More Baloney From Bill Schnoebelen Rebutted

This is a counter in black and white by me to the blog territory "Freemasonry: The Witchcraft Sway" tenderly penned by William J. Schnoebelen. You can find the territory offer. I celebration that I had in the past in black and white the keep up time about my arch challenger and elementary assistant professor, the ever self-propagandizing, insufferable and more or less fraud, half-assed minister of In One Obedience Ministry, Bank account Schnoebelen. But unluckily, he continues to compose his lies, half-truths and priestly bigotry surrounding the internet. The further tirade would be quite a scream if weren't so severely unhurried and splendid. So I am waxen back concerning a passing one sided wear out with the ultra-conservative Christian Fundamentalist who was what time a attachment of the Wicca and a Mason. It's really in the same way as operate skirmish with the shaft of the Black Knight (as lovingly remembered in Monty Python's Fantastic Grail movie). He has teeth, but no arms or legs missing to do skirmish, and can be casually dejected. I presumption Bank account makes a expand straw man, while his positions are based on Christian myth and creativity utterly than real facts. I do penance in advance to predictable and esoteric Christians who requirement be quite confused by this wit. Skillfully, let the skirmish begin!"Mutiny is a sin of sorcery, presumption a crime of the teraphim." - 1 Samuel 15:23 (The Jerusalem Bible)Bank account starts out his territory with this quote, whilst he uses the anxiously out-of-date and future rightly criticized Kings James Sketch out, someplace the word "sorcerery" is substituted by the word "witchcraft", which changes the whole meaning, of course. That King James had an thing with witches and witchcraft contiguous on insanity is additionally the weight - it did, subdue, shoulder the rendering of the bible concerning English. This sentence is part of fat dimensions of the time that contains the penitent pronouncements by the psychic Samuel used to condemnation King Saul. Samuel was purportedly mad with Saul and his payment to end Yahweh, so moderately of ensuring that the Amelikites were agreed annihilated and all of their raw materials not working, Saul legitimate the Israelites to run the prisoners as slaves and their gear as do over. The word "teraphim" in the sentence refers to farmhouse idols, so it represents untruthful gods and their honey. The key weight is that King Saul rebelled versus the commandments of his god and supposed to make decisions for him. To the same degree this piece has to do with modern witchcraft and Brickwork seems somewhat hide to me. I reckon that Bank account used it out of context for instance the KJV bible uses the word "witchcraft" moderately of "sorcery", even though the weight is really harm and presumptuousness. The dehydration of Bank account using this charge is somewhat frenetically cheerful, while presumptuousness is very future his mode of operate wholesale. So we start out with a sentence taken agreed out of context from the Old Headstone, and somehow this thrust make the rest of the territory activate and erudite? Right!Core of all, Brickwork is not a religion. It is a fraternal union with some biblical themes and hide symbolism based on citizens themes. In the function of one possibly will make occult interpretations of the diverse Masonic rituals and lore, citizens extraordinarily interpretations are not secured by either the rank and keep details Mason, nor the valued members of their intelligence bodies and their contrived intellectuals. Brickwork is not an occult union nor would any of its members imitate themselves to be occultists or members of some generous of rebel religion. So in the past Bank account says the instant in his territory, we can casually refute him. The Tress of Brickwork is not a religion, nor is its underpinnings theological, occultic or fixed in ancient forms of paganism - citizens underpinnings are actually philosophical in cosmos. We can icon at the ridiculousness of this bicker, and I quote it in full, for instance it is the supporting to Bill's respected do violence to. "Thus, the Tress is not seek permission different religious studies in the same way as the Muslims or the Buddhists-although that piecemeal requirement be lots to run Christians from linking themselves in it. The cosmos and big name of the Lodge's private theological underpinnings are fixed in Witchcraft and Paganism." Of course, we are to clasp that modern Witchcraft has an unalleviated line leaving back to the paleolithic exterior, and that somehow Brickwork borrowed profusely from citizens sources. Quieten, both Ronald Hutton and Philip Heselton hold proved beyond a shadow of a raise objections that modern Witchcraft can't be traced back further than the into the future 20th century. That would mean that modern Witchcraft is in any case younger than Brickwork, which itself on your own dates back to the into the future 18th century. If modern Witchcraft shares manifold tasteless meet with Brickwork, as a consequence one would hold to whole that the resolution this does in fact be successful is for instance Gerald B. Gardner (who was himself a Mason) put them give to. In the function of some witches may din this amongst each other, scholars hold given away that future of the lore of modern Gardnerian witchcraft was cobbled together from other sources. To the same degree this manner is that give to is no ploy and the linkages in the midst of one tradition of witchcraft and Brickwork can be casually explained - it was a question mark of creative plagiarism and not some generous of Satanic ploy, as Bank account would hold it. The resolution why this is so deliberately clear is the fact that on your own Gardnerian witchcraft (and it's diverse offshoots) hold these points in tasteless with Brickwork. Other non-Gardnerian traditions of witchcraft are quite out of character and hold few if any points in tasteless with Brickwork. How does one display that upsetting little gap to Bill's over-arching theory? Why it's major, my dearest reader! Bank account is making an do violence to that is quite believe based and severely dramatic - it is, in a word - a expand lie! This is even haughty rare in the past one considers that some of the haughty traditional non-Gardnerian forms of witchcraft may actually tug previous systems from the previous period, whilst the reputation for that conjecture has yet to be verified. Brainy folk not rushed their magickal works to be their "craft," seek permission in the same way as everyone besides who had a tidbit for ferry. They through effects for their paying trade (spells, talismans, amulets, herbal remedies, tonics, etc.), whilst none of them ever self-styled to be adherents of an rebel or "old" religion. Similarly, craftsmen were folks who worked with their hands, used tools in a heroic direction and through effects, discrete the intelligence classes and the church. To baptize Brickwork a craft is to hearken back to the days in the past Masons were builders and architects, or at nominal that is part of the design of instant the Masonic path. Present-day is nothing faint or esoteric about this characterize, seek permission as one would swanky - while we still use it today lacking any theological pretensions.We thrust slip away a cut above Bill's definitions, while we hold given away that witchcraft is future too extensive to be applicable one definition to the respected row. Bank account is using definitions that were put together in the in the rear 19th century (about paganism in complete), so they don't reason the modern perspectives of historians and archeologists. Bank account has obviously not read whatever about witchcraft while he missing the craft in the into the future 1980's, and even as a consequence, he spouts the old arguments and resistance that greatest extent folk, whether from within the row or all-embracing it, no longer take as true. Suffice it so say that for every supposed fact that Bank account states in his territory, give to are modern witchcraft and pagan groups who don't connect to it or someplace it isn't even relevant. A line up in weight is one of Bill's arguments, which is imperfect and really a massive simplification. "Disparagingly, a Pagan believes greatest extent everything the Witch believes, but is generous of a lay different, at the same time as a Witch is haughty of a Priestess or Shaman."I reckon that the better-quality quote has haughty fallacies in it than whatever that I ever seen in black and white by everyone with any better part of knowledge. Enlightened witches and pagans tug very out of character traditions of belief and practice. Even within these imprecise categories give to is quite a bit of fissure, based on the fact that every witch or pagan calls upon out of character traditions within that imprecise group. In the function of some possibly will find some very jam-packed points in tasteless in the midst of them, they are quite item. In addition to, a attachment of a existing witchcraft tradition would not be an full amongst a group of neopagans, while give to isn't any really clear-cut hierarchy in the midst of all of these plain traditions in the acme place. Each group has its own leaders, and habitually give to is a fair better part of squabbling about even that clear weight. You thrust in the same way consideration that Bank account conflates a priest or priestess with a shaman, which is a agreed out of character domestic entirely. It seek permission seems that Bank account doesn't really know what he is patois about, so it would figure that his respected thesis is based on absolute and satisfy rubbish.Deeper concerning his territory, Bank account does sign over that Wicca is modern, and that if give to are resemblances in the midst of Brickwork, as a consequence obviously one would hold been the outline for the other. Such an confession verge on destroys his respected thesis, but as a consequence he saves it by proposing some haughty ancient (and faint) fountain for both Wicca and Brickwork. Though give to isn't any reputation for this charge, it does tug the foundation of Bill's thesis. I quote his negative confession, with the merest advice that saves his thesis from nullifying itself. "As it is at this point constituted, Wicca is immediately a century old. This is not to say that it doesn't channel on elements from the ancient mystery cults. To be destined, it does-to a high streamer. Quieten, it is a tough undertaking to adjudicator whether inexperienced Wicca so solidly resembles Freemasonry for instance two of its single-mindedness architects (Aleister Crowley and Gerald B. Gardner) were Masons; or whether that commune is a foundation of haughty ancient practices."Historians hold given away that the supposed ancient mystery cults passed away lacking demise very future tinge next. Christianity was quite watchful in its come between of all of the pagan practices of antiquity. To the same degree we hold today is a pond abstract reconstruction, waxen from manifold out of character sources and wrecked with a lot of creative creativity. Brickwork and witchcraft are modern creations, and they hold very little in tasteless with the previous mystery cults, while that knowledge passed away ache into the future either of these two organizations were untrue. Brickwork was a product of the Age of Enlightenment, and Wicca, a product of Victorian England. Present-day is no unalleviated family tree on both sides of the ages of antiquity to the variety time. Special weight, Aleister Crowley didn't hold whatever to do with language the most of it of the Gardnerian Witchcraft Version of Gloom. This has been notorious quite definitively, while Crowley and Gardner didn't local until the court of Crowley's death, and as a consequence on your own a connect of visits occurred. It may be a tough undertaking to adjudicator the resemblances in the midst of Gardnerian Wicca and Brickwork if you are looking for some generous of satanic link up, but of course, the simpler wisdom is seek permission a form of plagiarism. Then comes the really nail exciting and unspeakable conjecture, that (oh my!) Wicca somehow has engulfed the evil fountain of Brickwork, making the rites haughty blessed and less (still my flogging heart!) impertinent than their distinctive form. To the same degree this amounts to is the belief that Brickwork is evil and satanic, so if some group has modeled itself on citizens rituals and beliefs, as a consequence that group, too, is changed and satanic. This belies the familiar fact that Masonic organizations spawned a abundance of resemblance organizations and institutions, both in England, the European continent and the U.S. One possibly will even go so far as saying that a quantity of broadminded countries, such as our own, are remorseless swayed and sopping with Masonic beliefs, symbolism and philosophies. If you are a indigenous of the U.S., Italy, France, England, and others too an assortment of to extol, you are an unwitting trade in swayed by the evils of Brickwork. I presumption the whole world requirement be so lucky!Here's Bill's altar stone for his territory - "If Masonic rituals were engrafted concerning Witchcraft in the in the rear 19th and into the future 20th century, and if that melding was so round off and effortless-even to the weight that in some cases, the Wiccan rites were less arrant and impertinent than give to[sic] Masonic match, as a consequence what write down does that send about Masonry? As a parson friend of pit, Jim Spencer, observed, 'If the devil can urge my sermons lacking to be decided them future, what does that say about my sermons?'"I be interested in you possibly will say that it really says nothing at all, while adequate of organizations roughly the world hold modeled themselves on Brickwork. I would in the same way say that the Mischievous sprite has been preaching Mr. Spenser's sermons, and Bill's as well. A person who preaches bigotry, priestly edginess and advocates sectarian abominate crimes versus others is really operate the work of the Christian devil. How forceful for Bank account to bill us who his guru really is. From this weight on in Bill's territory, effects get agreed nonsensical. The merest suppositions become implied and clear facts, and from them the world turns concerning a dark gothic gloomy image of itself, with ravens cawing in the tape and bats flitting overhead, even if the world is wrapped in a faint stygian mist that hides the supposed real truth. Bank account goes on and on with his arguments, formation them up to a crescendo, in the same way as listening to Mussorgsky's "Depressing on Thin on top Dam" or reading a story by H. P. Lovecraft. Even the list of satanic members of witchcraft and walls is somewhat amazing. I am firm that Arthur Edward Waite would hold been terrified to be not rushed a attachment of the witch cult, seek permission in the same way as manifold of the other members of the wicked list. Specific Gerald B. Gardner and Alex Sanders belong give to, and the fact that at nominal one of them was in the same way a Mason really proves nothing. One of Bill's keep up arguments is tediously empty and even comic, so I shall variety it offer for our recreation. "The Masonic temple is a temple of Witchcraft! Present-day can be little raise objections about that. Unseen within its symbols are the deities and even the working tools of Witchcraft! As has been given away, the quadrilateral and compasses are representations of the generative organs-the sacred altar' of Witchcraft! The intense star at the middle of the live is the Witch's pentagram, symbol of the god of Satanism, Set! The Consultation 'G' stands for generativity[sic], sexual intensity." A person who has ever been a Mason (or has read Masonic subject) thrust know what the je ne sais quoi "G" symbolizes. It represents the acme transmission of "God" and "Geometry," both of which are quite drab and tame. Bank account has vanquished himself, becoming a smiling storehouse in the action. I am destined that his lecture hall, the incautious and the impolite, thrust find his territory forceful (no pun calculating). They thrust without a doubt lose midday sleep a cut above it and hold manifold nightmares about Masons and witches cavorting together in some satanic grove, dancing lightheartedly and obliviously roughly the hooves of the big "D." I do process repentant for them and astonishment at the ridiculousness of their essential place, but I hold little further to say about Bank account barricade to quaver my chair and astonishment how he is deep to make up all of this crap. He requirement be ingesting some bright hallucinogens in order to come up with these clear fantasies. Perhaps some day Bank account thrust be rewarded for his virulent punditry. Perhaps he can get a day job as the chief priest archetype for the Fox Intelligence Get. Quieten, I raise objections if other and wiser Christians thrust ever recognize his work, while it is so far down in the gutter and living in the sewer of difference celebration. Frater Barrabbas