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(A Seminary In Every Home) Necessity of Prayer, EM Bounds.

According to people who were constantly with him, in prayer and preaching, for eight years "Not a foolish word did we ever hear him utter. He was one of the most intense eagles of God that ever penetrated the spiritual ether. He could not brook delay in rising, or being late for dinner. He would go with me to street meetings often in Brooklyn and listen to the preaching and sing with us those beautiful songs of Wesley and Watts. He often reprimanded me for asking the unconverted to sing of Heaven. Said he: ‘They have no heart to sing, they do not know God, and God does not hear them. Quit asking sinners to sing the songs of Zion and the Lamb.’" (Wikipedia)

Today we are happy to present a PDF ebook on marriage by Leon O Poole. He writes in a simple but powerful manner, and his presentation is totally Bible-based. Kindly get your copy by clicking the picture.

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Dr. Johnson C. Philip, the Founder-President of Trinity and Dr. Saneesh Cherian, the Dean of Trinity, have joined forces to produce this powerful textbook in Christian Apologtics and Moral Relativism to instruct our graduate and postgraduate students. However, for a few days all our friends can download it for free.

You can download our latest Ebook, as a gift of course, by clicking on the picture of this ebook shown here. 

Even the most uninitiated Christians realizes that the Christian life is a battle, and also that there are plenty of casualties around from this battle. They also realize that every child of God is part of the battle whether one wishes to participate or not. All this taken as a whole often looks like a bleak picture to them.

Since one does not usually see an organized and visible spiritual battle except during periods of revival – which, sadly, eludes all of us because they are rare — almost every Christian during any period of church history finds himself left alone to battle the forces of evil. Often there is little encouragement from the Christian community. This is not an encouraging picture in any way because the forces of evil are strong and united while most of the time the believer is all alone to face the enemy.

Trinity Graduate School is happy to offer this ebook free of cost to its graduate theology students and friends as a special gift. Remember, you can do much and this ebook explains how. Click on the ebook to download it today.

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Influences Through Societal Pressures

“Societal Pressures” are generated by two mind manipulating techniques: Intimidation through Fear-Creation and Mob-Mentality Trick (see chapter one). Peer and social pressures are perhaps the worst form of created fear. Everyone at some point in their lives have had a since of fear or insecurity of not belonging or fitting in. In that incident you would have done anything to fit in; buy new clothes, get fitted for contacts, join particular clubs and hang out with certain people, just to be accepted.

Societal Pressures are fierce. They will cause you to sell your soul if you had too: just to be like everybody else. Unfortunately, many Christians are doing just that. They are selling their souls to the highest bidder, or the best fraternity, the most popular sorority or any Greek organization that will accept them. College students are shunned and ridiculed if they do not pledge as a Greek or speak against the whole practice. However, those who choose not to pledge have spared themselves of unnecessary demonic activity. Pledging as a Greek, is openly denouncing God. You are adopted into a family that can and does worship many gods. You also practice pagan rituals and rites.

Pledging into a fraternal order with secrets and mysteries stem from the “Mystery Babylon.” In other words, you are children of Baal (the sun god, Nimrod, husband/son of Semiramis). Remember Baal was the father of all Babylonian gods. The Greeks had gods too and they worshiped the Olympian gods (Apollo and Zeus) and Pre-Olympian gods (Adonis and Dimetre). The mystery cults of the ancient age were based on Greek, Egyptian and Roman mythology. Many of these dark and immoral fraternities and sororities (mystery cults) involved drinking, drugs homosexuality, castration and human sacrifices. The ancient fraternities and sororities were connected to the gods/goddesses of the earth and underworld: Adonis, Dionysus, Isis, Pan and Sybile, to name a few. Human sacrifices were made during the winter to ensure abundant crops in the spring. This information about many beloved fraternities and sororities is only the tip of the iceberg. There is much more grueling and heinous history behind pledging, hazing and sacrifices that stemmed from ancient times and practiced today.

Some Christians are in deep trouble with God. Those who chose to pledge not only as Greeks, but also as Masons and Eastern Stars are defiantly operating against the Word of God. Christians are instructed not to be in covenant with unbelievers according to 2nd Corinthians 6:14-18. The Bible declares, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.” Try to answer the following questions Paul asks honestly: “For what does righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial (Satan)? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?”

If you have answered honestly, then you would have come up with “nothing” four times and “none” once. Believers of Jesus Christ are unequally yoked with non-believers. You are not suppose to get involved personally with them, because they can cause a Christian to backslide. However, Christians are not commanded to stay away from them, on the contrary, Christians are instructed to witness to the lost and dying world through Evangelism. If you are involved with a non-believer and it is not job-related or witnessing, then that relationship needs to be severed.

I knew a man who was long out of college, but decided to pledge into a fraternity. When I knew him, he was a professing Christian, but after he pledged over, he had a new love. His reason for pledging that particular fraternity was due to the desire to be like a few famous men who were also in the brotherhood and he believed pledging would not only promote his business, but his image. Mind you, two of the brothers publicly stated that they were not born again Christians. Knowing that he knew better, he made a foolish choice. I thought I knew him fairly well and he never seemed to be a conformist; but I was very much wrong and he has the disfiguring brand to show it. His actions brought to my remembrance Joshua 24:14-15, “…Fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord…choose for yourself this day whom you will serve…”

Although I believe this man still attends church, his walk, as a Christian will be a great struggle, one with tumultuous demons and a lack of peace. As you probably guessed, that relationship was severed. Choose for yourself this day whom you will serve, either God or the devil? For there is no in between, there are only two choices. You cannot serve two masters, for you will either love one or hate the other (Luke 16:13). These cults (organizations) are designed for you to ingest slow poison, unrecognizable poison, because it looks good and taste sweet. Everyone who is someone is in it or is doing it. But the Bible demands us to come out from among them and be separated from them (2nd Corinthians 6:17). Besides, these organizations main concern is recruiting more members, and to become a member can be very expensive.

Your parents were in the Masonry, your grandparents and some of your relatives as well. Now you are thinking about joining, because Uncle Buck and Aunt Susie told you how much fun and respect you would gain being a part of the Lodge. It is a unique situation; exclusive opportunity and not just anybody can join. Quite naturally, they would be willing to put in a good word for you, because they would like to keep it in the family. Before you make that decision, heed to what I am about to explain to you about the Masons and Eastern Stars. First and foremost, remember the two key elements before participating in any activity you may be uncertain of. Remember to do your research and test the spirits by the Spirit. Ask questions; get more information about the history, the members’ background, and etc. If they refuse to comply, then back away and run. Any organization that has secrets is not of God. God and Christianity is an open book: the Bible. Everything you need to know about the past, present and future is recorded in any language and translation.

The god of Masonry is a closely guarded secret. He is referred to as “The Great Architect of the Universe.” Perhaps one could say that they are referring to the God of the Holy Bible, but yet it is too vague to really tell. It is the Masons intent to make God vague in their organization so whether Believers of Jesus Christ or Satan worshippers are members, they can fill in the blank when it comes to the names of their individuals gods, just as long as you say you believe in God. However, the higher degree a Mason achieves in the organization, the clearer their god becomes.

A former Mason states, “As one progresses higher into the degrees, the nature of God begins to take a less soothing quality. The closest description I can think of is generic foods in the supermarket. The god of Masonry is a ‘generic’ god. His label is blank, so if you want to write in Allah or Krishna or even Satan, you could do so and no Mason could possibly object” (Battle Cry, 1999). Unfortunately, God does object and He declares it in His Word according John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” There is absolutely no other way. For Masons professing Christianity, this should be a perfect opportunity to witness to the brothers and sisters about Jesus Christ and salvation, but to the Lodge it would be considered “bad Masonic etiquette.”

William Schnoebelen openly admitted in his article, that at the time he was welcomed into the Lodge he recognized Lucifer as his god. He states, “After a couple of

years, I met two high ranking Masons who were also worshippers of Lucifer. One was a famous ritualist in the York Rite, and one was a Master of a Lodge” (Schnoebelen, 1999). In Battle Cry (1998), Schnoebelen quotes two high-level Masons, Albert Pike and Albert Mackey in the following statements: “Pike states: ‘Every Masonic Lodge is a temple of religion and its teachings are instructions in religion.’ Mackey removes all doubt for the Bible believer: ‘The religion of Masonry is not Christianity.’” In Battle Cry (1997), Schnoebelen lists occultists and witches who were Freemasons in the last century. A few were: “Arthur Edward Waite, occult writer and Masonic historian; Aleister Crowley, master Satanist of this century and founder of the anti-christ religion of Thelema; Annie Besant, leader of the occult Theosophical society and Co-Masonic hierarch (Yes, there are female Masons!) and Alice Bailey, founder of the New Age organization, Lucis (formerly Lucifer) Trust.”

What about the Order of the Eastern Star? The OES (or Star) was founded in 1868 as the women’s auxiliary for the Masonry. Not much goes on with the Star except for ceremonial meetings, which includes the declaration of stations and the waving of rods and banners. You do not hear much about (if at all) them providing service to the community, churches or to the poor. Nevertheless, like their counterpart, they certainly know how to throw a party. Masonic women do consider their organization to be Christian and they have hymnal singings to prove it. In fact, the motto of the chapter comes from Matthew 2:2b “We have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.” But Schnoebelen expresses that, as a key strategy used by the cult is the play upon the common interpretation of words.

When the order was established, they depended on the familiarity of Matthew 2:2 and its relevance to Christmas. Consequently, “The A.V. 1611 text does not say ‘eastern star.’ It says ‘star in the east.’ The phrase “Eastern Star” has a specialized meaning in occultism. It refers to the star, Sirius, which is the most significant star in Satanism! It is sacred to the god, Set. Set is probably the oldest form of Satan! The Eastern Star is the star of Set. However, deadly word games are being played here. Though most women involved in OES doubtlessly assume they worship Jesus as they kneel around a huge satanic pentagram, it is obvious that the ‘his’ actually refers to Set’s star, not Jesus’ star ” (Battle Cry, 1991). The blazing star is neither Divine Providences nor is it Jesus Christ, but it is an Egyptian idol, that symbolizes Sirius or the Dog-star. Have you ever asked why the single point of the star is pointed downward and not upward? If you have not noticed, the star resembles a goat’s head. As the Christian bows to the inverted pentagram of Baphomet, she is surrendering to Satan, permitting him to enter into her life.

Schnoebelen believes Masonry is a false substitute for genuine Christian fellowship. Those who participate strive to be associated with those things that are bigger than themselves: things that they cannot find inside church. “Satan has many subtle substitutes for those who are not careful to avoid his deceptions” (Battle Cry, 1998). Remember, to always ask questions; do not let family, peer or social pressures coerced you into getting involved with fraternal orders or questionable organizations that carry secrets and always ask the Holy Spirit for guidance. For the Bible declares in James 1:5, that if you ask God for wisdom, He will give it liberally and without reproach. Also, avoid jumping on the bandwagon because everybody else is. You will never be loved nor accepted by everyone, Jesus even said “And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake” (Matthew 10:22). Live for Christ, He died for you.

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Resisting Mind Manipulation, Lesson 22
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Resisting Mind Manipulation, Lesson 21
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Christians Are Being Mind Manipulated

“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believe Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you Free.’” (John 8:31-32) Christians who are following pagan practices are in bondage. They are slaves to the devil.

The awful truth about them being slaves to Satan, is that they do not even realize that they are imprisoned. They have been fooled and manipulated for so long, that what is right seems wrong and what is wrong is okay if the word “God” is mentioned. Christians are most definitely being mind manipulated through worldly influences, false doctrines, and celebration of erroneous holidays, rites, rituals and bad habits. These things, over a period of time have slowly poisoned the minds of the Believer of Jesus Christ to the point of defending their practices tooth and nail. It is not an easy task, but someone must tell the truth about what Christians are doing, pledging and practicing, in the name of “God” camouflaged by pagan worship. Why? “…the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).

Worldly Influences

People in general are deceived daily by the world system, because they see themselves as the “little guy” up against a monstrous government-controlled giant; they render themselves powerless, therefore submitting to the world’s views. Christians do not have to surrender to the worldly influences and their depraved views. A Christian has his own views, which should line up with God’s Word. The Christian view is far more powerful and precise, because it is taken from the Bible and the Bible is undisputable. It is the infallible, true word of God. Then why are so many Christians falling into the traps

under worldly influences? It is called mind-manipulation. As Christians, we are taught to love God, love our neighbors and be kind to one another. But the world has taken these godly attributes and turned them against the Christian, deeming them hypocrites if they do not accept others’ differences, religions and beliefs. So Christians fall into the trap of receiving other ideas and views as long as they do not affect them. Well guest what? They have not only affected the Believer, but the kingdom of God.

Christians have permitted worldly influences to creep into their homes and into their churches. Just because something sounds good and they “insert” the name of “Jesus” or “God” in it, does not necessarily mean they are promoting Christianity: for Jesus proclaims “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). When accepting foreign (worldly) ideas or practices that are not Biblically based (or contrived to be Biblically based), the Christian often forgets two key elements before agreeing to participate in them. The first element is “research.” When presented with an innovative idea or the opportunity to belong to an elite club, the Christian gets caught up in the initial thrill, therefore bypassing reason. Did you take the time to check the Bible or consult the Holy Spirit on the views or practices? Did you bother to go to the library or Internet and investigate the history? Did you ask other Christians about the practices? Did you do your research? Often time the answer is no, because Christians, like most people fear the truth.

The second element the Christian usually forgets before accepting foreign (worldly) ideas and practices is the “test.” The Bible instructs us to try the spirits by the Spirit. This means to test all that we hear and see by the Spirit of God. In 1^st John 4:1-6, the Apostle John states “Beloved, do no believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” This means if someone introduces you to some off beat, off-the-wall mumble-jumble, you better ask questions; for “By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world” (vv. 2-3). Saints, you have to constantly keep in your mind that Satan is a deceiver and he often comes as an “angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).

He has specifically sent out false prophets and deceitful workers to trick you into worshiping the Antichrist, instead of Christ. But if you are a dedicated child of God, you will reveal these schemes through research and testing: for John continues, “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error” (1^st John 4:4-6).

Influenced By False Doctrines And Teachings

Statistics, signs or wonders lure many. False prophets and false teachers usually are able to bait Christians by showing them things they have never seen, offering them possessions they have never had or by shooting out numbers, names and places (whether they are accurate or not). They will tell a Believer what they want to hear long enough to win their trust. By using Scripture, these subtle, but crafty snakes will wiggle false doctrine in with the Word of God (syncretism). They often contort well-known scriptures to support their beliefs. Ordinarily, they have every possible answer to every probable question a Christian may have. Targeted Christians are lulled into a false since of security. After a period of time being expose to these lies, the true motives of these wolves in sheep clothing are revealed.

With unbelief, the Christian remains loyal to the falsehood and sees no need to escape. Although the Bible warns against these false doctrines and teachings a Christian can feel pretty confused once exposed to the truth and that confusion generally sides with that which is comfortable and now familiar. New friendships and soul tides are created through the falsehood; status and positions are gained; and another god is being worshiped.

The reason why this is happening is clearly taught in 1^st Timothy 4:1-2, described as the great apostasy: “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart (to stand away or abandon) from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons (following occult practices), speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,” meaning, that these teachers have lied so often that they can do it with a straight face without it troubling their spirits.

Lies are spread through holidays Christians should not celebrate, traditions and denominational beliefs that are not scriptural or twisted to fit their beliefs, and pagan practices that are hidden in secret organizations. There are pastors and ministers who are so bound in lies, that they do not teach from the Bible and do not encourage the congregation to bring or even read their Bibles. If a member should question anything the pastor has said, they would be ridiculed and accused of being a trouble making. By the same token, there are pastors and ministers who know the truth, but only teach what the people want to hear, because they do not want to lose there members nor cause trouble. So they do not speak against homosexuality, living together before marriage, occult practices in demonized organizations believed to be Christian and so many other abominations. Remember, false teachings do not just come from outside the Church, but often generated within the church as a form of Christian Polemics.

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 Resisting Mind Manipulation, Lesson 21
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Resisting Mind Manipulation, Lesson 20
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Reformation: Separating Christianity From Paganism

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2) The Protestant Reformation was the attempt to return the church back to its pure (spiritual) ways of the early church and faith initiatives to be returned to individual believers. The Roman Catholic Church was rapidly being corrupted by power and wealth, which caused great frustration among those who began to question and challenge the Catholic Church’s authority and doctrines.

In 1517, Martin Luther, professor and priest, began the challenge, and was supported by many. He touted that priesthood belonged to the believer and not to the religious hierarchy. Martin Luther translated the Bible into German, making it available to the common man to gain all priestly authority, through the Word of God. For this brave venture, the “Lutheran” Movement came about. Other groups of middle class, prosperous, freethinking, intellectuals participated in this reformed movement, by also challenging the Catholic Church. One well-known reformer was John Calvin.

Having a similar position as Luther, Calvin gathered protestant scholars and teachers who would take the movement back to their respective provinces and spread the reform. Hence, beginning “Calvinism” or the Calvin Reformed Movement. The Reformed Movement spread across North Germany, Western Germany, towns and cities in England, Scotland, Netherlands, France, Bohemia, Hungary and parts of Poland and Spain (Hodges, The Protestant Reformation).

In 1546, the papal party called a Council at Trent to answer the Protestant charges of ecclesiastical corruption and theological deviation. Strict discipline was re-imposed over the priests who remained loyal to Rome. The party condemned Luther’s teaching on divine grace and justification alone by faith. A campaign was readied to wipe out any "heretics" not willing to return to Roman discipline (Hodges, The Protestant Reformation).

Ulrich Zwingli, a young priest who was drawn toward Luther’s reform movement, began to establish Scripture as the sole religious authority for the Christian, in Zurich, Switzerland. He opposed the Lenten Fast, citing the lack of Scriptural warrant for the practice. In fact, Zwingli and the Swiss Reformed Party were strongly interested in reconstructing the organization and practices of the church around its original constitutional base, the Scripture. They wanted to strip away every feature of Christianity that was not supported by Scripture (Hodges, The Protestant Reformation).

John Knox, another Protestant Reformer, a “Calvinist,” and former Catholic priest, was displeased with the moral and spiritual corruption that had taken over the Catholic Church. Knox was a bright light for many countries including America. Through Knox, Presbyterian or representative church government was born, which became the source of inspiration for the new Democratic and Republican forms of government that led to the Constitution of 1789 supporting the new American Republic (Hodges, The Protestant Reformation).

In 1603, James Stuart of Scotland, somewhat of a Protestant Reformer, succeeded Queen Elizabeth. James I became instrumental to the Protestant Reformation. He sponsored a new English translation of the Bible (The King James Version) and strongly opposed any re-opening of England to Catholicism.

Nevertheless, after wars, rivalries and rebellions both Catholic and Protestant Churches continue to stand. Unfortunately, due to compromising Christians, Catholicism is blending with Protestant faith through celebration of Holidays, pagan customs and ignorance. The information provided on the Reformation was to reveal the great lengths true Christians rose, in order to freely worship God without the dictatorship of the Roman Catholic Church. For centuries, the Reformed Movement avoided celebrating and participating holidays and practices, because they knew the truth behind them. The seventeenth century Puritans of New England banned the observance of Christmas in 1659, throughout Massachusetts Bay Colony deeming it heathenism and papist idolatry. It was not until 1856 people in Boston began to recognize Christmas as a holiday and took the day off from working. This conformity took place less than a century and a half ago.

Before I move on to the final section of this chapter, I leave you with these words from a great man of God, Finis Jennings Dake, “How well does God liken Romanism to a whore, who professes to be the sole spotless bride of Christ, but in reality is the final great apostate religious system linked with the world and exercising power over the nations of the world under the ten kings until Antichrist comes to full power and destroys her in the

middle of the Week (Rev. 17:16-17)” (p. 821).

Holidays And Commercialism

“…Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.” (Matthew 15:6)

Celebrating these holidays are not acceptable to God. You cannot fit a holy God into an unholy custom. Paganism is wicked and of darkness. It was generated by Satan himself to deceive the world. It is not about your feelings and petty excuses that you do not celebrate the way the world does. You cannot keep Christ in something; He has never been a part of. It is impossible to worship God with falsehood all around you. How can you say you are recognizing Jesus’ birth by placing gifts you cannot afford for children/people who most likely have everything anyway, under a tree that symbolizes the pit of paganism? Where is God in that? How can you say you are worshipping the resurrected Savior, Jesus Christ by coloring Easter’s eggs, making chocolate bunnies and wearing Easter bonnets?

Where does God receive any glory? So what if you feel that there is no harm in these things and it is just in fun. God sees these things as abominable and He speaks against these practices throughout the Bible. Instead of teaching your children to worship and reverence God, you are teaching them to worship man-created idols, generated by Satan and to celebrate traditions that have absolutely no effect. This type of worship is empty and goes unheard. Do you really think that God is rejoicing you going into debt, by exchanging gifts that take you years to payoff? Can you honestly say that you are thinking about Baby Jesus when you slip a little rum in your eggnog, fruitcake or whatever else? What does kissing under mistletoe have to do with Christ? NOTHING! In fact, all that you put into these holidays, you gain nothing in return; except for the warm and fuzzy feeling that amount to absolutely nothing in the spirit realm. Remember, God is spirit; therefore He must be worshipped in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). Feelings don’t count!

In 1^st Corinthians 10:14-21 (NIV), the Apostle Paul clearly warns the Corinthians to flee from idolatry, “Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation of the blood of Christ? And is it not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf. Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? Do I mean then that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything? No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s Table and the table of demons. Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy? Are we stronger than He?” Are we stronger than the Almighty God where we can do whatever we please and He is satisfied? Although these idols and celebrations cannot harm us in the natural and they are fun to participate in, they still leave a window open for demonic activity. It is impossible to serve two masters (Luke 16:13). Ministries, Television Evangelism and Churches are flourishing because pastors and preachers are dancing around the truth. When you begin to teach the truth, less people will want to hear. The Bible speaks in 2^nd Timothy 4:2-4 to,

“Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” This has happened and is happening today. Many ministries are gauging their success according to how many members, instead of how many are receiving the true Word of God. As an under-shepherd to Christ you are instructed to guide the sheep by the truth, not by the fact that many other churches and ministries are participating in such idolatries (1^st Peter 5:2-4). Of course you do not want to be identified as a Jehovah Witness Sect, but it not about what people think; it is about what God thinks. Just teach your people the Word!

It is not God’s desire that Christians go into debt celebrating these commercialized holidays. It is the wicked one, the “world system” that desires us to spend, spend, spend. Have you not noticed that the holidays are becoming more flamboyant, more expensive and more godless each year? Advertisers are milking the consumers literally to death. Suicides rise during the Christmas holiday due to depression, stress and failure. There are increased automobile accidents, accidental deaths, robberies and murders. Do you really think that God is in this? Billions of dollars are being squandered on holidays that are not even recognized by God.

In a tract entitled The Plain Truth About Christmas, by Herbert W. Armstrong and John D. Keyser, they confirm that, “In our day Christmas has become a commercial season. It’s sponsored, kept alive, by the heaviest retail advertising campaigns of the year. You see masqueraded ‘Santa Claus’ in many stores. Ads keep us deluded and deceived about the ‘beautiful Christmas spirit.’ The newspapers, who sell the ads, print flowery editorials exalting and eulogizing the pagan season, and its ‘spirit.’ A gullible people has become so inoculated, many take offense when told the truth. But the ‘Christmas spirit’ is created each year, not to honor Christ, but to sell merchandise! Like all Satan’s delusions, it appears as an ‘angel of light,’ is made to appear good. Billions of dollars are spent in this merchandising spree every year, while the cause of Christ must suffer! It’s part of the economic system of Babylon!” (p. 12).

If you really want to get God’s attention, sow the money you would have spent on these holidays into your local ministry and start a food pantry, evangelism ministry, or some form of missionary work. It is the Christian’s duty to provide for the poor, take care of the widow and look after the sick. A weak church only does this within its ministry. A strong and prosperous church, regularly reach out to the community and surrounding areas. Through your efforts to build up the Body of Christ, God not only receives glory, but so do you by being an example of Jesus Christ. No, worshipping God is not about feeling; it is about obedience to His Word.

As Christians, let us celebrate those holidays that God would be pleased of. Let us no longer neglect Passover and the true days Jesus Christ died and resurrected. God has clearly identified Jesus’ death and recorded the time period in great detail in the Bible. We should no longer follow the world’s view, but succumb to God’s will found in the Word. Imagine, all Christians on one accord, in unity, worshiping and celebrating the

death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior without pagan influences: boy, would this tick the devil off. In addition, let us continue with the holiday of “Thanksgiving” by being thankful to God for all of His blessings and by exemplifying Christ in giving to the less fortunate (Psalm 50:14; 95:2; 107:22). Also, let us continue to remember our independence, our soldiers and our leaders by praying for them and/or their families on the set holidays (Romans 12:10; 13:1). And always remember that God instructs us to honor our fathers and mothers, so that our days on earth will be long (Exodus 20:12).

Test Questions:

1. What are the holidays Christians should not celebrate?

2. What is the link between Paganism and Christianity?

3. What was the first practice that emerged from this forced-union?

4. Who is called the “Queen of Heaven?”

5. What was the purpose of the “Reformation?”

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 Resisting Mind Manipulation, Lesson 20
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Resisting Mind Manipulation, Lesson 19
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Mind Manipulation In Celebration of Holidays and Religious Practices

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” (Hosea 4:6)

Holidays Christians Should Not Celebrate

“Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.” (Jeremiah 10:2-5)

Halloween

Let us begin with the obvious holiday Christians should not celebrate, which is Halloween. The history of Halloween traces back to the ancient religion of the Celtics. Those who carried out the rituals in the open air were the Celtic priests who were also known as the Druids. They were members of the pagan orders in Britain, Ireland and Gaul. Generally, these Druids performed rituals by offering sacrifices, using animals and humans in order to appease the god; ensuring that the sun would return after the winter and to frighten away evil spirits.

There were two main feasts the Celtics held, the Beltan on May 1st, which was the beginning of summer, and the Samhain on November 1st, which marked the end of summer. The end of the summer was believed to have been the time the division of thetwo worlds (natural and spiritual) became so thin (diaphanous) that apparitions and hostile supernatural forces were able to freely roam the earth.

Samhain (pronounced Sah-ween) was considered the supreme night of demonic jubilation. It was believed that October 31^st was the night the spirits of the dead would rise out of their graves to return to their homes where they once lived in life. Modern day “trick or treat” stemmed from the Celtic’s fear of these spirits. The villagers would leave plates of fruits, nuts and other treats on their doorsteps in an effort to appease these hungry ghosts, out of fear that the ghosts may destroy their property. In addition, they wore masks to hid from the dead.

In great certainty, these practices sound very familiar. Is this not the Halloween tradition many of us Christians have been raised to participate in? Churches having harvest parties where the children get to dress up as nice characters and they receive treats for wearing a costume, is still the celebration of Halloween. A rose by any other name is still a rose. Continuing pagan traditions and calling it by another name does not change the wrong. If churches are throwing harvest parties for their youth on October 31^st because the world celebrates Halloween, and you think the children will not understand; ask yourself what is more important, their souls or their little feelings? Now is the time to get it right and become God pleasers and not man pleasers. The children understand far more than what you give them credit for. Just as heathens and others who profess their wicked lifestyles, why not live a godly one and make it known.

When Christianity spread throughout Europe the Halloween customs also spread but with a Christian worldview. The Romans observed the holiday of Feralia, which intended to give rest and peace to the departed. On November 1^st “All Saints Day” was introduced in the 7^th century by Pope Boniface IV to replace the pagan festival of the dead. This was a day for the living to remember all the saints who had died. October 31^st became “All Hallows Eve” (hallow meant saints) or the “Night of the Dead.” Naturally, this is how Halloween survived and merged in with Christianity. It is not a godly nor God reverenced holiday, therefore should not be celebrated by Christians.

The following are Halloween traditions and symbols to avoid and why. The bonfire represented the sun and was to aid the Druids in their fight with dark powers. The word bonfire derived from the words “bone” and “fire.” The bones of sacrificed animals and humans were piled up in a field along with timber and set on fire. Remember Jesus Christ was the final sacrifice which involved no fire or broken bones. Witches believe to be followers of an ancient religion called “Wicca.”

For witches, Halloween is a great festival of the dead and marks the end and the beginning of their year. Black cats are considered to be reincarnated beings with the ability to divine the future. Witchcraft and divination are abominable to God and we are to have absolutely nothing to do with them. Jack-o-lantern was originally a carved out turnip, but once the tradition was brought to America, turnips were scarce and pumpkins were plentiful, so pumpkins were used for the festival of lights for Halloween and the ancient symbol of a damned soul. People feared bats, owls and other nocturnal animals because they believed that these animals communicated with spirits of the dead. Information on Halloween was obtained through the Jeremiah Project, an informative Website about the origins and customs.

Lent

Coming from the Anglo-Saxon Lencten, meaning, “spring,” Lent is observed forty (40) days prior to Easter and is derived from the Babylonian system of mysteries. Ordinarily, before giving up personal sins and vices for the Lent season pagans would hold wild “anything goes” parties to make certain they indulge in their share of debaucheries and perversions. Today, this type of celebration is called Mardi Gras “Fat Tuesday.” Both Easter and Lent were introduced to the Roman church in 519 A.D. This was the same time of year heathens held the celebration of the Rape of Proserpine in which is culminated a period of unbridled lust, forty days of enforced abstinence in preparation of it. It is also observed by devil worshippers of Kurdistan (Dake, p.821).

Easter

Christians all over the world celebrate Easter as a day to honor the resurrection of Jesus Christ. On the contrary, Easter has absolutely nothing to do with Jesus Christ or His resurrection. However, it does have plenty to do with pagan practices and beliefs. In an On-line tract entitled The Pagan Origin Of Easter by David J. Meyer of Last Trumpet Ministries, he explains that “Ishtar,” pronounced “Easter” was a day that commemorated the resurrection of a pagan god called “Tammuz.” Tammuz was believed to have been the only begotten son of the moon-goddess and the sun god.

The history of this worldwide celebrated Holiday begins with the story of Nimrod, introduced to us in Genesis 10:8-10. Cush, the grandson of Noah, married a woman named Semiramis and they had a son named Nimrod. After the death of Nimrod’s father, he married his mother and became a powerful king. Nimrod was a mighty hunter and he was considered by the people to be a god-man or demigod. An enemy killed Nimrod, dismembered his body and sent his body parts to various sections of his kingdom. Semiramis became the powerful queen of ancient Babylon.

All of Nimrod’s body parts were collected except for his reproductive organ; Semiramis claimed that Nimrod could not return to life without the missing part. She told the people of Babylon that Nimrod had ascended to the sun and was now called “Baal” the sun god. Baal’s presence would be made on earth in the form of a flame used in worship, according to Queen Semiramis. Wicked Semiramis created a mystery religion, assisted by Satan and proclaimed herself to be the goddess of the moon. Immaculately conceived, Semiramis came down from the moon in a giant egg that fell into the Euphrates River. She became known as “Ishtar” (Easter) and her moon egg became known as “Ishtar’s egg.”

Supposedly impregnated by the rays of the sun god, Baal, she conceived and gave birth to a son whom she named Tammuz. Because Tammuz was fond of rabbits, they became sacred in the ancient religion. In the footsteps of his father, allegedly he too was a hunter; but apparently not a good one since a wild pig killed him. Naturally, Queen Ishtar informed the people that Tammuz was ascended to his father, Baal and that the two of them would be with the worshippers in the sacred candle or lamp flame as father, son and spirit. Ishtar was worshipped as the “Mother of God” and “Queen of Heaven.” Notice that Mary, the mother of Jesus was also named as the “Mother of God.” More will be explained about this coincidence in Paganism and Christianity, and discover that this is not a happenstance, but a compromise.

After the death of Tammuz, Ishtar told the people of Babylon that when Tammuz was killed, his blood fell on the stump of an evergreen tree and the stump grew into a new tree overnight. This made the evergreen tree sacred by the blood of Tammuz. (Have you ever wondered the significance of the evergreen tree in homes called the Christmas tree during the Christmas holiday? More will be shared about the Christmas tree in the next section.) Ishtar proclaimed a forty-day period of time of sorrow each year prior to the anniversary of the death of Tammuz (for the Catholic church, this is none as Lent).

During this forty-day period, worshippers were encouraged to meditate upon the sacred mysteries of Baal and Tammuz, and to make the sign of the “T” in front of their hearts as they worshiped (this is also what the Catholic Church does when they pray and refer to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit). On the first Sunday after the first full moon and after the spring equinox, a celebration was made, called “Ishtar’s Sunday” or Easter Sunday. Rabbits and eggs were part of the celebration, along with the tradition of eating ham. Remember a wild pig killed Tammuz, so the eating of the ham became significant, Tammuz was also fond of rabbit’s and let us not forget Ishtar’s egg. Other traditions included them eating sacred cakes with the marking of a “T” or cross on the top (like hot crossed buns).

In Ezekiel 8:13-14, God reveals to Ezekiel the abomination of the temple: “And He said to me, ‘Turn again, and you will see greater abominations that they are doing.’ So He brought me to the door of the north gate of the Lord’s house; and to my dismay, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz.” Here is the only place in the Bible we see the name Tammuz. The notes on these two scriptures are explained as followed: “Tammuz was a fertility god.

The women were crying out to the idol because they had no children or because the crops were failing. In the sixth month, August-September, Tammuz was thought to “die” with the scorched land. Worshipers would wail over his death and cry for his resurgence.” Instead of worshipping the Lord in the temple, they worshipped idols and wailed for strange gods. “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me.” God commanded this in Exodus 20:2-3 and repeated this throughout the Bible. God does not change.

All of these practices did not and do not include Jesus Christ and His Resurrection. Participating in these practices are not godly and are not accepted by God. These are practices of ancient pagan religion of Mystery Babylon and works of the antichrist. In a nutshell, Meyer sums it up for us in this statement: “Satan is a master deceiver, and has filled the lives of well-meaning, professing Christians with idolatry. These things bring the wrath of God upon children of disobedience, who try to make pagan customs of Baal worship Christian. You must answer for your activities and for what you teach your children.” In addition, Meyer explains that these customs of Easter honor Baal, who is also Satan, and is still worshipped as the “Rising Sun” and his house is the “House of the Rising Sun.”

Easter is a celebration of the rising of the sun, just not the rising of the Son of God. Coincidently, the Passover, around the actual time Christ was crucified and resurrected, coincides with the pagan celebration of Easter, but not always. In 2005, Easter Sunday falls on March 27^th and Passover is Sunday April 24^th. Also, have you tried to count three days and three nights from Good Friday and come up with Sunday? It is impossible.

Christmas

In my research, I found many websites willing to tell the plain truth about Christmas. If so many know about the truth, why are Christians still celebrating the holiday? Looking at the elementary facts about Christmas it literally has nothing to do with the birth of Jesus Christ. In fact, many of the customs and traditions of Christmas pre-date our Lord and Savior and the celebration in itself was taken from many cultures and nations. The most obvious truth is that Jesus was not born on December 25^th and if God wanted the birth of Christ to be commemorated, He would have made mention of Jesus’ birth date. Actually, there are no places recorded in the Bible that the people of God celebrated or even acknowledged anyone’s birthday. In fact, it was the death of a great person that was usually celebrated, hence “Communion.” We are instructed by Christ in Luke 22:19, to eat of the body (bread) and drink of the blood (wine) in remembrance of Him, commemorating His death and not His birth. Only heathens like Pharaoh and Herod rejoiced over their birthdays (Armstrong & Keyser, The Plain Truth About Christmas, p. 2).

Evidently, Jesus Christ was not even born in the winter. The Bible portrays a much more milder time of year for the birth of Christ, a season that permit shepherds to spend their nights in the field: “Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night” Luke 2:8 (NKJV). December would have been far too cold and rainy in Judea for the shepherds and the flock. In examining Ezra 10:9 and verse 13 we discover this to be absolutely true, v.9: “So all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered at Jerusalem with three days. It was the ninth month (November-December, Chislev by Jewish Calendar), on the twentieth of the month; and all the people sat in the open square of the house of God, trembling because of this matter of heavy rain” and v.13: “But there are many people; it is the season for heavy rain, and we are not able to stand outside.” It is believed that Jesus’ birth was no later than September.

If the Messiah, Jesus the Christ was not born on December 25^th, whose birthday is being celebrated and why? The origin of Christmas dates back as far as ancient Babylon. “It is bound up in the organized apostasy which has gripped a deceived world these many centuries!” (Armstrong & Keyser, p. 6). It is believed that Nimrod, the son/husband of Semiramis the Babylonian queen, who was also named the Queen of Heaven, was born on December 25^th. Semiramis claimed that a full-grown evergreen tree sprang overnight from a dead stump, which symbolized the springing forth unto new life of the dead Nimrod. The new life was presumed to be Tammuz. On the anniversary of Nimrod’s birth Semiramis claimed that Nimrod would visit the evergreen tree and leave gifts. Placing gifts under the evergreen is the origin of the contemporary Christmas tree. In Rome a fir was decorated with berries during Saturnalia (Pack, p.7).

The word Christmas does not appear anywhere in the Bible nor does it have any Christian roots. According to David C. Pack, the writer of The True Origin of Christmas, nearly all aspects of Christmas observance have their roots in Roman customs and religion. “Considering the following admission from a large American newspaper (The Buffalo News, Nov. 22, 1984): ‘The earliest reference to Christmas being marked on Dec. 25 comes from the second century after Jesus’ birth. It is considered likely the first Christmas celebrations were in reaction to the Roman Saturnalia, a harvest festival that marked the winter solstice- the return of the sun- and honored Saturn, the god of sowing.

Saturnalia was a rowdy time, much opposed by the more austere leaders among the still-minority Christian sect. Christmas developed, one scholar says, as a means of replacing worship of the sun with the worship of the Son. By 529 A.D., after Christianity had become the official state religion of the Roman Empire, Emperor Justinian made Christmas a civic holiday.’” In addition, Pack asks his readers to consider the following quotes from the Catholic Encyclopedia, 1911 edition, under “Christmas.” It states “Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church…the first evidence of the feast is from Egypt.” Further, “Pagan customs centering around the January calends gravitated to Christmas” (p. 2). From December 17-24 marked the Roman Festival of Saturnalia, this was a time of celebration and gift exchanging. Saturnalia was the celebration of the fire god. “Saturn was the god of sowing (planting) because heat from the sun was required to allow for planting and growth of crops. He was also worshipped in the dead-of-winter festival so that he could come back (he was the “sun”) and warm the earth again so that spring planting could occur. The planet Saturn was later named after him because, among all the planets, with its rings and bright red color, it best represent the god of fire!” (Pack, p. 3).

Almost all civilizations had a fire and/or sun god: the Egyptians (and sometimes Romans) called him Vulcan; the Greeks named him Kronos and the Phoenicians called him Kronos as well as Saturn. The Babylonians called their sun god Tammuz (as Nimrod, resurrected in the person of his son) Nimrod was also called Baal and Molech. Nimrod was also considered the father of all the Babylonian gods (pp. 3-4). In association with the worship of the sun/fire god, followed some heinous practices. One in particular was the human sacrifice, mainly children which is described in Jeremiah 32:35, “And they built the high places of Baal which are in the valley of the Son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech (Nimrod), which I did not command them, nor did it come into My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.” It was the pagan belief that the fire purified them from their original sin. Their doctrine of spending time in purgatory to purge the soul from all sin derives from this belief (p. 4). Other practices such as the Christmas tree, the holly, the mistletoe and the Yule log have nothing to do with Christ or Christianity, in actuality they date long before Christianity and are utterly pagan practices.

Pack reveals the modern term for mixing the true God with false practices as syncretism. “Anyone who did this in ancient Israel was put to death (Lev. 18:21, 29)! It was that serious!” (p. 8). And many Christians today wonder why they are living a cursed life, surrounded by dead things: death in relationships, dying hopes and dreams; dead end jobs and so on. God’s Word was true then and remains true today for God is not a man that He should life or a son of man that He should repent. If He said it He will make it good (Numbers 23:19). For His word cannot return unto Him void (Isaiah 55:11). There will be more on this matter in the final section.

Other Holidays

St. Valentine’s Day has both Roman and Catholic roots, but is no longer officially honored by the Catholic Church because of the confusion of its origin, according to www.AmericanCatholic.org. In one possibility a priest in the Roman Empire who helped persecuted Christians during the reign of Claudius II, was believed to be thrown in Jail and later beheaded on February 14^th. The second possibility discussed is a Catholic bishop who was beheaded, also during the reign of Claudius II. The third possibility according to American Catholic is that someone who secretly married couples when marriage was forbidden, or suffered in Africa, or wrote letters to his jailer’s daughter, and was probably beheaded.

Unfortunately, like the prior holidays explained, St. Valentines Day has a perverted origin and is not heroic as described on the American Catholic Website. The world’s beloved holiday of love, sweets, cards and flowers is another attempt to Christianize pagan celebrations. In Ancient Rome, February 14^th was a holiday to honor Juno Februata, the goddess of febris “fever” of love, and of women and marriage. Also celebrated was the Lupercalia (known as the “festival of sexual license”) held in honor of

Lupercus, god of fertility and husbandry, protector of herds and crops. Once again we are led back to Nimrod and the Babylonian Mystery Religion. Nimrod was known as Baal, Pan (god of light), Saturn, Osiris and Valentine. Defined by Pack in his tract entitled The Truth Behind St. Valentine’s Day, “Valentine comes from the Latin Valentinus, which derives from valens–to, to be strong, powerful, might” as described of Nimrod in Genesis 10:8-9. (p. 2). The symbol of the heart originated from ancient Chaldean (the language of the Babylonians), the word “bal” meaning “heart” was similar to Baal.

Finally, remember cute Cupid? You will not find him too cute to know that his name means desire in Latin and he was the son of Venus, the Roman goddess of beauty and love. Cupid, also known as Eros in ancient Greece, he was the son of Aphrodite. According to myths, he was responsible for impregnating numerous goddesses and mortals. Cupid was and archer with a jovial but sinister personality. By using an invisible arrow dipped in gold, Cupid would strike unsuspecting men and women, causing them to fall in love with uncontrollable passion. Producing misery and pain for the couple and laughter and pleasure for evil Cupid (Pack, p.2). So much more can be said about St. Valentine’s Day, but the point is that it is another pagan holiday that the world celebrates and Christians should not participate in.

Happy Birthday to You!

Surprise! Another holiday that should be avoided by Christians is the celebration of birthdays, only because it is a practice done by heathens. The Bible does not tell us to or not to celebrate them, but when we examine the Bible, there are only three places

where birthdays are mentioned (Genesis 40:1-23, Matthew 14:3-11 and in Job 1:4) and all three are followed by disasters. Not a single scripture describes a birthday celebration for any of God’s righteous servants. In spite of what some Christians believe, not even baby Jesus had a birthday celebration. Many Christians have been duped to believe that the three wise men immediately brought gifts to Jesus while He was still an infant. The myth is viewed in the “Christmas Nativity” scene that displays Mary and her husband Joseph, the Baby Jesus, shepherds and the three wise men from the East. But this portrait is inaccurate. According to Matthew 2, Jesus was a young child of about two years old, as we read of the massacre of innocent boys of 2 years and younger, Herod intended to destroy Jesus Christ the King of the Jews, “Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men” (Matthew 2:16).

Resisting Mind Manipulation, Lesson 19
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Resisting Mind Manipulation, Lesson 18
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Two Brief Experiments

“Test all things; hold fast what is good” 1^st Thessalonians 5:21 (NKJV)

Experiment I: Commercials (Desensitization Through Repetition)

THEORY:

Are Christians becoming desensitized through repetitious commercials? Many who have been exposed after a period of time would say no. However, researchers have determined that not only adults are desensitized, but their children are as well. In addition, these commercials have stuck in the viewers’ memories, due to catchy jingles and fantasy-creation.

DATA AND METHOD

Four (4) Christian women between the ages of 25 and 50 watched four different television networks, for two hours, around the same time of day for three days. They each were given written instructions and a questionnaire.

They were asked the following:

1. Type of Commercials Viewed?

2. How many times it aired within that two-hour period?

3. Were the commercials informative or persuasive?

4. Were they sex related? If yes, how so?

5. Would you be inclined to purchase any of these products? If yes, why?

6. Were you offended by any of these commercials? If yes, how so?

7. Any catchy jingles stick in your mind? If so, which ones?

Subject A: Latisha

Latisha watched television between 6:00 – 8:00 AM (Early Morning). She viewed commercials like: tax return, money investments, local newspaper subscription, weight loss, pharmaceutical sales, hospital recruitment, trade school recruitment, computer services and mortgage company advertisements. She recorded that they were equally as persuasive as they were informative. During that two-hour period, the majority of the commercials viewed were the weight control and health related advertisements. Latisha claimed that most of the weight control/health related ads she viewed had sex-related content. There were women wearing bathing suits or a man posing to be sexy to a woman.

In answering questions 5-7, Latisha stated that none of the commercials offended her and none of the jingles were catchy enough to stick in her mind. However, she was inclined to try the weight/health related products that peeked her curious to know whether they really work or not.

Subject B: Paula

Paula watched television between 3:00 – 6:00 PM (mid-late afternoon). She viewed commercials like: informative, educational, lingerie, cell phone and diet soda advertisements. She recorded that they were very much persuasive. During that two-hour period, the majority of the commercials viewed were the lingerie and diet soda

advertisements. Paula claimed that the lingerie and cell phone ads she viewed had sex-related content. Naturally, the lingerie commercials were sex-related, but surprisingly the cell phone ad exploited sexual-related content.

In answering questions 5-7, Paula stated that she was offended by the cell phone commercials and that the diet soda commercial jingle stuck to her head because she use to her the song when she was a child. She was very much inclined to buy the lingerie, because she likes lingerie, yet, she did not like the exploitation of the women.

Subject C: Vanessa

Vanessa watched television between 8:00 – 10:00 PM (Primetime). She viewed commercials like: furniture (viewed 10-15 times a night), automobile (in excess of 20 a night), and food/fast food restaurants (average of 20 per night) advertisements, among some others. She recorded that the majority of the ads she viewed were very persuasive. Only one advertisement about a learning institute was boarder line informative. No jingle stuck in her head she claimed; none of the commercials were sex-related and nor was she offended by any of them. However, one evening, she admits that she was enticed to eat after seeing so many food commercials. “The later I stayed up, the more hungry I got. The “KFC” and “McDonald” commercials were very enticing.” Another night the furniture store commercials nearly had her running to buy: “I would be inclined to buy some furniture. I like (love) Haynes and I need some new furniture. The more I saw the

commercial, the more I wanted to go to Haynes and purchase something.”

Subject D: Jada

Jada watched television between 10:00 PM – 12:00 AM (Late Night). She viewed commercials like: food/restaurant, household items, pet food, personal hygiene and medication for STD advertisements. She recorded that they were equally as persuasive as they were informative. During that two-hour period, she viewed a variety of commercials. None of which appeared to be sexually related to Jada.

In answering questions 5-7, Jada stated that she was quite offended by an “Aqua Velva Man” commercial, because men and women were kissing and touching too much. She does believe that the advertisers promoted their products in such a way that appear beneficial if purchased. The jingles to “Burger King,” “Oscar Meyer” and “Applebee’s” (all food/Restaurant) commercials stuck in her head.

FINDINGS

In examining the four Christians ladies, it is evident that these ladies are either desensitized or becoming desensitized by repeated exposure to certain commercials. Although, Subject A: Latisha found that most of the weight control/health advertisements had sex-related content, she was not offended; in fact, inclined to try the advertisers’ products to see if they really worked. Since Latisha was not bothered by the sex-related content, it is apparent that she is insensitive to sex-related material exposure, therefore

being desensitized to repeated exposure. Also, fantasy-creation was obvious, since she desired to try the products to see if they would work for her as they worked for the actors.

Subject B: Paula expressed that even though she did not like the exploitation of the women in the lingerie ads, she was still inclined to purchase the lingerie because they appealed to her taste. In addition, she shared that a jingle to a diet soda commercial stuck in her memory, because it was a familiar tune.

Subject C: Vanessa watched so many food commercials in a two-hour period, until she was driven to eat. Although it was late, her emotions bypassed reasoning and desired to indulge. Also, Vanessa developed a need to purchase furniture after being exposed repeatedly.

While, Subject D: Jada stated that none of the commercials appeared to have been sex-related, one commercial did offend her due to excessive touching and kissing. This would appear to be a contradiction. Speculative, they may have been other commercials sex-related, but were unnoticed due to desensitization. Jada also stated that three food commercial jingles stuck in her mind.

Experiment II: Programs (Desensitization Through Exposure)

THEORY

Are Christians becoming desensitized through the exposure of decadent programming? More and more programs are crossing the line of immorality. They are designed to expose little by little the world’s view, while it poisons innocent minds and unsuspected minds that enjoy television. People are being desensitized by these exposures and in fact willing to watched them again without complaints.

DATA AND METHOD

Four (4) Christian men and women between the ages of 25 and 50 watched four (4) different television networks, for four (4) hours, around the same time of day for three days. They each were given written instructions and a questionnaire.

They were asked the following:

1. Type of Program (Drama or Situation Comedy)?

2. What was the length of the program?

3. Was there moderate or excessive profanity?

4. Was there casual or crime related sex?

5. Were there any drugs or alcohol presented in a casual or criminal manner?

6. Were you exposed to homosexuality? If so, was it accepted or rejected by the actors?

7. Were any of these programs offensive to you? If so, which ones?

8. Did any of these exposures affect you?

9. Are you accustom to these exposures?

10. Which programs you watch weekly?

Subject A: Valerie

Valerie watched television between 4:00 – 8:00 PM. She watched a total of eleven (11) sitcoms and four (4) dramas. Out of the eleven sitcoms, two (2) had moderate profanity; five (5) had exposure to casual sex; and four (4) exposed her to drinking alcohol in a casual manner. Out of the four dramas, Valerie was exposed to one (1) excessive profanity; two (2) exposed her to moderate profanity; two (2) also exposed her to casual alcohol consumption; one (1) exposed her to sex crime and one (1) program also displayed acceptable homosexuality.

In answering questions 7-10, Valerie stated that some of the programs viewed appear to glorified casual sex. Another program glorified gangster and crime life and the display of disrespectful children to their parents. She was affected by the fact that casual sex, profanity and homosexuality are so acceptable: “This makes me angry.” She claimed that she has grown accustom to these moral violations, but is very much displeased with the portrayal of the parents being naive and the children as being witty and worldly. She does watch the majority of the sitcoms weekly.

Subject B: Brenda

In watching from 6:00 – 10:00 PM, Brenda summed up her viewing in an essay to express her frustrations after being exposed to particular programs: “It seems to get more disturbing to find a decent program on television. As I flipped through the channels about 60 percent of the programs are inundated with sex, homosexuality and everything else you do not want your children to be exposed to. Even this reality show called ‘Fear Factor’ is to expose you to your worst fears. How inhuman to subject your mind, body and spirit to this treatment. This type of exposure can harm you more, permanently, than cure you from your fears, especially if you do not have God. On another program, I was repulsed by two women who were kissing and then later exposed to men openly expressing their homosexuality on a show called ‘Queer Eye For The Straight Guy.’ Another night I decided to watch the music video channel (the channel 90 percent of our children watch) and discovered that they are literally having sex with their clothes on, while others look on. Another day I watched a network that was just for kids, and they were promoting that it is okay to be gay and experimenting with kissing the same sex will help you decide whether you are gay or straight. Teenagers have a lot to contend with and it is not getting any easier. We can only pray that they have a close relationship with their parents to discuss these issues if they should come up. These television programs are also promoting the use of strong language. For some, it is natural.” Brenda

Subject C: John

John watched television between 6:00 – 10:00 PM/ 8:00 PM – 12:00 AM. The first night of his viewing, John watched the “Super Bowl” although, much was not happening on the field in relations to desensitization, a great deal took place at every break and at half time. The “Super Bowl” for a little over four hours was overflowing with advertisements. The “Super Bowl” perhaps the only time on national TV where a single 30 second commercial can cost an advertiser millions of dollars. John stated that the commercials were filled with the exposure of casual sex and casual drinking. However, he was not affected by the exposure, but was offended by one commercial. The next two nights he watched four (4) dramas and one (1) sitcom. In viewing the dramas, two (2) had moderate profanity and three (3) exposed casual sex and alcohol. One (1) drama was over the top; it had excessive profanity and both crime related sex and drug/alcohol abuse. The single sitcom revealed the acceptance of casual sex.

In answering questions 7-10, John was highly offended by the movie with the excessive sexual content and language. Although he was accustomed to this type of exposures, he was very much affected by the movie.

Subject D: Jasmyn

Jasmyn watched television between 9:00 PM – 1:00 AM. She watched a total of ten (10) dramas and four (4) sitcoms. Out of the ten dramas, five (5) had excessive profanity; six

(6) had exposure of casual drinking; and two (2) exposed her to sex in crime. Out of the four sitcoms, Jasmyn was exposed to one (1) excessive profanity; three (3) exposed her to moderate profanity; two (2) exposed her to casual alcohol consumption; one (1) featured homosexuality as acceptable. In fact, a gay couple was getting married. “‘Will and Grace’ had a gay wedding and it made me feel sick to where I could no longer watch.” Jasmyn claimed that she was offended by seven (7) out of fourteen (14) programs. “The language in these shows were too much and unnecessary. They usually are pretty good shows.” She is not accustomed to profanity and she finds it irritating.

FINDINGS

All of the participants found an excessive amount of profanity; sex of a casual and/or crime nature; alcohol/drug consumption both casually and in an abusive way; and the exposure of homosexuality. Two out of four stated that they were accustomed to such exposures. However, all four complained of the severity and the extremity of such exposures. Will they no longer watch television? I think not, for it is a great source of information and entertainment.

From these findings, it can be determined that either commercials or television programs will have sex-related, alcohol or homosexual content all day long. There is no way to escape them, unless you shut the television off and vow never to turn it on again. No matter how unrealistic this may sound, it becomes the genuine solution. Less TV and

more family time, sit down dinner discussions, home Bible studies and other godly projects will make for a healthy and happy life together as a Christian family. TV, video games, Internet and other activities that cause solitary or family separation are designed to sever the family bond, so the enemy can destroy.

Test Questions:

1. What is desensitization?

2. Explain the sequence of desensitization?

3. What does it mean to “Bypass Reason?”

4. What manipulative technique where titillation and teasing is the heart of propaganda

and how?

5. Along the way of training Christian children, what interloper has injected worldly

desires into their minds?

6. Do commercials and television programs affect the behavior of our children? If so,

how?

Resisting Mind Manipulation, Lesson 18
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