"Spiritual Warfare" Always Seems to Include a Vacation Resort Property
Many times during my 16 years as a Mayor people took me aside at an event or came to my office and said something like, "I have (or had) a vision that a spiritual force is going through our city. I will have a big role in it." After-mayor life has seen it too.
At this moment I know of people who own or are trying to buy property to start hosting religious or religious-like events that will change the world. The link is about a woman in her early 60's who had read all about current-day "prophets" and people who had had visions of broad religious movements often led by themselves. She heard from God she herself has the responsibility to arm the world against Satan. A divorce gave her the $100,000 she needed to buy an abandoned youth camp in the mountains. A study concluded she needed over one million to build the conference center that would train people in current prophesies prepare them for the coming battle with Satan. She has been to conferences around the country attended by prophets and wealthy people and she told them of her message from God. Years have gone by and no donations.
When I was a mayor a friend pulled me aside at church and said a Jesus movement was sweeping across the city, would I like to come to a meeting. A dear friend from college told me recently God had told him to build a rural retreat to bring religious people together. I follow a couple on U Tube who have a campground and plans to teach about the coming apocalypse brought on by a currency not backed by God's gold.
Pat Robertson started a conference center. Jim Bakker started the famous Heritage Center which wrecking balls are now taking down. Not to be detoured, he is starting another smaller version now. The "Noah's Ark" replica includes a preaching/conference center. Everyday, a new church opens somewhere in the U.S. by someone(s) who is certain existing churches are not the real deal but they and only they know what it is.
Every one of these includes modern twists. Mass media and the computer allow people learn about these places. Highways and air travel make is easy for the gullible to travel from where they live to where the "truth" is taught. In more ancient times there was no mass media and people had to walk. It was cheaper for the "prophet" or shaman to walk about the country and bring their message from God to people where they lived. It was the same phenomenon as today but a different system.
The Bible claims Jesus walked around telling big audiences the end was near. According to the Bible Paul got individual instructions from Jesus. He said if you are one of my fans you are different (better than) everyone else. (2 Cor. 10:12) Off he went walking around claiming he had this exclusive message. Today, he would have built a conference center and buses would have brought the gullible to him.
I predict there will never be a time when no one has heard a secret message from God. They just keep a comin'.
Claiming the exclusive message.
ReplyDelete“… as if a dwarf was to measure himself not with any kind of measure, or with another person, but with himself; only surveys himself, and his own dimensions, and fancies himself a giant.”,
https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/2-corinthians-10-12.html
You know Jon, I read these Bible verses but I can’t make sense of most of them. No wonder Christianity is a mishmash of interpretations with 80+ versions of the book and thousands of denominations each fancying themselves a “giant” of the faith.
Like a forest with a different dog barking up each tree. Lots of noise. But alas they’ve only treed themselves. Whatever it was, it got away.
Ardy B "and thousands of denominations fancying themselves as a "giant" of the faith."
ReplyDeleteWhen I wrote the blog I missed a big one, James Monaghan who sold Domino's Pizza for a billion learned from God he was to start a university and city where true believers would not have abortions and live the authentic Catholic life. It was started in 2008 and the city, Ava Maria, was to have 25,000 people in ten years and the university of the same name was to have 5,000 students. Now, 25 years later the city has 6,242 people and the university 1,245. Looking at what he did with the city and university, it's obvious he built things that will drain cash. When he is dead and those living or going to college there have to foot the bills it will all look like Jim Bakker's "Heritage Center." But, another billionaire with whacko religious ideas will do the same thing somewhere else.
You may be familiar the Richard Beck’s “Hunting Magic Eels” blog. In his post titled “Seeing God” on June 12, he states, “The point isn't to manufacture belief in God but to see God directly. He quotes and agrees with someone named Karl Rahner who says, “The Christian of the future will be a mystic or will not exist at all.” Beck labeled it the way of contemplation. More church services restricted to self directed silent meditation works for me. Maybe a little incense. A James Monaghan type might start a chain of franchised contemplation stations. Insert your credit card, hold your tongue and breathe.
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