BPR Mailing List Digest: 10/01/00

Philologos
BPR Mailing List Digest
October 1, 2000

Digest Home | 2000 | October, 2000

To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - ...On Numerology
From: bpr-list@philologos.org
Date: Sun, 01 Oct 2000 07:50:04 -0500

With the recent messages in the last few days on numbers in the Bible
or use of numerology in general in Bible study, I have received a
couple of "warnings" to be wary of such -- that study in this area is
akin to the occult.

Sigh...

I'm saddened, for Satan has done his job well. He has made the
average christian afraid to delve into the deeper parts of the Bible
-- to explore, for example, God's use of numbers in The Word.

Satan's manipulation and lies associated with the Zodiac has robbed
the christian of the beautiful story in the constellations for fear
that study in this area is equivalent to the occult worship of the
stars. The mention of Virgo or Taurus does not bring to mind God's
promised Seed and the coming Redeemer to the average christian.
Instead, their thoughts run to astrology and the perverted meanings
now associated with them, and as a result they shun from even their
slightest consideration in God's overall plan of prophecy. And now we
see that Satan has done the same with the study of numerology in the
bible.

Yes, numerology is evident in the occult. And yes, using numbers to
predict or foretell the future is a sin. And yes, assigning power and
magical qualities to numbers is forbidden and BPR is wary of books
that, under the guise of christianity, promote such beliefs. And yes,
christians should stay away from such books and practices. But,
having said that, don't let Satan's perverted use of God's designs
carry over into your Bible study, thus preventing your enjoyment of
one of the most fascinating studies in the Bible.

How can someone say that they see no evidence of God's deliberate use
of numbers in the Bible? The seven days of the week, the
seven-branched candlestick, the seven seals, the seven trumpets, the
seven vials, the seven churches, etc. are all just by chance? God had
no purpose in mind when He specifically used the number seven?
Bullinger writes in "Number in Scripture,"

"As He is perfect, so His works and His words also must be perfect.
And when we see number used not by chance, but by design; not at
haphazard, but with significance; then we see not merely so many
works and words, but the Living God working and speaking...

"When we see the same design in each; the same laws at work; the same
mysterious principles being carried out in each, the conviction is
overwhelming that we have the same great Designer, the same Author;
and we see the same Hand, the same seal stamped on all His works, and
the same signature or autograph, as it were, upon every page of His
Word."

Satan does not create. He only knows how to destroy and manipulate
that which God has created. He takes God's designs and alters them
into something totally unrecognizable from its original form and then
gives it a new name. Why? In most cases, to hide the truth.

Occultists can make use of most anything for their purposes, whether
it be the stars, numbers, candles, cards, symbols or even the Bible.
I've yet to have someone tell me to be wary of the bible for fear of
studying it can open me up to the occult, yet freemasons, satanists,
and New Age groups use it and quote from it all the time to further
their own devious and evil plans. I can study the bible, but not the
numbers in the bible?

While I appreciate the friendly warnings from those folks who
consider themselves blessed with the "gift of discernment" I feel
that BPR is on solid ground here. My own personal studies, for
instance, of numbers and the constellations have only brought me
closer to God and His great designs in the universe despite Satan's
attempts to thwart such studies. I give God all the glory!

You are free to disagree with me of course, but I'll delete any
messages that want to argue the point. There's no time for that.

Thanks,
owner-bpr@philologos.org

_________________________
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See http://philologos.org/bpr for additional info.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Oct 1, 2000 TV Programs
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Sun, 1 Oct 2000 08:52:18 -0400

8:00 PM Eastern

HIST - WORLD WAR II IN COLOR - "A New World Order" -
Extremism erupts into armed conflict.(CC)(TVG)

9:00

HIST - WORLD WAR II IN COLOR - "Total War" - Pearl Harbor;
Warsaw Ghetto; ruins of Hamburg; U.S. Marines fight Japanese
in the Pacific.(CC)(TVG)

PAX - SOLOMON - 1997 miniseries about the life of King David's son.

10:00

PBS - THERE ONCE WAS A TOWN - People return in a group to
their childhood shtetl to share memories of their culture and
lives before World War II.(CC)(TVPG)(Ends 11:30pm)

A&E - EMPIRE OF CRIME: A CENTURY OF THE NEW YORK MOB -
Prominent New Yorkers and insiders tell of mob influence on
business, entertainment and sports.(CC)(TVPG)(Ends midnight)

HIST - WORLD WAR II IN COLOR - "Triumph and Despair" -
Preparations for the Normandy landings; release of POWs,
refugees and displaced persons.(CC)(TVG)

From: moza@butterfly.mv.com

See http://philologos.org/bpr for additional info.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Re: ...On Numerology (12; 153)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Khazneh")
Date: Sun, 1 Oct 2000 09:13:33 -0400

It looks like a good time to send...

A few words with the numeric value of 12:

01710 dagah daw-gaw'

from 01709; TWOT-401b; n f

AV-fish 15; 15

1) fish

[dalet 4, gimel 3, he 5]

***

02245 chabab khaw-bab'

a primitive root [compare 02244, 02247]; TWOT-589; v

AV-loved 1; 1

1) (Qal) to love fervently, cherish

and...

02246 Chobab kho-bawb'

from 02245; ; n pr m

AV-Hobab 2; 2

Hobab =" cherished"

1) the son of Reuel, the Midianite father-in-law of Moses, also known as
Jethro, and brother-in-law of Moses

[chet 8, bet 2, bet 2]

***

09 'abedah ab-ay-daw'

*from 06*; TWOT-2b; n f

AV-lost thing 3, that which was lost 1; 4

1) a lost thing, something lost

[aleph 1, bet 2, dalet 4, he 5]

***

01463 Gowg gohg

of uncertain derivation, Greek 1136 ; TWOT-324; n pr m

AV-Gog 10; 10

Gog =" mountain"

1) a Reubenite, son of Shemaiah
2) the prophetic prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal, and Magog

[gimel 3, vav 6, gimel 3]

====================

153

I won't repeat the information in Bullinger's Number in Scripture... here
are a few things I have found on my own:

Exodus 31:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Exodus 31:2 See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of
Hur, of the tribe of Judah:
Exodus 31:3 And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in
understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,
Exodus 31:4 To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in
brass,
Exodus 31:5 And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber,
to work in all manner of workmanship.

Bezaleel (bet 2, tsadi 90, lamed 30, aleph 1, lamed 30) = 153

***

Deuteronomy 3:27 Get thee up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes
westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold it with
thine eyes: for thou shalt not go over this Jordan.
Deuteronomy 3:28 But charge *Joshua*, and encourage him, and strengthen him:
for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit
the land which thou shalt see.

Ha-Pisgah (he 5, pe 80, samech 60, gimel 3, he 5) = 153

***

The Passover (Ha-Pesach = he 5, pe 80, samech, 60 chet 8) = 153. Interesting
how it must include the article, as if not just any Passover, but 'the'
Passover.

The daily (Ha-Tamiyd - he 5, tav 400, mem 40, yud 10, dalet 4) = 153 x 3.

08548 tamiyd {taw-meed'}
from an unused root meaning to stretch; TWOT - 1157a; n m

AV - continually 53, continual 26, daily 7, always 6, alway 4, ever 3,
perpetual 2, continual employment 1, evermore 1, never 1; 104

1) continuity, perpetuity, to stretch
1a) continually, continuously (as adverb)
1b) continuity (subst)

Examples:

Daniel 11:31 And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the
sanctuary of strength, and shall take away (5493; Hiphil) the daily
[sacrifice], and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.

Daniel 12:11 And from the time [that] the daily [sacrifice] shall be taken
away (5493 Hophal), and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, [there
shall be] a thousand two hundred and ninety days.

'The daily' is just that... the word 'sacrifice' was added in by the
translators. Considering 2 Thes 2 (the apostacy), having the word sacrifice
added is not superfluous. The Hebrew for 'taken away' in these verses is...

05493 cuwr {soor} or suwr (Hos 9:12) {soor}

a primitive root; TWOT - 1480; v

AV - (put, take,...) away 97, depart 76, remove 35, aside 29, take 14,
turn 12, turn in 9, take off 6, go 3, put 3, eschewed 3, misc 14; 301

1) to turn aside, depart
    1a) (Qal)
        1a1) to turn aside, turn in unto
        1a2) to depart, depart from way, avoid
        1a3) to be removed
        1a4) to come to an end
    1b) (Polel) to turn aside
    1c) (Hiphil)
        1c1) to cause to turn aside, cause to depart, remove, take
             away, put away, depose
        1c2) to put aside, leave undone, retract, reject, abolish
    1d) (Hophal) to be taken away, be removed

11:31 = to cause to turn aside, cause to depart, remove, take
away, put away,

Compare to the word for 'falling away' in 2 Thes 2:3...

646 apostasia {ap-os-tas-ee'-ah}
feminine of the same as 647; TDNT - 1:513,88; n f
AV - to forsake + 575 1, falling away 1; 2

1) a falling away, defection, apostasy

647 apostasion {ap-os-tas'-ee-on}
neuter of a (presumed) adj. from a derivative of 868;; n n

AV - divorcement 2, writing of divorcement 1; 3

1) divorce, repudiation
2) a bill of divorce

***

I find it most intruiging, that 'the' daily is also stamped with the number
153, as is 'the' Passover. When the 'daily' is rejected... daily what? Daily
sacrifice (the cross, or taking up one's cross daily), daily bread, daily
'light of the world' [perpetual lamp oil], etc. Here are a couple of verses
which come to mind:

John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the
world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the
light of life.

Hebrews 10:12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for
ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

ever...

1336 dienekes {dee-ay-nek-es'}
neuter of a compound of 1223 and a derivative of an alternate of
5342;; adj
AV - continually + 1519 2, for ever + 1519 2; 4

1) continuously, continuous

***

Daily bread (manna from heaven):

John 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh
to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

And...

Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him
deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

***

When the cross is rejected/turned aside from, you get

2 Thessalonians 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall
not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be
revealed, the son of perdition;

[Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one,
and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.
Ye cannot serve God and mammon.]

See http://philologos.org/bpr for additional info.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Mark of the Beast: Dare to Dream
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Sun, 1 Oct 2000 09:24:59 -0400

This is from another list I am on.--Moza

-----begin-----

9/28/00

I turned on the satellite TV to watch while I washed up and
flossed, and was really astounded by what I saw: on the WAM
channel there was a "hip," "cool," visually-stimulating ad
featuring a teenage boy.

He told us, in quick snippets, the history of currency, getting up
to the 1950s when the first credit card was invented. Then he
said: "In the future, I would create a microchip to go in the
hand, which could be read when you put your hand on a screen." (I'm
paraphrasing) Then there was a graphic depicting the chip in the
palm! I took good notice at this point. He continued about how
cool and fast and easy it would be to get what you want with the
chip. Then the words "Dare to Dream" appeared on the screen!

-----end-----

From: moza@butterfly.mv.com

See http://philologos.org/bpr for additional info.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Scientists race to create black hole
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Sun, 1 Oct 2000 18:07:23 -0400

October 1 2000

Scientists race to create black hole
Stan Arnaud

Light work: chilled atoms will form Leonhardt's black hole
Photograph: Peter Sandground �

SCIENTISTS are preparing to create a form of black hole, known to
astronomers as one of the most devastating phenomena in the universe, on
a table-top in a laboratory at a Scottish university.

Ulf Leonhardt, professor of theoretical physics at St Andrews
University, plans to make an "optical" kind that sucks in light.

He insists that his hole, no bigger than a raindrop and created by a
whirlpool of atoms, will pose no risk of sucking the Scottish seaside
town through a hole in the space-time continuum, along with Prince
William, who begins his degree studies at the seaside university next
year.

"There is certainly no risk of it causing harm to beautiful St Andrews,"
he said. "It is a very simple idea and the possibility of making optical
black holes is becoming a reality.

"I believe it could be possible within the next three to five years."

In space, the gravitational pull of black holes is so powerful that they
devour all matter and energy, including light. Many light years from
Earth, they are thought by astronomers and physicists to exist where
stars have reached the end of their lives and have collapsed into tiny
bodies of enormous density, creating swirling gravitational fields.

Stephen Hawking, the Cambridge physicist, has suggested that there could
be others, created by the Big Bang that gave birth to the universe.

The holes have fascinated science fiction writers as well as physicists.
The 1979 Walt Disney film The Black Hole, starring Anthony Perkins, was
sub- titled "A journey which begins where everything else ends".

Scientists believe the holes, surrounded by vortices of swirling matter
and energy many times larger than the sun, hold the key to a full
understanding of Einstein's theory of relativity and other natural laws.
Einstein first suggested the existence of black holes - parts of the
universe where normal rules of space and time no longer apply - when
expounding his theory.

The holes cannot be seen directly, but scientists have observed their
effects on surrounding matter and neighbouring stars, using powerful
modern equipment such as the Hubble space telescope.

This lack of knowledge has spurred an international race among
scientists to be the first to create a working model in the safe
confines of a laboratory. Leonhardt is at the forefront, along with his
colleague, Paul Piwnicki, of the Royal Institute of Technology in
Stockholm. The optical black hole will be made when chilled atoms are
forced to swirl rapidly inside a tube.

This mimics what happens in deep space. The scientists must then slow
down the speed at which light travels, so it can be sucked into the
vortex.

Leonhardt uses a golfing analogy to explain: "If you hit a ball fast
over the lip of the hole, it will go past. But if you hit it slowly, it
will drop in."

Slowing the speed of light was unthinkable until now. But last year
scientists at Harvard University invented BoseEinstein condensate, a
low-temperature material that is half-way between being a liquid and a
gas. Beams of light, which normally travel at 186,000 miles per second,
slow to 38mph when passed through it.

Leonhardt and Piwnicki are confident they can further develop the
process to slow down the speed of light to one inch per second. Their
atomic whirlpool would then need only to spin at several feet per second
for the light to be sucked inside.

Other researchers in the field of theoretical physics are equally
excited by the breakthrough. Matt Visser, professor of physics at
Washington University in St Louis, Missouri, said: "There are technical
details with this specific project that need to be overcome. But
something like it is almost certain to work.

"Playing with gravity is awfully difficult and getting a real black hole
is a no-go. However, I would say that five to 10 years down the line
there is an excellent chance of something like this working."

Visser said the biggest health risk posed by mimicking black holes would
be an industrial accident, for example if a researcher dropped a piece
of equipment on his foot.

Sir Arthur C Clarke, the science fiction author, said this weekend:
"This sort of amazing thing is totally outside my field of understanding
and leaves me not knowing what to say.

"All I would say is that any sufficiently advanced technology is
indivisible from magic."

http://www.sunday-
times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2000/10/01/stinwenws03005.html

via: isml@egroups.com

From: moza@butterfly.mv.com

See http://philologos.org/bpr for additional info.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Cloning Goes Commercial With Auctioning of Copied Prize Cow
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Sun, 1 Oct 2000 18:08:16 -0400

Cloning Goes Commercial With Auctioning of Copied Prize Cow
Sunday, October 1, 2000

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON -- Her chest is broad, her legs and back straight, and she has "an
excellent mammary system," her owner says. Mandy may be one of a kind,
but not for long.
    An exact copy of the champion Holstein cow will be auctioned this week
in what is believed to be the first time a farm animal has been cloned
for commercial sale.
    The first calf clone or clones -- several now are growing in the wombs
of surrogate cattle -- are expected to fetch $50,000 to $100,000 at
Friday's auction at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis., the dairy
industry's biggest trade show.
    The cloning is a project of Infigen Inc., an international leader in
cloning technology. Infigen, based in DeForest, Wis., owns its own herd
of cloned cattle, which are used to produce genetically engineered
proteins for pharmaceuticals. Until now, no one has tried to clone the
animals for commercial use by farmers and breeders.
    "The reason it hasn't been done before is that the technology hasn't
been there to do it," said Kenneth Olson, a specialist in animal
genetics with the American Farm Bureau Federation.
    Cattle embryos have been cloned before, but no one has made an exact
duplicate of an adult cow and put it up for sale, said Xiangzhong Yang,
director of the Transgenic Animal Facility at the University of
Connecticut.
    "The efficiency and cost is a major obstacle," he said. Research in
cloning animals for agricultural purposes has been slow because funds
have gone toward pharmaceutical and medical uses of the animals, he
said.
   Infigen expects to charge about $25,000 per clone. But company officials
believe breeders wanting to duplicate champion bulls and cows will show
enough interest so the business can get off the ground.
    As the company continues to perfect its cloning process, the price will come
down, said Jesus Martinez, Infigen's director of marketing.
   Mandy, age 8, is a senior citizen by cattle standards. But she has won
major awards in the United States and Canada since she was a calf. Her
owner, Ron Bader of Orangeville, Ill., paid $100,000 for her when she
was 2.

http://www.sltrib.com/10012000/nation_w/28847.htm

via: isml@egroups.com

From: moza@butterfly.mv.com

See http://philologos.org/bpr for additional info.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Reshaping the Int'l Order
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Sun, 1 Oct 2000 18:21:36 -0400

------- Forwarded message follows -------

Date sent: Mon, 2 Oct 2000 02:05:38 +1000
Send reply to: origin@egroups.com
Subject: [origin of nations] PART 2: House of Israel's experiment to impose a superior economic system on the gentiles appears to be losing ground

RESHAPING THE INTERNATIONAL ORDER:

A Warning to the West

by Craig White

Samuel Huntington is a Professor at Harvard University and director
of the John M. Olin Institute for Strategic Studies and was director of
security planning for the National Security Council in the Carter
Administration. He is noted as one of the world�s most distinguished
political scientists.

His recent work, The Clash of Civilizations and The Remaking of World
Order (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996, 369 pages, ISBN: 0-684-81164-2),
has drawn major acclaim and comment from around the world for daring to
inform Western leaders that their reshaping of the world is doomed to
failure and will backfire if they continue on their current track.

While our leaders go about their business attempting to build a world
trading and cultural framework, an international order which would
supposedly bring about world peace and prosperity for all - Samuel
Huntington raises some concerns which, if ignored, could spell the end of
Western civilization as we know it. His argument, based on current trends
and historical precedence, will see the West subsumed into other cultures
and civilizations, unless current trends are arrested. His reasoning
should not be lightly dismissed.

For decades, the post World War II generation has assumed a world
divided on ideological and economic lines. But with the collapse of
communism, the Cold War system which we were so accustomed to is no longer
the model for international relations or understanding the world�s
conflicts.

Today the most important distinctions between peoples are no longer
political/economic -- but once again cultural. People define themselves in
terms of values, history, ancestry, language, customs and religion. As
such, future conflicts will be between civilizations. They will become the
battle lines of the future. These probable clashes pose the greatest
threat to peace.

He further argues that while the West assumes that its civilization,
language and values are being superimposed upon the rest of humanity, trends
and statistics bear out the very opposite. Western civilization is in a
steep decline and is taking on board the features of other civilizations.
For instance, English is not becoming the world language and its usage is
declining in real terms. And there certainly is no evidence that a global
culture is emerging that is based on Western values.

In recognition of the “right to life” of all civilizations, Professor
Huntington proposes a new model for world peace: a new international order
based on civilizations maintaining their existence and co-operating, rather
than one civilization imposing itself upon another, or being subsumed.
Building a new world system that attempts to reshape other civilizations in
the image of the West has not been successful and will not be attained.

Western society, with its tremendous economic prosperity, fresh from
its triumph over European Communism, has a successful facade which belies
its weakness which lurks beneath the surface. Society is in deep decay and
our civilization displays evidence of a lack of will to survive.
Historically, civilizations experience a phase which may be described as a
“blissful golden age with visions of immortality . . . ended either
dramatically and quickly with the victory of an external society, or slowly
and equally painfully by internal disintegration.” (Page 103)

Professor Huntington�s warning to Western leaders is clear: our
civilization has a “right to life” on mother earth, but trends indicate that
it will disappear unless we display leadership and a will to ensure that it
continues.

------- End of forwarded message -------

From: moza@butterfly.mv.com

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Daily World Affairs Report items (10/1/00)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Sun, 1 Oct 2000 18:27:37 -0400

BISHOP FEARS CHURCH WILL BE EXILED

The Church of England is heading for a period of exile and persecution, one
of its bishops has predicted. The Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali fears that the
Human Rights Act which comes into force next month will be used as a
"Trojan horse" for non-Christian agendas that could push the churches to the
margins of society. "It will become harder to be a Christian. Christians will be
excluded from councils of state, voluntary organisations, and sometimes
from the business of the Church. The Church is gradually being pushed to
the margins in the Western world, and we must prepare for a time of exile."

"What I am speaking about is a general tendency to exclude Christianity
from public discourse. The general appeal these days is to public opinion
rather than to Christian values. But of course public opinion is a shifting
thing.There is much good in the human rights legislation. Who would
challenge the freedom from torture? But there are other things which may be
used to introduce non-Christian views contrary to traditions on which this
country is founded." However, the Bishop had some happier predictions.
"God does bless persecution," he said, adding that the Church could grow
stronger from being ostracised. (The London Telegraph)

CLAN OF CONFUCIUS STARTS REVOLUTION

China's most powerful aristocratic clan, the direct descendants of the sage
Confucius, are standing up to be counted again -- 30 years after their pride
was almost broken in a nightmare of labour camps, vandalised temples and
desecrated tombs. In today's China, the furies and certainties of communist
ideology have been reduced to a tinny, cynical nationalism, and drive to get
rich. In this newly tolerant, but spiritually hollow country, 2,500 year-old
Confucian teachings and clan ties are resurfacing - slowly, and with one eye
always open for signs of official disapproval.

Communist officials whose clan surname, Kong, once marked them out for
the terrifying attentions of Red Guards are quietly applying for plots in the
family's 2,000-year-old graveyard. In Confucius's home, the country town of
Qufu, the palace and temple of his direct descendants is once more the
scene of annual rites to mark the birthday of the sage. This Thursday, the
2,551st anniversary of his birth saw the inner family joined in the temple by 2
of their youngest members - 2 half-British schoolchildren flown from south
London to bow with their elders in front of a freshly killed cow, pig and sheep,
to the mournful tooting of long brass horns.

In Dulwich, the children are simply James, 7, and Sophie, 12. Here in Qufu,
they are Kong Chuixu, and Kong Chuiyan, the middle name Chui instantly
identifying them as 79th generation descendants of Confucius, according to
strict rules laid down by an 18th century emperor. By their side stood their
grandfather, 73-year-old Kong Deyong, a clan elder who spent the last 8
years of his childhood in the miserable grandeur of the family mansion, finally
escaping its draughty, treasure-filled halls in 1945, as communist armies
gathered in the hills nearby.

Kong Deyong, who later spent 6 years in a Cultural Revolution labour camp
as punishment for having lived in a palace, is now at the head of the most
concrete demonstration of Confucian self-confidence, a plan to bring the
family's 1,000-year-old clan register fully up to date. This radical revision
aims to record the more than 4,000,000 living descendants of the sage. Such
an appeal to clan pride hovers on the very edge of what is politically
acceptable, the organisers admitted this week.

The last revision should have been done 30 years ago, according to clan law.
But at that time the clan was in terror, its temples closed or attacked by Red
Guards, 300 of whom descended on Qufu to smash ancestral tablets, before
opening the grave of the last duke's father, and hanging the corpse from a
tree. The remains were saved by local townspeople, who took them and hid
them as soon as night fell. The Clan Council, a group of 90 family elders,
among them former aristocrats, Communist Party officials and even generals
of the People's Liberation Army, is not trying to turn the clock back, or
organise any opposition to the party.

Instead, they want to offer China a new, reformed Confucianism, stripped of
its most conservative, chauvinist elements. In this clan register, women will
be inscribed for the very first time. It also aims to record the descendants of
Confucius throughout the world. The Confucian clan traditionally shunned
technology, but elders recently completed a year-long project to place the
last Clan Register, completed in 1937, on the internet. Potential applicants
for the new family tree may now enter their ancestors on the website. In
Confucian terms, these reforms are revolutionary.

Back in 1937, when the last register was finished, the family's 14-year-old
head, the boy-duke Kong Decheng, led clan elders to the Requite Ancestral
Kindness Hall to inform the spirits. Only then could the elders hand the
books to the duke, after making sure to perform the required "3 genuflections
and 9 kowtows" to their young master.

To Kong Deyong, the reforms are essential. "Confucianism was always a
very conservative ideology - it was the philosophy of the aristocracy, always
facing the past. Mao is dead, there is a spiritual void. Maybe Confucianism
can help to fill it a little." Returning with his grandchildren to the small palace
courtyard where he spent 8 years, Mr Kong was in no mood for nostalgia, as
the children scampered around its damp, chilly rooms. Mr Kong, who has
lived in Hong Kong since 1980, told of long, lonely hours spent studying
classical Chinese texts.

Sophie, a Britney Spears fanatic, looked suitably appalled. James wanted to
know about ghosts. Earlier, the children had visited their grandmother's grave
in the Confucian Forest. They burned paper offerings for use in the afterlife -
"including a mobile phone," noted Sophie proudly - and placed their
grandmother's favourite fruits on the altar. The children, who attend James
Allen's Girls' School in Dulwich, and the Newton Preparatory School in
Battersea, do not yet speak Chinese, but Sophie has started lessons.

This was their first experience of the annual birthday rites. Their mother, Jeni
Hung, who uses the Hong Kong spelling of the family name, said: "China is a
part of their life, but it is not easy to share with their friends in England." This
week in Qufu, Mr Kong and his half-British brood were greeted in the street
with smiles and hand-shakes, and pursued by Chinese state media. At the
height of Thursday's birthday rites Kong Demao, the sister of the last duke,
led family members on to the ancient stone dais in front of the sacrificial
altar. Among them, dressed in embroidered pink, stood a young girl from
London and her small brother, squirming and shy in his gold silks. A girl, and
half-foreign for good measure, she was still a Kong, and in the eyes of the
Confucian clan, she was welcome.

* 2,500 years of wisdom: Confucius was little known while he lived. A mid-
ranking official, born about 551 BC, he left no writings and all that is known of
him comes from the Analects, a collection of anecdotes and sayings. As the
arch-representative of old, "feudal" thinking, Confucius was the focus of
attacks by many 20th century reformers, and a favourite target for Mao Tse-
tung's Red Guards. Yet 2,500 years later he remains at the heart of Chinese
thought even if his influence is not always acknowledged by name.

Confucius is the reason Chinese schoolchildren learn by rote, and must
memorise vast reams of facts for exams. He is the reason Chinese parents
have always been so strict. His sacred hierarchy of society - in which sons
must obey fathers, wives their husbands, commoners officials, and officials
their rulers - cloaked the tyranny of every imperial dynasty for more than 2
millennia. But Confucius also taught that a bad ruler loses "heaven's
mandate" and forfeits his right to rule. His contempt for unworthy leaders
proved an equally useful cloak for those toppling ailing dynasties. (The
London Telegraph)

RENOVATIONS OF TOMBS UNDER ST. PETER'S BASILICA

Renovation of the burial sites under St. Peter's Basilica, including the tomb
of St. Peter himself, have nearly been completed. The renovation project,
begun in June 1998, has been financed by the Italian electrical utility, Enel. It
has been one of many projects undertaken for the Jubilee celebration. St.
Peter's Basilica, built in the 16th century, rests on top of the site where a
previous church had been constructed under the Emperor Constantine in
322. The emperor chose the site because it was traditionally held to be the
burial place of St. Peter.

In 1939, at the request of Pope Pius XII, archeologists made a concerted
effort to identify St. Peter's tomb. The resulting explorations uncovered a
large necropolis. After years of study, researchers concluded that one tomb
contained the remains of a robust man who died in his 60s, in the 1st
century AD. And in 1965, the archeologist Margherita Guarducci discovered,
among the graffiti on that site, an ancient inscription identifying the grave as
that of the apostle Peter.

Today, pilgrims can walk down into the site of these explorations, through a
small brick entrance into the remains of the 4th-century basilica. There they
find a labyrinth of tombs. The burial place of St. Peter is partially obscured
by later construction, but can now be identified by visitors. The purpose of
the renovation project undertaken by Enel has been to provide access,
lighting, and climate control for the necropolis, to preserve the graves from
decay and allow access for pilgrims. (Catholic World News)

PAPAL TRIP TO SYRIA BEING PLANNED

Plans for a papal trip to Syria remain incomplete, according to spokesmen
for the Holy See, despite published reports that dates have been fixed in
February 2001. Responding to reports in the Syrian media, the papal
nunciature in Damascus has issued a statement confirming that plans are
being made, but insisting that no precise arrangements have been finalized.
And Syria's ambassador to the Holy See has confirmed that the news
reports "are no more than rumors."

Pope John Paul II has indicated that he wants to visit Syria, as part of his
Jubilee pilgrimage to the sites connected with the history of salvation. He
has mentioned the importance of Damascus, insofar as St. Paul was
converted on the road to that ancient city. There has also been speculation
that on a trip to Syria, the Pope would stop in Turkey to visit Ephesus, in the
footsteps of St. John. The government of Turkey recently helped to pave the
way for such a visit by issuing a formal invitation to the Pope. Vatican
representatives are expected to visit Syria during the next few weeks, to
make preparations for a papal pilgrimage. (Catholic World News)

The Daily
WORLD AFFAIRS REPORT
ISSUE #320

From: moza@butterfly.mv.com

See http://philologos.org/bpr for additional info.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Pope defies Beijing, canonises China's "martyrs"
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Sun, 1 Oct 2000 18:31:51 -0400

Pope defies Beijing, canonises China's
"martyrs"

VATICAN CITY, Oct 1 (AFP) - Pope John Paul II defied fierce protests from
Beijing Sunday, canonising 120 Chinese "martyrs" in a controversial
ceremony that coincided with China's National Day celebrations.

The ceremony here, which drew close to 50,000 faithful despite pouring rain,
went ahead even as the head of the Catholic church in China joined the
communist regime in calling the canonisation an "insult" to China.

The pontiff canonised 120 bishops, priests and laymen of Chinese and
European origin, many of whom died at the hands of a secret Chinese
society that wanted to put an end to China's westernisation at the turn of the
century.

Beijing has described the line-up as "criminals" and representative of the
European imperialism the communist revolution sought to bring to an end.

Eyebrows had also been raised over the timing of the event, held on a day
that marks Theresa de Lisieux, the patron saint of missionaries, but also
China's National Day and the 51st anniversary of the founding of the
communist People's Republic of China.

But the pontiff shrugged off the criticism.

"This celebration is not the moment to pass judgement on historical events.
This we can do on other occasions," he said in his address.

"The Church is simply recognising that these martyrs are an example of
courage and integrity for us all," he added, paying hommage to the 33
Catholic missionaries killed while"serving the Chinese people."

According to Beijing, the missionaries were merely "accomplices to
imperialism" and responsible for "monstrous crimes."

According to the official Xinhua news agency, Bishop of Beijing Fu Tieshan,
the head of the Catholic church in China, launched his criticism of the
Vatican during a flag-raising ceremony in Tiananmen Square in Beijing
Sunday, China's National Day.

"Choosing this date to canonize the so-called 'saints' is an open insult and
humiliation against Chinese Catholic adherents," he said.

"Today is a great holiday and marks the liberation of the Chinese nation from
imperial and colonial invasion and robbery," he said.

On Sunday, China's foreign ministry also expressed "utmost indignation" and
laid a "strong protest" against the Vatican's canonizaiton of Chinese martyrs,
Xinhua reported in a separate dispatch.

Most of the "saints" died between 1648 and 1930. Among them are 87 of
Chinese origin, including two nine-years-old and a Chinese layman who died
at the age of 79.

Also on the pope's list was French Jesuit priest Leon-Ignatius Mangin of
France who was killed in 1900 at his church in a Chinese village during an
attack by a violent secret society called the Boxers.

Another sent to sainthood was Victor-Modeste Andlauer of Germany, a
Jesuit missionary who died in a massacre in southern China along with 58
Chinese Christians in 1900.

During his pontificate, John Paul II has canonised 446 saints.

From: moza@butterfly.mv.com

See http://philologos.org/bpr for additional info.

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