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Apologia Report 12:32
August 25, 2007
Subject: Bart Ehrman reveals "God's Problem"
In this issue:
EVIL, PROBLEM OF (THEODICY) - Bart Ehrman, on a roll, exploits theodicy
MORMONISM - L.A. Times asks hard questions about Mitt Romney's faith
POTTER, HARRY - a contemporary witch analyzes the "magick" in J.K. Rowling's book series
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EVIL, PROBLEM OF (THEODICY)
The Fall 2007 edition of the HarperOne book catalog (p30) announces a title that hasn't even made it to their web site <harperone.com>: God's Problem: How the Bible fails to answer our most important question - why we suffer, due in March [2]. In it, Bart Ehrman "challenges the varied and contradictory biblical explanations for why an all-powerful God allows us to suffer.
"In Misquoting Jesus [3], ... Ehrman revealed how the corruption of scripture by scribes caused him to reject his once-conservative Christian beliefs. Now Ehrman discusses his personal anguish upon discovering the Bible's contradictory explanations for suffering, and tells how this realization caused him to lose his faith altogether.
"Why does an all-knowing, benevolent God permit war, disease, natural disasters, abuse, pain, and death? If God is not responsible, who is? People often quote the Bible in times of questioning and despair to provide answers. But, surprisingly, the Bible does not have one answer but many, often contradictory answers. In God's Problem, a top Bible scholar reveals the Bible's central and often conflicting responses to suffering.
"EXCERPT: For the authors of the Bible, the God who created this world is a God of love and power, who intervenes for his faithful. This is the God of the Exodus, who saved his suffering people from the misery of slavery in Egypt; this is the God of the patriarchs who answered prayer and worked miracles for his people; this is the God of Jesus who healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, made the lame walk, and fed those who were hungry. Where is this God now?"
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MORMONISM
"Romney's Cross to Bear" by Sally Denton -- in an effort to provide a balanced portrayal of Mitt Romney's faith, Denton includes some disturbing details. "Founded in 1830 ... the religion was not Judaic, Christian or even monotheistic, at least not in any traditional sense. ...
"Controversial, communal, secretive and acquisitive, its doctrines thick with unorthodox practices - including polygamy, blood atonement, secret sacraments and consecration of property - the church routinely met with antagonism and even violence. ...
"In fact, in 1844, [founder Joseph] Smith announced his candidacy for the U.S. presidency, advocating theocratic rule for the entire nation."
Smith "also was secretly married to nearly 50 women (a condition that would certainly be a serious impediment to a candidate running today). He prophesied the overthrow of the U.S. government. ...
"It is this history, if only amorphously grasped, combined with a recent onslaught of bad publicity for the church that fosters uneasiness. In what the Boston Herald recently called 'the most damning mass-media portrayal of Mormons yet,' the movie 'September Dawn' will open in theaters in a few weeks. The film [septemberdawn.net] is a fictionalized depiction of the Mountain Meadows Massacre Ñ the slaughter on Sept. 11, 1857, by Mormon militia of about 140 men, women and children traveling to California. ...
"There also have been two recent books on the massacre (I wrote one of them [4]) and a popular HBO series about contemporary Mormon polygamy called 'Big Love' [1]. Sure to add to the bad-publicity blitz is the upcoming trial of alleged serial polygamist (and Mormon) Warren Jeffs.
"As for Romney and Mormonism, there seems only one legitimate and relevant question: Do you, like the prophet you follow, believe in a theocratic nation state? All the rest is pyrotechnics." Los Angeles Times, Jun 10 '07, pM9. <http://tinyurl.com/yo7wuo>
To catch what the Christian Science Monitor also had to say about Mountain Meadows recently, see <http://tinyurl.com/2kmla3>.
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POTTER, HARRY
What do contemporary witches think of the Potter books? Writing for the largest occult publisher in America, Christopher Penczak answers the question in "The Spiritual Wisdom of Harry Potter?" He begins: "Being a public witch and author, I'm often asked how 'real' the world of Harry Potter is. ... But what they really mean is: how real, how accurate, is the magick being presented in the Harry Potter series? ...
"People want to see lightning bolts and fireballs fly from fingertips, even though I know of no living witch or wizard who can physically perform such acts. ...
"I also know that some of the lore is correct (to a certain extent), at least in a historic sense. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, when the class at Hogwarts was transplanting the mandrake, they correctly taught that the mandrake's yell is dangerous, screaming when it is uprooted, and that special precautions are needed. ...
"Ironically, conservative Christian groups in the United States have accused the Harry Potter books and J.K Rowling of promoting witchcraft in children. As a witch, I'd have to disagree. While the movies can stimulate an interest in witchcraft and magick, the magick depicted in this world is nothing like mine. If you come into Wicca, Ceremonial Magick or any form of modern magick thinking that you will be Headmaster Dumbledore or Professor McGonagall (with their overt uses of magick), you'll be really disappointed. ...
"The world of Harry Potter perpetuates what I call the chemistry approach to magick. If you simply do the right thing - the right words and pronunciation, the right gesture, the exact ingredients and timing - you will get the same result. Magicians know that you can pronounce words incorrectly and still have great results if you have enough energy and will behind your magick, and you can pronounce them technically right and still fail."
In the book, "Girls are witches and boys are wizards. In the modern world, men will take the name witch just as readily as women, not wizard and certainly not warlock (as warlock is usually considered to be a derogatory term by modern male witches). Women usually don't use the term wizard, but can be ceremonial magicians. They can be mages, sorceresses, and enchantresses if those terms appeal to them. Modern witchcraft has a strong feminist streak, stressing the equality (if not superiority) of women, and a prominent place for the divine feminine as Goddess and mother of God, as well as leadership positions for women. ...
"Some of the aspects of Harry's world that do conform to modern magick include the idea of muggles. A muggle is a non-magical person, and actually refers to someone as being of a different blood, while many of the magical families attempt to remain pureblood. Such ideas are also found in old world witchcraft traditions, with the concept of witchblood. Some witches believe they are descended from the elder races of beings, including the Celtic gods, the faery/elven folk, or the race of fallen angels known as the Watchers. ...
"In the books, Hogwarts stresses study and discipline as an important part of magickal training, and I must agree. I believe that while certain people are talented in magick, perhaps being of the witchblood, anybody can learn how to do magick if they put their mind to it. ...
"Lastly, the world of J.K. Rowling doesn't purport any silly idea that magick can only be used by good people, or for good purposes. Magick is an energy, or perhaps a way of manipulating energy, the unseen forces of the universe. People use it for good. People use it for ill. ...
"When people ask me about the reality of the Harry Potter series, after talking about a few of these points, I suggest they take Harry Potter for what it is: a story. ... But don't mistake a book or movie for the deep spiritual traditions of witchcraft and magick.
"While The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia, both classics recently turned into movies, have Christian associations due to the faith of their authors, no one mistakes them for manuals on how to practice Christianity. While J.K. Rowling is writing about witchcraft, she isn't writing it from a modern witch's perspective, so don't expect it to be an accurate practice book. If you are looking for fiction that teaches you magick, I suggest reading the work of Dion Fortune, such as her book The Sea Priestess [5], once you are all done with the Harry Potter series. She is both entertaining and illuminating, and carves a true path into the mysteries of magick." Llewellyn Journal, Jul 16 '07, <http://www.llewellynjournal.com/article/1345>
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Sources, Television:
1 - Big Love, <http://tinyurl.com/2omsbn>
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Sources, Monographs:
2 - God's Problem: How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question - Why We Suffer, by Bart D. Ehrman (HarperOne, March 2008, hardcover, 256 pages)
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0061173975/apologiareport>
3 - Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the New Testament and Why, by Bart D. Ehrman (HarperSanFrancisco, 2005, paperback, 256 pages)
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060738170/apologiareport>
4 - American Massacre: The Tragedy at Mountain Meadows, September 1857, by Sally Denton (Vintage, 2004, paperback, 352 pages)
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0375726365/apologiareport>
5 - The Sea Priestess, by Dion Fortune and Gareth Knight (Weiser, 2003, paperback, 235 pages)
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1578632900/apologiareport>
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