Well, I’m happy and not happy. It’s great to not have to shovel my car out from under all the ice and snow — and it sure is pretty to stay inside and watch the snow fall. However, when there’s no work, I don’t get paid…

Okay!

This is on my mind right now. Loyal readers of this lofty blog no doubt recall that I am not entirely comfortable with the alleged veracity of what we call the Holy Scriptures, the Holy Bible, the Old & New Testaments, the Tanakh, the Douay-Rheims, the KJV, and least of all the NIV.

Although there is a lot that I love about all of that — and I utilized all of them in Divinity School. But I found them somewhat useless if you leave out the studying of the history of the Ancient Christians and the Jesus Movement of the First Century AD. Especially since the earliest “Popes,” and then Constantine and the Council of Nicaea, decreed –and defying the decree was punishable by death — that only certain beliefs could be held about what came to be called “Christianity.”

For instance, they censored any movement or writings that went against Paul (and many — including Peter and Jesus’ own family — were against Paul); or anything that dared to sanctify Mary Magdalene, or that implied Jesus had an ordinary family — likely a wife and children, etc. Yes, after the final Council of Nicaea, it was punishable by death to adhere to any beliefs that were not in line with the writings that came to be called the New Testament.

Also, it’s prudent to consider that many mistakes and/or deliberate alterations were made to all of the accepted writings in “the Bible” when translations of early Christian writings went from ancient Hebrew (notoriously difficult to translate accurately) and ancient Aramaic, to ancient Greek, back into Hebrew, then into Latin, then old English. And from Orthodoxy to what we would call contemporary English today (wherein the KJV not only gets “translated” into an easier to understand English, but it gets very specifically spelled-out so that it is easy for you to believe what you are supposed to believe and not think that it ever could have meant anything different).

When you study the history of Ancient Christianity, you also find that Apocalyptic writing was very popular in the later part of the First Century AD, especially after the horrors of the Roman siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Similar to how Romance novels or Spy novels are popular today, people wrote Apocalypses and they were very popular among the common people in Jerusalem. And it was customary to write these Apocalypses under a pen name — usually under the name of the person whose belief system you adhered to so that it was easier for other followers of that specific person to find and read them. For instance, the Apocalypse of Peter, or the Apocalypse of James, the Apocalypse of Mary, or the Apocalypse of Bartholomew (all banned). But, oh — this is one that actually made it into the New Testament: the Apocalypse of John, wherein Rome’s siege of Jerusalem comes to a spiritual and emotional justification for the people who managed to survive it.

Scholars who are prone to studying the history of Ancient Christianity and not so much the theology of it, have long held that this particular Apocalypse was not written by the man named John who followed Jesus, but was instead written by a follower of John’s who used his name as a pseudonym for his very popular Apocalypse. In much the same way that we now understand that the Gospels According to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were not written by Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. And that most of the writings attributed to Paul were not written by Paul, but by followers of Paul — ever notice that Paul contradicts himself a lot? That’s why. (What’s kind of interesting, though, is how dismissive everyone has been taught to be of the “General” Epistle of James, ignoring almost entirely that James was the brother of Jesus and that he took over the leadership of the Jesus Movement in Jerusalem after his brother was crucified by the Romans. Ignoring, too, that his “General” Letter likely reflects more of what Jesus actually taught and believed than anything attributed to Paul throughout the New Testament.)

But I digress.

My point is, that somewhere along the many, many centuries of people protesting (i.e., Protestantism) against the Vatican’s practices and harsh dictates of what Christianity had to mean, the Apocalypse of St. John the Apostle became simply known in contemporary English as “Revelations”.

I am 100% an absolute die-hard believer in a person’s right to hold and adhere to any beliefs they want to believe. Even to be zealous about it, although history shows us that zealotry can often get the believer — or, sadly, innocent people — killed. Still, once you start trying to police peoples’ thoughts and beliefs — well, we all know what happens then. Things like Project M o cking bird, or the R e d G u ar d, or the Bol sh e viks, etc.

I know it’s really popular right now — and has been popular for a really, really long time, if you examine it closely — to use “Revelations” as a divining tool for the present day and for the immediate future.

And it’s also prudent to consider that human nature never really seems to change and we can learn much about human behavior by reading The Apocalypse of St. John the Apostle “Revelations”…

Well, gang, I’m just sayin’ — it’s okay to believe whatever you want. And it’s especially okay when you’ve researched the depth and breadth of the Apocalyptic writings and still believe that John’s speaks to you in whatever present-day way. As some sort of indicator for the here & now. But I’m just sayin’…

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Okay. And now the news.

From E z r a A C o hen yesterday:

“Every single one is a p e d * phile.”

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Oh, and here’s an image that I just love. It’s been floating around for 2 years already but I never get tired of it:

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And another one of those reminders from Whiplash347:

“Learn COVFEFE MAGNETS. It is Imperative.
Cobalt
Vanadium
Iron”

‘‘Communications Over Various Feeds Electronically For Engagement Act of 2017’’ or the ‘‘COVFEFE Act of 2017’’.

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And here are a bunch of items I found of interest on RT News:

“Putin/Xi joint statement key points: nuclear weapons withdrawal

Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping released a joint statement following their first summit in two years, highlighting:

▪️calls for all world powers to withdraw nuclear weapons deployed abroad and limit the development of missile defense

▪️urge for US to abandon plans to deploy medium and shorter-range ground-based missiles in Asia-Pacific and Europe, and accelerate the elimination of chemical weapons stockpiles; military-biological activities of US & its allies threaten Russia and China

▪️ intent to resist the interference of external forces in the internal affairs of sovereign countries through “color revolutions”, as China supports Russian proposals for long-term legally binding security guarantees in Europe

▪️concern of the return to confrontation of major powers; “when the weak become prey to the strong”

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Putin/Xi summit key points: Massive gas deal – intent to resist external influence

Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping’s first face-to-face meeting in two years has finished Friday:

▪️A contract has been prepared for the supply of 10bn cubic meters of gas from the Far East to China, and for 100mn tons of oil to China over next 10 years

▪️Both presidents signaled their intent to resist external forces interfering in the internal affairs of sovereign countries or undermining security through “color revolutions”

▪️Xi Jinping noted that Beijing and Moscow jointly serve as a support for uniting the world in overcoming crises, political and strategic trust between the countries continues to strengthen

▪️Putin said Russia and China’s relations “have acquired a truly unprecedented character and are an example of worthy relations that help each other develop”

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“❗️Russia-Argentina Talks Aim to Shake Shackles of IMF & US

President Alberto Fernandez has begun talks with President Putin aimed at reducing Argentina’s economic independence on the US and IMF. (DPA)

“We have to open up to other countries and Russia can play an important role in this,” Fernandez said.

He also offered Putin assistance in aiding Russia’s entry into the Latin-American market.”

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“Brazil President Bolsonaro Tweets Support for Joe Rogan

The Brazilian leader has chimed into the Rogan-Spotify debate taking sides with the popular podcaster. (AFP)

“If freedom of speech means anything, it means that people should be free to say what they think,” Bolsonaro said.

Rogan is at the center of criticism after some artists, like Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, ditched Spotify over the podcaster’s statements about Covid vaccines.

Jair and Joe for the next episode?”

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“Bojo Exodus: UK PM’s Top Aides RESIGN – Is No.10 Under Siege?

Four senior aides close to Prime Minister Bo ris John son have resigned in what’s been described as a day of departures from “Drowning Street” – as the PM’s own ranks are left reeling from Sue Gray’s Partygate report.

Comms Director Jack Doyle and Policy Head Munira Mirza were first to depart, later followed by Chief of Staff Dan Rosenfield and Senior Civil Servant Martin Reynolds.

The aides leaving may be a slow bleed on a mortal wound, as the BBC reports at least 17 Tory MPs have submitted letters of no confidence.

Can B o ris survive?”

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The red pills are working!

“Democrats Flock to Fox’s Tucker Carlson – Instead of MSNBC & CNN

Much-vilified Fox News host Tucker Carlson was more successful than Dem-favored MSNBC and CNN in attracting Democratic viewership last year among a key demographic. (Nielsen MRI Fusion ratings)

Data reveals that Carlson’s primetime news show was the most popular one among self-identified Democrats in the age range of 25-54.

The conservative network drew in 39% of the audience, compared to 31% for MSNBC and 30% for CNN. The lead was even more significant for the total-day viewership.”

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And if you’re no longer afraid of C*vid, here’s this:

“HIV superstrain discovered in Europe – twice as devastating

The new super-mutant strain of HIV discovered in the Netherlands, destroys immune systems twice as quickly, and has already reached 109 people. (Oxford University)

The original VB variant arose in the 1980s before it was thought to have been in decline for over a decade, but the new super-strain carries between 3.5 and 5.5 times the viral load in the bloodstream.

Experts believe that the actual number of cases will be much higher than the confirmed 109 so far.”

[By the way, that’s called fear mongering, and they’re leaving out the part about how HIV is in the V A X…]

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And that’s it for today.

Enjoy your Friday, wherever you are in the world, whether or not it’s snowing!

Thanks for visiting, gang. I love you guys. See ya!

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Restored Republic news update (be sure to listen to the end for the disgusting Johns Hopkins therragripper news!) (Try not to throw up!) (20 mins):

Ch* rlie W * rd chats with Victoria Reynold (52 mins):

Phil’s intel from last night. Great news about Mex i can c ar t els: (1 hr):

Blessed to Teach has a tribute to Canadian truckers (5 mins):

NOVAK DJOKOVIC SPEAKS AT PRESS CONFERENCE WITH SERBIAN PRESIDENT (English subtitles) ( 3 mins):

Mirrored from Sarah Westall: ATTORNEY TOM RENZ HAS MORE INCREDIBLE DOD WHISTLEBLOWER DATA AND BOMBSHELL FRAUD INFO (1 hr):

X*2 R* port: SOMETIMES THE PAST CAN FIND THE FUTURE, EQUAL JUSTICE UNDER THE LAW (53 mins):