"There are many different paths that lead to the ultimate truth" .... Twitter: @pst007x .... IG: @pst007x
Friday, 6 May 2011
Objects around the sun
Since SOHO, there have been many objects found in our solar system, especially around the sun.
Yellowstone's Supervolcano To Blow
Every 600 million years Yellowstone Park super volcano erupts, the last time this happened was 640million years ago. This could wipe out North America and damage life on earth beyond comprehension. It is a case of not if but when.....
We do not know what causes earthquakes and volcano's to erupt, we understand the mechanics of these events but not the trigger. There are so many things to consider, from what happens in the earth to what is happening in our solar system.
Monday, 2 May 2011
The Lost Book Of Nostradamus
NOSTRADAMUS is what everybody calls him plus known for nevertheless his Birth name given to him was Michel de Nostredame. He was born in 1503 in France - He was a known for being some kind of pharmacist and a very good healer plus in around 1550 he became very intensely interested in the psychic sciences and thus that is how he began writing his almanacs. He started to be prominent these and many individuals used to get nearer to him for horoscopes and asking supernatural assistance.
Nostradamus started shortening his writing and prophecies -he feared reprisal and wrote them in quatrains; it is a 4 line poetic paragraphs in written in French. Nostradamus put together about a 1,000 and for undated quatrains into a manuscript known "The Prophecies" which he is pretty legendary even these days. NOSTRADAMUS wrote in a solemn style and his quatrains necessitate analysis. Many have found that most of for these predictions are perfect and his prophecies are extremely labeled by astrologers and in many supernatural circles.
Read more:http://www.nostradamuspredictions.org/#ixzz1LCMQJ0rl
Nostradamus is what everybody calls him however his birth name was Michel de Nostredame. He was born in 1503 in France, known for being a pharmacist and a very good healer. Around 1550 he became very interested in the psychic sciences and this led to him writing his almanacs. He soon started to be a prominent figure in prediction through horoscopes and using supernatural means.Nostradamus started shortening his writing and prophecies -he feared reprisal and wrote them in quatrains; it is a 4 line poetic paragraphs in written in French. Nostradamus put together about a 1,000 and for undated quatrains into a manuscript known "The Prophecies" which he is pretty legendary even these days. NOSTRADAMUS wrote in a solemn style and his quatrains necessitate analysis. Many have found that most of for these predictions are perfect and his prophecies are extremely labeled by astrologers and in many supernatural circles.
Read more:http://www.nostradamuspredictions.org/#ixzz1LCMQJ0rl
Nostradamus started shortening his writing and prophecies, he feared reprisal and wrote them in quatrains; a 4 line poetic paragraphs in written in his native French. Nostradamus put together about a 1,000 of these undated quatrains into a manuscript known as "The Prophecies".
Nostradamus wrote in a solemn style and his quatrains necessitate analysis.
Many have found that most of for these predictions have had unusual accuracy to historical events and his prophecies have been the subject of great study.
In 1994, Italian journalist Enza Massa was at the Italian National Library in Rome when she stumbled upon an unusual find. It was a manuscript dating to 1629, titled: Nostradamus Vatinicia Code. Michel de Notredame, the author's name, was on the inside in indelible ink. This manuscript, never published by Nostradamus, was handed down to the prophet's son and later donated by him to Pope Urban VIII. It did not surface again until now, almost four hundred years later.
It was said that Nostradamus had handed the book over to his son who in turn was to donate it to a cardinal at the time who later went on to become Pope Urban VIII; the book eventually ended up in the library.In both the paintings and the accompanying quatrains within, Nostradamus is said to have predicted the Nazi Blitzkrieg, the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II, the burning of the oil wells of Kuwait by Iraq, and Boris Yeltsin's rise to power.
Some of the paintings reveal new prophecies, while others are either generally indecipherable or linked to earlier quatrains, but not indicated. Among the paintings are a Pope with the body of a dog, female priests, clergymen being attacked and a black-skinned pope.
Many have found that most of for these predictions have had unusual accuracy to historical events and his prophecies have been the subject of great study.
In 1994, Italian journalist Enza Massa was at the Italian National Library in Rome when she stumbled upon an unusual find. It was a manuscript dating to 1629, titled: Nostradamus Vatinicia Code. Michel de Notredame, the author's name, was on the inside in indelible ink. This manuscript, never published by Nostradamus, was handed down to the prophet's son and later donated by him to Pope Urban VIII. It did not surface again until now, almost four hundred years later.
The Lost Book Of Nostradamus
The cryptic paintings vary from the strange to the bizarre, with images of popes,decapitations and strange creatures. Known as the "Vaticinia Nostradami",this book has often been considered to be Nostradamus' final prophecies regarding the end of the world as we know it.It was said that Nostradamus had handed the book over to his son who in turn was to donate it to a cardinal at the time who later went on to become Pope Urban VIII; the book eventually ended up in the library.In both the paintings and the accompanying quatrains within, Nostradamus is said to have predicted the Nazi Blitzkrieg, the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II, the burning of the oil wells of Kuwait by Iraq, and Boris Yeltsin's rise to power.
Some of the paintings reveal new prophecies, while others are either generally indecipherable or linked to earlier quatrains, but not indicated. Among the paintings are a Pope with the body of a dog, female priests, clergymen being attacked and a black-skinned pope.
Images from The Lost Book Of Nostradamus
Nostradamus writes in one of his quatrains – “In the sky will be seen a great fire dragging a trail of sparks”. This line clearly suggest a comet and many are of the opinion that it will be very big in size. Certain interpreters put the size to be just a little less than the planet Jupiter, and if such a comet passes close to the earth the effect of its gravity will cause the oceans to rise and also give rise to earthquakes.
Nostradamus 2012 The Prophecies (History channel)
For 2012 Nostradamus also suggest that because of the massive destruction caused by the comet there will be widespread anarchy and certain nations can take advantage and plunge the world into a third World War. One of the quatrains says – “King of terror shall come from the sky. He will bring to life the King of Mongols.” This line has been interpreted that after the coming of the comet China will gain prominence and might start attacking countries to gain supremacy.
2012 Nostradamus predictions also gives an indication of the fate of certain nations, and how long the comet will be seen in the skies. He mentions – “The Great Star will blaze for Seven days” meaning the comet will be very near the earth for seven days and nights. Further he says – “The Huge dog will howl at night, when the great pontiff will change lands”. The great dog is taken to be the United Kingdom by many interpreters, and the line suggests its destruction. The pontiff is taken to be the pope and hence Rome too will be destroyed.
Sea levels rising twice as fast as predicted
Sea levels are predicted to rise twice as fast as was forecast by the United Nations only two years ago, threatening hundreds of millions of people with catastrophe, scientists said yesterday in a dramatic new warning about climate change. Rapidly melting ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are likely to push up sea levels by a metre or more by 2100, swamping coastal cities and obliterating the living space of 600 million people who live in deltas, low-lying areas and small island states.
Low-lying countries with increasing populations, such as Bangladesh, Burma and Egypt, could see large parts of their surface areas vanish. Experts in Bangladesh estimate that a one metre rise in sea levels would swamp 17 per cent of the country's land mass. Pacific islands such as Tuvalu, where 12,000 people live just a few feet above sea level, and the Maldives, would face complete obliteration.
Even Britain could face real challenges in lower-lying areas along the east coast, from Lincolnshire to the Thames estuary, with a much greater risk of catastrophic "storm surges" such as the great flood of 1953 that killed 307 people.
Birds, Bees and Fish?
Why Are So Many Creatures Dying in 2011?
The 2012 prophecies, is infact a period of time starting as far back as 2005. Some say it can simply be dismissed as superstition however after 100,000 fish turned up in a massive fish kill on Thursday, approximately 4,000 birds dropped dead from the sky just before midnight on New Year's Eve, and a new report declared that 96 percent of four species of bees have died off in recent years, the world's ecosystems seem more than a little fragile at the start of 2011.
Surge Desk reviews the not-so-cheery mass die-off news about our nation's birds, bees and fish (to say nothing of recent monarch butterfly declines) and looks at the suspected causes.
Birds
While the cause of death for roughly 4,000 red-winged blackbirds over Beebe, Ark., has so far been attributed to "blunt-force trauma," it remains something of a mystery as to what caused said trauma to occur. Leading theories over the midair deaths of so many birds include lightning strikes, a hail storm or stress from New Year's fireworks.
Bees
For the past few years, scientists have been tracking what they term a "colony collapse" of honey bees, blaming the death of millions of bees on a range of possible causes, such as pathogens, pesticide use, fungi, stress and even cell phone radiation. Now, a study released Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that four other bee species, including the bumble bee, are also in sharp decline. What is behind the dwindling populations? As with the honey bee decline, pathogens and "reduced genetic diversity" are believed to be to blame.
Fish
Unlike the birds and the bees, mass die-offs of fish are not uncommon events. But the size of Thursday's fish kill in the Arkansas River is noteworthy. Testing is ongoing at the University of Arkansas to determine the exact cause of death, but researchers tell AOL News that pollution is not believed to be involved. More likely, the drum fish experienced a population boom over the summer, and then, as the fish were competing for food, a cold snap hit, further distressing an already vulnerable population.
Mass Extinction is happening now
Ecologists have unveiled strong evidence that huge numbers of the world's species are disappearing. A survey of British wildlife suggests that insects - thought to be among the most resilient species - are suffering similar extinction rates to larger, better-studied animals.
If the same is happening worldwide, we may be witnessing the largest die-off since the mass extinction that killed the dinosaurs, says Jeremy Thomas of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology in Dorset, UK, who led the study in this week's Science1.
Thomas's team analysed surveys of British birds, plants and butterflies stretching back 40 years. The statistics, collected by 20,000 amateur naturalists, form an unprecedented census of insects. "No dataset approaches this detail and scale anywhere in the world," Thomas says.
The researchers divided Britain into 10-kilometre squares and counted the number of squares occupied by each species. Of 58 butterfly species, 71% have declined or disappeared over the past 20 years, alongside 54% of birds. The past 40 years has seen declines in 28% of plants studied.
Experts had assumed that the sheer number of insects would safeguard them against mass extinction. "The gloomy result is that this group has declined massively," says Thomas. As insects comprise more than 50% of the planet's species, a large die-off would be bad news for global diversity, he adds.
The sixth extinction?
"This study provides further evidence that the world is facing another major extinction crisis," warns Michael Rands, director of UK conservation group Bird Life International.
There have been five such events since the birth of multicellular life 600 million years ago. In each, 65-95% of the world's species died out. No one is claiming that current species loss has reached this rate, Thomas concedes. "But it's accelerating," he warns. "If nothing is done, we're going lose a lot more species."
Thomas and his team attribute the British trend to habitat loss. Across the world, Thomas says, habitat preservation will be the first line of defence against species loss.
A second study in Science2 shows that another reason for species decline, in Britain at least, is nitrogen pollution. A team led by Carly Stevens of the Open University in Milton Keynes, UK, examined 68 grasslands around the British Isles and found that higher nitrogen pollution means fewer species.
Soils in Britain and Central Europe receive an average of 17 kilograms of nitrogen compounds per hectare per year, mostly from fossil-fuel burning and intensive livestock farming. This pollution could kill 20% of grassland species, Stevens warns.
We need to act now to reduce this, says Stevens. Once biodiversity begins to decline, it is very difficult to prevent it crashing, she says: "If you keep taking enough bricks out of the wall, the wall's going to fall down."
Near Death Experience - A Study
A near-death experience (NDE) refers to a broad range of personal experiences associated with impending death, encompassing multiple possible sensations including detachment from the body; feelings of levitation; extreme fear; total serenity, security, or warmth; the experience of absolute dissolution; and the presence of a light. (Wiki)
Dr. Sam Parnia - Full Interview on Coast to Coast AM January 3rd 2011
Jeanette Atkinson is surprisingly relaxed about the time she died and went to the edge of heaven.
"I do not want to die again in the near future because I still have too much to do,” she says. “but I have no fear of death."
"People see the pain and suffering of dying and equate that with death - but they’re not the same. Death is the progression of life."
Jeanette, a 43-year-old student nurse from Eastbourne, had a near-death experience in 1979 when she was just 18-years-old. It was triggered when a blood clot in her leg broke up into seven pieces and clogged the main vessels in her lungs, starving her body of oxygen. The doctors were certain that she would die. She did – but then returned to tell the tale.
“The first thing I noticed was that the world changed,” says Jeanette. “The light became softer but clearer. Suddenly there was no pain. All I could see was my body from the chest downwards and I noticed that the time was 9:00pm.
“In an instant I found myself looking at the ceiling. It was only a few inches away. I remember thinking it was about time they cleaned the dust from the striplights!
“I then went on a little journey around the ward and along the corridor to see what the nurses were up to. One was writing on a notepad. It never occurred to me that I was dying. It was a lovely experience and very, very serene.”
Jeanette then began the journey that many others before her have reported – being drawn into a long dark tunnel suffused with light. “Everything went fuzzy,” she says. "I found myself being drawn into a tunnel shaped like a corkscrew."
“All I wanted to do was reach the beautiful lights at the bottom. The longing was so powerful but so gentle. I knew I desperately wanted to be there. But then a voice bellowed at me: ‘Come on you silly old cow it’s not your time yet!"
“I then shot back into my body – it’s all a little unclear – all I can say is that I remember seeing the clock again and it was 9:20pm. The next thing I was aware of was waking up a few days later, surrounded by equipment and feeling terrible. Later on I realised that the voice I’d heard was my grandmother’s. She’d died when I was three years old.”For decades near-death experiences like Jeanette’s have been written off as delusions by scientists. They are dismissed as no more than the last twitches of a dying brain. Modern science has no place for mysticism and the paranormal. But now a group of British researchers are challenging the scientific establishment by launching a major study into near-death experiences. They hope to settle once and for all the question of whether there truly is life after death.
“We now have the technology and scientific knowledge to begin exploring the ultimate question,” says Dr Sam Parnia, leader of the research team at London’s Hammersmith Hospital. “To be honest, I started off as a sceptic but having weighed up all the evidence I now think that there is something going on."
“It’s not possible to talk in terms of ‘life after death’. In scientific terms we can only say that there is now evidence that consciousness may carry on after clinical death. Our work will prove one way or the other whether a form of consciousness carries on after the body and brain has died.”
Several scientific studies have suggested that the mind – or ‘soul’ - lives on after the body has died and the brain ceased to function. One study published in the prestigious Lancet medical journal found that one in ten cardiac arrest survivors experienced emotions, visions or lucid thoughts while they were clinically dead. In medical terms they were “flatliners” or unconscious with no signs of brain activity, pulse or breathing. About one in four people who have a near-death experience also have a much more profound – and sometimes disturbing – experience such as watching doctors try and resuscitate their bodies. These ‘out-of-body experiences’ often include seeing a bright light, traveling down a tunnel, seeing their dead body from above, and meeting deceased relatives.
Research in America has uncovered even more bizarre results. Blind people who underwent near-death experiences were able to see whilst they were ‘dead’ – even those who had been blind from birth.
They did not experience perfect vision, often it was out of focus or hazy, as if they were seeing the world for the first time through a thin mist. But the vision was sufficiently clear for them to watch doctors trying to resuscitate their clinically dead bodies.
Dr Parnia has previously studied near-death experiences. Two years ago his work was published in the prestigious medical journal Resuscitation. Dr Parnia’s team rigorously interviewed 63 cardiac arrest patients and discovered that seven had memories of their brief period of ‘death’, although only four passed the Grayson scale, the strict medical criteria for assessing near-death experiences. These four recounted feelings of peace and joy, they lost awareness of their own bodies, time speeded up, they saw a bright light and entered another world, encountered a mystical being and faced a “point of no return”.
According to modern medicine all of these patients were effectively dead. Their brains had shut down and no thoughts or feelings were possible. There was certainly no possibility of the complex brain activity required for dreaming or hallucinating.
Dr Parnia’s initial trial was especially rigorous - he wanted to confound his critics before they could muster their arguments. To rule out the possibility that near-death experiences resulted from hallucinations after the brain had collapsed through lack of oxygen, he rigorously monitored the concentrations of the vital gas in the patients’ blood. Crucially, none of those who underwent the experiences had low levels of oxygen.
He was also able to rule out claims that unusual combinations of drugs were to blame because the resuscitation procedure was the same in every case, regardless of whether they had a near-death experience or not.
“Arch sceptics will always attack our work,” says Dr Parnia. “I’m content with that. That’s how science progresses. What is clear is that something profound is happening. The mind – the thing that is ‘you’ – your ‘soul’ if you will - carries on after conventional science says it should have drifted into nothingness.”
Dr Parnia says that every near-death experience is subtly different but that they all share eight or nine key features, whatever the nationality, culture or religion of the patient. These include intense feelings of calmness, traveling down a long dark tunnel, being drawn into an intense loving light, seeing your dead body from above, and meeting long-deceased relatives or friends. A few experience a brief form of ‘hell’ where they are drawn, petrified, into a dark swirling well of bitterness, hatred and fear.
There are cultural differences in these experiences. Tribal people may report paddling in a canoe down a long dark river for three days towards the sun, for example, rather than floating down a tunnel towards the light. The experience, whatever the cultural differences, usually have a deep and long lasting effect. It often leaves behind a legacy of profound spirituality and removes the fear of death.
“The worst thing is coming back from the dead,” says Patrick Tierney, who had a near-death experience following a cardiac arrest in 1991. “If dying is anything like the experience I had then it’s not a problem."
Patrick was rushed to hospital in July 1991 following a heart attack. He survived the initial attack and within hours was chatting with his family at the bedside.
As soon as a patient slips into a cardiac arrest, Dr Parnia’s team will swing into action. The first priority will be to get the patient’s heart beating again. Equipment used during the resuscitation will have symbols placed on top of it in such a way that they can only be seen from above. Other symbols will be placed around the patient’s body.
Surviving patients will then be gently quizzed about their experiences when they regain consciousness. Those that claim to have left their bodies will be questioned in more detail to see if they can identify the symbols.
Dr Parnia has designed the experiments to be bullet-proof. He is only too keenly aware that critics will tear his work apart if he leaves even the slightest doubt about the rigour of his team’s efforts. It will also destroy his career as a scientist. Even the exact experimental details are shrouded in secrecy.
“We can’t run the risk of prejudicing the experiment,” says Dr Parnia. “I won’t even know some of the details. We have a researcher who will be hiding the symbols on the equipment. Somebody else will be doing the interviews with the patients. It’s what’s known as a double-blind trial. It prevents scientists from unconsciously altering the results of their experiments.”
Other scientists acknowledge Dr Parnia’s formidable reputation and the care he takes over his experiments but are still sceptical about his aims.
Dr Susan Blackmore, who has herself had a near-death experience but since written it off as a delusion, says such experiences “probably result from random firings in the brain.”
“I think that people have near-death experiences not when they are flatlining but when they are drifting into or out of consciousness,” she says. “Having said that, I’m curious to know the results. If they are positive then they could change the world.”
Because of the implications of his work – and the potential for ridicule from his fellow scientists - Dr Parnia is being very cautious in the claims he is making for the study. He is not trying to prove that we all die and go to heaven. He is instead trying to find out whether the mind continues to function after the brain has effectively died, or at least ceased to function.
If the mind does continue after the brain has died then this will prove, by default, that the ‘soul’ is independent of the body. Dr Parnia will have proved that the mind – in essence, the soul – continues to live after the body has died.
“It comes back to the question of whether the mind or consciousness is produced by the brain,” says Dr Parnia. “If we can prove that the mind is produced by the brain then I don't think that there is anything after we die. If the brain dies then we die. It’s final and irreversible.”
“If, on the contrary, the brain is like an intermediary which manifests the mind, like a television will act as an intermediary to manifest radio waves into a picture or a sound, then we should be able to show that the mind is still there after the brain is clinically dead. That will be a significant discovery.”
But all of the theories and questions posed by scientists are academic to those who have had a near-death experience. They know the answers.
“There is no doubt in my mind that there’s life after death because I’ve seen the other side,” says Jeanette. “I don’t believe in a benevolent God. I’ve seen too much suffering for that but I’m very spiritual."
“I saw my daughter suffer for four years with cancer. She died when she was only 17. I know she has gone to a better place.”
Follow this author on twitter: @DrDannyPenman
According to modern medicine all of these patients were effectively dead. Their brains had shut down and no thoughts or feelings were possible. There was certainly no possibility of the complex brain activity required for dreaming or hallucinating.
Dr Parnia’s initial trial was especially rigorous - he wanted to confound his critics before they could muster their arguments. To rule out the possibility that near-death experiences resulted from hallucinations after the brain had collapsed through lack of oxygen, he rigorously monitored the concentrations of the vital gas in the patients’ blood. Crucially, none of those who underwent the experiences had low levels of oxygen.
He was also able to rule out claims that unusual combinations of drugs were to blame because the resuscitation procedure was the same in every case, regardless of whether they had a near-death experience or not.
“Arch sceptics will always attack our work,” says Dr Parnia. “I’m content with that. That’s how science progresses. What is clear is that something profound is happening. The mind – the thing that is ‘you’ – your ‘soul’ if you will - carries on after conventional science says it should have drifted into nothingness.”
Dr Parnia says that every near-death experience is subtly different but that they all share eight or nine key features, whatever the nationality, culture or religion of the patient. These include intense feelings of calmness, traveling down a long dark tunnel, being drawn into an intense loving light, seeing your dead body from above, and meeting long-deceased relatives or friends. A few experience a brief form of ‘hell’ where they are drawn, petrified, into a dark swirling well of bitterness, hatred and fear.
There are cultural differences in these experiences. Tribal people may report paddling in a canoe down a long dark river for three days towards the sun, for example, rather than floating down a tunnel towards the light. The experience, whatever the cultural differences, usually have a deep and long lasting effect. It often leaves behind a legacy of profound spirituality and removes the fear of death.
“The worst thing is coming back from the dead,” says Patrick Tierney, who had a near-death experience following a cardiac arrest in 1991. “If dying is anything like the experience I had then it’s not a problem."
Patrick was rushed to hospital in July 1991 following a heart attack. He survived the initial attack and within hours was chatting with his family at the bedside.
“I was talking to my wife and eldest boy when I felt a little pinch in my chest,” says Patrick. “The next thing I knew I was travelling down a corridor in a medieval looking house. I was astounded. It was very real and lucid. I thought to myself ‘what the hell’s going on?’.
“I came to a fork in the corridor and I knew that I had to make a decision. One branch was a dark and sinister looking hole. The other was brightly lit and appeared friendly in some way, so I floated down that one.”
Patrick then found himself in a form of ‘heaven’. He was in front of a beautifully lit landscape bordered with a waist-high white picket fence. He was instantly calmed and soothed by a beautiful translucent light.
He then became aware of his parents, who were behind the white fence, smiling broadly at him. Strangely, they were in their thirties despite the fact that they had both died in their seventies.
“I moved towards a gate in the fence but my father gave me a look that I knew meant ‘don’t come through the gate’, so I didn’t. No words passed between us. I then found myself moving backwards through the corridor but this time it was very disturbing.
“Greeny-grey gargoyle-like figures were staring at me from the roof,” says Patrick. “One, with a face like an evil goat, began to move towards me. All of the warmth and cosiness left and I was terrified. A moment later I saw the face of an angel - it was a nurse from the hospital. It turned out I’d had a cardiac arrest.”Cardiac arrest survivors like Patrick are tailor-made for Dr Parnia’s study. Scientists know that within seconds of the heart stopping the brain has shut down completely. The patient is effectively dead and there is no chance of dreams or hallucinations mimicking a near-death experience.
As soon as a patient slips into a cardiac arrest, Dr Parnia’s team will swing into action. The first priority will be to get the patient’s heart beating again. Equipment used during the resuscitation will have symbols placed on top of it in such a way that they can only be seen from above. Other symbols will be placed around the patient’s body.
Surviving patients will then be gently quizzed about their experiences when they regain consciousness. Those that claim to have left their bodies will be questioned in more detail to see if they can identify the symbols.
Dr Parnia has designed the experiments to be bullet-proof. He is only too keenly aware that critics will tear his work apart if he leaves even the slightest doubt about the rigour of his team’s efforts. It will also destroy his career as a scientist. Even the exact experimental details are shrouded in secrecy.
“We can’t run the risk of prejudicing the experiment,” says Dr Parnia. “I won’t even know some of the details. We have a researcher who will be hiding the symbols on the equipment. Somebody else will be doing the interviews with the patients. It’s what’s known as a double-blind trial. It prevents scientists from unconsciously altering the results of their experiments.”
Other scientists acknowledge Dr Parnia’s formidable reputation and the care he takes over his experiments but are still sceptical about his aims.
Dr Susan Blackmore, who has herself had a near-death experience but since written it off as a delusion, says such experiences “probably result from random firings in the brain.”
“I think that people have near-death experiences not when they are flatlining but when they are drifting into or out of consciousness,” she says. “Having said that, I’m curious to know the results. If they are positive then they could change the world.”
Because of the implications of his work – and the potential for ridicule from his fellow scientists - Dr Parnia is being very cautious in the claims he is making for the study. He is not trying to prove that we all die and go to heaven. He is instead trying to find out whether the mind continues to function after the brain has effectively died, or at least ceased to function.
“It comes back to the question of whether the mind or consciousness is produced by the brain,” says Dr Parnia. “If we can prove that the mind is produced by the brain then I don't think that there is anything after we die. If the brain dies then we die. It’s final and irreversible.”
“If, on the contrary, the brain is like an intermediary which manifests the mind, like a television will act as an intermediary to manifest radio waves into a picture or a sound, then we should be able to show that the mind is still there after the brain is clinically dead. That will be a significant discovery.”
But all of the theories and questions posed by scientists are academic to those who have had a near-death experience. They know the answers.
“There is no doubt in my mind that there’s life after death because I’ve seen the other side,” says Jeanette. “I don’t believe in a benevolent God. I’ve seen too much suffering for that but I’m very spiritual."
“I saw my daughter suffer for four years with cancer. She died when she was only 17. I know she has gone to a better place.”
Follow this author on twitter: @DrDannyPenman
For up to date info follow me on Twitter: @LifeTimeUs
Wales, UK UFO sightings - from 2002
Current maps: UFO Sightings
Caersws, 2002
Bright light in the sky over the mountains towards Caersws. Did not make a sound or have flashing lights.
Whitemill, Carmarthen, 2004Something strange in the sky, like a streak of light.
Beguildy, Knighton, 2004Lights that looked like a lighthouse in the sky, and then later it was round with black spots with a ray of light.
Penybont, 2005Something with two lights has landed in field. Later discovered to be orange flares from army exercise.
Llanyre, Llandrindod Wells, 2005Oblong shaped, bright yellow craft, going horizontally across, about 10 to 15ft off the ground.
New Quay, 2006Spot light from across the hill thought to be a UFO.
Meifod, Powys, 2007
Triangular shape in sky with different coloured lights in each corner. A pulsing pink light lit up the vehicle. There was no sound to the object.
Llanelli, 2008Four low flying, brightly lit objects.
Newtown, 2008
Flashing balls of light though to be two UFOs.
Llanidloes, 2009Three orange lights thought to be UFOs. Object seized and discovered to be a night lantern.
Beacons Reservoir, Brecon, 2009
Report of a UFO in the sky.
Llangattock, Crickhowell, 2009
Large, vivid orange object, cylindrical in shape. Later thought to have been a night lantern.
Aberdyfi Estuary, 2004Round craft of 200 to 300m in length. When seen his car engine stopped.
Ffrwdgrech, Brecon, 2009Three lights, travelling at 20 knots.
Glanamman, Ammanford, 2009
Report of large orange sphere in the sky, looks like a hot air balloon. Later clarified to be Chinese lanterns.
Crickhowell, 2009Report sighting of a red flare, possible UFO sighting.
Brecon, 2009Reporting sight of bright white light, then two orange lights, not high up and no sound coming from them.
Newcastle Emlyn, Ceredigion, 2009
Three large orange lights in a triangular formation with white light around them.
Cardigan, 2009Two waves of UFO with red lights go past, high up in the sky.
Llanelli, 2010About 100 red lights in the sky. All very bright all slow-moving going from west to east. Moving too quick to be Chinese lanterns and too slow to be an aircraft.
Beaumaris, 2004Three lights in a triangular pattern, travelling East.
Denbigh, 2005UFO in the sky
Penmaenmawr, 2005Two sightings of immense white light moving quickly and silently across the sky.
Abergele, 2006Caller was suspected of being drunk claimed to have seen a UFO.
Blaenau Ffestiniog, 2007Bright light witnessed disappearing into the clouds.
Llangollen, 2007Family saw a flame shimmering in the sky.
Pwllheli, 2008
Luminous orange light with a white circle of light around it, making no noise and hovering around the area for 10 minutes.
Denbigh, 2009Three large red lights about the size of the moon before flying off. Shortly afterwards a fourth craft appeared in the sky.
Prestatyn, 2009Red, yellow and orange lights moving backwards and forwards really quickly, with no noise.
Wrexham, 2010Very large, orange in colour, but changed to red, blue and green.
Bangor, 2010A large, black triangular shaped craft appeared. It made a noise similar a lawnmower. It hovered in the sky for just over a minute before vanishing.
Colwyn Bay, 2010Glowing green triangles at the back of the craft, which eventually faded out.
Aberfan, 2007Large light in the sky in Aberfan, with several vehicles circling it. Several beams of light coming from the main craft.
Maerdy mountain, 2009Round, grey orb, moving across the moon and sometimes covering it.
Bridgend, 2009Four grey, circular UFOs flew above the Ford engine plant in Bridgend. Two aircrafts were flying overhead when the UFOs flew under them, travelling faster than supersonic speed.
Cardiff, 2008Circular craft with flashing lights at about 15,000 feet in the sky and heading towards Newport.
Cardiff, 2009Witness reported seeing a UFO flying above the city.
Margam, 2009
Spinning craft with twenty small lights above Margam.
Caersws, 2002
Bright light in the sky over the mountains towards Caersws. Did not make a sound or have flashing lights.
Whitemill, Carmarthen, 2004Something strange in the sky, like a streak of light.
Beguildy, Knighton, 2004Lights that looked like a lighthouse in the sky, and then later it was round with black spots with a ray of light.
Penybont, 2005Something with two lights has landed in field. Later discovered to be orange flares from army exercise.
Llanyre, Llandrindod Wells, 2005Oblong shaped, bright yellow craft, going horizontally across, about 10 to 15ft off the ground.
New Quay, 2006Spot light from across the hill thought to be a UFO.
Meifod, Powys, 2007
Triangular shape in sky with different coloured lights in each corner. A pulsing pink light lit up the vehicle. There was no sound to the object.
Llanelli, 2008Four low flying, brightly lit objects.
Newtown, 2008
Flashing balls of light though to be two UFOs.
Llanidloes, 2009Three orange lights thought to be UFOs. Object seized and discovered to be a night lantern.
Beacons Reservoir, Brecon, 2009
Report of a UFO in the sky.
Llangattock, Crickhowell, 2009
Large, vivid orange object, cylindrical in shape. Later thought to have been a night lantern.
Aberdyfi Estuary, 2004Round craft of 200 to 300m in length. When seen his car engine stopped.
Ffrwdgrech, Brecon, 2009Three lights, travelling at 20 knots.
Glanamman, Ammanford, 2009
Report of large orange sphere in the sky, looks like a hot air balloon. Later clarified to be Chinese lanterns.
Crickhowell, 2009Report sighting of a red flare, possible UFO sighting.
Brecon, 2009Reporting sight of bright white light, then two orange lights, not high up and no sound coming from them.
Newcastle Emlyn, Ceredigion, 2009
Three large orange lights in a triangular formation with white light around them.
Cardigan, 2009Two waves of UFO with red lights go past, high up in the sky.
Llanelli, 2010About 100 red lights in the sky. All very bright all slow-moving going from west to east. Moving too quick to be Chinese lanterns and too slow to be an aircraft.
Beaumaris, 2004Three lights in a triangular pattern, travelling East.
Denbigh, 2005UFO in the sky
Penmaenmawr, 2005Two sightings of immense white light moving quickly and silently across the sky.
Abergele, 2006Caller was suspected of being drunk claimed to have seen a UFO.
Blaenau Ffestiniog, 2007Bright light witnessed disappearing into the clouds.
Llangollen, 2007Family saw a flame shimmering in the sky.
Pwllheli, 2008
Luminous orange light with a white circle of light around it, making no noise and hovering around the area for 10 minutes.
Denbigh, 2009Three large red lights about the size of the moon before flying off. Shortly afterwards a fourth craft appeared in the sky.
Prestatyn, 2009Red, yellow and orange lights moving backwards and forwards really quickly, with no noise.
Wrexham, 2010Very large, orange in colour, but changed to red, blue and green.
Bangor, 2010A large, black triangular shaped craft appeared. It made a noise similar a lawnmower. It hovered in the sky for just over a minute before vanishing.
Colwyn Bay, 2010Glowing green triangles at the back of the craft, which eventually faded out.
Aberfan, 2007Large light in the sky in Aberfan, with several vehicles circling it. Several beams of light coming from the main craft.
Maerdy mountain, 2009Round, grey orb, moving across the moon and sometimes covering it.
Bridgend, 2009Four grey, circular UFOs flew above the Ford engine plant in Bridgend. Two aircrafts were flying overhead when the UFOs flew under them, travelling faster than supersonic speed.
Cardiff, 2008Circular craft with flashing lights at about 15,000 feet in the sky and heading towards Newport.
Cardiff, 2009Witness reported seeing a UFO flying above the city.
Margam, 2009
Spinning craft with twenty small lights above Margam.
Sunday, 1 May 2011
The Inquisition, Catholic Church, Accountability
"The Catholic resolve to find the world evil and ugly, has made the world evil and ugly."Today, the Catholic Church does not have the power it once had, we have witnessed Christian priests abuses of children, child rape, molestation and other vile acts, yet the Catholic Church still commands a vast influence over its followers morals and beliefs.
- Friedrich Nietzsche
The Catholic Church once had complete control over government, human life and dominated spiritual beliefs, we can see from the activities of the Inquisition the extreme lengths the church was prepared to go to force the acceptance of Jesus Christ to all.
The Inquisition did not show restraint in their quest to control the spiritual beliefs of all, children were often the subject of their torture. Children were often burnt at the stake accused of witchcraft, and often were tortured to extract testimony against their parents.¹
A documented case in the Silesian town of Neisse reveals a huge oven was constructed, which over a ten year period, more than a thousand "condemned witches, some as young as two years old" were roasted alive.² Many victims were also extremely old, some in their 80's.
How could the church justify this in the name of Christianity?
The Inquisition, in the name of the Catholic Church, murdered, tortured, mutilated and destroyed thousands of lives both directly through the Inquisition and indirectly through the wars they incited.
The atrocities against humanity is almost beyond comprehension , why has there never been any accountably for the murders carried out between the years of 1450-1600, being responsible for the torture, and burning of some 30,000 alleged "witches."³
During the reign of the Roman Emporer Constantine CE 306-337 the doctrines of the Catholic Church were regarded as the foundation of law.4 Heretics (persons who opposed church teachings) were sought out, tortured and eventually murdered. Heresy was an offence against the state as well as the church. For hundreds of years, civil rulers tried to stamp out all heresy.
As early as CE 430, the church leaders declared heresy punishable by death. In CE 906, "The Canon Episcopi" was the first church body to expressly forbid the use of witchcraft.5 Before the Inquisition was fully underway, the church accepted heretics back into the fold, under terms it considered reasonable.
The following is an example:
The Inquisition was a campaign of torture, mutilation, mass murder and destruction of human life supported by the Catholic church.
Directly because of the Inquisition, the church increased in power until it had total control over human life, both secular and religious.
The Vatican wasn't satisfied with the progress made by regional leaders in rooting out heresy. Pope Innocent III commissioned his own inquisitors who answered directly to him. Their authority was made official in the papal bull of March 25th, 1199.7 Innocent declared "anyone who attempted to construe a personal view of god which conflicted with the church dogma must be burned without pity."8
In 1254, to ease the job of the inquisitors, Pope Innocent IV decreed that accusers could remain anonymous, preventing the victims from confronting them and defending themselves. Many churches had a chest where informants could slip written accusations against their neighbors. Three years later, he authorized and officially condoned torture as a method of extracting confessions of heresy. 9
if they confessed, they were led away from the chamber into another room to confess to the inquisitors
This way it could be claimed the confessions were given without the use of force. The Inquisitional law replaced common law. Instead of innocent until proven guilty, it was simply if you were accused you were guilty.
Inquisitors grew very rich, accepting bribes and fines from the wealthy who paid to avoid being prosecuted. The wealthy were prime targets for the church who confiscated their property, land and everything they had for generations. The Inquisition took over all of the victims' possessions upon accusation. There was very little if any chance of proving one's self innocent, this inevitably led to the catholic church becoming very wealthy.
Pope Innocent stated that since "God" punished children for the sins of their parents, they had no right to be legal heirs to the property of their parents. Unless children came forth freely to denounce their parents, they were left penniless. Inquisitors even accused the dead of heresy, in some cases, as much as seventy years after their death. They exhumed and burned the accused's bones and confiscated all property from their heirs, leaving them with nothing. 10
The actions of the inquisitors had devestating effects on the economy that left entire communities totally impoverished while the church grew in wealth. They held certain professions suspect, Inquisitors believed the printed word to be a threat to the church and interfered with the communication brought about by the invention of the printing press in the 15th century. Maps, cartographers, traveling merchants and traders were all placed under intense suspicion; as a threat to the church.
Although the Catholic Church had begun murdering people it deemed heretics in the 4th century and again in 1022 at Orléan, papal statutes of 1231 insisted heretics suffer death by fire. Burning people to death prevented spilling of blood. John 15:6 "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned."
The Nazarene quote incited all of this:
The victim was pulled up by a rope or chain and then lowered to the point. The torturer controlled the pressure by attaching weights to the victim or rocking or raising and dropping the victim from various heights.
The brodequin was used to crush the legs by tightening the device by hand, or using a mallet for knocking in the wedges to smash the bones until the bone marrow spurted out. People who passed out were further condemned as the losing of consciousness to be a trick from the Devil in order to escape pain.
The victim's hands were bound behind the back. They were then yanked up to the ceiling of the torture chamber by a pulley and a rope. Dislocation ensued. this was a preferred method, because it left no visible marks of torture. Heavy weights were often strapped to the victim to increase the pain and suffering.
This method entailed strapping weights as much as hundreds of pounds, pulling limbs from their sockets. Following this, the inquisitor would quickly release the rope so they would fall towards the floor. At the last second, the inquisitor would again yank the rope. This dislocated virtually every bone in the victim's body. Four applications were considered enough to kill even the strongest of victims.
This device was often used to silence the victim on the way to the burning stake, so they could not reveal what had occurred in the torture chamber or defend themselves in any way.
Breast Rippers
The Rack, aka the Ladder was another device that was used extensively. The procedure was to place the nude or near nude victim horizontally on the ladder or rack. Ropes were used to bind the arms and legs like a tourniquet. The knot could be steadily twisted to draw tight the ropes and stretch the victim to where the muscles and ligaments tore and bones broke. Often, heavy objects were placed upon the victim to increase the pain. This was considered by the church to be "one of the milder forms of torture."
The nude victim, was stretched out, lying face downward on the ground or on the execution dock, with his or her arms and legs spread, and tied to stakes or iron rings. Wooden crosspieces were placed under the wrists, elbows, ankles, knees and hips. The inquisitor then smashed limb after limb and joint after joint, including the shoulders and hips, with the iron-tyred edge of the wheel, taking care not to bring about the death of the victim. There were splinters of smashed bones, blood spurted everywhere and the victim's entire skeleton was crushed and smashed. Thereafter the shattered limbs were “braided” into the spokes of the large wheel. The wheel has to be one of the most gruesome of all torture devices. The idea is, that the victims' limbs are shattered and entwined around the spokes of the wheel, attaching them to it.
The thumbscrew was a device where the victim's thumbs were placed and systematically crushed. Similar devices were used on the toes. Thumbscrews were often applied at the same time as the strappado and other torture devices to inflict more pain.
The victim was stripped and bound to a bench or table and a funnel was inserted and pressed down into his throat. Water was poured into the funnel in jug fulls with his/her nose being pinched, forcing him/her to swallow. After this was repeated enough times to where the victim's stomach was almost to burst, the bench or table was then tilted, with the victim's head pointing to the floor. The water in the stomach put painful pressure on the victim's lungs and heart. There was not only the incredible pain with this, but also, the feeling of suffocation. Inquisitors would also beat upon the stomach with mallets to the point of internal rupture.
In another variation, the victim was forced to swallow large quantities of water together with lengths of knotted cord. The cords were then violently yanked from the victim's mouth resulting in disembowelling.
Other devices and methods:
Galileo Galilei,the famous Italian astronomer and physicist was one of the most noted victims of the inquisition. A letter in which he attempted to demonstrate the Copernican theory, that the Earth is not the center of the universe, was forwarded by some of his enemies (xtians) to the inquisitors in Rome. He was tried in 1633 and found guilty of heresy. He was forced to recant (publicly withdraw his statement) and was sentenced to life imprisonment under house arrest.
In 1979, Pope John Paul II declared that the Roman Catholic Church "may have been mistaken in condemning him," and he established a commission to study the case.13
In 1993, the Catholic Church "officially" pardoned Galileo. In other words, they forgave him for teaching that the planets revolve around the Sun, not the Earth.
Loss of human life:
REFERENCES:
¹The Dark Side of Christian History by Helen Ellerbe, page 124
²Cassel Dictionary of Witchcraft by David Pickering, article on "Germany", page 108
³Cassel Dictionary of Witchcraft by David Pickering, article on "Inquisition", page 146
4 World Book Encyclopedia article on "Inquisition." ©1989
5 Wizards and Sorcerers by Tom Ogden, article on "Inqusition."
6 The Dark Side of Christian History by Helen Ellerbe, page 77
7Wizards and Sorcerers by Tom Ogden, article on "Inquisition."
8The Dark Side of Christian History by Helen Ellerbe, page 77
9Wizards and Sorcerers by Tom Ogden
10The Dark Side of Christian History by Helen Ellerbe, page 80
11Cassel Dictionary of Witchcraft by David Pickering article on "Torture."
12Cassel Dictionary of Witchcraft by David Pickering, article on "torture."
13World Book Encyclopedia article on "Galileo." ©1989
For up to date info follow me on Twitter: @LifeTimeUs
A documented case in the Silesian town of Neisse reveals a huge oven was constructed, which over a ten year period, more than a thousand "condemned witches, some as young as two years old" were roasted alive.² Many victims were also extremely old, some in their 80's.
How could the church justify this in the name of Christianity?
The Inquisition, in the name of the Catholic Church, murdered, tortured, mutilated and destroyed thousands of lives both directly through the Inquisition and indirectly through the wars they incited.
The atrocities against humanity is almost beyond comprehension , why has there never been any accountably for the murders carried out between the years of 1450-1600, being responsible for the torture, and burning of some 30,000 alleged "witches."³
During the reign of the Roman Emporer Constantine CE 306-337 the doctrines of the Catholic Church were regarded as the foundation of law.4 Heretics (persons who opposed church teachings) were sought out, tortured and eventually murdered. Heresy was an offence against the state as well as the church. For hundreds of years, civil rulers tried to stamp out all heresy.
As early as CE 430, the church leaders declared heresy punishable by death. In CE 906, "The Canon Episcopi" was the first church body to expressly forbid the use of witchcraft.5 Before the Inquisition was fully underway, the church accepted heretics back into the fold, under terms it considered reasonable.
The following is an example:
For three Sundays, the heretic was stripped to the waist and whipped from the entrance of the town/village all the way to the church door. He/she was to permanently deny him/herself meat, eggs and cheese except on Easter, pentecost and xmas, when he/she is to eat of them as a sign of his/her penance. For twenty days, twice a year he/she was to avoid fish and for 3 days in each week fish, wine and oil, fasting, if his/her health would permit.
He/she was to wear monastic vestments with a small cross sewn on each breast. He/she was to hear mass daily. Seven times a day, he/she was to recite the canonical hours and in addition, at Paternoster ten times each day and twenty times each night.There is no precise date for the beginning of the Inquisition, most sources agree it manifested during the first 6 years of the reign of the catholic pope, Gregory IX, between 1227 and 1233. Pope Gregory IX who ruled from 1227-1241 is often referred to as the "Father of the Inquisition."
He/she was to observe total abstinence from sex. Every month he/she was to report to a priest who was to keep the heretic under close observation. He/she was to be segregated from the rest of the community.6
The Inquisition was a campaign of torture, mutilation, mass murder and destruction of human life supported by the Catholic church.
Directly because of the Inquisition, the church increased in power until it had total control over human life, both secular and religious.
The Vatican wasn't satisfied with the progress made by regional leaders in rooting out heresy. Pope Innocent III commissioned his own inquisitors who answered directly to him. Their authority was made official in the papal bull of March 25th, 1199.7 Innocent declared "anyone who attempted to construe a personal view of god which conflicted with the church dogma must be burned without pity."8
Victims were tortured in one room
Pope Innocent stated that since "God" punished children for the sins of their parents, they had no right to be legal heirs to the property of their parents. Unless children came forth freely to denounce their parents, they were left penniless. Inquisitors even accused the dead of heresy, in some cases, as much as seventy years after their death. They exhumed and burned the accused's bones and confiscated all property from their heirs, leaving them with nothing. 10
The actions of the inquisitors had devestating effects on the economy that left entire communities totally impoverished while the church grew in wealth. They held certain professions suspect, Inquisitors believed the printed word to be a threat to the church and interfered with the communication brought about by the invention of the printing press in the 15th century. Maps, cartographers, traveling merchants and traders were all placed under intense suspicion; as a threat to the church.
Although the Catholic Church had begun murdering people it deemed heretics in the 4th century and again in 1022 at Orléan, papal statutes of 1231 insisted heretics suffer death by fire. Burning people to death prevented spilling of blood. John 15:6 "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned."
The Nazarene quote incited all of this:
The Witch hunts, 1450-1750 were what R H Robbins (The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft and Demonology) called "the shocking nightmare, the foulest crime and deepest shame of western civilization." In this 300 year period, the church stepped up the mass murder and systematic torture of innocent human beings. Torturers were allowed as much time as they needed to torture their victims. Most courts demanded that prior to the torture, the victim be thoroughly shaved, claiming that any Demon left undetected in the victim's body hair might intervene to deaden the pain that the torturers inflicted or answer for the victim.11Doctors would be in attendance if it seemed the victim might die from the torture. The victim would then be allowed to recover a little before more torture was applied. If the victim died during the torture, inquisitors claimed the Devil intervened with the purpose of sparing the victim further pain or preventing them from revealing his secrets.12 Those who fainted had vinegar poured into their nostrils to revive them. The victim's families were required under law to reimburse the courts for the costs of torture. Entire estates were seized by the church. Priests blessed the torture instruments prior to their being used. Certain devices were employed to inflict the maximum pain.
Judas Cradle
Brodequin (The Boots)
Burning the feet
Oil, lard and grease were applied to the feet before roasting them over a fire. A screen was used to control or increase the pain as exposure to the fire was applied on and off for maximum suffering. Also, as a variation, some victims were forced to wear large leather or metal boots into which boiling water or molten lead was poured.
Hanging and the Strappado
Squassation was a more extreme form of the torture.
Heretic's Fork
Ripping the flesh
The Iron Torture Chair
The iron torture chair was studded with spikes. The victim was strapped in nude and a fire was lit beneath the chair. Heavy objects were also be used. They were placed upon the victim to increase the pain of the spikes. Blows with mallets were also inflicted. Often, other torturous devices were applied with the chair such as the flesh ripping pincers, shown above and leg crushing vices.
Skull Crusher
The Rack
The Wheel
The Thumbscrew
The Water Torture
In another variation, the victim was forced to swallow large quantities of water together with lengths of knotted cord. The cords were then violently yanked from the victim's mouth resulting in disembowelling.
The Iron Maiden aka the "virgin mary"
Covering the front side of this device was a statue of the virgin bitch, inside were spikes, sharp knives or nails. Levers would move the arms of the statue, crushing the victim against the knives and nails.
Other devices and methods:
- Forced feeding of overly salted foods that resulted in extreme thirst, then, the denial of water.
- Immersion in scalding water laced with Lime.
- Yanking back and forth by 2 or more inquisitors with ropes attached to a spiked iron collar. This tore the flesh on the victim's neck. Variations used screws that could be tightened.
- The prayer stool. A spike board on which the victim was forced to kneel.
- Stocks which were fitted with iron spikes
- Slowly roasting victims over fire.
- "Walking a Witch" entailed forcing a victim to walk back and forth for days on end until completely exhausted. A variation of this was having the victim sit cross legged upon a wooden stool, being deprived of movement or sleep. Some victims were as much as 80 years old.
- "Thrawing." Similar to the spiked iron collar, only a rope was tied tightly around the head and the victim was yanked back and forth.
- "Turkas." These were a variation of pincers used to pull out fingernails.
- Many were thrown in filthy dungeons with no light or human contact, in addition, often being chained or confined in the stocks.
- "Scoring above the Breath" the ancient belief that bleeding a witch above the mouth and nose would break a spell incited inquisitors to tear flesh, stick with needles and other instruments upon the victim's face.
Galileo Galilei,the famous Italian astronomer and physicist was one of the most noted victims of the inquisition. A letter in which he attempted to demonstrate the Copernican theory, that the Earth is not the center of the universe, was forwarded by some of his enemies (xtians) to the inquisitors in Rome. He was tried in 1633 and found guilty of heresy. He was forced to recant (publicly withdraw his statement) and was sentenced to life imprisonment under house arrest.
In 1979, Pope John Paul II declared that the Roman Catholic Church "may have been mistaken in condemning him," and he established a commission to study the case.13
In 1993, the Catholic Church "officially" pardoned Galileo. In other words, they forgave him for teaching that the planets revolve around the Sun, not the Earth.
- Salzburg, Austria, 1677-1681 over 100 murdered
- Basque region of the Pyrenees; 1608, Lawyer Pierre de Lancre was sent to the region to "root out and destroy those who worshipped Pagan Gods." Over 600 tortured and murdered.
- Witch judge Henri Boguet c. 1550-1619 sent some 600 victims to their deaths in Burgundy, many of them young children who were systematically tortured and then burned alive.
- A pregnant woman was burned alive and from the trauma, she gave birth before she died. The baby was tossed back into the flames.
- Swedish town of Mora, 1669, more than 300 murdered. Among them, 15 children. 36 children between the ages of 9 and 15 were made to run the gauntlet and were beaten with rods upon their hands once a week for an entire year. Twenty of the youngest children, all under the age of 9 were whipped on their hands at the church door for 3 sundays in succession. Many more were severaly beaten for witchcraft offences.
- In Scotland, under the rule of Oliver Cromwell, a total of 120 in a single month were murdered in 1661. Estimates of the total dead have been as high as 17,000 between 1563 and 1603.
- In Würzburg, Germany, the Chancellor wrote a graphic account in the year of 1629:
- "...there are three hundred children of three or four years, who are said to have had intercourse with the Devil. I have seen children of seven put to death, and brave little scholars of ten, twelve, fourteen and fifteen years of age..."
- Between the years of 1623 and 1633, some 900 "witches" were put to death throughout Würzburg. This was largely maintained by the Jesuits.
- The Chronicler of Treves reported in 1586 that the entire female population of two villages was wiped out by inquisitors. Only two women were left alive.
- Noted cases included the Knights Templar, Joan of Arc who was chained by the neck, hands and feet and locked in a cramped iron cage, Galileo, who stated that the Earth revolved around the Sun and was not the center of the universe as the church taught(See above).
- The above accounts were taken from Cassel Dictionary of Witchcraft by David Pickering.
- On Sunday, March 12th, 2002, the Pope John Paul II apologized for the "errors of his church for the last 2000 years."
Thoughts
- Why was the Catholic Church never held responsible for the atrocities they carried out?
- Why have they been allowed to keep the wealth that was stolen?
- Why are other organisations that have carried out atrocities condemned but the horrors authorised by the Catholic Church have conveniently been forgotten?
- Why is the Catholic Church tied to Christianity? There is no justification for murder mentioned in the New Testament.
- Catholics are not bad people but have been misled by the Church. To be a Christian is NOT to be a Catholic.
REFERENCES:
¹The Dark Side of Christian History by Helen Ellerbe, page 124
²Cassel Dictionary of Witchcraft by David Pickering, article on "Germany", page 108
³Cassel Dictionary of Witchcraft by David Pickering, article on "Inquisition", page 146
4 World Book Encyclopedia article on "Inquisition." ©1989
5 Wizards and Sorcerers by Tom Ogden, article on "Inqusition."
6 The Dark Side of Christian History by Helen Ellerbe, page 77
7Wizards and Sorcerers by Tom Ogden, article on "Inquisition."
8The Dark Side of Christian History by Helen Ellerbe, page 77
9Wizards and Sorcerers by Tom Ogden
10The Dark Side of Christian History by Helen Ellerbe, page 80
11Cassel Dictionary of Witchcraft by David Pickering article on "Torture."
12Cassel Dictionary of Witchcraft by David Pickering, article on "torture."
13World Book Encyclopedia article on "Galileo." ©1989
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