Priory of Sion today, the official Order

originally posted by: namelesss

originally posted by: ValerieMonroe
Priory of Sion today, the official Order

I seem to recall that these were a bunch of Nazis?

I am afraid this is not correct.

According to historical sources and direct witnesses, in that period there was the dictatorial regime of Vichy, and at that period Plantard, as editor of a journal had to conform to the regime's directives concerning the pubblications to avoid being imprisoned or worse.

The proof Pierre Plantard was not a Nazi is that he was a Freemason under the Grand Orient de France and Freemasonry is based on the jew tradition, concerning the davidic lineage and the Temple of Solomon.

a reply to: ValerieMonroe

I thought Sion was a person's name from the heading.

originally posted by: Sillyolme
Dan Brown.
He invented the order for the Da Vinci Code.

Um...no, he didn't. Dig a little deeper...hell, read the thread!

originally posted by: ValerieMonroe

originally posted by: namelesss

originally posted by: ValerieMonroe
Priory of Sion today, the official Order

I seem to recall that these were a bunch of Nazis?

The proof Pierre Plantard was not a Nazi is that he was a Freemason...

Don't be naive! That is absurd 'logic' and proves nothing!

... is based on the jew tradition...

The way that you write;
"...is based on the jew tradition..."
is the language of antiSemites, despite your 'explanation'.

Thank you for playing, but so far, the question remains.

a reply to: JohnnyCanuck

Hell everyone in the thread thinks they're real. They're not.

originally posted by: Sillyolme
a reply to: JohnnyCanuck

Hell everyone in the thread thinks they're real. They're not.

Perhaps, but Brown did not invent the central premise...he just built a thriller around it. Read The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail. It may be speculative poop...but it's interesting speculative poop.

a reply to: JohnnyCanuck

Now I'm not going to argue that. I'm a big Dan Brown fan.
And yes it's interesting.
Happy reading!

originally posted by: JohnnyCanuck

originally posted by: Sillyolme
a reply to: JohnnyCanuck

Hell everyone in the thread thinks they're real. They're not.

Perhaps, but Brown did not invent the central premise...he just built a thriller around it. Read The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail. It may be speculative poop...but it's interesting speculative poop.

That was the book that sent me down the rabbit hole into conspiracy land. I still remember when I bought it rather vividly. I was st the Atlanta airport waiting for my flight to NY for my first visit home after AIT, BAC and RIP but before I went to Ranger School. I was looking for something to kill time while waiting and during the flight home and it completely sucked me in. I don't think I put it down other than to sleep until I finished HBHG.

I was a naive 18 year old and bought it all hook line and sinker. Luckily, when I got hurt I decided to go to school for anthropology and embraced concepts like due diligence. I was a little sad to find out the the actual evidence didn't support the premises put forth by Baigent, Lincoln and Leigh but was glad that I now had the tools to actually look at and evaluate the evidence myself.

It's still a pretty fascinatin book and the rabbit hole is worth peeking into as long as one isn't as naive as I was the first time I read it 25 years ago. Ive actually read it a couple of times since, the last time about a decade ago. An interesting side anecdote, one of my best friends since 5th grade was working on his doctorate at Harvard when Dan Brown published his version of the story. His name is (now that he has the PhD ) is Dr. Robert Langdon. It's fair to say he's not a fan of the books at all haha

originally posted by: namelesss

originally posted by: ValerieMonroe

originally posted by: namelesss

originally posted by: ValerieMonroe
Priory of Sion today, the official Order

I seem to recall that these were a bunch of Nazis?

The proof Pierre Plantard was not a Nazi is that he was a Freemason...

Don't be naive! That is absurd 'logic' and proves nothing!

... is based on the jew tradition...

The way that you write;
"...is based on the jew tradition..."
is the language of antiSemites, despite your 'explanation'.

Thank you for playing, but so far, the question remains.

nothing can be proved beyond any doubt, but i guess we can dare using goodsense sometime; who knows real and regular Freemasons, knows that it should be very difficult, to be a nazi and run the initiatic path inside a regular Lodge at the same time, because in regular Freemasonry there are many moral and ethical landmarks, which is very difficult to bear if you have an extreme vision like a nazi-minded.

The same elevation to superior degrees is always granted by the other brothers, including the W.M and the Past Master, which has many ways to understand who you are, from your arguments, or by what you write in your written works.
A masonic Lodge is a very intimate place, where the brethern knows each other much faster and deeper than in an ordinary, usual, social situation.

I can imagine this is very difficult to understand by who never attended a real Lodge or at least had the fortune to have friends in regular Freemasonry.

In the path of elevation to upper degrees it is crucial the deep assimilation and the aware comprehension of some moral and humanistic, as philosophical aspects of the masonic knowledge, which is completely opposite to the nazi-fascism vision.

It is not so simple to stand in a place like that, if you are a nazi-fascist. In fact, for a Freemason, it doesn't matters his brothers's politic propensions, because whatever a Freemason could "belong" to right-wing, center or left-wing, he will never go to such extremes like nazism, because always respecting human life and is guided by a moral code which is defined in the "Ancient charges" wrotten by Albert G. Mackey and still adopted by the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE).

Regular Freemasonry is completely free of abuses toward persons or animals.

The real problem, why people are so confused about what Freemasonry is, is because today exists too many irregular "masonic" bodies, which pretends to be real, bu they are not, because nobody transmitted any deposit to them.

It is not enough to buy books about Freemasonry and an apron on Ebay, to pretend being a Freemason. The knowledge deposit is not just what you find in books, but it is something you get in contact with just inside the Lodge, in fact, Freemasonry cannot be practiced extra-mural, at the contrary of many other initiatic Orders.

Today too many irregular bodies, calls themselves "Freemasons" and they just blur the name of Freemasonry.

When we talk about Freemasonry, we just should look at the regular one, because the "other" are just........nothing.

originally posted by: ValerieMonroe

originally posted by: namelesss

originally posted by: ValerieMonroe

originally posted by: namelesss

originally posted by: ValerieMonroe
Priory of Sion today, the official Order

I seem to recall that these were a bunch of Nazis?

The proof Pierre Plantard was not a Nazi is that he was a Freemason...

Don't be naive! That is absurd 'logic' and proves nothing!

... is based on the jew tradition...

The way that you write;
"...is based on the jew tradition..."
is the language of antiSemites, despite your 'explanation'.

Thank you for playing, but so far, the question remains.

Today too many irregular bodies, calls themselves "Freemasons" and they just blur the name of Freemasonry.

When we talk about Freemasonry, we just should look at the regular one, because the "other" are just........nothing.

As soon as someone tells me that their Perspective is the only one, the only way, I often phase into 'supportive mode' and do as I can to keep them from harming themself or others.
Or I distance myself.
Putting down other Perspectives looks (and bodes) poorly.
It's the same old vanity from which religion springs! *__-

Statistically, some Freemasons must be antiSemitic, Nazis even.

Personally, I couldn't care less if Freemasons put on leotards and fcuked the sheep!
Just not my sheep! *__-

originally posted by: namelesss

originally posted by: ValerieMonroe

originally posted by: namelesss

originally posted by: ValerieMonroe

originally posted by: namelesss

originally posted by: ValerieMonroe
Priory of Sion today, the official Order

I seem to recall that these were a bunch of Nazis?

The proof Pierre Plantard was not a Nazi is that he was a Freemason...

Don't be naive! That is absurd 'logic' and proves nothing!

... is based on the jew tradition...

The way that you write;
"...is based on the jew tradition..."
is the language of antiSemites, despite your 'explanation'.

Thank you for playing, but so far, the question remains.

Today too many irregular bodies, calls themselves "Freemasons" and they just blur the name of Freemasonry.

When we talk about Freemasonry, we just should look at the regular one, because the "other" are just........nothing.

As soon as someone tells me that their Perspective is the only one, the only way, I often phase into 'supportive mode' and do as I can to keep them from harming themself or others.
Or I distance myself.
Putting down other Perspectives looks (and bodes) poorly.
It's the same old vanity from which religion springs! *__-

Statistically, some Freemasons must be antiSemitic, Nazis even.

Personally, I couldn't care less if Freemasons put on leotards and fcuked the sheep!
Just not my sheep! *__-

Looks like a serious thing this "statistic" you are talking about, and tell me, how many Freemasons, according to your statistic, should be Nazi or anti-semitic? 50 to 100.000? 20 to 750.000?

I am sure you even have the sources to state this.

About the regularity of the initiatic bodies, It is just a matter of objectivity :

to explain it through a more direct comparison, which doesn't requires any competence to be understood, let's say that as you cannot learn a martial art, dancing or any other sport, alone, just through a book or just together with incompetent people which never attended a Gym, so you cannot become a Freemason just by yourself, and, for the same reason you cannot open a Gym or a masonic Lodge, when the only source of your knowledge is just a book.

Try to imagine a Karate instructor which just studied it through books, then bought a black belt, and opened a Dojo.

originally posted by: ValerieMonroe

originally posted by: namelesss

originally posted by: ValerieMonroe

originally posted by: namelesss

originally posted by: ValerieMonroe

originally posted by: namelesss

originally posted by: ValerieMonroe
Priory of Sion today, the official Order

I seem to recall that these were a bunch of Nazis?

The proof Pierre Plantard was not a Nazi is that he was a Freemason...

Don't be naive! That is absurd 'logic' and proves nothing!

... is based on the jew tradition...

The way that you write;
"...is based on the jew tradition..."
is the language of antiSemites, despite your 'explanation'.

Thank you for playing, but so far, the question remains.

Today too many irregular bodies, calls themselves "Freemasons" and they just blur the name of Freemasonry.

When we talk about Freemasonry, we just should look at the regular one, because the "other" are just........nothing.

As soon as someone tells me that their Perspective is the only one, the only way, I often phase into 'supportive mode' and do as I can to keep them from harming themself or others.
Or I distance myself.
Putting down other Perspectives looks (and bodes) poorly.
It's the same old vanity from which religion springs! *__-

Statistically, some Freemasons must be antiSemitic, Nazis even.

Personally, I couldn't care less if Freemasons put on leotards and fcuked the sheep!
Just not my sheep! *__-

Looks like a serious thing this "statistic" you are talking about, and tell me, how many Freemasons, according to your statistic, should be Nazi or anti-semitic? 50 to 100.000? 20 to 750.000?

Let me make this easier by giving you the vast benefit of the doubt and saying that in however many Freemasons there are in existence, ever, throughout the Earth, even 'that guy', there exists a single antisemite.
That, in itself, is sufficient to refute your claim that someone cannot be an antiSemite because he's a Freemason.
And if you are unwilling to give me that one, then I cannot have an honest discussion with a dishonest person.

I am sure you even have the sources to state this.

Yeaah, the same sources that allowed me to perceive that fire is hot!

About the regularity of the initiatic bodies, It is just a matter of objectivity :

About 'objectivity', there ain't such thing.

to explain it through a more direct comparison, which doesn't requires any competence to be understood, let's say that as you cannot learn a martial art, dancing or any other sport, alone, just through a book or just together with incompetent people which never attended a Gym, so you cannot become a Freemason just by yourself, and, for the same reason you cannot open a Gym or a masonic Lodge, when the only source of your knowledge is just a book.

Try to imagine a Karate instructor which just studied it through books, then bought a black belt, and opened a Dojo.

I don't know where your beef is with me.
It makes no difference at all to me about the inner workings of your religion.
I have been initiated into a number of traditions and well understand that one must 'pay the dues'.
On the other hand that is much that can be learned from books and movies and when diligently practiced can certainly lead to mastery.
One is as well guided by the guru within! *__-

And there are a plethora of schools opened and taught by people with no more experience/Knowledge then he found and imbibed from books.
Institutes of 'higher education' are filled with them.

There was a movie.. The Guru'? about some fellow that heard all the new age crap all his life from his hippie parents, didn't believe it, but one day started spewing forth all the little wise sayings he remembered his parents saying, and everyone fell for the 'guru'.
And tender hilarity ensued. *__-

"Let me make this easier by giving you the vast benefit of the doubt and saying that in however many Freemasons there are in existence, ever, throughout the Earth, even 'that guy', there exists a single antisemite.
That, in itself, is sufficient to refute your claim that someone cannot be an antiSemite because he's a Freemason.
And if you are unwilling to give me that one, then I cannot have an honest discussion with a dishonest person."



It is evident and implied that there is always a possibility; if it was not enough clear, the intention was to go beyond the obvious and dull statement that there could be rare cases of Freemasons being nazi-minded in regular Freemasonry. The hearth of the deduction, obviously, was to find out that is more realistic the contrary.



"I am sure you even have the sources to state this.
Yeaah, the same sources that allowed me to perceive that fire is hot!"



After nursery school, sources, are commonly understood as the references necessary to identify the origin of the information and verify its validity and reliability, and not just an abstract and arbitrary comparison.



"About the regularity of the initiatic bodies, It is just a matter of objectivity :
About 'objectivity', there ain't such thing."



You do not understand this because you are not competent at all in this field, in reality, it should be enough to just study what initiatory Orders are, to understand that there are precises landmarks to define them, according to the majority of pubblications of the most eminent and recognized esotericists both of the past as to the present days.



"I don't know where your beef is with me.
It makes no difference at all to me about the inner workings of your religion."


Which religion? am i declaring to follow a religion?

....maybe with religion you clumsily mean Freemasonry, right?

Freemasonry is not a religion, it is a fraternal, initiatory Order. By the way, inside the Lodge it is forbidden to talk about religion or politic.

"I have been initiated into a number of traditions and well understand that one must 'pay the dues'.
On the other hand that is much that can be learned from books and movies and when diligently practiced can certainly lead to mastery.
One is as well guided by the guru within! *__-"


Now i understand why you defense irregular "initiatory" bodies, because you are inside one or more of them.

You are not an Initiate, because to be initiated, you have to receive a real initiation and this can be given just from someone which has the legitimate authority to transmit it to you, and this authority is not "homemade" or illegitimate.

If you was inside a regular body, you should know this perfectly, because it is not a matter of opinion, this is mere knowledge and not something questionable. At the contrary, you defense irregular bodies.


It is typical from members of irregular bodies, to try denigrating the legitimate ones, with the execrable aim to put them all in the same level, with the intention to steal a bit of credibility to the eyes of people which are not competent.


"And there are a plethora of schools opened and taught by people with no more experience/Knowledge then he found and imbibed from books.
Institutes of 'higher education' are filled with them."


So you say the government is putting teachers without degree or graduation to teach in public high schools?


Where does it happens? in the "Isle of Banana"?

a reply to: ValerieMonroe

You are not an Initiate, because to be initiated, you have to receive a real initiation and this can be given just from someone which has the legitimate authority to transmit it to you

there are orders where you have to initiate yourself
reach a level of knowledge and power by yourself
and your invited

a legitimate authority is not always recorded on paper...
Gualdi was an authority
but his initiates aren't on paper

Its nice to see you have such Love for Masonry

originally posted by: kibric
a reply to: ValerieMonroe

You are not an Initiate, because to be initiated, you have to receive a real initiation and this can be given just from someone which has the legitimate authority to transmit it to you

there are orders where you have to initiate yourself
reach a level of knowledge and power by yourself
and your invited

a legitimate authority is not always recorded on paper...
Gualdi was an authority
but his initiates aren't on paper

Its nice to see you have such Love for Masonry

Hello Kibric,

thank you for the kind invitation.

I think Freemasonry is actually still a big resource for human growth.

i agree you can reach a very big level of knowledge and power also by yourself, but you cannot initiate yourself for real.

Orders which promotes self-initiation are not regular and there are serious reasons why Initiation has place through transmission and a Ritual which comes to the Initiate from an uninterrupted chain.

If the chain is interrupted, we are not talking about the original Order, but of a modern invention.

The contribution of the members from the past, is inherited even through an oral legacy, which is not available in books.

Going back to the example of Freemasonry, the experience accumulated and transmitted at least since 1717 (in reality much more ancient), having some of the most eminent members of society for hundreds of years, it is not the same of an hypothetic newborn "Order" created in 2017, which is just usurping the name of an ancient and legitimate initiatory Order which does not exists anymore.

In reality i am supersemplyfying the argument, which should deserve entire pages, to be explained in a satisfactory way; it has something to do with symbolism, which interpretation you cannot just find in books, and it has to do with egregores, though many people does not believes in this.

There are a plenty of motivations why some Orders are legitimate(so, real) and some other not.

Gualdi was an ermetist and an alchimist, but at that time, this was considered a crime, that is why he was hiding his belonging to the "Aura-Crucis", which was a Secret Society, exactly as many other just because there was the penality of death for the members of those organizations.

Today that belonging to initiatic Orders is perfectly legal, most of times, are impostors which wants to stay hide, just because they cannot prove they are legitimate.

There is a vast knowledge about this, to know at least what is a real initiatory Order of not and why.

So i think that tough it is possible and concrete that still some real Master stays hidden, on the other side, i am sure that he cannot belong to an irregular "initiatory" body, and Orders which states that self-initiation is possible, cannot be regular.

a reply to: ValerieMonroe

Orders which promotes self-initiation are not regular and there are serious reasons why Initiation has place through transmission and a Ritual which comes to the Initiate from an uninterrupted chain.

your right
self-initiation is not regular

Gualdi was an ermetist and an alchimist, but at that time, this was considered a crime, that is why he was hiding his belonging to the "Aura-Crucis", which was a Secret Society, exactly as many other just because there was the penality of death for the members of those organizations

Today that belonging to initiatic Orders is perfectly legal, most of times, are impostors which wants to stay hide, just because they cannot prove they are legitimate.

Gualdi still initiates

but you cannot initiate yourself for real.

agree
Transmission is needed

Priory of Sion - Wikipedia

...Priory of Sion, is the name given to a fringe fraternal organisation, founded and dissolved in France in 1956 by Pierre Plantard as part of a hoax. In the 1960s, Plantard created a fictitious history for that organization, describing it as a secret society founded by Godfrey of Bouillon on Mount Zion in the Kingdom of Jerusalem in 1099, conflating it with a genuine historical monastic order, the Abbey of Our Lady of Mount Zion. In Plantard's version, the Priory was devoted to installing a secret bloodline of the Merovingian dynasty on the thrones of France and the rest of Europe.[2] This myth was expanded upon and popularised by the 1982 pseudohistorical [3] book The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail[1] and later claimed as factual in the preface of the 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code.[4]

After becoming a cause célèbre from the late 1960s to the 1980s, the mythical Priory of Sion was exposed as a ludibrium created by Plantard as a framework for his claim of being the Great Monarch prophesied by Nostradamus.[5] Evidence presented in support of its historical existence and activities before 1956 was discovered to have been forged and then planted in various locations around France by Plantard and his accomplices. Nevertheless, many conspiracy theorists still persist in believing that the Priory of Sion is an age-old cabal that conceals a subversive secret.[6]

The Priory of Sion myth has been exhaustively debunked by journalists and scholars as one of the great hoaxes of the 20th century.[7] Some skeptics have expressed concern that the proliferation and popularity of books, websites and films inspired by this hoax have contributed to the subject of conspiracy theories, pseudohistory and other confusions becoming more mainstream.[8]

Your Right to Believe

You probably cherish your right to believe whatever you wish to believe. So does almost everyone else. By exercising this right, earth’s six billion inhabitants have produced an amazing diversity of beliefs. Like the variations in color, shape, texture, taste, smell, and sound that we find in creation, differing beliefs often add interest, excitement, and enjoyment to life. Such variety can, indeed, be the spice of life.—Psalm 104:24.

BUT there is a need for caution. Some beliefs are not only different but also dangerous. Early in the 20th century, for example, some people came to believe that Jews and Freemasons had plans to “disrupt Christian civilization and erect a world state under their joint rule.” One source of this belief was an anti-Semitic tract entitled Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion. The tract alleged that the plans included advocating excessive taxation, promoting armament production, encouraging giant monopolies so that ‘Gentile wealth could be destroyed in one blow.’ Allegations also included manipulating the education system so as to ‘turn Gentiles into unthinking beasts,’ and even constructing underground railways to join capital cities so that the Jewish elders could ‘quell any opposers by blowing them sky-high.’

These, of course, were lies—designed to inflame anti-Semitic feelings. ‘This preposterous fiction,’ says Mark Jones of the British Museum, ‘spread abroad from Russia,’ where it first appeared in a newspaper article in 1903. It reached The Times of London on May 8, 1920. More than a year later, The Times exposed the document as a fake. In the meantime, the damage had been done. ‘Lies like these,’ says Jones, ‘are hard to suppress.’ Once people accept them, they produce some very jaundiced, poisonous, and dangerous beliefs—often with disastrous consequences, as the history of the 20th century has shown.—Proverbs 6:16-19.

Belief Versus Truth

Of course, it does not take deliberate lies to develop mistaken beliefs. At times, we just misread things. How many people have met untimely deaths doing something they believed was right? Then again, often we believe a thing simply because we want to believe it. One professor says that even scientists “often fall in love with their own constructions.” Their beliefs becloud their critical judgment. Then they may spend a lifetime in vain trying to shore up mistaken beliefs.—Jeremiah 17:9.

Similar things have happened with religious beliefs—where immense contradictions exist. (1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Timothy 4:3, 4) One man has deep faith in God. Another says that the man is only “weaving faith out of moonshine.” One maintains that you have an immortal soul that survives death. Another believes that when you die you cease to exist, totally and completely. Obviously, conflicting beliefs like these cannot all be true. Is it not the course of wisdom, then, to make sure that what you believe actually is true and not simply what you want to believe? (Proverbs 1:5) How can you do that? The following article will examine this subject.

Why Do You Believe What You Believe?

To believe has been defined as “to accept as true, genuine, or real.” The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights enshrines every person’s “right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.” This right includes the freedom “to change his religion or belief” if he wants to do so.

WHY, though, would anyone want to change his religion or belief? “I have my own beliefs, and I am happy with them,” is the commonly expressed view. Many feel that even mistaken beliefs cause little harm to anyone. Someone who believes that the earth is flat, for example, is not likely to hurt himself or anyone else. “We should just agree to differ,” some say. Is that always wise? Would a doctor simply agree to differ if one of his colleagues continued to believe he could go straight from handling dead bodies in a morgue to examining sick patients in a hospital ward?

When it comes to religion, mistaken beliefs have historically caused great harm. Think of the horrors that resulted when religious leaders “inspired Christian zealots to pitiless violence” during the so-called Holy Crusades of the Middle Ages. Or think of the modern-day “Christian” gunmen in a recent civil war who, “just like medieval warriors who had saints’ names on their sword hilts, taped pictures of the Virgin to their rifle butts.” All these zealots believed that they were right. Yet, obviously in these and other religious struggles and fights, something was terribly wrong.

Why is there so much confusion and conflict? The Bible’s answer is that Satan the Devil is “misleading the entire inhabited earth.” (Revelation 12:9; 2 Corinthians 4:4; 11:3) The apostle Paul warned that many religious people would, sadly, be “doomed to perish” because they would be deceived by Satan, who would “produce miracles and wonders calculated to deceive.” Such ones, said Paul, would “shut their minds to the love of truth which could have saved them” and would thus be ‘deluded into believing what is a lie.’ (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12, The New Testament, by William Barclay) How can you minimize the possibility of believing a lie? Why, in fact, do you believe the way you do?

Continued in next comment.

Brought Up to Believe It?

Perhaps you have been brought up in the beliefs of your family. That may well be a good thing. God wants parents to teach their children. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9; 11:18-21) The young man Timothy, for example, benefited greatly from listening to his mother and grandmother. (2 Timothy 1:5; 3:14, 15) The Scriptures encourage respect for what parents believe. (Proverbs 1:8; Ephesians 6:1) But did your Creator mean for you to believe things simply because your parents believe them? Unthinking adherence to what previous generations believed and did can, in fact, be dangerous.—Psalm 78:8; Amos 2:4.

A Samaritan woman who met Jesus Christ had been brought up to believe in her Samaritan religion. (John 4:20) Jesus respected her freedom to choose what she wanted to believe, but he also pointed out to her: “You worship what you do not know.” Many of her religious beliefs were, in fact, mistaken, and he told her that she would have to make changes in her beliefs if she was going to worship God acceptably—“with spirit and truth.” Rather than cling to what were no doubt cherished beliefs, she and others like her would, in time, have to become “obedient to the faith” revealed through Jesus Christ.—John 4:21-24, 39-41; Acts 6:7.

Educated to Believe It?

Many teachers and authorities in specialized fields of knowledge deserve great respect. Yet, history is littered with examples of renowned teachers who were absolutely wrong. For example, regarding two books on scientific matters written by Greek philosopher Aristotle, historian Bertrand Russell stated that “hardly a sentence in either can be accepted in the light of modern science.” Even modern-day authorities often get things drastically wrong. “Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible,” was the confident assertion of British scientist Lord Kelvin in 1895. A wise person, therefore, does not blindly believe that something is true simply because some authoritative teacher says it is.—Psalm 146:3.

The same caution is needed when it comes to religious education. The apostle Paul was well-educated by his religious teachers and was extremely “zealous for the traditions of [his] fathers.” His zeal for the traditional beliefs of his ancestors, however, actually created problems for him. It led to his “persecuting the congregation of God and devastating it.” (Galatians 1:13, 14; John 16:2, 3) Worse still, for a long time, Paul kept “kicking against the goads,” resisting the influences that should have led him to believe in Jesus Christ. It required a dramatic intervention by Jesus himself to move Paul to adjust his beliefs.—Acts 9:1-6; 26:14.

Influenced by the Media?

Maybe the media have greatly influenced your beliefs. Most people are glad that there is freedom of speech in the media, giving them access to information that can be useful. However, there are powerful forces that can and frequently do manipulate the media. What is often presented is biased information that can insidiously affect your thinking.

In addition, to appeal to or to attract a larger audience, the media tend to give publicity to what is sensational and unconventional. What could hardly be said or printed for public consumption just a few years ago has become commonplace today. Slowly but surely, established standards of behavior are attacked and whittled away. People’s thinking is gradually becoming distorted. They begin to believe that “good is bad and bad is good.”—Isaiah 5:20; 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10.

Finding a Sound Basis for Belief

Building on the ideas and philosophies of men is like building on sand. (Matthew 7:26; 1 Corinthians 1:19, 20) On what, then, can you confidently base your beliefs? Since God has given you intellectual capacity to investigate the world around you and to ask questions concerning spiritual matters, does it not make sense that he would also provide the means to get accurate answers to your questions? (1 John 5:20) Yes, of course he would! How, though, can you establish what is true, genuine, or real in matters of worship? We have no hesitation in saying that God’s Word, the Bible, provides the only basis for doing this.—John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16, 17.

“But wait,” someone will say, “is it not the very ones who have the Bible who have caused the most conflict and confusion in world affairs?” Well, it is true that religious leaders who claim to follow the Bible have produced many confusing and conflicting ideas. This is because they have not, in fact, based their beliefs on the Bible. The apostle Peter describes them as “false prophets” and “false teachers” who would create “destructive sects.” As a consequence of their activities, says Peter, “the way of the truth will be spoken of abusively.” (2 Peter 2:1, 2) Still, writes Peter, “we have the prophetic word made more sure; and you are doing well in paying attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place.”—2 Peter 1:19; Psalm 119:105.

The Bible encourages us to check our beliefs against what it teaches. (1 John 4:1) Millions of readers of this magazine can testify that doing so has added purpose and stability to their lives. So be like the noble-minded Beroeans. ‘Carefully examine the Scriptures daily’ before you decide what to believe. (Acts 17:11) Jehovah’s Witnesses will be happy to help you to do this. Of course, it is your decision as to what you want to believe. However, it is the course of wisdom to make sure that your beliefs are shaped, not by human wisdom and desires, but, rather, by God’s revealed Word of truth.—1 Thessalonians 2:13; 5:21.

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You can with confidence base your beliefs on the Bible

The Manipulation of Information: Awake!—2000

“By clever and persevering use of propaganda even heaven can be represented as hell to the people, and conversely the most wretched life as paradise.”—ADOLF HITLER, MEIN KAMPF.

AS MEANS of communicating have expanded—from printing to the telephone, radio, television, and the Internet—the flow of persuasive messages has dramatically accelerated. This communications revolution has led to information overload, as people are inundated by countless messages from every quarter. Many respond to this pressure by absorbing messages more quickly and accepting them without questioning or analyzing them.

The cunning propagandist loves such shortcuts—especially those that short-circuit rational thought. Propaganda encourages this by agitating the emotions, by exploiting insecurities, by capitalizing on the ambiguity of language, and by bending rules of logic. As history bears out, such tactics can prove all too effective.
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Lies, Lies!

Certainly, the handiest trick of the propagandist is the use of outright lies. Consider, for example, the lies that Martin Luther wrote in 1543 about the Jews in Europe: “They have poisoned wells, made assassinations, kidnaped children . . . They are venomous, bitter, vindictive, tricky serpents, assassins, and children of the devil who sting and work harm.” His exhortation to so-called Christians? “Set fire to their synagogues or schools . . . Their houses [should] also be razed and destroyed.”
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Trinitarian hypocrisy (protestantism included, incl. baptists, lutherans, methodists, evangelicals, etc.) - starts in 2nd video, 1st video is introductory and contrasted.

What you should be investigating:
Babylon the Great: Reasoning