I have seen some commercials lately announcing the fall line-up of new TV shows. Some interesting fare coming up. Let’s review some of the fresh autumnal offerings.
Betrayal (ABC) – A step beyond Scandal or Revenge. This is an show devoted entirely to an adulterous affair. Continue reading
You may not have heard of Emmanuel Swedenborg, but in his lifetime and for quite some time afterwards he was a man of renown. He was an 18th century genius, likely on par with Leonardo da Vinci. He was born in Sweden in 1688, the son of a Lutheran pastor. Early in life he was noted for great achievements in math, science and engineering. In 1724 he was appointed to a prominent government position on the Swedish Board of Mines.
But then in 1743 things began to change. Swedenborg began to have strange dreams and visions. He believed that ancient sages and religious figures were appearing to him. He supposedly had conversations with Jesus, Moses and other biblical figures. He went on spiritual journeys to heaven and hell. Angels reportedly showed him great spiritual truths. He also developed psychic powers, especially clairvoyance. Out of these visions he developed a unique brand of religious philosophy. This included a prophecy that there was coming a new era of universal spiritual understanding, which he called the New Jerusalem. Continue reading
It all officially began in 1848 in a small town called Hydesville, New York. It was there that three sisters of the Fox family began to experience unusual things. They heard strange rappings, which the Fox sisters believed were the manifestations of a departed spirit. They called this spirit “Mr. Splitfoot,” and believed that it was the ghost of a man who had been murdered in the house. Soon neighbors heard about the ghostly encounters and came to see what was going on. Within a short time an entire movement was born. It was called Spiritualism and its main focus was on communication with the dead. Continue reading
I remember counseling a woman who was suffering from a great deal of fear in her life. Over the course of several weeks, I discovered that this woman had had several experiences with occult undertones. I felt that an intensive exploration of occult influences in her life was necessary. We sat down one evening and spent about two hours diagnosing her exposure to the occult. Although she was raised in church, and had a rather ordinary life, we found that she had experienced about 25 different instances of involvement in things of a demonic nature. This included everything from yoga and seeing ghosts to ouija boards and seances. No wonder there was a spirit of fear in her life! Continue reading
When someone uses the word “witchcraft” what comes to your mind? The TV show “Bewitched”? Broomhilda? Silly Halloween decorations? Witch doctors in Africa? Worshippers of Satan? Obviously the word has many connotations and is used in a variety of ways. And sometimes the various ways can be very confusing.
Take for instance the matter of Wicca. Wicca is a modern form of witchcraft. Although it claims to be the “Old Religion” and its adherents believe that their belief system can be traced to prehistoric times, in fact Wicca was basically created by a few individuals in the 20th century—Gerald Gardner and Alex Sanders among them. What they created is a pagan, occult religious system came to be called Wicca. But often Wiccans will refer to their beliefs and practices as “witchcraft.” And this is what causes confusion. Continue reading
TRUTH BUILDERS MINISTRIES 