Nighttime was especially dangerous on the West Bank – we always tried to get back home to Bethlehem in our little VW Beetle before dark.  As foreigners living among the Arabs, we felt vulnerable, although our neighbors were friendly and supportive.  But they could do little to help us if anyone wanted to visit harm upon us. 

Even if we had a telephone (which we didn’t) there were no police to call for help.  When the first “Intifada” (Arab uprising) erupted, everything changed.  The shadowy radicals who controlled things behind the scenes demanded that the police in Beit Jala, where we lived next to Bethlehem abandon their posts.  Anyone who had any connection with the hated Israelis was in mortal danger.  Almost all the police immediately resigned: one or two who did not were summarily killed.  The same happened with anyone who expressed support for the “peace process;” they were branded “collaborators” with Israel.  several in our area were dragged from their homes in the night and slaughtered. 

The Arabs that we befriended, frequented their shops, and were welcomed into their homes to engage in the time-honored tradition of drinking tea together, were honorable people who wanted only to get on with their lives.  But they dared not speak a word against the extremists: to do so was a veritable death sentence.  Truth be told, most of us would do the same.

The irony is that many Arabs prospered when the West Bank was under Israeli control.  Palestine was a neglected backwater under Jordan, which ruled the West Bank between 1948 and 1967, contributing little to its economy.  But under the Israelis the Arabs had plenty of work.  Being expert stone masons, and with limestone being the common building material in the area, they built the new Israeli towns and cities, using their earnings to construct their own large, handsome villas throughout the West Bank. 

Many of our Arab neighbors had jobs in Israel or worked for Israeli companies.   Conversely, Israelis shopped in the Arab markets throughout the West Bank.  Virtually all those jobs and commerce disappeared after the Intifada, when having anything to do with Israelis was, again, the equivalent of a death sentence. 

All of which gives the lie to the endlessly-repeated fiction that the Palestinians are suffering because of Israeli oppression.  Another factor is the inherent corruption and diversion of financial aid and building materials, e.g., for the construction of tunnels used for attacks upon Israel.  If they had chosen coexistence instead of perpetual war, there is every reason to believe that the Palestinians would be immeasurably better off today.  And once again, this is the unspoken wish of the clear majority of Palestinians, who tragically will not dare to speak a word in defense of peaceful coexistence.

One thing was certain: a knock on the door late at night could not be good news.  Thus, when I heard the insistent pounding, I shooed my wife away to the back bedroom where our two young children lay asleep, and approached the door, feeling utterly helpless.  Our two kindly old Arab landlords who lived above us could scarcely be of any help, nor could any of our neighbors, however much they would have wanted to be of assistance.

But it was not Muslim radicals massed outside: it was a squad of Israeli soldiers.  To my surprise, they politely asked – in excellent English - if they could step inside.  Not having much choice, I uneasily opened the door for them. 

What transpired was frankly unexpected.  The soldiers did not rampage through our flat looking for any terrorists that we might be hiding.  They merely asked me if I had seen any of the young extremists who had been causing trouble in the area, smashing rocks and bricks through the windshields of Israeli vehicles driving down the road, causing injury and sometimes death.  We lived close to three refugee camps, which were hotbeds of radicalism.  I explained to them that our narrow street was populated with Christian Arabs, who were peaceful, and that the young men they sought likely came from one of the nearby camps.

The Israeli soldiers excused themselves, confirming what I by then had observed living under Israeli “occupation.”  With few exceptions, Israeli soldiers conducted themselves with considerable restraint and according to a strict protocol, which governed a gradual escalation in response to varying levels of violence. 

Normally, the Israeli soldiers would stand down in the face of peaceful protests, focusing on containing the protestors.  If and when the protests turned violent (as they often did), the next escalation would be the use of tear gas, which although debilitating, rarely caused serious injury.  If the “protests” – which were now destructive riots – were in danger of seriously threatening Israelis or anyone in their path, rubber bullets would be used to drive them back. 

It was only as a very last resort, when all other means of containing the situation failed and it was a case of “do or die,” that live ammunition would be used.  This is what occurred in Monday’s riots, when tens of thousands of Arabs stormed the border fence.  If they would have gotten through, anyone in their path would have been viciously attacked, including women and children. 

The coming days will be worse.  Tuesday is the “holiest” day for radical Palestinians: “Nakba Day” (Arabic: النكبة‎, al-Nakbah, literally "catastrophe" which occurred when the Arabs lost the 1948 war against Israel.  The Gaza terrorist organization Hamas expects that the border with Israel will be overwhelmed with over 100,000 rioters.  A Palestinian video warned Jews to leave Israel by midnight: ““This is the last caution, you have been warned.” The narrator threatened, “Your entity’s army can’t protect you. Your men will be collected by the war crimes court in The Hague. Your women and children will be put in refugee camps under UN control. Your money and property will be confiscated to compensate the refugees and the immigrants.”

Many are likely to suffer and die in the melee.  If the rioters manage to break through the border fence and surge towards nearby Israeli communities, they must be stopped.   And all the while the international community will be calling upon Israel to “show restraint.”

I fear that a fuse has been lit after the United States – honoring a public law enacted by Congress which every administration since 1995 has ignored – declared Jerusalem to be the capital of Israel.  Extremist Palestinians will never accept this, and thus a return to the “status quo” is now impossible. 

One enigmatic factor will presumably soon be revealed: the long-awaited United States “Peace Plan,” the details of which are a closely-guarded secret.  How such a peace treaty could address intractable issues such as the status of Jerusalem – which both sides of the conflict claim as non-negotiable – remains unclear.  The Temple Mount, in the heart of the Old City of Jerusalem, is the most sacred land in all of Israel.  It also happens to be the site of two of the most holy edifices for Muslims. 

Perhaps most troubling of all is the biblical prophecy of a coming peace treaty spoken of in Daniel chapter 9, concerning which one commentator writes: “The signs of the times indicate that we are on the threshold of the Tribulation — a time of unparalleled carnage that will befall the earth. The earth will plunge into a period of time that the Bible describes will be the most horrific in all of human history.”  Still, we are commanded to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem.”  Let us therefore hope that cooler heads will prevail and that some solution will be found to diffuse the present morass.

Unsuspecting individuals and parents along with their children around the world are being unwittingly and shockingly exposed to the growing number of World Naked Bike Rides (WNBR), in which participants flout their nudity in mass bike rides as a form of “political protest” to promote a “more body-positive world.”  Casting all modesty aside, to draw attention to themselves the riders use bullhorns, boomboxes, musical instruments and other forms of public address systems to ensure that their exhibitionism does not go unnoticed.  The party often continues at local parks and other public venues, where the highly-visible nudists dance to bands and engage in body painting contests. 
The nudist bicycle parades have expanded from events in 28 cities in 10 countries on four continents in 2004, to events in 74 cities in 17 countries in 2010.  This year’s 11th annual WNBR in St. Louis featured a striptease dance, with hundreds of participants wearing nothing or next to nothing as they engaged in a costume contest, a drag show, and provocative dancing.
Those of a more traditional mindset were surprised at the near universal positive portrayal of the blatant nude romps in the media. The Wikipedia article – which unabashedly featured full-frontal nudity – described the “colorful and creative nakedness in repressed societies” as all about “establishing and projecting a positive self-image; and rejecting shame.”  WNBR was “a ride for self-empowerment.”
Not all those who were exposed – often unwillingly – to the lewd spectacle found it an enlightening experience.  While enjoying the sights of the city while on vacation in St. Louis on July 21, John Ellis was enjoying dinner downtown with his family.  As they left they found their way blocked by the naked promenade.  Appalled, he writes that the “World Naked Bike Riders in St. Louis Exposed Penises and Vaginas, Sexually Molesting My Kids.”  Some of the bike riders, he writes, “flagrantly stood up on the pedals and flaunted their nudity to the waiting cars. In legal terms, I'm pretty sure that is referred to as ‘indecent exposure.’"
If Ellis imagined that he could expect law enforcement to deal with the public nudity, he was sadly mistaken.  In Missouri it is illegal “to expose your genitalia to others in public, thereby alarming them.  This crime is referred to as "sexual misconduct." In Missouri, along with other states, purposefully exposing your genitals to children is a serious crime.
Astonishingly, Ellis reports that “the St. Louis Police Department was unable (or unwilling) to do anything about the fact that my kids were molested and violated by the St. Louis Naked Bike Ride.”  The officer he reported the offense to “dismissively said, ‘We can only enforce laws that we see or have evidence of [being broken].’"
In other words, unless Ellis could somehow provide the names of the individuals who had exposed themselves to his children, the officer “couldn’t do anything about it.”  Even though technically the bike riders were required to cover their genitals, according to Ellis at least 50 percent of the bike riders violated that rule, “but the St. Louis Police Department shrugged it off. In fact, during the parade, St. Louis Police officers were escorting those guilty of indecent exposure.”
The exponential growth of WNBR and similar events in which full male and female nudity is paraded – with little or no public outcry – would never have been countenanced until recent years even signals a disturbing attack upon basic human modesty —and the celebration of the lasciviousness that is the antithesis of Judeo-Christian society.

By Robert Knight - -  Washington Times, Saturday, December 5, 2020
With our nation on a razor’s edge, the days are getting shorter — and darker.
In fact, the winter solstice is coming in a couple of weeks on Dec. 21, marking the shortest day on the calendar and thus the darkest time of the year. 
More than ever, it’s better to look to the heavenly light of Bethlehem instead of, say, the gaslight emanating from the pixels of a profoundly corrupt media. 
A random sampling of news every day can inflict whiplash. Conservative outlets report, in detail, numerous documented allegations of vote fraud that should invalidate Joe Biden’s reported victory in most of the battleground states. 
During the same news cycle, the major networks and papers like The Washington Post and The New York Times assure us over and over that there is “no evidence.” Because the evidence is piling up, some have taken to adding an adjective, saying there’s no evidence of “systemic fraud.”    
In other words, don’t believe your lying eyes. Their intention is to ensure that even if compelling evidence is revealed, the sheer weight of nonstop propaganda will frighten legislators and judges to head for the tall grass and decline to do their duty — even the U.S. Supreme Court.
More than ever, we need to pray that truth will prevail, that justice will be done and that God will have undeserved mercy upon us and our troubled country.
On the bright side, the dark days of December are a perfect time to celebrate the Lord arriving in the form of a baby 2,000 years ago as the greatest gift to humanity ever given. Jesus brought light, life and love and the promise of eternal salvation to a very dark world.
It’s why we celebrate by putting up Christmas lights, giving gifts and singing carols.
The most significant event in history evokes different feelings depending on one’s heart condition. In 1868, Phillips Brooks wrote the lyrics of a beloved carol that resound to this day. 
The last two lines of the first verse indicate that not everyone would be happy that the Lord would engage His creation so personally: 
O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by;
Yet in the dark street shineth
The everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight.
Fears? Yes. If Christ is Who He says He is, then those who reject Him are choosing misery over hope, consciously or not. They brush away evidence of God’s love, relegating stories of redemption to delusion, coincidence or even ultimate self-interest. 
Theologian A.W. Tozer challenged the idea of God as an absentee creator, a “Blind Watchmaker,” as prominent atheist Richard Dawkins titled his 1986 book:
“Be assured that God did not create life and toss it from Him like some petulant artist disappointed with His work,” Tozer wrote. “All life is in Him and out of Him, flowing from Him and returning to Him again, a moving indivisible sea of which He is the fountainhead.”
It may sound a lot like The Force in “Star Wars,” but the difference is stark. There is no “dark side” in God, Who is indivisible, omnipotent and all loving. We’ll never know this side of eternity why evil exists. Or why God’s love is so deep that He sent His only Son to die on our behalf. But nothing should stop us from being grateful for the gift of life itself and all that sustains it.
For Christ is born of Mary,
And fathered all above,
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wondering love.
O morning stars, together
Proclaim the holy birth
And praises sing to God, the King,
And peace to men on earth.
The reason for the season speaks to all people, even unbelievers. The beauty of Christmas transcends doubts and calms hearts. It’s hard to be callous toward Salvation Army bellringers tending their red kettles or to shut off one’s heart upon hearing the melodies of carols that pierce the soul and offer hope. Timeless, classic movies like “It’s a Wonderful Life” can elicit tears from even the crustiest viewers.
How silently, how silently,
The wondrous Gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven.
No ear may hear His coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive Him still,
The dear Christ enters in.
In our culture, we’re told, over and over, that meekness is weakness; that looking out for No. 1 is the smartest way to live and that only fools bend their knee to an invisible God. But God-inspired goodness and truth are the most disarming forces on Earth. 
In 1994, Mother Teresa spoke at a prayer breakfast, flanked by President Bill and Hillary Clinton and Vice President Al and Tipper Gore.  The two couples sat stone-faced as she proposed a “culture of life” and called abortion evil. At one point, Mr. Clinton’s hand was shaking nervously, apparently in reaction to the spiritual strength in this tiny, fearless woman.
Whatever happens with the election, we need to keep our eyes on the God Who promises not salvation and mercy but courage to face the future and act accordingly.
link: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/dec/5/may-god-have-mercy-upon-us-and-our-troubled-countr/?fbclid=IwAR3Z150K2XSCsz_MrueyCQBf0GrlftyWroCJd9QEgGv0Qx4IFMlkHmomEQY
• Robert Knight is a contributor to The Washington Times. His website is roberthknight.com.

 The photo went viral, like a dagger to the heart, an exquisite,ineffable wound penetrating to the deepest recessesof the soul. An elderly man sits alone at a tablein a burger joint, minding his own business. And then we seewhat his business is: Carefully propped up on the table nextto him is a framed photograph of the woman who sharedhis life for 55 years. The headline says it all: “Widower KeepsLate Wife’s Memory Alive by Dining with Her Photo”—asimple, touching scene that speaks more than learned tomesabout that which makes the world go ’round.

Madina Bashizadah, who posted the photo of the poignantscene on Twitter, later told the Huffington Post: “Automatically,I assumed she wasn’t here with us and I started tearingup because it was such a beautiful moment, but heartbreakingat the same time.” Eighty-seven-year-old John Silva wastaken aback to learn that the photo had exploded across theInternet and become an international news item. It was thekind of fairy tale seldom witnessed in an age when, as it iswritten, “the love of many shall grow cold.”

John’s romance began on a dusty baseball field in NewBedford, Massachusetts, on his seventeenth birthday. It wasSeptember 1944, and his church team was battling for theleague championship. John dropped the ball—literally—and went scrambling after it. Providentially, it rolled to thefeet of a young lady, who playfully picked it up. Suddenlythe ball game was the last thing on John’s mind: “It wasright there and then I fell in love with her. I told her withinten minutes I was going to marry her; it really was love atfirst sight.”

But marriage was not to be—at least not then. When thegame ended John looked for the object of his affections, butshe had vanished. Then he spotted her amidst the crowdleaving the ballpark. Their eyes met and she blew him a kiss.John raced in her direction but lost sight of her. He did noteven know her name.

Years passed. John began playing minor league baseballand scanned the crowds unfailingly for a glimpse of thatbright smiling face. He was considered a very eligible bachelor,but had little interest in dating: “In my heart this wasthe woman I wanted to marry but I had no idea who she was.When people would ask me if I had a girlfriend tears wouldcome to my eyes because I did, I just didn’t know where tofind her again.”

Then, one day as John was delivering a load of potatoes toa customer’s house, the door opened, and there like a dreamshe was, a glow of recognition on her face.

Ten years had gone by, but Hilda had not forgotten himeither. “Are you married?” popped out of John’s mouth.She said no. “Have you got a boyfriend?” The answer wasno again.

John was instantly down on one knee.Theirs was a marriage “made in heaven” consisting oftwo people who each put the other first. Hilda gave up hercareer to move with John to California, and John retiredfrom baseball to spend more time with his wife.

But nothing lasts forever—in this world anyway—andthe unimaginable happened. In her later years Hilda slippedand fell, seriously injuring herself. After a stroke and a boutwith cancer that left her unable to care for herself, John wasforced to do what he vowed never to do: put his dear wifeinto a nursing home. For the next two and a half years hevirtually lived at the facility, caring for her needs and spendinghis nights by her side. And then the heartsick ending came:It was a miracle. She opened her eyes and pushed herselfforward with all of the strength she had left and said: “John,I love you. I’ve always loved you and in a million years you’llstill be my husband.”

And then she put her head back and that was it. I put myhead on her head.John’s family closed ranks around him, worried that,overwhelmed by grief, he might try to end his own life. ButJohn says that is something he would never consider, and hewould not do anything to jeopardize his anticipated happyreunion: “I am now just waiting for the day Hilda comes toget me so we can be together in Heaven forever.”

Man’s Search for Meaning

John’s story unleashed a torrent of online comments. Oneremark encapsulates the sentiments: “Don’t we all wish someoneloved us like that? . . . beautiful . . . and sad.” We canall recognize the universal aspiration for ultimate meaningthat is somehow wrapped up in that ineffable, bewitchingquantity called love.

Few have spoken with more authority regarding humankind’squest for meaning than Viktor Frankl, the renownedAustrian psychiatrist and holocaust survivor. Frankl’s lifecollapsed as the Nazi regime descended upon Europe, sweepingaway tens of millions in its violent wake. He and his newwife, Tilly, were deported to concentration camps and soonseparated. Frankl endured unimaginable suffering.

One night, while on a forced march across frozen landscapewith only thin garments to protect him from the icywind, he overheard one of the prisoners: “If our wives couldsee us now! I do hope they are better off in their camps anddon’t know what is happening to us.”

It was then that Frankl realized that each of the men wasthinking about his wife. He himself had a luminous visionof Tilly, smiling at him from above:A thought transfixed me: for the first time in my life I sawthe truth as it is set into song by so many poets, proclaimedas the final wisdom by so many thinkers. The truth—thatlove is the ultimate and the highest goal to which man canaspire. Then I grasped the meaning of the greatest secretthat human poetry and human thought and belief have toimpart: The salvation of man is through love and in love. Iunderstood how a man who has nothing left in this worldstill may know bliss, be it only for a brief moment, in thecontemplation of his beloved. . . . For the first time in mylife I was able to understand the meaning of the words,“The angels are lost in perpetual contemplation of an infiniteglory.”

Frankl would never see his wife again. After being liberated,he managed to pick up the pieces of his life and wenton to have a distinguished career, also developing his theoryof Logotherapy, which focuses on humankind’s search for ahigher meaning in life.

The Clash of the Titans

All well and good, Mr. (flip to the front cover) TimothyDailey, but what does this have to do with the paranormal?More than you might think, as we shall see. Our premise isthat a diabolical conspiracy is afoot: a plot to lead humanhearts and souls eternally astray. And just as every fishermanneeds a lure to make a catch, so does a conspiracy.

To snag his prey, the deceiver works to subvert the onlygreat and wonderful truth that can give ultimate meaningand purpose to the human heart: “God is love.”

The conspiracy promises to fulfill that universal, unquenchableyearning for love. Through occult manifestations,it plays upon the heartstrings of its victims, luring them awayfrom the genuine Love they long for and into darkness.Theologian Francis Schaeffer once remarked that whenit comes to the really important questions, there are veryfew people in the room. When it comes to questions aboutultimate meaning and the objective reality of love, the atheistbows out, for such topics have little relevance in a godlessuniverse. That leaves two options—and a philosophical/theological clash between these titans for human allegiance.

The first is the Judeo-Christian worldview, which affirmsa universe bursting with meaning and purpose, ruled by aGod of love and mercy. The second is the paranormal worldview—belief in a world controlled by unseen forces, variouslycalled “gods,” “demons,” “spirits” and a multitude of othernames across times and cultures.

As Schaeffer noted, paranormal beings are personal butnot infinite, unlike the uniquely personal and infinite Godof the Judeo-Christian faith. The paranormal worldviewis also one of ambiguity and danger, in which the shamanplays a vital role in appeasing angry and vengeful spirits; thebiblical worldview promises government by loving purpose.

This book is an excursion into and exposure of theParanormal Conspiracy—the diabolic plot to overthrowthe Judeo-Christian worldview and plunge the world intodarkness and chaos not unlike that of the cinematic zombieapocalypse.

The ultimate goal of this cosmic treachery is the destructionof souls, which is warned about in Scripture: “Be alertand of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls aroundlike a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Jesusfound Himself in the crosshairs of this infernal plot whenthe devil approached Him with an offer he was confident theGalilean—weakened after a forty-day fast—could not refuse.After all, did not the Messiah come to govern? And He shallrule them with a rod of iron.8 This the devil offered, witha caveat that seems monstrously arrogant to us: that Jesusshould bow the knee and worship him—the archenemy ofall that is good. We shall catch glimpses of this imperiousvainglory in the stories of those whose lives become entangledwith discarnate spirits.

This unearthly impudence is all the more alarming as wewitness the formidable power of these mysterious forcesthat seem to haunt the planet. Is it possible that their enigmaticplans might succeed? Jesus put a swift end to any suchspeculation with the command that resonates with authoritythrough the ages: “Away from me, Satan! For it is written:‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only’” Thereis no rejoinder; we see nothing of the consummate skillswith which—as we shall see—the devil beguiles mortals.Only silence, and instant obedience: “Then the devil lefthim, and angels came and attended him.” What the textleaves unspoken here is the inestimable wrath of a thwarteddevil, noted in the book of Revelation: “He is filled with fury,because he knows that his time is short.”

Elsewhere Jesus exposes the malignant intent of the devil:“He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to thetruth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speakshis native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”The devil is aided in this plot by legions of ethereal minionsseeking to lead souls astray: “The Spirit clearly says that inlater times some will abandon the faith and follow deceivingspirits and things taught by demons.”

It should come as no surprise that the central “doctrine ofdemons” that runs like a thread throughout our explorationis the seductive assurance of the Serpent in the Garden: “Youwill be like God.” The diverse agents of the ParanormalConspiracy—from the utterances of mediums to the so-calledenlightenment of the “exalted masters” to the missives ofintergalactic emissaries—all present a cosmology withoutGod at the center. It is a world of their imagining where theCreator has been usurped by His creation, as in WilliamErnest Henley’s defiant “Invictus”: I am the master of myfate, I am the captain of my soul.

One’s destiny in this scheme of things is to toil throughthe endless transmigration of souls, inhabiting astral realmsin between reincarnations until one advances to the level ofthe “ancient ones” said to have built Atlantis and the pyramids.Then on to the universe beyond—and the fantasticallyevolved civilizations further along the path of spiritual evolution,the ultimate goal of which is the absorption of one’svery personality into the vast Cosmic Sea. And though weshall hear much of “love” on these pages, the ParanormalConspiracy, in fact, offers a stark universe in which we arecompletely and utterly alone, destined to lose everything thatwe know and cherish.

We begin by looking at some influential figures who havepopularized this paranormal worldview, including the enigmaticCarlos Castaneda. His experiences with the mysteriousshaman don Juan in the deserts of Mexico inspired ageneration to seek enlightenment through psychedelics.

The Paranormal Conspiracy seeks to subvert the rationalview of the world through mysterious entities that thriveon instability, confusion and fear. Age-old spirit-beasts thatinhabit the lonely places—Bigfoot, the Abominable Snowmanet al.—are increasingly making their presence knownwhile maddeningly evading attempts to authenticate theirexistence. We discover the true source of these phenomena.Similarly, UFO appearances in the skies above defy commonlyheld theories about their origin, bringing to mind theapostle Paul’s reference to “the ruler of the kingdom of theair, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.”

We examine the question, Do UFOs originate in thedeepest reaches of space—or another dimension?We then witness Whitley Strieber receiving a harrowingtaste of his own medicine when he was abducted from hisupstate New York cabin by what appeared to be extraterrestrialaliens. Yet these beings exhibited sadistic cruelty thatpoints to another realm altogether.

Next we visit an unlikely time and place—the heart ofthe Amazon jungle over a century ago. There we trace thefinal expedition of intrepid explorer Percy Fawcett, who,like Indiana Jones of the silver screen, sought mystical treasure.Behind the façade of his public persona, we see a lifesteeped in the esoteric philosophy of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky,called by Kurt Vonnegut “The Founding Mother of theOccult in America.” Madame Blavatsky was instrumentalin introducing the West to Eastern mysticism, mediumshipand occultism.

Following this, we give our attention to the supposed voicesof the dead speaking through mediums, and examine thetragic case of journalist Joe Fisher, revealing how deceptionand perfidy are being cloaked as revelation to a gullible world.

Next we examine how the Paranormal Conspiracy hasextended its arcane tentacles to the Internet in the appearanceof mysterious, fantastically conceived riddles that haveintrigued—and stumped—cyberhackers worldwide. At thedeepest levels of the mystery, hackers were surprised to discoverthe teachings of arch-occultist Aleister Crowley.And, finally, we examine the enigmatic, shape-shiftingtrickster who haunts the fringes of human society, and whohas alarming connections with the Serpent in the Garden.Time and again we will witness supposedly evolved beingsshowering lofty wisdom and grandiose promises onthose who fall under their spells. But instead of guiding their“charges” to enlightenment or to mystical promised lands,as the case may be, they plunge them into confusion, despairand, ultimately, terror. We will see that the dark entities,though in possession of unearthly powers, have constraintsplaced upon them, and may be thwarted entirely by appealingto “the name that is above every name.”Let the journey begin!

The coronavirus pandemic led to thousands of deaths, overrun mortuaries, untold suffering, burnt-out hospital staff, economic hardship, and psychological distress.  It also gave millions a time to renew their faith, or come back to it.  But is prayer a reliable tonic? Yes. Is there scientific data to back it up? Yes.

One leading researcher, Dr. Herbert Benson of Harvard Medical School, holds that prayer and general stress management can reduce doctor visits by up to 50%.  Most patients would agree. In a national survey, it was revealed that 35%of respondents used prayer for health concerns; 75%of these prayed for wellness, and 22% prayed for specific medical conditions.  Perhaps most important, 69% of those who prayed for specific medical conditions found prayer very helpful. With data like this, it makes moot the convictions of skeptics: what matters is that "Hail Marys" work.  Link: https://www.newsmax.com/billdonohue/intercessory-mary/2020/05/14/id/967436/

March 11, 2020 — A recently published U.N. report on freedom of religion argues that it is a vital part of respecting the rights of women and people who identify as LGBT that they are able to “belong to a faith of their choice without being discriminated against” for their “right” to abortion and LGBT practices.  The report goes on to claim that international law may recognize “the right of those persons to take part on an equal basis in the process of defining that community” — in other words, LGBT people and pro-abortion people may have the right under international law to redefine their faith community, whether it be Christian, Muslim, or Jewish.  Link:  https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/un-report-calls-for-gays-pro-abortion-women-to-have-say-in-defining-traditional-faiths?utm_content=buffer9b402&utm_medium=CRC%2BBuffer&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=CRC&fbclid=IwAR0lBh2PEa4f0MpgtKBsO8HbummR1kD-DFiP15e_fAaD50anf6I7P0BAJEA

Amazon Wants Shoppers to Pay With a Wave of the Hand, Dow Reports.   So reads the headline - a foreshadowing of Biblical prophecy?:  "(the Beast) also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.  This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.   That number is 666."  (Revelation 13:16-17).  Link:  https://www.newsmax.com/finance/streettalk/amazon-shoppers-pay-hand/2020/01/18/id/950328/

As per Joe Grogan, director of the Domestic Policy Council at the White House: 
There’s a lot of hostility to religious beliefs. There’s a perception that people who express their religious beliefs somehow may be offending others who don’t have those beliefs, but it’s clearly discriminatory. These views are protected by the First Amendment and people who are offended by public expressions of faith need to get over it.  These students and teachers need to be able to, on their own time, say that they believe in God, whether they be Jewish, or Christian, or Muslim, or whatever faith that they ascribe to.  Read more:  https://www.dailysignal.com/2020/01/17/trump-administration-takes-3-steps-to-boost-religious-freedom/

In what is likely to be America’s biggest strategic challenge going forward, a new “Axis of Evil,” to borrow President George W. Bush’s terminology, has emerged on the world stage. China, Russia, North Korea and Iran, are working together to weaken the American-led world order.This recent alignment of rogue nations poses a direct threat to all the strategic, trade, economic and cultural foundations that have anchored the world’s stability and development since the end of World War II. Consequently, the challenge before American diplomatic and strategic institutions, as well as military planners, has now become much more formidable.  Video at:  https://videos.whatfinger.com/2020/01/17/china-russia-north-korea-and-iran-form-anti-american-alliance/

The Left has an “Anything But Christianity” attitude because it wants to erase individuality and God-given human rights — both products of Christianity — to empower government.  The most obvious trait of leftists — a broad coalition of social, political, and cultural movements and organizations whose aim has been to establish socialism across the Western world —  has been their distaste for Judeo-Christian mores and culture.  Leftists may disagree on a range of issues, but they are generally united in their hostility to Christianity, as well as their accommodation of nearly every other type of religion, from the philosophy religions of the East to the various shamanic and animistic traditions of the world’s aboriginal peoples.  Read more: https://www.thenewamerican.com/print-magazine/item/34255-the-left-s-abc-anything-but-christianity-syndrome

Netflix may be setting itself up for yet another religious-tinged controversy with the unveiling of Messiah, an upcoming original series about a mysterious figure who emerges in the modern day, appearing to herald the Second Coming.  Messiah follows a man known only as al-Masih, who travels the earth performing apparent miracles and inspiring a movement of followers for an as-yet-unrevealed purpose, and a tenacious CIA agent’s attempts to expose him as a fraud.  The show will “examine the tenuous relationship between people and politics in the age of social media by telling al-Masih's story through the eyes of both his followers and his foes,” But it also remains to be seen whether the plot casts religious devotion in a positive or negative light.  Read more: https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/new-religious-controversy-at-netflix-over-thriller-about-alleged-second-messiah

For the grievous sin of calling for government to play a greater role in regulating a noxious industry complicit in human trafficking, retarding children’s sexual development, and destroying marriages, the libertarian mafia on Twitter went haywire. “If you don’t like porn, don’t watch it,” tweeted high school activist CJ Pearson. “Social conservatives need to realize that we can handle pornography and other social ills without turning America into a Christian version of Saudi Arabia,” warned Casey Given. “We must never let lazy moralizing force us to surrender our freedom to the government.” Only libertarians understand “how the Founders wanted our government to run,” the Libertarian party’s official Twitter account hectored yours truly.  What utter tripe.  Read more:  https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-at-first-things-porn-is-not-a-blessing-of-liberty

A U.S. official said that the Saudi national who shot and killed three people at the U.S. naval base in Pensacola, Florida, had watched videos of mass shootings the night before.  The shooter hosted a dinner party in which the guests watched the videos, according to a Saturday report by the Associated Press. The official also said that authorities told him that a Saudi student recorded the shooting taking place.  The official said that 10 Saudi students are in custody at the Florida naval base while several others' whereabouts are unknown.  Read more: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/us-official-shooter-at-florida-base-watched-videos-of-mass-shootings-night-before-attack

The Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera has reported that Vatican prosecutors are investigating how funds from Peter’s Pence have been allegedly invested in loss-making enterprises as well as a movie censored in some countries because of its explicit homosexual scenes.  In the latest in a string of recent stories involving financial misconduct at the Holy See, the Secretariat of State reportedly invested more than $1 million in the movie Rocketman, a biopic of the singer Elton John, and $3.6 million in Men in Black: International.  Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/report-vatican-invested-peters-pence-funds-in-elton-john-biopic

The quickness with which the LGBT lobby went from “our marriages won’t affect you” to “bake the cake, bigot” shouldn’t have surprised anyone who was paying attention. Nor should the fact that erasing sex from marriage was just the first step in erasing sex entirely. Even so, it can sometimes be hard to appreciate the likelihood that there really is no limit to how much crazier they can get.Earlier this month, David Hudson of the pro-LGBT site Queerty wrote and article lecturing other gay men for not wanting to go to bed with men they know are HIV-positive. Yes, really.  Read more: https://www.lifesitenews.com/blogs/hiv-phobia-gays-shame-people-who-refuse-to-sleep-with-hiv-positive-partners

Prosecutors responded to Weinstein’s legal team, which requested to call social psychologist Deborah Davis to testify about “the accuracy and reliability of memory in disputed sexual encounters,” including “the formation of fully false memories for events that never happened.”  Specifically, Davis would testify about the “phenomenon of ‘voluntary unwanted sex,’ i.e., sex that is undesired, but that the person chooses to engage in.”  Prosecutors argued that Davis’ theories have no scientific or legal basis and should not be allowed at trial:  “Dr. Davis has a doctoral degree in social psychology, and no showing has been made that she has ever even interviewed, let alone treated, a single individual who is or claims to be the victim of a sexual assault.”  Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/prosecution-tells-harvey-weinstein-unwanted-195057870.html

A group that calls itself on Facebook Spokane United Against Religious Extremism & The Church at Planned Parenthood organized a Halloween event last week at a drag bar that featured drag queens mocking Christians with giant cardboard photos of area pastors and pro-family activists.  The left-wing activist group based in Spokane, Washington organized the fundraiser for Planned Parenthood, which featuring drag queens, who held a “slave-style auction” of Christian pastors and activists who protest at Planned Parenthood clinics and Drag Queen Story Hour events.  The drag queens reportedly “auctioned” off the Christian pastors and pro-family activists to the highest bidders to raise money for Planned Parenthood.  https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/11/08/drag-queens-fundraise-for-planned-parenthood-with-slave-style-auction-of-christian-pastors/

The judge presiding over the case of Jeffrey Younger, the father who is trying to protect his seven-year-old son, James, from chemical castration via a gender “transition,” ruled today that the parents will have joint conservatorship over James, which includes making joint medical decisions for the child.  Judge Kim Cooks of the 255th district also put a gag order on both parents so that they cannot speak to the press about the case and decided that the father is not required to pay attorney fees. The judge’s decision means that the Save James website will have to be shut down.  Read more: https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/judge-rules-dad-will-have-say-in-gender-transition-of-7-year-old

The judge presiding over a man’s attempt to save his son from being “transitioned” will read her final ruling on the case tomorrow.  Judge Kim Cooks will read her ruling on the custody battle between Mr. Jeffrey Younger and Dr. Anne Georgulas. The jury ruled against Mr. Younger 11 to 1. The judge will rule on the specifics of the order as well as Dr. Georgulas’s additional requests.  Yesterday, a Dallas jury was asked two questions: 1) Should the current joint managing conservatorship (i.e., joint custody of the Younger boys) be replaced by a sole managing conservatorship? 2) If yes to number one, should Mr. Younger be granted sole managing conservatorship?  Read more: https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/after-jury-rules-7-year-old-boy-should-be-called-girl-judge-to-make-decision-tomorrow

Internal focus groups conducted by Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign reveal a key reason why he is struggling with African-American voters: many see his sexuality as a problem.  The report, conducted by the Benenson Strategy Group with black Democratic South Carolina voters found that “being gay was a barrier for these voters, particularly for the men who seemed deeply uncomfortable even discussing it. … [T]heir preference is for his sexuality to not be front and center.”  Read more: https://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/article236518313.ece#storylink=cpy

A jury in Dallas, Texas has ruled against Jeffrey Younger, the father who is trying to protect his seven-year-old son, James, from chemical castration via a gender “transition.” This means James’ mother, Dr. Anne Georgulas, will be able to continue “transitioning” him into “Luna,” and now has full authority to start him on puberty blockers and eventually cross-sex hormones.  The jury’s decision likely means that Mr. Younger will be required to “affirm” James as a girl, despite his religious and moral objections, and will also be forced to take a class on transgenderism.  Read more: https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/breaking-jury-rules-against-dad-trying-to-save-his-7-year-old-from-gender-transition

“This is not decay.  This is organized destruction. Secularists & their allies have marshaled all the forces of mass communication, popular culture, the entertainment industry, & academia, in an unremitting assault on religion & traditional values.” – Attorney General William Barr.  Only 65 percent of Americans now identify as Christian while those who identify as religiously unaffiliated swelled to 26 percent, a new study from the Pew Research Center says.  Read more: https://www.spartareport.com/2019/10/the-war-against-christianity-why-is-the-number-of-americans-who-self-identify-as-christians-dropping-and-church-attendance-down/

Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke claimed religious organizations receiving tax benefits from the federal government should be required to "follow the law" when it comes to discriminating against gay and transgender people.  Backtracking on his claim earlier this month that religious organizations should be taxed if they did not perform gay marriage, O'Rourke said churches and other religious nonprofits should maintain their tax-exempt status, but that they should be legally obliged not to discriminate against gay and transgender people.  Read more: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/beto-orourke-claims-us-law-requires-religious-nonprofits-to-support-lgbt-rights

Although Good Shepherd's Swedish School is marketed by the Swedish Jerusalem Society as a school that promotes peace, Tobias Petersson, Director of the think tank Perspective on Israel, has revealed that the textbooks used by Good Shepherd's Swedish school have jihadi content that encourages holy war against the State of Israel. Also, in those textbooks, Jews are described as liars and corrupt.  Maps in the schoolbooks and on the walls do not show the State of Israel; instead the outline of Israel had been displaced by the identical outline of the "State of Palestine."  Read more: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/15028/sweden-church-hate