“Whenever ten are gathered for prayer, there the Shekhinah rests.”
The Shekhinah (Biblical Hebrew: שכינה šekīnah; also Romanized Shekina(h), Schechina(h), Shechina(h)) is the English transliteration of a Hebrew word meaning “dwelling” or “settling” and denotes the dwelling or settling of the divine presence of God. This term does not occur in the Bible, and is from rabbinic literature.
In classic Jewish thought, the shekhinah refers to a dwelling or settling in a special sense, a dwelling or settling of divine presence, to the effect that, while in proximity to the shekhinah, the connection to God is more readily perceivable.
The shekhinah represents the feminine attributes of the presence of God,shekhinah being a feminine word in Hebrew, based especially on readings of the Talmud.
The prophets made numerous references to visions of the presence of God, particularly in the context of the Tabernacle or Temple, with figures such as thrones or robes filling the Sanctuary. These visions have traditionally been attributed to the presence of the shekhinah.
The shekhinah is referred to as manifest in the Tabernacle and the Temple in Jerusalem throughout rabbinic literature.
It is also reported as being present in other contexts:
While a person (or people) study Torah, the Shekhinah is among them.
“Whenever ten are gathered for prayer, there the Shekhinah rests.”
“When three sit as judges, the Shekhinah is with them.”
Cases of personal need: “The Shekhinah dwells over the headside of the sick man’s bed”, “Wheresoever they were exiled, the Shekhinah went with them.”
“A man and woman – if they merit, the Shekhinah is between them. If not, fire consumes them.” According to one interpretation of this source, the Shekhinah is the highest of six types of holy fire. When a married couple is worthy of this manifestation, all other types of fire are consumed by it.
The Talmud states that “the Shekhinah rests on man neither through gloom, nor through sloth, nor through frivolity, nor through levity, nor through talk, nor through idle chatter, but only through a matter of joy in connection with a mitzvah.*
* Hebrew mitzvah, as with English “commandment”, refers to a moral deed performed within a religious duty. As such, the term mitzvah has also come to express an individual act of human kindness in keeping with the law. The expression includes a sense of heartfelt sentiment beyond mere legal duty, as “you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18). The tertiary meaning of mitzvah also refers to the fulfillment of a mitzvah
We’ve “stepped aside” and allowed both sides to resolve the issue. Like every smart parent, remove yourself from the situation but keep an eye on it, ready to step in if things get out of hand.
How about some facts about the Kurds?
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party or PKK is a Kurdish far-left militant and political organization based in Turkey and Iraq. Since 1984 the PKK has been involved in an armed conflict with the Turkish state.
The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by several states and organizations, including the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan,and the European Union. From the mid-1990s, the organization began to lose the upper hand in its operations as a consequence of a change of tactics by Turkey and Syria’s steady abandonment of support for the group.
The group also had lost its support from Saddam Hussein. . From 1996 to 1999, the organization began to use suicide bombers, IED and ambush attacks against military and police bases. The role of suicide bombers, especially female ones were encouraged and mythologized by giving them the status of a “goddess of freedom”, and shown as role models for other women after their death.
On 20 March 2016, the PKK announced the establishment of Peoples’ United Revolutionary Movement, a coalition of Maoists, Marxists-Leninists, Apoists, Communists and Hoxhaists which aim to attain “democracy and a free future” for “peoples against Imperialism, Capitalism, Chauvinism, Fascism and Racism”.
I keep going in
circles in my head about why in the world Trump would announce U.S. withdrawal
in Syria. The man does NOTHING without purpose. Many keep saying it’s terrible
and that we are deserting our ally (Kurds) in their hour of need and the
Trumpster is losing what few marbles he had. (Mostly from the Never Trump
contingent.)
So I’m thinking to
myself, why? And why do it a la Obama (announce it to the world and our
enemies) when he was so very, very critical of Obama when he did it. On the
surface, it just didn’t make sense and seemed out of character for President
Trump.
First off, the Kurds
are first and foremost Muslim. In their minds, priority number one is to follow
the teachings of Mohammad.
Every other treaty
or agreement (especially with infidels) is secondary or non-binding. They
fought with us as allies because it was in their best interest to do so. Don’t
think for one second they wouldn’t throw us under the bus for the glory of
Allah, if the opportunity presented itself. Quit thinking with western morals.
In light of this,
they are not an ally. You cannot buy friends. We have been on friendly terms because it was mutually
advantageous. Also, for better or worse, Turkey is a member of NATO and by
agreement, we cannot war, in the traditional sense, with them.
Secondly, Trump
promised to get us out of these never ending conflicts. Not one more drop of
American blood should be shed unless it’s in defense of this country. I gotta
agree with that.
For the life of me,
I can’t figure out why the heck we are in this one. This little conflict has
been going on for years and is at a stalemate. And by our presence, both sides
have made no move towards resolution. It’s like we were enabling this little pissing
match. And this is where I really believe Trump is brilliant.
We’ve “stepped
aside” and allowed both sides to resolve the issue. Like every smart
parent, remove yourself from the situation but keep an eye on it, ready to step
in if things get out of hand. The “kids” will never learn how to get
along and compromise if mommy or daddy always step in.
Trump is a fixer. He
sees a problem and works to fix it. How better to pull Turkey into committing
to action than to say that the one protector (and just where the heck is
everyone else in NATO? Why are we always expected to go it alone with only
“moral” support from our NATO allies?) Once Turkey makes its move, he
then has grounds to move against a NATO “ally”. Until that happens,
his hands are tied because he’s bound by treaties made by others.
And with this move,
he has forced once again all the Dems who were against the war and we need to
get out to turn into war hawks simply because it was his idea. Maybe that was
his plan? He knows the only way to finish the job that Obama started with really
no reason and no exit strategy, MAY boil down to not only economic sanctions
but with bombs and bullets. One way or another, it will be finished.
Sapience is closely related to the term “sophia” often defined as “transcendent wisdom”, “ultimate reality”, or the ultimate truth of things.
Wisdom, sapience, or sagacity is the ability to think and act using knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense and insight. Wisdom is associated with attributes such as unbiased judgment, compassion, experiential self-knowledge, self-transcendence and non-attachment, and virtues such as ethics and benevolence.
The ancient Greeks considered wisdom to be an important virtue. Apollo was considered a god of wisdom, designated as the conductor of the Muses (Musagetes), who were personifications of the sciences and of the inspired and poetic arts.
Apollo was considered the god who prophesied through the priestesses (Pythia) in the Temple of Apollo (Delphi), where the aphorism “know thyself” (gnōthi seauton) was inscribed.
The Delphic maxims are a set of 147 aphorisms inscribed at Delphi. Originally, they were said to have been given by the Greek god Apollo’s Oracle at Delphi, Pythia and therefore were attributed to Apollo.
147 Delphic maxims
No.
Greek
English
001.
Ἕπου θεῷ
Follow God
002.
Νόμῳ πείθου
Obey the law
003.
Θεοὺς σέβου
Respect the Gods
004.
Γονεῖς αἰδοῦ
Respect your parents
005.
Ἡττῶ ὑπὸ δικαίου
Be overcome by justice
006.
Γνῶθι μαθών
Know what you have learned
007.
Ἀκούσας νόει
Perceive what you have heard
008.
Σαυτὸν ἴσθι
Be/Know yourself
009.
Γαμεῖν μέλλε
Intend to get married
010.
Καιρὸν γνῶθι
Know your opportunity
011.
Φρόνει θνητά
Think as a mortal
012.
Ξένος ὢν ἴσθι
If you are a stranger act like one
013.
Ἑστίαν τίμα
Honor the house
014.
Ἄρχε σεαυτοῦ
Control yourself
015.
Φίλοις βοήθει
Help your friends
016.
Θυμοῦ κράτει
Control anger
017.
Φρόνησιν ἄσκει
Exercise prudence
018.
Πρόνοιαν τίμα
Honor providence
019.
Ὅρκῳ μὴ χρῶ
Do not use an oath
020.
Φιλίαν ἀγάπα
Love friendship
021.
Παιδείας ἀντέχου
Cling to discipline
022.
Δόξαν δίωκε
Pursue honor
023.
Σοφίαν ζήλου
Long for wisdom
024.
Καλὸν εὖ λέγε
Praise the good
025.
Ψέγε μηδένα
Find fault with no one
026.
Ἐπαίνει ἀρετήν
Praise virtue
027.
Πρᾶττε δίκαια
Practice what is just
028.
Φίλοις εὐνόει
Favor friends
029.
Ἐχθροὺς ἀμύνου
Defend against enemies
030.
Εὐγένειαν ἄσκει
Exercise nobility of character
031.
Κακίας ἀπέχου
Shun evil
032.
Κοινὸς γίνου
Be impartial
033.
Ἴδια φύλαττε
Guard what is yours
034.
Ἀλλοτρίων ἀπέχου
Shun what belongs to others
035.
Ἄκουε πάντα
Listen to everyone
036.
Εὔφημος ἴσθι
Have good reputation
037.
Φίλῳ χαρίζου
Do a favor for a friend
038.
Μηδὲν ἄγαν
Nothing to excess
039.
Χρόνου φείδου
Use time sparingly
040.
Ὅρα τὸ μέλλον
Foresee the future
041.
Ὕβριν μίσει
Despise insolence
042.
Ἱκέτας αἰδοῦ
Have respect for suppliants
043.
Πᾶσιν ἁρμόζου
Be accommodating in everything
044.
Υἱοὺς παίδευε
Educate your sons
045.
Ἔχων χαρίζου
Give what you have
046.
Δόλον φοβοῦ
Fear deceit
047.
Εὐλόγει πάντας
Speak well of everyone
048.
Φιλόσοφος γίνου
Be a seeker of wisdom
049.
Ὅσια κρῖνε
Choose what is divine
050.
Γνοὺς πρᾶττε
Act when you know
051.
Φόνου ἀπέχου
Shun murder
052.
Εὔχου δυνατά
Wish for things possible
053.
Σοφοῖς χρῶ
Consult the wise
054.
Ἦθος δοκίμαζε
Test the character
055.
Λαβὼν ἀπόδος
Give back what you have received
056.
Ὑφορῶ μηδένα
Down-look no one
057.
Τέχνῃ χρῶ
Use your skill
058.
Ὃ μέλλεις, δός
Do what you mean to do
059.
Εὐεργεσίας τίμα
Honor a benefaction
060.
Φθόνει μηδενί
Be jealous of no one
061.
Φυλακῇ πρόσεχε
Be on your guard
062.
Ἐλπίδα αἴνει
Praise hope
063.
Διαβολὴν μίσει
Despise a slanderer
064.
Δικαίως κτῶ
Gain possessions justly
065.
Ἀγαθοὺς τίμα
Honor good men
066.
Κριτὴν γνῶθι
Know the judge
067.
Γάμους κράτει
Master wedding-feasts
068.
Τύχην νόμιζε
Recognize fortune
069.
Ἐγγύην φεῦγε
Flee a pledge
070.
Ἁπλῶς διαλέγου
Speak plainly
071.
Ὁμοίοις χρῶ
Associate with your peers
072.
Δαπανῶν ἄρχου
Govern your expenses
073.
Κτώμενος ἥδου
Be happy with what you have
074.
Αἰσχύνην σέβου
Revere a sense of shame
075.
Χάριν ἐκτέλει
Fulfill a favor
076.
Εὐτυχίαν εὔχου
Pray for happiness
077.
Τύχην στέργε
Be fond of fortune
078.
Ἀκούων ὅρα
Observe what you have heard
079.
Ἐργάζου κτητά
Work for what you can own
080.
Ἔριν μίσει
Despise strife
081.
Ὄνειδος ἔχθαιρε
Detest disgrace
082.
Γλῶτταν ἴσχε
Restrain the tongue
083.
Ὕβριν ἀμύνου
Keep yourself from insolence
084.
Κρῖνε δίκαια
Make just judgements
085.
Χρῶ χρήμασιν
Use what you have
086.
Ἀδωροδόκητος δίκαζε
Judge incorruptibly
087.
Αἰτιῶ παρόντα
Accuse one who is present
088.
Λέγε εἰδώς
Tell when you know
089.
Βίας μὴ ἔχου
Have no violence
090.
Ἀλύπως βίου
Live without sorrow
091.
Ὁμίλει πρᾴως
Live together meekly
092.
Πέρας ἐπιτέλει μὴ ἀποδειλιῶν
Finish the race without shrinking back
093.
Φιλοφρόνει πᾶσιν
Deal kindly with everyone
094.
Υἱοῖς μὴ καταρῶ
Do not curse your sons
095.
Γυναικὸς ἄρχε
Initiate / lead / guide your wife
096.
Σεαυτὸν εὖ ποίει
Benefit yourself
097.
Εὐπροσήγορος γίνου
Be courteous
098.
Ἀποκρίνου ἐν καιρῷ
Give a timely response
099.
Πόνει μετ’ εὐκλείας
Struggle with glory
100.
Πρᾶττε ἀμετανοήτως
Act without repenting
101.
Ἁμαρτάνων μετανόει
Repent of sins
102.
Ὀφθαλμοῦ κράτει
Control the eye
103.
Βουλεύου χρόνῳ
Give a timely counsel
104.
Πρᾶττε συντόμως
Act quickly
105.
Φιλίαν φύλαττε
Guard friendship
106.
Εὐγνώμων γίνου
Be grateful
107.
Ὁμόνοιαν δίωκε
Pursue harmony
108.
Ἄρρητον κρύπτε
Keep deeply the top secret
109.
Τὸ κρατοῦν φοβοῦ
Fear ruling
110.
Τὸ συμφέρον θηρῶ
Pursue what is profitable
111.
Καιρὸν προσδέχου
Accept due measure
112.
Ἔχθρας διάλυε
Do away with enmities
113.
Γῆρας προσδέχου
Accept old age
114.
Ἐπὶ ῥώμῃ μὴ καυχῶ
Do not boast in might
115.
Εὐφημίαν ἄσκει
Exercise (religious) silence
116.
Ἀπέχθειαν φεῦγε
Flee enmity
117.
Πλούτει δικαίως
Acquire wealth justly
118.
Δόξαν μὴ λεῖπε
Do not abandon honor
119.
Κακίαν μίσει
Despise evil
120.
Κινδύνευε φρονίμως
Venture into danger prudently
121.
Μανθάνων μὴ κάμνε
Do not tire of learning
122.
Φειδόμενος μὴ λεῖπε
Do not stop to be thrifty
123.
Χρησμοὺς θαύμαζε
Admire oracles
124.
Οὓς τρέφεις, ἀγάπα
Love whom you rear
125.
Ἀπόντι μὴ μάχου
Do not oppose someone absent
126.
Πρεσβύτερον αἰδοῦ
Respect the elder
127.
Νεώτερον δίδασκε
Teach a youngster
128.
Πλούτῳ ἀπίστει
Do not trust wealth
129.
Σεαυτὸν αἰδοῦ
Respect yourself
130.
Μὴ ἄρχε ὑβρίζειν
Do not begin to be insolent
131.
Προγόνους στεφάνου
Crown your ancestors
132.
Θνῆσκε ὑπὲρ πατρίδος
Die for your country
133
Τῷ βίῳ μὴ ἄχθου
Do not be discontented by life
134.
Ἐπὶ νεκρῷ μὴ γέλα
Do not make fun of the dead
135.
Ἀτυχοῦντι συνάχθου
Share the load of the unfortunate
136.
Χαρίζου ἀβλαβῶς
Gratify without harming
137.
Μὴ ἐπὶ παντὶ λυποῦ
Grieve for no one
138.
Ἐξ εὐγενῶν γέννα
Beget from noble routes
139.
Ἐπαγγέλλου μηδενί
Make promises to no one
140.
Φθιμένους μὴ ἀδίκει
Do not wrong the dead
141.
Εὖ πάσχε ὡς θνητός
Be well off as a mortal
142.
Τύχῃ μὴ πίστευε
Do not trust fortune
143.
Παῖς ὢν κόσμιος ἴσθι
As a child be well-behaved
144.
Ἡβῶν ἐγκρατής
As a youth be self-disciplined
145.
Μέσος δίκαιος
As of middle-age be just
146.
Πρεσβύτης εὔλογος
As an old man be sensible
147.
Τελευτῶν ἄλυπος
On reaching the end be without sorrow
Sapience is closely related to the term “sophia” often defined as “transcendent wisdom”, “ultimate reality”, or the ultimate truth of things. Sapiential perspective of wisdom is said to lie in the heart of every religion, where it is often acquired through intuitive knowing. This type of wisdom is described as going beyond mere practical wisdom and includes self-knowledge, interconnectedness, conditioned origination of mind-states and other deeper understandings of subjective experience. This type of wisdom can also lead to the ability of an individual to act with appropriate judgement, a broad understanding of situations and greater appreciation/compassion towards other living beings.
The word sapience is derived from the Latin sapientia, meaning “wisdom”. The corresponding verb sapere has the original meaning of “to taste”, hence “to perceive, to discern” and “to know”; its present participle sapiens was chosen by Carl Linnaeus for the Latin binomial for the human species, Homo sapiens.
“our ancient Brethren worshiped a deity under the name of Fides or Fidelity, which was sometimes represented by two right hands joined, and sometimes by two human figures holding each other by the right hands. “
Loyalty-Fidelity, in general use, is a devotion and faithfulness to a nation, cause, philosophy, country, group, or person. 1375–1425; late Middle English fidelite (< Middle French) < Latin fidēlitās, equivalent to fidēli- (stem of fidēlis loyal, equivalent to fidē(s) faith + -lis adj. suffix) + -tās -ty
Fides (Latin: Fidēs) was the goddess of trust and bona fides (good faith) in Roman paganism. it is said that “our ancient Brethren worshiped a deity under the name of Fides or Fidelity, which was sometimes represented by two right hands joined, and sometimes by two human figures holding each other by the right hands.” Her priests were covered by a white veil as a symbol of purity which should characterize Fidelity. No victims were slain on her altars, and no offerings made to her except flowers, wine, and incense. Her statues were represented clothed in white mantles, with a key in her hand and a dog at her feet. The virtue of Fidelity is, however, frequently symbolized in ancient medals by a heart in an open hand, but more usually by two right hands clasped. She was one of the original virtues to be considered an actual religious divinity. Fides is everything that is required for “honor and credibility, from fidelity in marriage, to contractual arrangements, and the obligation soldiers owed to Rome.”. Fides also means reliability, “reliability between two parties, which is always reciprocal.” and “bedrock of relations between people and their communities”, and then it was turned into to an Roman deity and from which we gain the English word, ‘fidelity.’.
The Roman deity may have example in Regulus “who refuses to save himself at the expense of the Republic. Regulus defied his own best interests for those of his country. In this act alone, he acted with fides.”
She was also worshipped under the name Fides Publica Populi Romani (“Public (or Common) Trust of the Roman People”).
In the Gospel of Matthew 6:24, Jesus states, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon”. This relates to the authority of a master over his servants (as per Ephesians 6:5), who, according to Biblical law, owe undivided loyalty to their master (as per Leviticus 25:44–46). On the other hand, the “Render unto Caesar” of the synoptic gospels acknowledges the possibility of distinct loyalties (secular and religious) without conflict, but if loyalty to man conflicts with loyalty to God, the latter takes precedence.
The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition defines loyalty as “allegiance to the sovereign or established government of one’s country” and also “personal devotion and reverence to the sovereign and royal family”. It traces the word “loyalty” to the 15th century, noting that then it primarily referred to fidelity in service, in love, or to an oath that one has made. The meaning that the Britannica gives as primary, it attributes to a shift during the 16th century, noting that the origin of the word is in the Old French “loialte”, that is in turn rooted in the Latin “lex”, meaning “law”. One who is loyal, in the feudal sense of fealty, is one who is lawful (as opposed to an outlaw), who has full legal rights as a consequence of faithful allegiance to a feudal lord.
Often cited as one of the many virtues of Confucianism, means to do the best you can do for others.
“Loyalty” is the most important and frequently emphasized virtue in Bushido. In combination with six other virtues, which are Righteousness (義 gi?), Courage (勇 yū?), Benevolence, (仁 jin?), Respect (礼 rei?), Sincerity (誠 makoto?), and Honor (名誉 meiyo?), it formed the Bushido code: “It is somehow implanted in their chromosomal makeup to be loyal”.
Loyalty to duty. It is this which the story teaches us, and my readers may be interested to know that the same theme is taught in the Mahabarata, in the legend of the Last Journey of Yudisthira, which relates how he goes on a long journey which ultimately ends at the gates of Heaven. There he is told that he is welcome, but his dog, who has followed him, cannot enter Heaven, for Heaven is not the place for dogs. Whereupon the Indian king replies that the dog has followed him loyally throughout his lone, weary journey, and that to forsake a friend is as vile as to commit a murder. Rather than do such a foul deed he is prepared to give up all hope of Heaven. Immediately on his utterance of these words the dog changes form and stands beside him as Dharma, the god of Duty, and he enters into heaven.
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
Charity/Love/Agape (Ancient Greek ἀγάπη, agapē) is a Greco-Christian term referring to love, “the highest form of love, charity” and “the love of God for man and of man for God”. The word is not to be confused with philia, brotherly love, or philautia, self-love, as it embraces a universal, unconditional love that transcends and persists regardless of circumstance. It goes beyond just the emotions to the extent of seeking the best for others. The noun form first occurs in the Septuagint, but the verb form goes as far back as Homer, translated literally as affection, as in “greet with affection” and “show affection for the dead”. Other ancient authors have used forms of the word to denote love of a spouse or family, or affection for a particular activity, in contrast to eros (an affection of a sexual nature).
The Greeks had a word, charisma, meaning a gift, and a number of words from the same root, variously suggesting rejoicing, gladness. The Latins had a similar word, carus, and meaning dear, possibly connected with am or, signifying love. From these roots came “grace,” meaning a free, unbought gift, as in the theological phrase, “the grace of God,” and “charity.” Strictly speaking, charity is an act done freely, and spontaneously out of friendship, not as a civic duty and grudgingly, as is sometimes the case in public charity.
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing” (First Corinthians 13:1-2).
The apostle, in comparing it with faith and hope, calls it the greatest of the three. We must not fall into the too common error that charity is only that sentiment of commiseration which leads us to assist the poor with pecuniary donations.
In its application, is more noble and more extensive. The word used by the apostle is, in the original, love, a word denoting that kindly state of mind which renders a person full of good-will and affectionate regard toward others.
Guided by this sentiment, the true ethical man will “suffer long and be kind.”
He will be slow to anger and easy to forgive.
He will stay his falling Brother by gentle
admonition, and warn him with kindness of approaching danger, He will
not open his ear to the slanderers, and will lose his lips against all
reproach.
His faults and his follies will be locked in his breast, and the prayer for mercy will ascend to God for his Brother’s sins.
As ethical men we must practice charity. Not the Charity circumscribed by the narrow limits of feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, binding up the wounds of the afflicted, but that broader nobler Charity that regards all men as Brothers.
In other words, hope was defined as the perceived capability to derive pathways to desired goals and motivate oneself via agency thinking to use those pathways.
Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one’s life or the world at large. As a verb, its definitions include: “expect with confidence” and “to cherish a desire with anticipation.”
From Middle English hope, from Old English hopa (“hope, expectation”), from Proto-Germanic*hupô, *hupǭ, *hupō (“hope”), from Proto-Germanic*hupōną (“to hope”), from Proto-Indo-European*kēwp-, *kwēp- (“to smoke, boil”). Cognate with West Frisian hope (“hope”), Dutch hoop (“hope”), Middle High German hoffe (“hope”). Extra-Germanic cognates include Latin cupio (“I desire, crave”) and possibly Latin vapor (“vapor; smoke”).
hope (countable and uncountable, pluralhopes)
(countable or uncountable) The belief or expectation that something wished for can or will happen.
I still have some hope that I can get to work on time.After losing my job, there’s no hope of being able to afford my world cruise.There is still hope that we can find our missing cat. (countable) The actual thing wished for. (countable) A person or thing that is a source of hope. We still have one hope left: my roommate might see the note I left on the table. (Christianity, uncountable) The virtuous desire for future good.
Hope and forgiveness can impact several aspects of life such as health, work, education, and personal meaning. There are three main things that make up hopeful thinking:
Goals – Approaching life in a goal-oriented way.
Pathways – Finding different ways to achieve your goals.
Agency – Believing that you can instigate change and achieve these goals.
In other words, hope was defined as the perceived capability to derive pathways to desired goals and motivate oneself via agency thinking to use those pathways.
Hope is the second round in the theological and Masonic ladder, and symbolic of a hope in immortality. It is appropriately placed there, for, having attained the first, or faith in God, we are led by a belief in His wisdom and goodness to the hope of immortality. This is but a reasonable expectation; without it, virtue would lose its necessary stimulus and vice its salutary fear; life would be devoid of joy, and the grave but a scene of desolation. The ancients represented Hope by a nymph or maiden holding in her hand a bouquet of opening flowers, indicative of the coming fruit; but in modern and Masonic iconology, the science of Craft illustrations and likenesses, it is represented by a virgin leaning on an anchor, the anchor itself being a symbol of hope . Mackey’s Encyclopedia of Freemasonry
Fowler defines faith as an activity of trusting, committing, and relating to the world based on a set of assumptions of how one is related to others and the world.
Faith, derived from Latin fides and Old French feid, is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept. In the context of religion, one can define faith as confidence or trust in a particular system of religious belief. Religious people often think of faith as confidence based on a perceived degree of warrant* ( *The theory of justification is a part of epistemology that attempts to understand the justification of propositions and beliefs. Epistemologists are concerned with various epistemic features of belief, which include the ideas of justification, warrant, rationality, and probability. Loosely speaking, justification is the reason that someone (properly) holds a belief.)
James W. Fowler (1940–2015) proposes a series of stages of faith-development (or spiritual development) across the human life-span. His stages relate closely to the work of Piaget, Erikson, and Kohlberg regarding aspects of psychological development in children and adults. Fowler defines faith as an activity of trusting, committing, and relating to the world based on a set of assumptions of how one is related to others and the world.
Stages of faith
Intuitive-Projective: a stage of confusion and of high impressionability through stories and rituals (pre-school period).
Mythic-Literal: a stage where provided information is accepted in order to conform with social norms (school-going period).
Synthetic-Conventional: in this stage the faith acquired is concreted in the belief system with the forgoing of personification and replacement with authority in individuals or groups that represent one’s beliefs (early-late adolescence).
Individuative-Reflective: in this stage the individual critically analyzes adopted and accepted faith with existing systems of faith. Disillusion or strengthening of faith happens in this stage. Based on needs, experiences and paradoxes (early adulthood).
Conjunctive faith: in this stage people realize the limits of logic and, facing the paradoxes or transcendence of life, accept the “mystery of life” and often return to the sacred stories and symbols of the pre-acquired or re-adopted faith system. This stage is called negotiated settling in life (mid-life).
Universalizing faith: this is the “enlightenment” stage where the individual comes out of all the existing systems of faith and lives life with universal principles of compassion and love and in service to others for upliftment, without worries and doubt (middle-late adulthood (45–65 years old and plus).
No hard-and-fast rule requires individuals pursuing faith to go through all six stages. There is a high probability for individuals to be content and fixed in a particular stage for a lifetime; stages from 2-5 are such stages. Stage 6 is the summit of faith development. This state is often considered as “not fully” attainable.
“Faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not to.” ― Valentine Davies, Miracle on 34th Street
In the theological ladder, the explanation of which forms a part of the instruction of Masonry, faith is said to typify the lowest round. Faith, here, is synonymous with confidence or trust, and hence we find the essential qualification of a candidate is that he should trust in God.
I, (state name of enlistee), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”
By Lee Cary ——October 2, 2019
Those who’ve taken the oath remember it as a rite of passage.
Inside
a military induction center, in the company of strangers in civilian
clothes, with a few military personnel in uniform, a commanding voice
orders the civilians to line up single file outside the door, to an
empty room, displaying the national flag.
The door opens, the
civilians file in, and, in equal increments, peel off to form a block of
rows where they are called to attention for the first of many times to
come.
When directed, they raise their right hands and repeat, phrase by phrase, these words:
I, (state name of enlistee), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic;
that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will
obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of
the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the
Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”
For
many of the oath-takers, other important and memorable oaths will be
taken in their lives. Like wedding vows, and their oath to “tell the
truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth” in a court of law.
But, for those who take this oath, no other will be more memorable.
The
oath originated during the American Revolutionary War. It was altered
in 1789. Then, later, it was amended, on 5 May 1960, during the Cold
War.
On 5 October 1962, the newest words took effect. The
oath-takers pledged to “support and defend the Constitution of the
United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic”.
The “enemies” are unnamed. For while the oath is fixed in place, the enemies change over time.
The leading foreign enemies
of the 20th Century were clear. The Empire of Japan. The Third Reich.
Then the USSR, the Peoples’ Republic of China and the Korean War.
Followed by an episode of the Cold War turned hot in Vietnam.
The domestic enemies—those
inside our borders—were Soviet spies, many known to exist but
identified only by their code names, particularly in the era of nuclear
arms development. Later came spies from the Peoples’ Republic of China
entering America as foreign students in U.S. universities, not just
searching for state secrets but for industrial secrets enabling the
theft of intellectual property.
Today, the leading domestic enemies
of the U.S. Constitution are not dispatched to America from foreign
shores. They were born in the USA. English is their first language.
They include Government Service employees in the U.S. “intelligence community”— a soft moniker for a hard bunch. Not all of them, of course. But enough to matter.
Some act openly, others are clandestine operators.
They designed and staffed the Trump-Russian Hoax operation. We know the
field leaders, many of them, but we can’t yet prove who authorized
their mission. And we may never be able to document who gave the “go,”
and when.
The field trade craft doesn’t appear to have relied on the standard pedestrian techniques like dead drops, brush passes, or one-time pads.
They
used other espionage tools against the Executive Branch of their own
government: black propaganda, cut-outs, even a swallow—many of the
standard tools were used one time or another during the Trump-Russian
Hoax by GS-rated personnel and a few agency stringers, operating under
the guise of the “intelligence community”. A harmless sounding label
conveying the image of block parties, pot-luck suppers and book clubs. A
family affair.
In their efforts to overthrow a President, the
“intelligence community” solidly earned the designation of a domestic
enemy of the U.S. Constitution.
The role of liberal media newsrooms as domestic enemies is, also, well-established. Akin to the Nazi-controlled newspapers Vőlkischer Beobachter, Der Angriff and Boersen Zeitung, they toe the Democrat Party line under the banners of the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, et al.
On the internet, they edit POLITICO, Daily Kos and Mother Jones
where news means spreading each new narrative defined by the thought
leaders of the American Left. Facts and truth matter not. Today there
is no “news”.
The most modern invention in political propaganda
is practiced by the censors, and with the logarithms, of big social
media and search engine outlets: e.g., Facebook, Twitter and Google.
Domestics enemies of the U.S. Constitution.
Among their various
campaigns are open borders, unhindered access to lethal drugs, unlimited
abortions, unenforced laws, unbounded genders.
Identity politics is a propaganda tool for torquing disorder leading toward the reformation of the old civil order by spreading incivility.
Their
agenda, once heralded as fundamental transformation of America by a
former U.S. President, is fundamental deformation of American society.
Tear down the old to bring on the new.
Their end-game goal is the optimization of federal power – which they will control because they know best—over the citizenry.
Elsewhere
in time and place, they’ve used other labels—Communism, Fascism,
Socialism – but it always comes down to control over people. How they
live. Where they work. What they read. What they think. What they own.
The Politburo, the Stasi, the Gestapo, the Communist Party, the Central Planning Committee—same play, different actors.
And
now we have the newest rendition of control being directed from the
hive of America’s leading domestic enemy—free stuff for everyone funded
by confiscating the property of the rich.
Today, the domestic enemies of the U.S. Constitution live in our midst as the Democratic Party and its allies.
They put on a clown show, but we had better take them seriously. For they are not joking.
Many times we misinterpret the command to “make disciples” by divorcing this command unintentionally from other commands of Jesus, as if the imperatives of Jesus are weighted, with some being more valuable than others.
Matthew 28:18-20
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Usually this verse uses the word “disciples”. The word “disciple,” which is “mathetes” in Greek, literally means “pupil”. The Greek term μαθητής (mathētēs) refers generally to any “student,” “pupil,” “apprentice,” or “adherent,” as opposed to a “teacher.”
The Gospel of Matthew does not specifically use the term “Great Commission”. It does not appear until late in Christian history. Some scholars argue that it was coined by Baron Justinian von Welz, a 17th-century Lutheran nobleman, who argued that the words in Matthew 28 meant that all Christians were required to spread the faith, not just Jesus’ closest disciples.
There is evidence that personal discipleship was carried on among the Greeks and the Jews. Though the term “disciple” is used in different ways in the literature of the period, there are examples of discipleship referring to people committed to following a recognized leader, emulating his life and passing on his teachings. In these cases, discipleship meant much more than just the transfer of information. Again, it referred to imitating the teacher’s life, inculcating his values, and reproducing his teachings. For the Jewish boy over thirteen this meant going to study with a recognized Torah scholar, imitating his life and faith, and concentrating on mastering the Mosaic Law as well as the traditional interpretations of it.
Disciplship then is the kind of teaching that takes place through modeling the Christian life before others. More than simply drilling information into young believers, Christians should serve as mentors, coming alongside others and showing them what it means to walk as a disciple of Jesus. This emphasis on guidance coincides with the ancient Israelite concept of teaching, “. . . the task of a teacher was to create the conditions in which learning could occur—and those conditions would be most effective when the learner had direct contact with relevant ‘on the job’ experience.”
Many times we misinterpret the command to “make disciples” by divorcing this command unintentionally from other commands of Jesus, as if the imperatives of Jesus are weighted, with some being more valuable than others.
We would do well to remember Mark 6:14; “And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.”
Discipleship requires teaching by the example of emulating the Great teacher and pupils willing to receive the instruction. It is a gift to be given freely and accepted gratefully by the recipient. To make disciples we must be an exemplar that the unschooled want to emulate.
