferences and he was
especially rebuffed by Cardinal Francis Arinze of Nigeria.
But there is also strong support. "The interfaith movement began with
the 1893 World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago, and has since grown
worldwide," explains one news site. "Although this movement has been
largely unknown to the public, it now provides a spiritual face for
globalization, the economic and political forces leading from
nationalism to a one-world system." George W. Bush, George Soros, the
Reverend Sun Myung Moon, and the Dalai Lama have tossed in their support
for the United Religions Initiative, perhaps not aware or convinced of
the potential for problems.
The initiative was scheduled to be at a charter signing ceremony Monday
afternoon at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh in what was
described as "the highlight of a five-day gathering that is expected to
draw 375 participants from six continents," said a newspaper.
"Represented at the signing ceremony will be Hindus, Zoroastrians,
Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Taoists, Wiccans, Baha'is, Sikhs
and representatives of indigenous people around the world."
"Wiccans" are those involved in witchcraft.
And so we see the worry about uniting the world under false pretenses,
especially when it is missing the Name of Jesus, whether in Europe or
San Francisco. Will John Paul II -- if indeed he is interceding in
Europe -- help to knock this down as well?
It was in San Francisco that the charter for the United Nations was
adopted in 1945, and the U.N. has recently spearheaded attempts to bring
religions together, going so far as to coordinate a massive mailing of
sermon suggestions (on eco-spirituality) to thousands of churches around
the world.
There are other issues, some mysterious. What is the Bilderberg group,
and why is this group of world leaders, who meet on a regular basis, so
secretive? Are they really the high priests of globalization?
And what about strangeness like Bohemia Grove, nestled in the redwood
forests of Monte Rio, California, where movers-and-shakers from all
walks of life -- and all political parties -- reportedly meet for
retreats that involve strange re-enactments. What is this all about?
Each year at Bohemian Grove, members of this elite "club" reportedly don
red, black and silver robes and conduct an occult ritual wherein they
worship a giant stone owl, sacrificing a human in effigy. It is, they
say, just entertainment. Leaders from all walks of life attend.
Those following the concatenation of a one-world government (or "new
world order") would recognize the unification of Europe as one of the
top dozen most important steps to globalization. Others involve a
coalescing of Asian-Indian countries; free-trade pacts in the Western
Hemisphere, which are drawing the hemisphere together as one huge
entity; the World Bank; attempts at initiating a global tax; world
courts; and of course the United Nations, which has sought to forge a
global government for decades.
Such is the subject of a new book, Contro il Cristianesimo: L'ONU e
l'Unione Europea come nuova ideologia ("Against Christianity: The U.N.
and the European Union as a New Ideology"), published in Italy by
Piemme. "In addition to divergences over sexual morality and the
underlying concepts behind human rights, the book's authors identify
another source of Church-U.N. conflict," notes one review. "In recent
years groups within the United Nations, together with outside
organizations, have tried to establish a sort of alternative religion or
ethical code.
"The United Nations has been involved with a number of initiatives
involving dialogue between religions, and codes of ethical conduct.
These efforts hinge on a vision that puts all religions and beliefs on
the same level. Attempts have even been made to formulate a universal
moral code to replace the Ten Commandments, along with the proposal of
an Earth Charter, which mixes religion, ecology and paganism."
That is the government aspect. It is integrally connected with the
attempts at a single world religion. In Colorado, a strange plot of land
owned by a man who is closely tied to the United Nations serves as an
ecumenical melting pot for everything from Catholic nuns to New Age
crystal outlets. Ironically, it is located in the Sangre Cristo (or
"Blood of Christ")
Mountains.
REMAIN
There is a lot of talk about the intercession of the late Pope John Paul
II since his death more than two months ago and we are beginning to
wonder if that intercession has occurred on more than a personal scale.
Specifically, we are alluding here to the European Union: It was John
Paul II who was so upset with the way the European Union was forming --
ignoring the Christian roots of Europe in a proposed new constitution.
Now, and suddenly, shockingly, that constitution has stumbled. It seems
like the juggernaut it once was overnight has evaporated.
Is the E.U. dead? Hardly. And the Church believes there are good aspects
to it. In fact, bishops have offered the hope that it can be a vehicle
for stabilization and peace.
But the constitution has been dealt a serious blow, and Pope John Paul
II railed against it nonstop for two years as one of his highest
priorities, right unto his death; his last statement was issued just
weeks before his funeral. Under John Paul the Holy See said the draft of
the European Constitution had two key flaws: It recognized neither the
continent's Christian heritage nor the proper role of churches.
In the signing of a constitution that does not acknowledge Europe's
religious history, the Vatican saw proof that the E.U. is distancing
itself from Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular.
Now, from the other side (where it is easier to get things done), he is
undoubtedly praying it toward a more Christian end.
Put another way, the unified secularization of Europe, which is also
foremost among Benedict XVI's concerns, is stalled for the moment. Even
the euro, which has been usurping the dollar, is in sudden trouble.
The rejection of the 448-article constitution by France -- one of the
founding members of the E.U. -- is likely to plunge the 25-member union
into a period of inertia.
Ironically, it was France -- a key bastion of irreligion -- that, for
reasons other than Christianity, shot the charter down, followed by
Holland!
Is this not one of those striking twists of fate? Is it not a bit
miraculous?
And now the Polish -- John Paul's own countrymen (although they may not
choose to do so) -- have the chance to vote down the constitution, which
acted as if Christianity never did really exist.
If the E.U. becomes a new superpower, many will view it as a major piece
of the new-world puzzle. There are those who warn that it could become a
potential launching pad for anti-Christian movements (and according to
some, even a personage of evil).
Just this week, Benedict XVI again warned about anti-Christian bias in
Europe. Read: there is fear of a coming persecution.
This gained renewed attention when Cardinal Giacomo Biffi, a major
theologian who was archbishop of Bologna from 1984 to 2003, recently
penned an essay about a novel by philosopher Vladimir Sergeyevich
Soloviev, who had written a fictional account of the anti-christ. In
Soloviev's tale, the antichrist is elected president of the United
States of Europe, acclaimed as emperor in Rome, takes possession of the
entire world, and finally imposes his command even over the life and
organization of the Churches.
While Cardinal Biffi was not pointing to Soloviev as a specific
political prophecy (but more as a prescient projection on modern morals
and "ambiguous religious identity"), many are those who worry about the
actual possibility of a nefarious world leader.
A central world government is a concern to Christians who believe that
too much centralized power would make way for a sinister anti-religious
order. Despite the recent setbacks in Europe, the spirit of secular
globalization is gaining an almost mystical momentum.
The worry goes beyond the European Union. Just north of San Francisco,
where the League of Nations was first born, is the Presidio, a former
military base and now a national park where ministers at an
interfaith center meet in search for a globalized New Age-style
religion, or at least one based on eco-spirituality (instead of Jesus).
Is the "force" with such a movement? This month approximately 1,500 of
filmmaker George Lucas' employees are moving to the Presidio of San
Francisco, which is just south of the Golden Gate Bridge. When a
dysfunctional hospital complex was taken down, Mr. Lucas won the bid to
develop the land – 900,000 square feet of beautiful new buildings,
magnificently landscaped, on 23 acres of the Presidio.
The land is operated by the parks service in conjunction with the
Presidio Trust, a special public-private governmental agency tasked with
managing most of the buildings of the Presidio and making the park
financially self-sufficient by 2013.
As a U.S. Army post, the Presidio protected commerce and trade, and
played a logistical role in every major U.S. military conflict from 1848
until closure.
Now, meetings often aimed at a new world order are held here.
Lucasfilm, which has a bit of a New Age tendency, will share this prize
piece of San Francisco real estate with the Gorbachev Foundation, the
Thoreau Center for Sustainability, FEMA, the United Religions Initiative
(URI), the United Nations Resource Center, and a host of other
environmental, spiritual, educational, and governmental organizations.
Together they share a common crusade: to build a unified, earth-friendly
global civilization based on "new" universal beliefs and values, as one
description put it.
It is good to seek unification with love. The Vatican is open to
religious globalization to a degree. Just Thursday, Benedict XVI met
with the World Council of Churches. And it has lauded certain aspects
of the United Nations.
But the Vatican loudly has expressed
concern over attempts to unite religions in a way that would water down
(or, as in the case of the E.U., to simply ignore) Christianity,
inserting paganism. Already, there is a Council for a Parliament of the
World's Religions.
Some of the one-world-religion proponents have been influenced by
outright occultists who have predicted that the transition to the New
Age would occur between now and 2010.
Bishop William Swing of San Francisco, the spiritual leader of the
Episcopal Diocese of California, publicly announced his United Religions
dream in June 1995 at a worship service at Grace Cathedral marking the
fifttieth anniversary of the United Nations.
Since then, he and a growing global band of interfaith activists have
been laying the foundations for the organization. Swing was recently
interviewed in an office at the United Religions headquarters -- at the
Presidio. (``We sat in this room for three years working on a
charter,´´ he told a reporter. ``What we came up with is like
nothing ever seen in the world of religion.´´)
Swing has been bucked by the Vatican, the leadership of Orthodox
Christians, Muslims, and the Southern Baptist Convention. A Vatican
representative refused to attend one of his conferences and he was
especially rebuffed by Cardinal Francis Arinze of Nigeria.
But there is also strong support. "The interfaith movement began with
the 1893 World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago, and has since grown
worldwide," explains one news site. "Although this movement has been
largely unknown to the public, it now provides a spiritual face for
globalization, the economic and political forces leading from
nationalism to a one-world system." George W. Bush, George Soros, the
Reverend Sun Myung Moon, and the Dalai Lama have tossed in their support
for the United Religions Initiative, perhaps not aware or convinced of
the potential for problems.
The initiative was scheduled to be at a charter signing ceremony Monday
afternoon at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh in what was
described as "the highlight of a five-day gathering that is expected to
draw 375 participants from six continents," said a newspaper.
"Represented at the signing ceremony will be Hindus, Zoroastrians,
Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Taoists, Wiccans, Baha'is, Sikhs
and representatives of indigenous people around the world."
"Wiccans" are those involved in witchcraft.
And so we see the worry about uniting the world under false pretenses,
especially when it is missing the Name of Jesus, whether in Europe or
San Francisco. Will John Paul II -- if indeed he is interceding in
Europe -- help to knock this down as well?
It was in San Francisco that the charter for the United Nations was
adopted in 1945, and the U.N. has recently spearheaded attempts to bring
religions together, going so far as to coordinate a massive mailing of
sermon suggestions (on eco-spirituality) to thousands of churches around
the world.
There are other issues, some mysterious. What is the Bilderberg group,
and why is this group of world leaders, who meet on a regular basis, so
secretive? Are they really the high priests of globalization?
And what about strangeness like Bohemia Grove, nestled in the redwood
forests of Monte Rio, California, where movers-and-shakers from all
walks of life -- and all political parties -- reportedly meet for
retreats that involve strange re-enactments. What is this all about?
Each year at Bohemian Grove, members of this elite "club" reportedly don
red, black and silver robes and conduct an occult ritual wherein they
worship a giant stone owl, sacrificing a human in effigy. It is, they
say, just entertainment. Leaders from all walks of life attend.
Those following the concatenation of a one-world government (or "new
world order") would recognize the unification of Europe as one of the
top dozen most important steps to globalization. Others involve a
coalescing of Asian-Indian countries; free-trade pacts in the Western
Hemisphere, which are drawing the hemisphere together as one huge
entity; the World Bank; attempts at initiating a global tax; world
courts; and of course the United Nations, which has sought to forge a
global government for decades.
Such is the subject of a new book, Contro il Cristianesimo: L'ONU e
l'Unione Europea come nuova ideologia ("Against Christianity: The U.N.
and the European Union as a New Ideology"), published in Italy by
Piemme. "In addition to divergences over sexual morality and the
underlying concepts behind human rights, the book's authors identify
another source of Church-U.N. conflict," notes one review. "In recent
years groups within the United Nations, together with outside
organizations, have tried to establish a sort of alternative religion or
ethical code.
"The United Nations has been involved with a number of initiatives
involving dialogue between religions, and codes of ethical conduct.
These efforts hinge on a vision that puts all religions and beliefs on
the same level. Attempts have even been made to formulate a universal
moral code to replace the Ten Commandments, along with the proposal of
an Earth Charter, which mixes religion, ecology and paganism."
That is the government aspect. It is integrally connected with the
attempts at a single world religion. In Colorado, a strange plot of land
owned by a man who is closely tied to the United Nations serves as an
ecumenical melting pot for everything from Catholic nuns to New Age
crystal outlets. Ironically, it is located in the Sangre Cristo (or
"Blood of Christ")
Mountains.