Religion

Been There. Done That.

Now, A Chance to Get it Right.

Published by One p.m. (PST)

January 10 – 14, 2011

The Gathering of the Tribes

A discussion of the rise in the Human Consciousness Movement.

More to Come by 1 pm (PST)

Commentary on: The Gathering of the Tribes

January 10-14, 2011

Commentary will be posted at 5 pm (PST)

This article refers directly to the Los Angeles Free Press Series mentioned above.

HERE is a link to the first postings of this Series.

After any day’s reading, come here again to find discussion on the thoughts generated and the conclusions that can be drawn. And please don’t hesitate to add whatever you have in mind!

by Steven M. Finger

Is 2012 likely to be a false call?  Has happened before – thought we should point out the many who thought they were going to be the Grateful Dead are not.  At least, not yet.

And, surely, you know all folks are not on the same wavelength – the above posting is just a reminder that much remains to be done if we are to ever reach a (beautifully) harmonic chord.  Might be why the earlier call wasn’t answered.

Come visit at 5pm (PST) for today’s complete commentary.

Key Words of our thinking in this Issue:  The Shift of the Ages, The Square Root of One Percent, Para PachaMama Global Community Network, Rainbow Family of Living Light, LETS, Local Exchange Trading Systems, Wholistic Business Assistance, Apocalypse

Here are links to the items in this Series:

Day 1 (of 5)

[1] 2012 The Shift of the Ages

[2] The Square Root of One Percent

[3] Official Opening of the Para PachaMama Global Community Network

Day 2 (of 5)

[1] The Rainbow Family of Living Light?

[2] LETS be Wholistic Business Partners

Day 3 (of 5)

[1] All dressed up… and no place to go?

[2] How do you prepare for the end of the world?

Day 4 (of 5)

[1] Rapture Watch

Day 5 (of 5)

Rapture Watch

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(Ed.’s Note:  if the video does not play – is sporadic, we’re working on it here – use the link below.  However, when you arrive, the Israeli news will be ON… scroll down to the video window and click the Stop button so the audio turns OFF.

Scroll up, watch the video at top.  There is also a timeline of when the Rapture is due… just a “head’s up”.  In the meantime, this site can keep you posted with the latest relevant events… you might not want to miss this.)

The Rainbow Family of Living Light?

Welcome Home!

When the earth is ravaged and the animals are dying, a new tribe of people shall come unto the earth from many colors, classes, creeds, and who by their actions and deeds shall make the earth green again. They will be known as the warriors of the Rainbow – Old Native American Prophecy

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It is longstanding Rainbow Family consensus that nobody has ever, or ever will represent the Rainbow Family. This is an unofficial collection of information on the Rainbow Family and the Rainbow Gatherings, and in no way should anyone who works on this web site be considered to be representing the Rainbow Family. For the rest of the disclaimer, Go to the Bottom.

Since various Law Enforcement agencies and the Forest Service can’t seem to understand the preceeding paragraph, go to this link for a more verbose and simplified version especially for you.

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What is the Rainbow Family ?

Some say we’re the largest non-organization of non-members in the world. We have no leaders, and no organization. To be honest, the Rainbow Family means different things to different people. I think it’s safe to say we’re into intentional community building, non-violence, and alternative lifestyles. We also believe that Peace and Love are a great thing, and there isn’t enough of that in this world. Many of our traditions are based on Native American traditions, and we have a strong orientation to take care of the the Earth. We gather in the National Forests yearly to pray for peace on this planet. For another viewpoint, Try Carla’s much better explanation.

More Information

Info on this years Gathering

The 2011 annual Gathering will be someplace in someplace the state of Washington. This link contains all the information I have on the 2011 on this page gathering, and will be updated as I get more information.

Legal Documents

The US Forest Service has published the final regulations to make Rainbow Gatherings Illegal! This page has many legal documents from the various court cases we’ve been involved in over the years, plus analyses.

Rainbow Family Related Events

This page has all the event calendars, plus lists of regional potlucks, Lightlines, and other events that would be of interest to Rainbows.

Rainbow Family Hipstories

This is a growing collection of historical documents on the Rainbow Family. Included are various stories on our origins, and a collection of newspaper and magazine articles, and the Rainbow Photo Gallery.

General info on the Rainbow Family

This is a collection of documents and links about the Rainbow Family. Included are old Howdy Folks, regional newsletters, mini-manuals, and archives of the newsgroup.

Ed.’s Note:  If you haven’t already, link to Carla’s Letter, and view the complete site, FAQs and more at:

http://www.welcomehome.org/rainbow/

Christian Nationalists Assuming Control & Authority over Meaning of the Flag

This Flag is Our Flag

By Austin Cline, About.com Guide

This Flag is Our Flag: Christian Nationalists Assuming Control & Authority over Meaning of the American Flag

One area where Christian Nationalists have attempted to exercise more subtle control over American culture is through the American flag. Efforts to ban flag burning have a lot in common with efforts to ban gay marriage as well as a host of other hot-button conservative issues. The issue is not the issue: it’s not about burning or protecting flags and it’s not about protecting the sanctity of marriage. It’s about retaining control over important cultural symbols upon which people base their identities.

Why do so many religious and political conservatives insist that same-sex marriages “threaten” and “undermine” traditional heterosexual marriages? Marriage is not just an institution, but also a symbol of a culture’s ideals about sex, sexuality, and human relationships. Such symbols are a common cultural currency which we use to help create our sense of self. Thus when the nature of marriage is challenged, so are people’s basic identities.

Flag burning fits in here because it’s a way in which people seek to radically alter others’ perceptions of the flag as not just a symbol within the culture, but as a symbol of America as a whole. Bans on flag burning and desecration are a way to avoid discussing what the flag as a symbol means and what America itself should stand for. They are saying to everyone: “This is our country. This is our flag. If you don’t adopt our meanings, you don’t belong.”

For Christian Nationalists, a ban on burning or desecrating the American flag is just the beginning: it represents a first step towards taking rights away from political minorities and establishing the power of a majority to dictate the terms of public discourse. They talk about the “right of the majority to rule,” which in this case means the power of the majority to dictate to everyone how exactly the flag will be treated, what it will mean, and what sort of relationship one is allowed to have with the flag.

Christian Nationalists hope that this will open the door to similar changes in other areas of law. If the majority has the power to censor certain forms of political speech, why not other speech and expression such as pornography? If the they are given the power to determine the meaning of the flag for everyone, why not also the power to determine the meaning and importance of the Ten Commandments for everyone?

This image is based upon a World War I poster depicting a worker rolling up his sleeves and getting to work for the flag.

To see the ‘image’, please go to the site link given below.

http://atheism.about.com/od/religiousright/ig/Christian-Propaganda-Posters/American-Flag-Is-Our-Flag.htm

Who Joins Cults, And Why?

The following article has been excerpted from Take Back Your Life: Recovering from Cults and Abusive Relationships by Janja Lalich and Madeleine Tobias (Bay Tree Publishing).

Is there a certain type of person who is more likely to join a cult? No.

Individual vulnerability factors matter much more than personality type when it comes to joining or staying in a cult or abusive relationship. “Everyone is influenced and persuaded daily in various ways,” writes the late Margaret Singer, “but the vulnerability to influence varies. The ability to fend off persuaders is reduced when one is rushed, stressed, uncertain, lonely, indifferent, uninformed, distracted, or fatigued…. Also affecting vulnerability are the status and power of the persuader…. No one type of person is prone to become involved with cults. About two-thirds of those studied have been normal young persons induced to join groups in periods of personal crisis, [such as] broken romance or failures to get the job or college of their choice. Vulnerable, the young person affiliates with a cult offering promises of unconditional love, new mental powers, and social utopia. Since modern cults are persistent and often deceptive in their recruiting, many prospective group members have no accurate knowledge of the cult and almost no understanding of what eventually will be expected of them as long-term members.”₁

Many cults have flourished in recent decades, and changes in recruitment styles and targets have occurred. In the 1970s and early ’80s, primarily young adults, either in college or some other life transition, joined these groups. At that time, cults were extremely active (and some still are) on college campuses and in places where young people congregate. Today, however, increasing numbers of people in their late twenties and older are joining cult groups or getting involved in abusive relationships. In fact, the majority of inquiries to cult information resources involve new recruits or adherents who are in their thirties to fifties, or even sixties. Still no single personality profile characterizes cult members.₂

Most experts agree, though, that whether the joiner is young or old, certain predisposing factors may facilitate attraction to a cultic system, the success of recruitment and indoctrination efforts, and the length and depth of involvement. These factors include: Read more…