Merging Religion and Politics or Stop Letting Your Dogma Chase My Karma

"Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains." (Mark 13: 6-8). This passage is from the Christian New Testament. Most would consider it to be a dark and foreboding passage, while others---the "true believers"---consider it a warning with an ultimately happy ending...of sorts. It's about the so-called "End Times" which is a popular theme among the three Abrahamic religions; namely Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.

Groups like ISIS/ISIL/DASH, Al-Qaeda, Boku Harem, and other such terrorist organizations openly proclaim that it is their "divine mission" to provoke not just the West, but any and all nation which isn't under Sharia law in order to "hasten" the coming of the 12th Iman, which is their equivalent of the Messiah. Some even claim that that individual already exists but is waiting for the right moment to appear. This individual will be seen as the Prophet Muhammad reborn. Along with him will come Jesus, who is seen as a lesser prophet, whose job is to convert all non-believing Christians. After their successful victory, there will be a divinely inspired Caliphate to rule the world for eternity.

In Judaism, they await the coming of their two (or three) messiahs. Specifically, a return of the ancient prophet Elijah who will precede the Messiah ben Joseph, who is sometimes called Messiah ben Ephraim. This individual will be followed by the long awaited Messiah ben David. However, before any of these individuals can appear, certain conditions must first be meet. First, the Jews must return to their ancient homeland, Israel. Next, they must rebuild their ancient temple (for the third time) and reestablish the priesthood, both of which were destroyed by the Roman in 70 CE under the command of future emperor, Titus. Of course, there are numerous sub-plots which have to take place such as a great persecution of the Jews, the birth of "pure" white bull (that is, one without any physical flaws or marks) and so forth.

Ben Joseph will do battle with an evil ruler from the North named "Armilus", who is born of "a woman of marble" in Rome, will ultimately kill ben Joseph and leave his body in the streets of Jerusalem. Armilus and his minions will then descend on the nation of Israel and will be defeated by its new leader, ben David. Ben Joseph is brought back to life, along with all the "devout" Jews who've died down through the centuries, thanks to Elijah, along the world and its "true believers" will enter a new "Messianic Age", said to last 1000 years.

Christians have a different take, however. They believe that Jesus, their messiah, will return after the rise of two really nasty and evilly possessed individuals, the "Anti-Christ" and the "False Prophet" (some interpretations claim they are actually one individual). The "Anti-Christ" will come to power over a reconstituted Roman Empire with the "False Prophet" acting as his PR man. Together, they will seduce the world and force everyone to accept his personal brand or stamp---666---or the "Mark of the Beast". Those that refuse will be unable to conduit any financial transactions, buy food, etc. As an aside, the number is sometimes written as "616". Either way, it was intended to be symbolic of the then current reigning emperor, Nero Caesar.

A some point, Christians will be singled out for persecution (some Christian theologians claim this will include Jews as well). Meanwhile, things will go to "hell in a hand-basket". There will be all sorts of natural (or not-so-natural) disasters like in increase in volcanic eruptions, extreme changes in the weather and earthquakes, rampant diseases, starvation, and, as alluded to in the opening paragraph, wars and rumors of war. Eventually, Israel will be left standing alone with small pockets of Christian "true believers", and just when it looks like all is hopelessly lost, the dark and ominous clouds (these seem to be required in any apocalyptic story) will open and Jesus will coming riding down on his white horse (naturally) surrounded by an army of angels. A horrific battle in the heavens between the demon armies of Satan and Jesus and those on the ground will ensure; centering in a valley called Megiddo (hence the term Armageddon).

Ultimately, the Anti-Christ and his PR guy, the "False Prophet", are defeated, bound, and thrown into a lake (or pit) of fire for a 1000 years along with any remaining demons; his evil earthly minions follow him into the pit shortly afterwards. Meanwhile, any non-believing Jews remaining will convert on the spot, and a new divinely led or inspired era will ensue; one which includes a "New Jerusalem" and a divine kingship.

Now, I admit that I've given the abbreviated version of events. To spell out the apocalyptic visions of all three of the Abrahamic faiths in detail would take way to long: there are literally dozens of texts which deal with each religion, and hundreds of additional books examining each point, not to mention the dozens of books excluded from officially sanctioned scripture. However, I wanted to point out the difference and similarities of each of the three religions, which share a common origin, starting with their mutual founder, Abraham, who is credited with being the literal father of Judaism and Islam through Sarah and their son Issac and Hagar and Ishmael respectively.

All three believe there will be mounting violence and destruction. Some of it will be natural, while parts will be either divine retribution for straying from the "righteous path", while some demonic power reins over the balance of it in the form of wars, disease, pestilence, and their derivatives such as famine, a lack of fresh water, toxic pollution, and so forth. In the case of Islam, they believe they must act to help bring about the arrival of the 12th Iman, which includes destroying all those who are non-believers.

Judaism, on the other hand, believes it has a divine right to restore its former glory, especially the restoration of its temple complex on its original site and priesthood. The only problem, however, is that the site of the original temple is now occupied by the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which were built between 692-693 by the Umayyad Caliph, Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, which was about 55 years after the capture of Jerusalem by the invading Muslim armies. As an aside, some Islamic scholars believe that al Malik purposely built the site as an alternative hajj (a mandatory religious pilgrimage) to Mecca and its "Ka'bah", considered the most sacred structure in Islam, since at the time Mecca was under the control of competing sect led by an individual named Ibn al-Zubayi.

Nevertheless, many Jewish theologians and scholars hold that the temple complex must be completed for restoration of Israel's former glory (some scholars don't believe in a literal return, but more of a "Messianic Age" or a second "golden age" for Israel. However, they also recognize that to do so meaning removing---likely by force--the existing mosque, which will be like throwing a firecracker into a hornet's nest.

Christians tied their end-of-days story closely to the Jewish tale, with an obviously emphasis on themselves as previously described. They believe pretty much everything that the Jews do, except they are the intended victims, or at least as much as the Jews are. Their biggest difference is that their messiah returns a second time, from heaven, while the Jews believe theirs will come for the first time, and will be divinely inspired, but not a god or demigod; just a purely mortal human being.

What's interesting about all three interpretations is that for each, the other one's "messiah" is their demonic bad guy. So, for the Muslims, the Jewish reborn Elijah and Messiahs ben Joseph and ben David, are the "Spawns of the Devil". Jesus is actually a Muslim and a sidekick to the 12th Iman. His role is to convert or destroy non-believing Christians. Meanwhile, the 12th Iman and his forces are the evildoers of Judaism and Christianity. Now the really scary part of all this is that each believe with absolutely certainty that they are correct; there is no debate and definitely no questioning. This means that each is on a deliberate path to mutual self-destruction in order to see their particular vision come to pass.

An interesting side note to all is that is that neither Buddhism, Hinduism, nor Shintoism and any of the Shamanic religions contain this type of doomsday scenario, which is at the core of the three Abrahamic faiths. For the Buddhists, it's more of a natural, cosmic event. Think of it as the Big Bang in reverse followed by a simultaneous new Big Bang and the cycle of creation repeats. In Hinduism, which also follows a cyclical philosophy, the god Vishu returns in the final comic cycle (known as a "kalpus") as the god or avatar "Kulki", on a white horse carrying a flaming sword resembling a comet with a long tail, and destroys the forces of evil which has come to destroy all those seeking enlightenment. Interestingly, this final, fourth, cycle is known as the "Kali Yuga", which so happens to be our present one. Once this destruction takes place, the cycle of creation repeats.

The majority of shamanic or "natural" religions such as Wicca, paganism, Native American, Tengri, and so forth, all have their take on how things end, but they tend to believe that Mankind in general is blame, not any specific individual or entity is the cause. Mankind loses its connection to the Earth and to Nature. As a result, we destroy ourselves out of our own willful ignorance, arrogance, and old fashion greed. In a sense, Nature fights back to rid itself of what is "making it sick" as some of these religions believe. The Mayans predicted that we will (and have) enter a final cycle whereby there will be great change. However, it will not make an "end" has some have tried to predict. Just the end of one cycle and the beginning of another, and with all ends and new beginnings, there is change, often major change. It reminds me of a line from Frank Herbert's novel Dune in describing religion and politics, "the religion and politics ride in the same cart, the whirlwind follows".

So, just what does all of this have to do with politics? Actually a lot. There was time, not very long ago historically, where religion and politics were one in the same; different sides of the same coin. In some societies, such as exist in Islam, it still is. However, there seems to be a unconscious belief in the other two Abrahamic religions which hasn't fully divorced itself from the political secular and the private religious. At the same time, the native or natural religions may be on to something. We have, as a species, lost our way. Violence has dramatically increased, especially over matters of religion. Instead of allowing each other the right to believe or not believe as we decide, we're seeing an dramatic increase by some that all must comply or die.

That's wrong any way you look at it in my opinion. Whatever choice we make is ours and ours alone. If there is a Hereafter or some Divine Justice, then that's between us as individuals and that entity, not some person who claims to know the Divine Mind and what's best for us. It was just a few weeks ago that two Scandinavians girls were murdered; beheaded by a group of "men" who thought that by lobbing off the heads of these two innocent girls, they were appeasing their god! Throughout Europe, and increasingly in the US, Australia, and elsewhere, we see the same group demanding that all must "submit" or face death (of course, if we pay a tax and forfeit our natural rights, we get to live at their discretion). That ideology is fundamentally opposed to both Western and Eastern Thought. It seeks to deny us as individuals the right of free choice. It imposes a tyranny which is nothing less than enslavement.

However, every religion, philosophy, government, or political ideology which attempts to prohibit independent thought, the questioning of its so-called "authority", or our blind obedience to it is nothing less enslavement by other means. This "disease"--- for lack of a better term---is spreading across the world like one of those apocalyptic black clouds. If it's allowed to go unchecked, it will lead to either the shackling of the Human Spirit or to its destruction. Ultimately, we are our own deliverers; our own "messiahs". We are the ones who've fashioned the shackles and we are the ones who have the keys to unlock those shackles and our potential as a species. We can have faith, but it will be us as individuals and together, who must save Humanity.



Dome of the Rock Shrine

Buddhist Theories About the End of the World

Hindu Eschatology

Apocalypse Prophecies: Native End of the World Teachings

Am I Who I Say I Am? A Look At Human Microchipping

Recently, a Wisconsin snack food technology company by the name of Three Square Marketing, announced that it was going to be micro-chipping its employees, or at least those who volunteer for the procedure. According to the company spokesperson, the concept is to reduced the need to memorize passwords to access their computers or phone system as well as entry into certain secure rooms, not to mention paying for snacks and so forth for as little as swipe of the hand. The procedure is actually quite simple. It's just a minor insertion of a tiny microchip (about the size of a single grain of rice) called a RFID, or "Radio Frequency Identification" transmitter chip, in the loose skin portion of your hand between your thumb and forefinger. In fact, several companies have begun to offer similar procedures (my bank has started offering retinal scans in order to have access to safety deposit boxes).

Three Square Marketing is not the first company to offer this procedure. In fact, several companies have made this security measure available. Epicenter , a high tech company in Stockholm Sweden hopes to have all of its 700 employees micro-chipped shortly. But these aren't the only companies to venture forth with this new technology. Several other, mostly technology based companies, are at least dipping their toe in the water. In fact, back in 2003, Mexico's top prosecutor, Attorney General Rafael Macedo de la Concha, along with 160 members of his staff were implanted with a micro-chip at a cost of (US) $125.00 each (the average cost is approximately $300 per person, depending on the purpose of the chip). Other members of the Mexican government and military were "chipped" as well. The reason was for security purposes given the power, wealth, and brutal means the drug cartels are willing to go in order to gain access to this information.. No more memorized security codes or passwords and no more magnetic security ID cards. In short, nothing to steal, lose, or forget. Of course, other governments and their militaries are doubtlessly taking the same steps...and for the same reasons.

Domestically, the U.S. military is looking into implanting chips in soldiers, sailors, and airmen for similar reasons---security. No one wants to forget a password or security ID, especially while under combat conditions (especially when the military changes password and code frequently...and they never---ever--- involve your dog's name, your birthday, or your mother's maiden name). In addition, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), a high tech R&D center which officially operates out of the Pentagon, is working on a unique program called "Electronic Prescriptions" or more simply, "ElectRx". The objective is to implant a chip called a "nanosensor", which will monitor a soldier's bodily vitals and administer specific medication if required.

A similar program could monitor a soldier's blood pressure, respiration, pulse, temperature or other factors and through the use of biofeedback, electromagnetic devises, as well as perhaps administer a stimulant or sedative to help ensure they are at peak performance in every combat situation. As an aside, the Germans did something similar to this during WWII. Each combat soldier, sailor, or airman was provided with a regular stream of "Pervitin", a stimulant similar to crystal meth. This helped the soldier to stay awake longer and remain in the fight longer. Later, they were provided with a cocaine based drug with sinister sounding code name of "D-IX". Studies showed that with D-IX, individuals could hike 70 miles carrying a 45 pound backpack without a single rest break. No doubt had the micro technology been available, Nazi scientists would have found a use for it (of course, like so many other things, they were indeed working on the problem).

So, what are we to make of this? Would you be willing to be "chipped" for your employer? Let's look at it from another angle before you answer. Let's say that you, along with most Babyboomers, either are or will be facing the issue of ageing parents. One of the key problems is their tendency to get lost (especially if they suffer from dementia or some other neuro disease). A micro-chip equipped with GPS could be implanted to monitor their whereabouts. The same goes for those with small children who have the same tendency of wondering off. It would also help to prevent child disappearances. In addition, as pointed out above, it could monitor any medical needs either your parents or child requires.

Now, let's take it one step further. What if, by micro-chipping your hand, you could forgo your house key(s), car key, work security card or password? In addition, it would have all your medical information on it, from your childhood shots through your current medication, health concerns, your doctor and next of kin contact information as well as your insurance information. In case of a serious accident, wouldn't that be helpful? All EMS would have to do is scan your hand and your complete medical history is right there. No more guessing.

What if we pushed it just a bit further? What if this same micro-chip, which is capable of holding billions of bits of information, included your driver's license and car registration information on it? It would make life more manageable. Less digging through the glove box or business drawer or cabinet. You could even have a feature on it which includes your resume as well as financial information like your savings or checking account. You could even pay your groceries simply by scanning your hand the same way your groceries are scanned. As it is, some people use their smart phone much the same way, except now the information is right at your finger tips, well, close to your finger tips.

The companies implanting these micro-chips like VeriChip Corporation, a subsidiary of Applied Digital Solutions, Inc of Palm Beach Florida or Swedish Biohacking Group of Stockholm all claim that the information is extremely secure, although nothing is entirely foolproof. Nevertheless, they insist that the information encoded on the chip is at least as secure as it would be conventionally, with the key difference being that primary factor for secure breaches, namely hard documents such as security cards, passwords or pass codes written down on a piece of paper, are eliminated. By the way, the FDA has approved the use of microchips in humans as of 2004. Specifically, they approved its use for introducing medicine into humans. Microchipping for animals, which collects not just medical monitoring information, but also their migratory movements. For pets, they've long been essentially in tracking them when they go missing.

Ok, we've discussed all the pros, so let's talk about some possible negatives shall we? First, do you really want to share your personal medical issues with potentially everyone? Now, I know I said earlier that the information would be available for EMS, the hospital, the doctors and nurses, and perhaps the police. However, there is always the possibility that the built in security wall could be breached by a hacker or mistakenly by your employer. Then again, if you have employer provided insurance (or coverage underwritten by the federal government such as Veteran Administration, Medicare, or Medicaid), sharing personal medical information might become mandatory. Your financial information might also be hacked, but that would only come through a direct attack rather than someone stealing a card or stealing a password. Admittedly, this type of hack on your end will be the most difficult. Thus any potential cyber attack would be on the bank's end. Nevertheless, a quick change in security could solve that problem without you initially even knowing about it. Employee or work information nowadays exists within the company's digital world and is protected through a password, electromagnetic strip, or maybe a retinal scan. Sharing it on a microchip wouldn't really make that much difference, and unless it's going to allow you access to read it, wouldn't be a necessity, whereas security access to your work area, entry, etc would be a plus. The same goes with a resume---not useful, although things like gym passes, driver license, car registration, insurance information would obviously be useful. The same with your medical history and medication. If coupled with a medical devise, a chip could monitor things like blood sugar, a insulin plump, blood pressure, heart implant, and so on.

Finally (and in response to a dare), I'm posting the obvious negative to a microchipping---the "Mark of the Beast". Yelp, on a dare about me not mentioning it, here I go. As most people have been taught, the biblical Book of Revelations, Chapter 13, verses 16 -18, makes mention of a mysterious "mark" which equates to the "number of a Man" which equals 666 (or depending on how its calculated, 616) and unless you have it on either your right hand or forehead, your are forbidden to "buy or sell" anything. In the early years of Christianity, members of this new "sect" as they were called were being systematically harassed and often, killed for sport, either in the arena or for private entertainment of the ruling Emperor (one such occasion was when Caesar Nero had several Christians beaten, then nailed to a cross in various positions, dowsed with oil and then set on fire in order to provide lighting for one of Caesar's late night parties).

Therefore, it goes without saying, that early Christian writers had to be very careful about what they wrote when it came to Rome, Roman law, or any of Rome's leaders; especially Caesar himself. One way to do this was encoding key names, such as a number stood for a particular letter (this technique, called a "gematria", was used by other groups with their own letter/numbering system.). Thus, the number 666 was produced using the name of the Emperor at the time, Nero Caesar (vowels were always excluded) using Greek and 616 using Latin. So there you have it! What would you do? Would you embrace modern technology and have a microchip implanted? What if it was a job you really wanted and they required being micro-chipped? Would you set limits as to what you would have encoded on the chip? What about app updates? What if you bought a newly built house and it was fully automated and could be operated by using passwords and/or security codes... or a by using a couple of different remotes...or a single chip in your hand?


Microchips implanted in Mexican officials


New Obama plan calls for implanted computer chips to help U.S. troops heal


FDA approves computer chip for humans

Human Microchipping: An Unbiased look at the Pros and Cons