"Middle Earth" to Issue Hobbit Coins

Aimed at that all-important fanboy/coin-collector market, New Zealand will issue Hobbit inspired legal tender costing exponentially more than its face value. Of course it's also incredibly cool.

A set of three gold coins — depicting Gandalf, Bilbo and Thorin Oakenshield — sells for $10,995 NZ ($8,798 Cdn), but each coin will bear a face value of just $10. The rim of each coin is inscribed in both English and Dwarvish with the words "Middle-earth — New Zealand."

The cheapest coins in the series have a $1 face value, but will retail for $29.90 NZ ($23.93 Cdn) each. In addition to an image of Bilbo shown reading his contract to become a burglar, other $1 coins depict Oakenshield, Gandalf and Radagast together and three of the 13 dwarves in scenes from the film.

. . .

Set for release Nov. 1, the coins will be available internationally and are part of a publicity campaign aimed at rebranding New Zealand as "100 percent Middle Earth."

The first of three planned Hobbit films, based on Tolkien original novel, will debut Nov. 28 in Wellington. The New Zealand capital is changing its name to "The Middle of Middle Earth" for the occasion.

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Is Mormonism Racist?

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

I was reminded again recently of how much insane, socially unacceptable, and terribly, terribly cruel, stuff is in the Bible. The writings that were compiled into that text were products of their time... and it was a fairly brutal chapter in human history. Today most but, rather stunningly, not all Christians would not support the idea of killing rebellious children, as that most recent example makes clear. The rejection of violent, homicidal, and genocidal, Biblical passages only really presents a problem for fundamentalists who still insist that every word in the book is the true and irrefutable word of God. Having been raised Episcopalian, leave say, I learned to look at the Bible through a somewhat different lens.

As Brian Keith Dalton, aka. Mister Deity, points out, this is much trickier for Mormons. Dalton, who apparently was a Mormon, explains that the Book of Mormon is literally true and "the most correct book on Earth" under Mormon doctrine. That makes it much harder to gaffe off the wackiest bits.

The racism that was so acceptable in the time of Joseph Smith is forever enshrined as unassailable truth in Mormonism. That would seem to leave non-racist Mormons -- let alone black Mormons -- with little to fall back on other than cognitive dissonance.

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How To Kill Your Rebellious Child

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

It's become quite fashionable to compare the "clobber verses" in the Bible condemning homosexuality to scripture no one in the modern world would endorse. I, myself, have written extensively on the hypocrisy of shrimp munching, polyester blend wearing, homophobes. An increasing number of gay-positive, evangelical Christians have likewise taken to pointing out the socially unacceptable passages that are avoided by the vast majority of fundamentalists. But every so often some Biblical purist calls our bluff.

Deuteronomy 21:18-21 is one of those scriptural passages no modern Christian could love.

18 If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them: 19 Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place; 20 And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. 21 And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear. ~ Deuteronomy 21:18-21

Yup. If your son is worthless lay-about, have him put to death.

Openly gay megachurch pastor Jim Swilley likes to point that one out as an example of the outrageous scriptural obscurities that no one would endorse today. But the Pastor Swilleys of the world are just not prepared for Charlie Fuqua, GOP candidate for the Arkansas legislature. Fuqua thinks a death penalty for rebellious youth is an idea whose time has come.



Via the Arkansas Times, here is passage from Fuqua's book God's Law.

The maintenance of civil order in society rests on the foundation of family discipline. Therefore, a child who disrespects his parents must be permanently removed from society in a way that gives an example to all other children of the importance of respect for parents. The death penalty for rebellioius children is not something to be taken lightly. The guidelines for administering the death penalty to rebellious children are given in Deut 21:18-21:

…

This passage does not give parents blanket authority to kill their children. They must follow the proper procedure in order to have the death penalty executed against their children. I cannot think of one instance in the Scripture where parents had their child put to death. Why is this so? Other than the love Christ has for us, there is no greater love then [sic] that of a parent for their child. The last people who would want to see a child put to death would be the parents of the child. Even so, the Scrpture provides a safe guard to protect children from parents who would wrongly exercise the death penalty against them. Parents are required to bring their children to the gate of the city. The gate of the city was the place where the elders of the city met and made judicial pronouncements. In other words, the parents were required to take their children to a court of law and lay out their case before the proper judicial authority, and let the judicial authority determine if the child should be put to death. I know of many cases of rebellious children, however, I cannot think of one case where I believe that a parent had given up on their child to the point that they would have taken their child to a court of law and asked the court to rule that the child be put to death. Even though this procedure would rarely be used, if it were the law of land, it would give parents authority. Children would know that their parents had authority and it would be a tremendous incentive for children to give proper respect to their parents.

Fuqua has also advocated expelling Muslims from the United States, as a way to cure the "Muslim problem." But I'd be willing to bet that it's not because of extremist Muslim practices like honor killings of adulteresses and rape victims. He seems mystified at the idea that this view might place him outside the mainstream.

Fuqua said Saturday that he hadn't realized he'd become a target within his own party, which he said surprised him.

"I think my views are fairly well-accepted by most people," Fuqua said before hanging up, saying he was busy knocking on voters' doors. The attorney is running against incumbent Democratic Rep. James McLean in House District 63.

I don't know. Maybe there's something in the water in Arkansas. Two Republican pols in that great state have come out swinging for slavery. And at least one of them has turned to the holy scriptures to defend it.

In two letters, [State Rep. Loy] Mauch wrote about the Bible and slavery. The Arkansas Times quotes from a letter Mauch wrote in 2009:

If slavery were so God-awful, why didn’t Jesus or Paul condemn it, why was it in the Constitution and why wasn’t there a war before 1861?

Goodness knows he could have dug deeper. You just have to flip around the Old Testament a little. The book of Exodus is a particularly rich source of wisdom on how to properly keep, beat (21:20-21), and breed (21:2-6) your slaves. I've long said that I could make a better Biblical argument for slavery than against homosexuality. But maybe I shouldn't risk giving lawmakers like Mauch and Fuqua any more ideas.

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Around the Web, Around the World

"Why Shamanism Now?" with Christina Pratt

Complementary Dualism in All Things with Hillary S. Webb, PhD

At the heart of shamanism is the pulse, the breath, the dance of complementary dualism, a Tao-like awareness of wholeness expressed in Nature and found in the sustainable, practical philosophies of shamanic peoples around the world. Our guest this week is psychological anthropologist and author, Hillary S Webb, PhD. She recounts her compelling scholarly and personal odyssey into the complementary worldview at the heart of contemporary Andean shamanism in her most recent book, Yanantin and Masintin in the Andean World: Complementary Dualism in Modern Peru. With host and shaman, Christina Pratt, Hillary explores complementary dualism as a sophisticated and practical philosophical model for living a balanced life, for healing and for transformation. At its essence this philosophy offers respite from the lie of separation that overwhelms human consciousness today. It brings us experientially into the interdependent reality of the physical world and the possibility of peace in our hearts.

This week's guest:
Hillary S. Webb, PhD

Hillary S. Webb, PhD., is the former Managing Editor of Anthropology of Consciousness, the peer-reviewed journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Consciousness and the former Research Director at The Monroe Institute. Having received her undergraduate degree in Journalism from New York University, Dr. Webb went on to earn an MA in Consciousness Studies from Goddard College and a PhD in Psychology from Saybrook University. She is the author of Exploring Shamanism, Traveling Between the Worlds: Conversations with Contemporary Shamans, and Yanantin and Masintin in the Andean World: Complementary Dualism in Modern Peru. She lives in Southern Maine.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012 at 11:00 AM Pacific

Log on to Listen
Why Shamanism Now? on Co-Creator Network
Questions? Comments? Call: 1-512-772-1938

All episodes are now available in the iTunes Podcast Library.

Suzanne Toro

BeSimply...Rites of Passage for Girls&Boys

LIVE with DeAnna Lam and Janet Allison we are going to dive into a conversation that will give us a powerful sampling of what they have to offer what they have to offer PARENTS, EDUCATORS & EXTENDED FAMILIES during their up and coming Tele Conference that is focused on Rites of Passage – Skillfully Guiding Girls To Womanhood and Boys To Manhood.

DeAnna Lam, Author of Becoming Peers- Mentoring Girls into Womanhood and A Diva’s Guide To Getting Your Period’

Janet Allison, Author of Boys Alive! Bring Out Their Best!

If you want to send in questions prior to the show email them to s@suzannetoro.com

Wed, October 10, 2012 03:00PM ET

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/suzannetoro

Just Energy Radio

Political Astrology: Election Year 2012 & Greed Capitalism

Michele Avanti
Political Astrology: Election Year 2012
Michele Avanti is a published certified planetary systems analyst, consulting metapphysician and ordained minister. Since 1972, she has taught and consulted in many areas of metaphysics. Michele has lectured and given more than 15,000 live consultations on radio, television, and at seminars and workshops across America. Her columns have appeared in newspapers and magazines since 1985.

Eduard Qualls
Is Greed Capitalism Vexing You?
Eduard Qualls has a Master of Science degree in Business Administration, a Bachelors degree in German and Music, capped by thirty years of successful productivity within the software industry, specializing in programming, software development and project management. These activities were greatly enhanced by formal and informal studies in Mathematics, Chinese, Japanese, Sanskrit, Hebrew and Arabic. The late economic downturn has given him the opportunity to put into writing a culmination and aggregation of the insights derived from his academic training, his long-term studies in the Humanities and his observations of the human condition and its development throughout history.

Fri, October 12, 2012 03:00PM ET

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/just-energy-radio

Awake: Now What?

LBGT Empowered and Free:The 5 Stages of Gay Relationships

Empowering the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community to embrace their authentic selves and ignite the power within.

When do you break up a relationship?

Do you know the five stages of gay relationships? Do you know when to end one, or continue? Do you know the stages of ending a relationship? If you find that you are in a rather delicate situation in your own relationship, you won't want to miss this program. Dr. Lisa and Rev Rick will not only share their vast experience in counseling others, but give you some solid guidelines or clues as to how to handle your particular situation. PASS THIS INFORMATION ON TO YOUR FRIENDS who might be in trouble as well. They and You will have an opportunity to call into the show for even more personalized guidance.

Call or send email to us at lgbtwellness@gmail.com. We want to hear from you!

Join us! Listen on Blog Talk Radio at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/awake or in the Friends chat room http://theawakeningcenter.com/tan/m/chat/home/ on The Awake Net.

Call in 646-716-8988

With:
Dr. Lisa Bufton, D.D. is a Spiritual Counselor, Angel Therapy Practitioner®, and cofounder of LGBT Wellness Conference. www.purespirithealing.com and www.lgbt-wellness.org

If you need a more advanced New Consciousness consultation, just call or email
Rev Rick Shaffer, Spiritual Emissary
New Consciousness Spiritual Center
818-900-2107
www.myanswertoday.com

Sat, October 13, 2012 01:00PM ET

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/awake

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Three Years Ago Today...

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

In Memory of James Shore, Kirby Brown, and Liz Neuman

Today I find myself contemplating where I was and what I was doing when I first learned of the sweat lodge tragedy that took the lives of James Shore, Kirby Brown, and, ultimately, Liz Neuman. I was enjoying the long weekend with my husband's family when I read about the shocking deaths in the news. I thought, what a horrible, horrible accident. I was only barely aware of James Arthur Ray and thought his crime to be one of the kind of ignorance so typical of The Secret, with its stripped down versions of complex myths and traditions.

I was wrong. Ray's actions and inactions were so much worse than I could have ever imagined. The James Ray I came to know through watching every broadcast moment of a very long trial was a power thief who exploited the vulnerabilities of wonderful, beautiful people -- those who died and those who courageously testified about what they had experienced under his tutelage. Ray's was a very long trail of wreckage leading up to that stunning tragedy in the Arizona desert.

A year ago, I found myself waiting seemingly endlessly for the sentencing of James Arthur Ray, found guilty by a jury of his peers for causing these three deaths. Then as now my heart goes out to the family and friends of three very bright lights, snuffed out because of James Ray's recklessness. It goes out the family and friends of Colleen Conaway who also came to a tragic end at a James Ray seminar. And it goes out to the many people who were injured physically or emotionally by Ray's myriad abuses. Blessings and peace to you all.

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Gabriele Convicted for Blowing the Whistle

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

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Am I alone in seeing something almost poetic in the fact that the first whistleblower convicted in the Vatileaks scandal, Paolo Gabriele, bears the name of the Archangel Gabriel? Gabriel, the messenger of God who announced the pending births of Jesus and John the Baptist? Gabriel, depicted in art and literature as the angel who will blow his horn come judgment day? If I were Pope Benedict, I'd be more concerned than ever about that Fatima prophecy.

Be that as it may, the verdict is in and the Vatican court is satisfied that the butler did it. Gabriele, manservant to the pontiff, was sentenced to eighteen months for hanging the Church's dirty laundry out to dry. It seems he believed sunlight to be the best disinfectant.

Gabriele slipped internal documents, including some of Pope Benedict's private papers, to journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi.

Nuzzi's book, "His Holiness: Pope Benedict XVI's Secret Papers" convulsed the Vatican for months and prompted an unprecedented response, with the pope naming a commission of cardinals to investigate the origin of the leaks alongside Vatican magistrates.

Gabriele insists he was only trying to save the Church from itself.

Gabriele has said he leaked the documents because he felt the pope wasn't being informed of the "evil and corruption" in the Vatican, and that exposing the problems publicly would put the church back on the right track.

. . .

"The thing I feel strongly in me is the conviction that I acted out of exclusive love, I would say visceral love, for the church of Christ and its visible head," Gabriele told the court in a steady voice. "I do not feel like a thief."

During the trial Gabriele claimed to have acted alone. But on other occasions he claimed that he was anything but. He alleged that there were at least twenty whistleblowers who, like himself, "want to help bring some transparency."

There's a fierce irony in the Vatican's aggressive investigation into Vatileakers like Gabriele. After decades of equivocating over whether or not child molesting priests should be turned over to the authorities, they brought the hammer down over some letters. The Church takes its secrecy very seriously.

Gabriele will serve out his sentence in his apartment, under house arrest. That is, unless the Pope decides to pardon him. Sources say this is likely and it might make His Holiness look like something other than a complete hypocrite. A wise leader, might also want to heed the message, rather than kill the messenger.

Well, it's Gabriel, Gabriel playin'! Gabriel, Gabriel sayin' "Will you be ready to go When I blow my horn?" Oh, blow, Gabriel, blow, Go on and blow, Gabriel, blow! I've been a sinner, I've been a scamp, But now I'm willin' to trim my lamp, So blow, Gabriel, blow! Oh, I was low, Gabriel, low, Mighty low, Gabriel, low. But now since I have seen the light, I'm good by day and I'm good by night, So blow, Gabriel, blow! ~ From "Blow, Gabriel Blow" in Anything Goes

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"Why Shamanism Now?" with Christina Pratt

How to Craft a Good Question: Shamanic Journeying

Shamanic journeying is an art that requires crafting good questions. A good question provokes an answer that addresses your problem effectively without creating new problems. Shamanic journeys are often confusing or lackluster because the practitioner began with a poorly crafted question. To be crisp, clear, and meaningful shamanic journey requires a focused question and free access to the imagination. The shamanic journey is purely question driven state and occurs within the dreamlike landscape of your own symbolic language. The practitioner must craft the question so that it acts as a key to open the answer, explains host and shaman, Christina Pratt. And then the "answer" that may be as inscrutable as last night's dream must be accurately interpreted. Here in lies the greatest challenge in developing a powerful, passionate, and effective journeying practice. Join us this week as we continue to explore the common mistakes, misconceptions, and false assumptions made by journeyers and remedies to correct them. This show is Part 1 in a series called Mastering the Art of Shamanic Journeying.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012 at 11:00 AM Pacific

Log on to Listen
Why Shamanism Now? on Co-Creator Network
Questions? Comments? Call: 1-512-772-1938

All episodes are now available in the iTunes Podcast Library.

Awake: Now What?

Julia Griffin, Author, Counselor, Alchemist, Astrologer

Julia Griffin is known nationally for her ability to enlighten others to find their True Self and become conscious co-creators through practical application of Universal Law.

Her teachings embody advanced concepts for those who want to deepen their understanding of co-creation and personal "reality”.

She is the originator of the “One True Self", a concept that encompasses the expression of our divinity in physical form and is the result of many years of devotion to spiritual practice.

She has a deep understanding of energetics based on extensive studies. She is an alchemist, astrologer, herbalist and Reiki Master. Julia has the ability to communicate with plants and animals. She lived with wolves for nine years, while developing her intuitive abilities. Julia is a contributing writer for Spirit of Maat.

Julia Griffin lives in the mountains of Northeast Georgia. She is graced by being the parent of two children, Vanessa and Griffin.

For more information go to http://www.onetrueself.com/

Sun, October 7, 2012 06:00PM ET

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/awake

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