Satanic-looking Drag Queen Reads to Children at Library Named after Michelle Obama

This story is beyond deeply disturbing, on so many levels. For one thing, it shows that we are pretty much at the end-stage of liberalism, pluralism, tolerance or what-have-you. I mean, really, is there any way any sane person could have imagined in a million years that these words could be strung together in such a fashion?

Second, I begin to understand the conservative reaction to unbridled male homosexuality and why civilizations in times past had to bridle it. Compare this to those days in which homosexuals were closeted or were not in-your-face about it. There was a lot of creativity there in the entertainment, academic and literary spheres. Think of Oscar Wilde, John Maynard Keynes or Plato. Nothing like this would have been countenanced or even imagined.

Third, crap like this has real-world geostrategic consequences. In the old days of the Cold War, the Warsaw Pact did whatever they could to jam radio signals from the West. They moved heaven and earth to make sure that their captive populations never learned how good and free life in the West was. Now, the Russians are taking the opposite tack. They’re allowing all this blasphemy into Russian programming 24/7 to show how far we have fallen. They get American apologists and other anti-Putin liberals to go on various talking-head shows and then ask them to justify this depravity. Of course they look like fools. Is there any wonder Putin has an 80 percent approval rate?

Make no mistake: the average Russian is sophisticated. He knows that the Christian majority in America is not in favor of this nonsense or peddling it. He also knows that we are completely impotent to stop this. And that says a lot. But what about the average Moslem living in Pakistan? Or the average Buddhist in Ceylon? Even the most primitive pagan animist in darkest Africa would be aghast in horror. What do we in the West have to offer these people? Is this the America of the Marshall Plan? Of the space program or the moon landing?

And consider the fact that there were mothers present, sitting on the back row, smiling approvingly as this demon read stories to their children. How far we have fallen.

Lord have mercy.

Source: Lifesite News

LONG BEACH, California, October 24, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) — Transvestite Xochi Mochi dressed as a satanic clown with red-tipped demon horns and read to little children for Drag Queen Story Hour at the Michelle Obama Public Library in California.

“DQSH captures the imagination and play of the gender fluidity of childhood and gives kids glamorous, positive, and unabashedly queer role models,” the Drag Queen Story Hour website stated. “Kids are able to see people who defy rigid gender restrictions and imagine a world where people can present as they wish, where dress up is real.”

DQSH is a growing fad promoted by LGBTQIA+ activists in collaboration with publicly-funded libraries across the nation. Mochi’s performance was worked out by the Michelle Obama Public Library in Long Beach, the LGBTQ Center of Long Beach, the Genders and Sexualities Alliance Network, and the LGBTQ Imperial Court of Long Beach.

The DQSH website claims that it is catching on “regularly” in New Jersey, “L.A., New York, and San Francisco, and … all over the world!”

An enthusiastic endorsement by Judy Zuckerman of the Brooklyn Public Library acknowledges that the drag queen’s influence is intended to portray transvestites as normal.  Zuckerman calls DQSH an “important program that celebrates diversity in the way children may dress and act.”  

The Brooklyn library’s director of youth and family services went on to say that the transvestites’ visit “encourages children to look beyond gender stereotypes and embrace unfettered exploration of self.”

Tax dollars were used to promote the event, which was endorsed by the City of Long Beach. “@LBCityLibrary invites you to the Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library for a celebration of LGBTQ History Month! #NationalComingOutDay,” the city tweeted.

Promoted as “a celebration of LGBTQ History Month,” the event continued after the story time with a “community art hour” and an “LGBTQ History Timeline Workshop.”

Mochi posted that DQSH was one of “the best experiences I’ve been given as a drag queen.”

The drag queen acknowledged that the goal of homosexual activism is to normalize all forms of perversion and sexual deviancy. He wrote, “It’s so important to have representation and normalize all the letters in LGBTQIA+ in everyday lives.”

Later, he recalled, “The excitement in the children’s eyes were everything.”

Omar Navarro, the Republican challenger to U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters for her Congressional seat in the California district, tweeted that he was “outraged” with the children’s library. “What are we teaching kids in school? Demonic teachings alive in Long Beach. I’m outraged they would allow this.”

Parents and others also criticized DQSH. “Drag Queen Story Time is sick brainwashing of children,” Nate Storm tweeted. “Kids exposed to this type of garbage end up mentally warped.”

“What is the educational purpose of children being exposed to this? Other than brainwashing them into thinking this is normal,” Marie Antoinette posted.

“Interesting what the New Left wants to normalize,” wrote JunoWho. “Humanizing monsters. I believe it’s called ‘grooming.'”

In response to the tweeted criticism, the “Church of Satan” simply wrote, “Hail Satan!”

Mochi’s YouTube homepage explains that he is a “Killer Klown from outer space, stationed here on Earth.”

In his online bio, the drag queen admits that he is “living with HIV” and “my stoner mind doesn’t work that well.”

Mochi confided that he started wearing women’s clothing as a young homosexual. “My ‘drag’ started back when I was a wee young gayling many moons ago,” he told Drag Enthusiast. “Xochi has never been an alter ego, but more of an extension of myself.”

The Long Beach Library took down photos of the satanic transvestite reading to toddlers after receiving a wave of public criticism.

Comments

  1. Makes one yearn for the good old days of electric shock therapy. Seriously in the old days such people would be institutionalized or at the very least ostracized. Now the freaks and demons are glamorized and praised up high for our children to look up to. Not by the right, but the left side of politics. So sick of this bullshit we are fed, but what is worse is that it is so common place and accepted now, on the East and West coast, worse yet, it not really news anymore in most urban cities. This is why our current state by state electoral college voting system is so vital to our nation, when electing our Presidents.

    Remember this picture all you never Trumpers, worried so much what Trump has spouted and been accused of while the world continues to fall into this type of insanity. All blind what the left has already destroyed and will continue to destroy, with these types of cheerleaders in their pride parades. Say all you want about Trump, at the very least he will slow the tide of social insanity Obama brought us and Clinton would have cemented. Hell will be a colorful place it seems! Liberism is suicide, and now include damnation. Bring sunblock lefties.

  2. Joseph Lipper says

    Trick or Treat! George, are you posting this because it’s almost Halloween?

    • George Michalopulos says

      No, not at all. I’ve got nothing against Hallowe’en. It just came to me on the transom. The editorial is by Fr Mark Hodges.

  3. OrthodoxNet says

    Welcome to the LGBTQWXYZ utopia. Behold the fruits and “blessings” of liberalism, progressivism, and leftism.

    And they wonder why conservatives fight against this metastasized insanity and depravity shattering the very fabric of our society and lusting to corrupt and indoctrinate our children to embrace abominations and celebrate madness?

    • George Michalopulos says

      ON, it’s kind of late in the day now, isn’t it? I’m thinking that the next step is legalized paedophilia and then human sacrifice.

      It may be however that this reading at Michelle Obama Public Library is the end-stage. Let us hope. I still believe that the election of Trump and the nationalist risings in Europe have (hopefully) short-circuited the NWO/Luciferian agenda. I hope that that’s the case, anyway.

      • This is disgusting, but not surprising. Only families like those of OrthodoxNet can withstand this satanic mockery of God while in the midst of it. Surrounded yet still strong.

        ON: they don’t wonder why conservatives fight, they wonder why their pixie-dust magical agenda still finds resistance at all, because their egos insist on successful grooming and recruitment by whatever means. They’re a bunch of sex addicts that have lost self-control and wonder how anyone still has a rudder when they don’t.

        If anyone hasn’t yet read Marshall Kirk’s “After the Ball”, please read it. They may win this battle while they are ruled by the prince of the powers of the air, but with God’s help we will raise our children to find this all strange, putrid and totally unfamiliar and undesirable when they face it. God wins the war.

        2 Timothy 3:1-9
        Isaiah 32:6
        Judges 2:19
        Psalm 1:1 …. if people could even just remember that one “Beatitude”

        In our home we heavily filter, block what is seen on TV, on internet-capable devices, yet of course we cannot block what they perceive at school, and from friends. We do our best to teach what is right so they can easily recognize what is wrong.

        George, I’d like to think that this reading at that library is the end-stage. Trump won’t live forever, but hopefully he’ll outlive Soros, the current devil incarnate, but if you go back to your Good Book, you’ll see that it is not over till it’s really over. The end game is not peace on earth, it’s a new heaven and a new earth.

      • Fr. Harry Linsinbigler says

        “…it’s kind of late in the day now, isn’t it? I’m thinking that the next step is legalized paedophilia and then human sacrifice.”

        George, we already have legal human sacrifice. Every day babies are sacrificed under the auspices of medicine with scissors and vacuums, a sacrifice to the self-gods who conceived the child. These self-gods are the very mothers and fathers who don’t want the baby but also don’t want anyone else to have it either.

        You are correct, though, that is kind of late to step in against a modern global culture full of people that refuse to love anything or anyone beyond their own mirrored reflection in the pond.

        • George Michalopulos says

          True enough Fr.

          If you’ll indulge me, I’ve long had this feeling which I’ve never expressed because I can’t dogmatize, but it seems to me that the evil one desires the souls of sacrificed innocents in order to derive his power. The ancient Canaanites prefigured this when they would toss infants and toddlers into fiery statues of Moloch.

          My fear is that it’s only a matter of time before they remove this sacrifice from the abortuary and into the open. I mean why not?

          • Fr. Harry Linsinbigler says

            George, there is a connection to the sacrifices to Moloch. However, it is not from the souls of the innocent that the evil one derives power, but from the wicked acts of humans. Just as theosis is kat’energeia so is damnation. Some will swallow the teachings of some modern theologians within the Orthodox Church (following basic Protestantism) that “all sins are created equal.” The Fathers of the Church are clear that not all sins are created equal (and so is Scripture, for that matter). All sin is unrighteousness, but not all sins are equally destructive. There are some that are far darker than others.

            St. Gregory of Nyssa goes into detail about why more grievous sins unto death must be penanced far heavier than the sins that are common to all. But we hear from some modern theologians that, because I have the sin of pride, I therefore cannot comment on gay marriage. Wait. What? To be angry but to sin no further is not the same as to be angry and to hit my brother over the head with a rock. Of course, the more grievous sins are grievous because they are “compound sins.” If I add selfishness to discounting the value of another compared to myself, to rejecting the value of life compared to my wants, a greater sin comes about, because it is a compound of sins that I have nurtured and allowed to grow in my soul.

            The point is that the devil derives his power from the sins of others. He is the father of lies and the father of narcissism and sociopathy. It is not the souls of the innocent that give him power, but the souls of the guilty, and the more grievous the compound, the better.

            For a big fire you need to not only burn the kindling, but to have a compound including larger wood on top of it. The ultimate end is energy in the form of heat for a time, but the destruction of the wood in the end, and the more wood, the better for the one who wants to destroy the wood rather than produce heat for benefit (a camp leader vs. an arsonist).

            Another analogy… to freeze everyone spiritually to death in an already spiritual artic tundra, you simply need to kill all the spiritual oxygen to put out all of their fires. You cannot do this with little spritzes of water. You need a compound of flame retardant and you need a lot of it to be “tactically spent” and applied. The heaviest spiritual flame retardant is the taking of innocent life.

            The devil is a dead spirit, and he gains only from the death of other spirits–not from the living souls of innocents who were slain, but from the dead souls of corrupt humans still walking about who have allowed their souls to be flame retardants and have turned from repentance. Despite what others say, the worse the sin (i.e. the more compound the sin), the harder it is to repent of that sin, as St. Gregory of Nyssa, St. Nikiphoros, St. Nikodemos, and other Fathers have detailed.

            • George Michalopulos says

              Wow! Thank you Fr. Would you be able to expand on this? It’s a great corrective to all the pabulum we receive about “tolerance” and “inclusivity” from the Fordham group, The Wheel, etc.

            • OrthodoxNet says

              Thank you Father Harry. Would you be able to turn this post into a self-standing article? I would like to publish it on the OrthodoxNet Blog.

              • George Michalopulos says

                Very much agreed!

              • Fr. Harry Linsinbigler says

                “Thank you Father Harry. Would you be able to turn this post into a self-standing article? I would like to publish it on the OrthodoxNet Blog.”

                This seems reasonable. George, when you have time please share with OrthodoxNet my email. As you can understand, I don’t really want anyone else to have it. I won’t mention any names.

            • I think part of what is happening here is a testing of public resistance. The esoteric side of these kinds of stunts involves mystical alchemy: the androgyne represents a “higher” state of being, a reconciliation of opposites. Satanist Eliphas Levi’s portrayal of Baphomet expresses this alchemical occultism in the combination of male and female characteristics, along with the Latin words “Solve” and “Coagula,” turning solids into liquids and liquids into solids, per the alchemical process. While at one level, this “alchemical process” is what is supposed to be necessary for spiritual enlightenment (!!!), it is also esoterically allegorical for social transformation — the turning of “base metals” into “gold”: unenlightened, spiritually backward masses into new forms to be used by the elite for constructing a new eon or age.

              But in order to “bind” the unenlightened masses (lead), they must be told, in some sense, what is being done to them. The belief here is that once the masses are told what is being done to them and they do nothing to stop it, certain spiritual and psychological laws come into play. In regard to the former, the occultist can’t be held responsible for what is being done at some level since inaction on the part of the masses provides them with some sort of permission. Secondly, pertaining to the second point, if the masses do nothing to resist what is being done to them, they are further psychologically bound to their condition: they have freely consented (in the twisted view of the occultist) to the “paradigm shift” being promoted. Regardless of whether or not one believes in this, it is something one can find in the occult tradition going back to Renaissance figures like Pico and Ficino, through Giordano Bruno and John Dee, to 20th century figures like Crowley. It is, by the way, something that, in part, informs the psychological warfare techniques conducted by various alphabet soup agencies and what we might call “mass psychology” or “propaganda” but what has also been referred to as “magic” (or “magick”). In a less occult and sedated manner, it is what informs Kurt Lewin’s “Dynamic Theory of Change” that is still all the rage in business schools and policy schools.

              Put differently, when the drag queen reads a book promoting gender theory to children and parents do nothing to resist or reject it, they are being “alchemically” transformed. In short, the children and parents are not observers but participants at a ritual where they are being initiated, processed from base metals into “gold.” This pattern or dynamic is repeated numerous times in today’s films, television shows, and music. We are all too often witnesses to what are really occult rituals or, doses of psychological warfare, without even realizing it. Super bowl halftime shows, music and film awards, even mass shootings. The hallmarks of occult ritual are synchronicities — geographical, numerical, and name-based.

              You have to love Stephen (crowned martyr) “Paddock” – a witch’s familiar from “Macbeth – firing away from atop the 32nd floor (one degree below the 33rd in Masonry) next to a replica of a completed pyramid with a shining light atop it, a Sphinx, and an obelisk (“but Sirius-ly folks,” as someone among them might joke); shooting people at a “harvest Route 91” concert just 91 days before the end of the year (Janus). And his picture first widely circulated with his “eyes wide shut” (Kubrick?) and an ever so faint number “13” at the collar line of his t-shirt. And reports that he bought 33 guns in the last 12 months, that the shooting took between “9 to 11 minutes” — synchronicities intended to tap into the world of archetypes and the unconscious to trigger “the old gods” while telling us something isn’t right, hoping that we’ll ignore what our subconscious is telling us so we’ll go back to sleep. We were “invited” to a public ritual and I’m guessing many of us watched. A harvest indeed.

              • George Michalopulos says

                Patrick, you’re on to something here. While what you write may appear fantastical to many, my own study of esotericism makes me keep an open mind on these matters. I’d like for you to develop this further for a stand-alone essay if you don’t mind. Please contact me on-line if you’re interested.

                • Peter Ray Millman says

                  George, my friend, you do realize that Michael Hoffman is an antisemitic holocaust denier. To think that this guy Patrick wastes all his time reading all this garbage. Talk about giving Orthodoxy a bad name.

                  • George Michalopulos says

                    Peter, I didn’t quote from Hoffman, nor am I familiar with him. I could be wrong but I believe that he is himself Jewish and if so, then the anti-Semitic canard cannot be leveled against him. (If I’m wrong about his ethnicity, I’ll correct the record –like I said, I’m not that familiar with him). As for “denying the Holocaust” what little I do know about him makes me think he’s a Holocaust “revisionist” not a “denier”.

                    I’ve actually investigated some of those people who have been tarnished with that slur; none of them deny the Holocaust only its numbers. Yes, some (like David Irving) are anti-Semites but others (like David Cole) are most definitely not. Cole for example is Jewish. The late Christopher Hitchens (who was about 1/8th or 1/16th Jewish by his own account and a fervent believer in the official Holocaust story still came to the defense of Irving based the fact that he was a fervent free speech activist and was horrified that Irving was thrown into prison for merely questioning some of the details of the Holocaust.

                    Anyway, now that you’ve alerted me to Hoffman, I’ll do some research into him as time permits.

                  • very worried says

                    Peter, if you took the time to actually read Hoffman’s works, which you evidently haven’t, you would see that he is vehemently anti-Nazi and anti-anti-semitic. He goes through all of this over the course of around 100 pages in his work on Talmudic Judaism.

                    He is a good Christian man, although not Orthodox, and his #1 motivation for uncovering all the dirt on Talmudic and Rabbinical Judaism is to help free the Jewish people from the snares of their false and oppressive religion and find Christ.

                    • George Michalopulos says

                      True that. Post-Second Temple Judaism is a far different religion than what obtained pre-AD 70. I prefer to call the earlier manifestation “Yahwism” and not “Judaism”. Strictly speaking, Judaism is an ethnocultural phenomenon based on shared DNA. An evolutionary mechanism as it were for maintaining a tribal cohesion. Not unlike “Hellenism”. That is not to say that in either case there is anything approaching “purity of blood” as there is considerable admixture from surrounding ethnic groups but intermarriage almost always results in the infusion of foreign DNA into the aforementioned group, rarely the opposite.

                      What this does is help maintain a continuation of an ancient bloodline. We see other groups (like the Basque, Armenians, Parsee, Gypsies, etc.) who likewise are able to maintain an ethnic continuity. (Actually, in the case of the Basques and Armenians, they are more “pure” than the Jews. This may be due to the fact that despite their lack of civic nationality they’ve always been able to maintain significant land for themselves.)

                      That’s why there are so many ethnic Jews who are atheists or otherwise non-observant but who strongly maintain an ethnic Jewish identity.

                      One of the reasons for this successful in-group cohesion has been the Talmud which among other things, justifies the iron rule of the rabbis throughout the Diaspora. Hence the interchangeabilty of the terms “Talmudism” and “Rabbinicism”. Regardless, both are distinct from Yahwism, the religion of the Temple cult. Whereas the Temple cult was exclusivist, it was understood that it was prosletyzing as well: all men would be drawn to the religion of Yahweh; Israel was to “be a light unto the nations”. The Mosaic code was universalist.

                      Under the Talmud however, non-Jews were relegated to subservient status and the universality of the Mosaic law was considered null and void. What we now call situational ethics came to be normative (hence the famous dictum: “but is it good for the Jews?”) Moses Maimonides for example, stipulated that if a Jew unknowingly cheats a gentile shopkeeper (e.g. if the shopkeeper fails to ring up an item), he is under no obligation to return the offending item unless he feels that in doing so it will look good upon Jewish people.

                      The Talmud is riddled with such trivia.

                    • Peter Ray Millman says

                      Very worried,
                      Okay, Michael Hoffman’s father was German, his mother was Italian, and he was raised Catholic. Yes, I have read his book Judaism’s Strange Gods. He is not a good man; he is a whack job.

                      Christ actually had friendly relations with the Pharisees; remember when the Pharisees warned Him that Herod was after him? Rabbinic, Talmudic Judaism is descended from the Judaism of the Old Testament. The Jews could never understand how to fulfill the Old Testament mitzvot without the Talmud; of course, it wasn’t in written form back then. It was put in writing during the Jewish exile in Babylon.

                      Michael Hoffman is a kook. What is Orthodoxy becoming a cult with all its bigotry?

                    • George Michalopulos says

                      Peter, I stand corrected regarding Hoffman’s ancestry. Mea culpa. In my defense, “Hoffman” is a very common name among Jews.

                      I take issue with your assertion regarding Jesus’ “friendly relations with the Pharisees”. Yes, friendly with some but the rhetorical violence that Jesus unleashed upon them as a class inexorably leads one to another –starkly different–conclusion.

                      I never said that Rabbinicism/Talmudism was discontinuous from OT Yahwism. Only that it was different. In fact, it was starkly different. The only metaphor that comes to mind is what would happen in an apocalyptic aftermath to Orthodoxy in America if there were no bishops left to ordain new priests. After the last priest died, then the cantors would take over and perform only typika services. No Eucharist in other words. No chrismations, no other sacraments. They would rely on the Rudder for instruction. All future baptisms would be lay-administered and as such, only intra-parish marriage would be allowed.

                      A severe distortion would ensue. That is what I mean by Talmudism being starkly disjointed (a better word?) from the OT. In fact, the Talmud overtook the OT as a source of lore and instruction long ago. Look for example how the Talmud twists itself into pretzels to overlook the plain text of the commandments against murder, adultery or perjury. All of these things are allowed if one of the respondents is a gentile. Compare that with the OT: if a gentile lived in the Israelite commonwealth, he was afforded the same privileges and protections that the Israelite was. Nor were Jews of the Diaspora to be given any special exemption from the laws of the host nation.

              • very worried says

                Patrick’s hit the nail on the head.

                My question is, are the activities of our ‘social betters’ different to that of our ecumenism-pushing bishops? How far has the occult mindset penetrated into the upper echelons of our hierarchy?

                • Michael Hoffman’s “Secret Societies and Psychological Warfare” exposes these kinds of techniques for anyone interested in looking into the matter in more detail. Today, there are numerous people who are writing about this subject matter, trying to “decode” events, some better than others, some silly and some plausible. S.K. Bain’s book on 9-11 is one that Hoffman himself seems to like.

                  The topic of the esoteric and the occult, as well as their intersection with politics, is now well established in academia with numerous titles by professors of religion, politics, cultural studies, literature, sociology, etc., being published seemingly every few months. Oxford University Press published a collection of essays on Crowley just two or three years ago while the University of Alabama published a title on the role of Freemasonry in the Civil War. Books published by academic presses on the “hidden history” and occult influences on the Enlightenment, the Renaissance, the American founding, fin de Siecle Europe, Modernism, pop culture, film, and on and on are popping up month after month — it’s like its own cottage industry now. It also seems like the intersection of the occult with politics (and entertainment) is beginning to surface more.

                  As far as Orthodox Bishops, I have no idea. Craig Heimbichner published a book on the topic with regard to the Roman Catholic church which he has curiously distanced himself from in recent years. In the Orthodox Church, I don’t know that the occult is itself as much as an issue as certain trends in academia that find a way to influence the broader culture through entertainment. When Judith Butler published her book “Gender Trouble” in 1990, I don’t think anyone believed it would be weaponized by politicians through Title IX and “guidance letters” to schools to essentially force Gnosticism on the broader culture. And yet, here we are. Even if most do not accept the premises of gender theory, same-sex marriage is increasingly “accepted” as a reality of our times, though many may not “personally” endorse it. I have ran into this view more than a few times among various Orthodox parishioners. The alchemy seems to be working at some level —

                  • very worried says

                    Exactly. Hoffman’s new book, The Occult Renaissance Church of Rome is an excellent insight into occult penetration of ecclesiastical hierarchy. Once you’ve read it, you’ll wonder about our own bishops. Kyrie eleison!

                    • Estonian Slovak says

                      I think if you Google Patriarchs Meletios Metaxakis and Athenagoras, and Archbishop Iakovos, you will find they are listed as Masons. Of course, Dr. Stankovich warns us about being Google scholars.

                    • Estonian Slovak says

                      If you know Greek, Google η μεγάλη στοά της Ελλάδας

                  • Tim R. Mortiss says

                    It’s the golden age of self-publishing, to be sure. Things are popping up all over!

                    What would actually motivate somebody to read a book called “The Occult Renaissance Church of Rome”? “Once you’ve read it, you’ll wonder about your own bishops”– the best statement of a reason not to read something I’ve ever seen!

                    • very worried says

                      Tim:

                      “Forewarned is forearmed” & “Know you enemy” are two good reasons.

                      If we want to fight the corruption within the Church of Christ, we need to be aware of how our enemies operate. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that a number of our bishops are seriously compromised.

                    • The large amount of titles pertaining to the occult are from academic publishers: Harvard, University of Chicago, Yale, Princeton, Northwestern, Oxford, University of California, Penn State, Cambridge University, etc, etc. I don’t believe these are self-publishing houses. The authors are professors, not Internet personalities. They bring academic standards to their subjects (for better or worse) and are not given over to Internet tin-foil hat sensationalism.

                      Hoffman’s title, however, is not an academic title. As a Roman Catholic, he wants to tell a story that he believes no one is willing to tell within Catholic, academic circles. He argues that Renaissance figures such as Ficino and Pico della Mirandolla established an occult beachhead in the Roman Catholic church by melding kabbalistic ideas and practices with Roman Catholic ones. He argues that various Catholic clergy and politicians provided cover for these occult ideas by protecting kabbalistic texts and figures while simultaneously speaking out against them. Draw your own conclusions.

                      In some ways, however, his claims are not at odds with works by DP Walker’s classic study (Spiritual and Demonic Magic: Ficino to Campanella, U of Penn press), Couliano (Eros and Magic in the Renaissance, U of Chicago press) and various titles by Francis Yates and others. Hoffman’s claim is that this occult beachhead provided the foundation for a gradual, steady departure from what he takes to be the “orthodox” Catholic church of the Medieval period. He believes this resulted in a “situation ethics” mentality on the part of Rome, resulting in syncretism, ecumenicism, and ultimately, Vatican II. Viewed from that perspective, what he details is not insignificant for Roman Catholic teaching.

                      It might be worth keeping in mind that Orthodoxy hasn’t been completely immune to these kinds of things from time to time. For instance, sophiology resonates with aspects of the kabbalistic notion of Shekinah, leaving one perhaps a stone’s throw from talk of the goddess. Then there is the whole issue of ecumenism and its spiritual and ideological roots. Again, one can draw their own conclusions.

                      More importantly, perhaps, is the extent to which Hoffman details what amounts to psychological warfare techniques aimed at transforming consciousness. Here, the issue isn’t whether or not “evil forces are winning.” Rather, the issue is the extent to which people unwittingly become participants in their own demise through “alchemical techniques” that lead them down the primrose path to spiritual death. One can decide whether or not this is a reality or should be a matter of concern. But, Hoffman would argue, one does so at one’s peril since we now live in a time where we are being told more explicitly what is being done to us and, as a result, we now bear more of a burden of responsibility.

                    • George Michalopulos says

                      Patrick, not that long ago I read an excellent (albeit long monograph) entitled “Joseph Smith and the Magical World View”. Not sure about the actual title but it was a scholarly study actually published in an official Mormon academic journal (I’ll try to find the link). Anyway, it was divided into three parts, one of which was “alchemy”, “Rosicrucianism” and “Masonry”.

                      The thesis of this author was that Smith received his vision because he was involved in scrying and other spiritual pursuits. Long story short: when he relocated to Nauvoo, Ill, he helped set up a Masonic lodge there and Mormonism and took on a Kabbalistic tenor from then on. Plus there was a Jewish convert named Alexander Niebier (?) who infused Kabbalism as well.

                      In sum, you’re thesis about a Hegelian dialectic in this case a spiritual one is spot on.

                    • very worried says

                      Patrick, your posts are excellent.

                      Can you please provide a suggested reading list (books and websites) for those who might be interested in going further down the rabbit hole?

                      I have some knowledge in this subject, but, having read your posts, I can see that it is but elementary. Thanks for your contribution.

                    • George — You’re right about Joseph Smith. There’s an interesting book “The Refiner’s Fire,” by Brooke (Cambridge U press) that details the extent to which Smith was an adept of hermeticism. He picked up a certain amount of this from his father who also dabbled in these matters. Regarding Smith and the Masons, he purportedly gave the Masonic cry, “Is there no help for the widow’s son,” while giving the Masonic distress signal (holding up his arms in the fashion of a football official signaling a touchdown) when he was killed by a mob. This has led some (Hoffman) to believe he was killed in part for incorporating Masonic arcana into Mormonism.

                      On a slightly different note, another interesting book is, “Prospero’s America,” (U of North Carolina press). This book discusses the role of alchemy among founding members of the Salem, MA Puritan settlement, specifically John Winthrop, Jr. Interestingly enough, when he arrived in Salem he brought with him a handful of books by John Dee, Queen Elizabeth’s court astrologer and practitioner of magic(k). Apparently, Winthrop’s books now reside in Yale University’s library. Given the importance of Masonry for the Founding, it’s an interesting question to ask what role this may have played in the founding of lodges in Boston.

                      As far as books go, it depends on what one is interested in. There are widely speculative, crack-pot books out there and some that are more scholarly, written by academics. Since the topic has traditionally been buried in secrecy and speculation, reading academic titles as a foil against unqualified claims on the part of sensationalizers seems the best approach. However, many of the academic titles don’t attempt to expose the intersection of the occult with politics, though it shows up surreptitiously in certain works. (As a result, you may have to read some “crack pots” and sort the wheat from the chaff, counter-balanced by academic works that don’t make more speculative, “conspiratorial” claims.) For example, one of Abraham Lincoln’s friends was Pascal Beverly Randolph, an occultist who practiced “sex magic.” The friendship between these two men is a curious one and raises interesting questions. Hugh Urban discuss Randolph in his book, “Magia Sexualis,” (U of California press). This book, however, is dark and I personally wouldn’t go down this particular rabbit hole. Urban, a professor at Ohio State, has another book, “New Age, Neo Pagan, and New Religious Movements,” (U of Cal press) that is a good source book for the influence of these things in our current American culture.

                      Jeffrey Kripal is another academic (prof. of Religion at Rice University) that has written some interesting books on these matters. His book, “Mutants and Mystics” (U of Chicago press) provides a very interesting overview of how occult and esoteric ideas were mainstreamed through comic books (!!!) and sci-fi. Alex Owen, a prof. at Northwestern University, has an interesting book on British occultism, “The Place of Enchantment: British Occultism and the Culture of the Modern,” (U of Chicago). This book provides interesting details about strands of occultism in late 19th century Britain that would influence various cultural trends of today.

                      Another interesting title is E. Michael Jones’ “Dionysos Rising,” (Ignatius Press), a book about music from Wagner to rock n roll that offers a number of intriguing insights.

                      If you have specific topics you’re interested in, I can try to suggest titles that might be of interest. There are so many books out there now it’s hard to give a general list —

                    • very worried says

                      Patrick, thanks for your suggestions. As to specifics, if you could suggest a number of essential introductory titles, that would be helpful for people.

                      I myself am interested in finding out more about the intersection of the occult and politics (both historical and contemporary), the occult and culture/mass media, and the occult and the Enlightenment.

                      Thank you in advance.

                    • Tim R. Mortiss says

                      I think that Michael Bauman’s cautions on this subject in a very recent post are right to the point.

                      As far as Joseph Smith is concerned, it’s still hard to beat Fawn Brodie’s “No Man Knows My History”, which got her excommunicated from the Mormon Church many years back.

                    • George Michalopulos says

                      TimR, about five years ago, an employee of mine told me that she had found the book (1st edition) in an attic somewhere. For some reason, she asked me if I wanted to buy it. My heart started beating furiously while I tried to keep my composure. I said “sure”. She brought it the next day and said she was sorry because it was damp from water damage way back when. I said “no problem”. (All this time trying to keep my cool, she knew nothing of its value.) “How much” I asked? Guiltily, she said “$20”. I said “OK”.

                      Great book. Brodie was quite sympathetic to Smith in my opinion, actually crediting him with actual healing and prophecy on at least two occasions. Also, she laid the literary groundwork for the pre-Columbian mythos of Mormonism, how it and especially Indian origins were speculated on by other Protestant divines before Smith came along. Certain Jewish rabbis for example thought that the Indians may have been remnants of the Ten Lost Tribes, calling them “the little red Jews”.

                      Anyway, more has been found out about Smith and his occultic/kabbalistic influences since Brodie’s time.

                    • Regarding the intersection of the occult and politics, Billington’s book, “Fire in the Minds of Men” is worth looking at, though Billington, a Mason himself, doesn’t always address the dark side of Masonry. Another book, “Solomon’s Secret Arts” is a nice overview of how much the occult influenced the Enlightenment. I would also recommend, “The Arch Conjuror of England: John Dee,” a nice biography of Elizabeth’s court astrologer, intelligence agent (his cipher was “007”), and magician. Dee is an important figure for the rise of the modern occult-intelligence state and, in some ways, the birth of the technocratic death cult of resurgent Gnosticism that seems in evidence in the thinking of certain Silicon Valley types and folks like Kurzweil. Another recent book that covers this era is, “The Dark Side of the Enlightenment,” which, to my way of thinking, is less informative about the philosophical and religious roots of the Enlightenment as is Monod’s book.

                      If you’re interested in the intersection of politics and the occult today, you’ll have to balance what you learn about occult movements, influences, and thinking against information gathered from academic and more “speculative” sources. Most academic or mainstream books on modern American history do not cover secret society membership in any great detail. For example, “The Devil’s Chessboard,” a great book about Allen Dulles, does not go into any great detail regarding secret societies and the like. However, if you read Anthony Sutton’s book on Skull and Bones and are aware of certain important political and financial figures (e.g., Averall Harriman), you’ll begin to see certain names and connections emerge — patterns, as it were. There are many, many other books that could be listed here. If you’re interested in this angle, start off with Sutton’s book on Skull and Bones, his book on who financed the Bolsheviks, and go from there. Others have filled in more details since Sutton published his material but it’s a good place to start. The book on Dulles is also well worth reading.

                      A book on Stalin published not too long ago titled, “The Young Stalin,” by Montefiore, provides only a brief bit of information about Stalin working for the Rothschilds, burning down one of their refineries. Montefiore doesn’t provide a great deal of information but it’s interesting to think about this connection, especially since Lenin and Stalin would both receive money from them later. What kind of relationship did they have? This is just one kind of interesting information than can pop up where a pattern might begin to emerge as you read more and more about, and around, a topic.

                      If you are more interested in the kind of things Hoffman writers about in his “Secret Societies and Psychological Warfare,” his “King-Kill 33” is a must read. Also, Dave McGowan’s “Programmed to Kill,” as well as his book on Laurel Canyon, are must reads. The latter book is especially interesting as it attempts to shine light on the intersection between pop culture, the deep state, and the occult. In addition to these books, “Secret Cinema,” a book about Gnostic and Kabbalistic-inspired movies, provides a more academic, philosophical account of how occult ideas have found a way onto the big screen. Jay Dyer’s recent, “Esoteric Hollywood” is a more distilled, accessible book that covers some of the same territory, while explicitly addressing the political dimension.

                      If you’re going to spend some time reading up on these matters, “Acid Dreams” by Lee and Shlain is a good book to read as well. There are also two books on Jack Parsons that are pertinent in all of this. One is from Feral House but I can’t remember the author. The other one is called, “Strange Angel” and seems to me to offer more quantifiable information.

                      If you’re going to go down some of these rabbit holes, it’s wise to balance it against a healthy dose of spiritual reading and a serious commitment to living an upright, spiritual life. There are dark themes and currents here. In some ways, you’re running a spiritual reconnaissance behind enemy lines. Not a few people have reported odd coincidences happening to them when they start looking into some of these things. If it becomes an obsession it can do great harm. If what is learned is used to expose and reinforce the truth that is one thing; if it’s simply used to titillate and fascinate, it’s not good.

                    • George Michalopulos says

                      Patrick, you are a wealth of information. Fascinating stuff.

                      For what it’s worth, I believe that the materialism of the atheists/secularists is on its last legs. Indeed, it was nothing but a ruse to rewrite history, the Constitution (i.e. separation of Church and State), and basically anything else that propped up Protestant/Christian normality in the US.

                      I’ve long suspected that the Renaissance (and from thence the Enlightenment) could not have transpired without an infusion of Gnostic Kabbalism into the West. Readying your posts, I’m now convinced of it.

                      It’s fascinating to me likewise how only Orthodox culture can withstand such incursions from the spiritual realm. Of course one might interject that in the last days of the Romanov dynasty such Enlightenment/Rosicrucian/Masonic ideals penetrated the intelligentsia and nobility and you would be right. This however led not to the transformation of Russia into a Western, secularist, Enlightenment state but a brutalist, atheistical, anti-Christian regime.

                      The question is why?

                      To my mind, the dictum is “to whom much is given, much is required”. Orthodoxy can only be Orthodox. If it enjoins unto itself any spiritual thing that is not Orthodox, it becomes debased. The West did not have this problem because ever since the Great Schism, it has been in heresy and thus was able to take in negative spiritual elements that caused it much harm but in gradual doses. Alchemy, the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, secular humanism, etc. Russia didn’t have that problem, it was either “Holy Russia” or it was “the Evil Empire”. One or the other.

                      The lesson for us Orthodox is this: be Orthodox. We have no other choice. We can’t be Orthodox-lite or Orthodox-ish. As Jesus asked: “what has Belial to do with light?”

                      As to the question I posed at the top of this comment, that being that secular humanism is on its last legs, I see an open worship of Lucifer on the horizon in the West. In other words, the Christian appearing subterfuge of the last several centuries will be officially done away with in due time. The charade will be over. For what it’s worth, I think Stanley Kubrick was warning us about this in his last movie, Eyes Wide Shut. As was Christopher Nolan in Inception and The Dark Knight. (In the latter movie, there’s a map of the East Coast with the place name “Sandy Hook” on it. A warning?)

                    • George — just a quick follow-up regarding the Bolshevik putsch. I think you’re right about what you say regarding Orthodoxy and what happened in the West. Though, there were attempts at grafting kabbalism onto Orthodoxy in Russia, particularly during the “Judaizers” controversy under Met. Zosimus at the end of the 15th century. In the 19th century, however, revolutionary and occult ideas garnered interest on the part of some of the nobility and revolutionaries. Most people are aware of Mme. Blavatsky, the daughter of a priest, and her role in Theosophy. However, Masonry had made a beach head in Russia in the 18th century by that time as well.

                      There are plenty of occult finger prints on the Bolshevik revolution, particularly in regard to the “official” start date of it with the October takeover of the Winter Palace at 2:10 am. History now records that there was little, if any resistance, when the Red Guards took the palace. So, why wait until the odd time of 2:10 in the morning? If you look at this astrological chart (I don’t buy into it but “they” do), you can see that, coincidentally, it happened to coincide with the sun’s move into the middle of the sign of Scorpio (it also happens to be Trotsky’s birthday):

                      http://www.astrologyweekly.com/countries/russia.php

                      In the tarot deck, Death rules Scorpio. The “death” associated with Scorpio pertains to transformation and regeneration through “death.” Histories on the October Revolution never really address why the Winter Palace was stormed when it was or why the Red Guards waited for so long when there was no resistance. Could there have been a reason related to occult beliefs pertaining to astrology? Or, was it all just a coincidence?

                      Another interesting thing to consider regarding the Russian revolution. The official symbols of the Soviet state are the hammer and sickle. The hammer is supposed to represent industry while the sickle represents agriculture. Hoffman points out that the sickle is associated with Saturn, time, the divorce of Man from the gods, and death. The hammer has various associations. Regardless of whether or not these symbols were meant to have esoteric meanings, the words for the objects themselves is interesting to consider. The Russian word for “hammer” is “molot.” The Russian word for “sickle” is “serp.” Now, when put together we get, “molotserp.” Interestingly enough, that’s a Russian word spelled backwards: “prestolom.” “Prestolom” has a reference to the King’s throne or the Altar of the church. So, in the Soviet symbols we have an inverted or backwards spelling of a word associated with Orthodox monarchy and the Church — a satanic inversion if you will. Now, that could be a coincidence or it could be a Janus-like symbol that hides its real meaning in plain site. Think of all those hammers and sickles throughout the Soviet state, hiding their inversion of Church and King.

                    • George Michalopulos says

                      Fascinating insights, Tim. I was not aware that Mdme Blavatsky was the daughter of a priest however. On another note, Nikola Tesla was the son of a priest.

                    • very worried says

                      Patrick, thanks for this list of resources, I’ll get browsing to see what’s right for me.

                      Thanks also for your concern as to my motives, but not to worry. I have my spiritual father’s blessing to study this for the sake of apologetics. My parochial home is a nearby monastery and I have a decent theological education, so I’m well equipped for this battle. The only problem is my wife’s concern over the growing number of books on the shelves.

                      George – you’re probably right. Secularism is over and people do need something to worship. I think I can hear the Antichrist getting closer…

                    • Sorry George — I need to correct a mistake. I meant Blavatsky was baptized into the Russian Church. Her grandmother was a princess — I was thinking of someone else.

                  • Peter Ray Millman says

                    George,
                    Et tu, Brute?! No offense, but please stay away from all these conspiracy theories. Michael Hoffmann?! Conspiracy theorist extraordinaire! No offense meant to this guy Patrick, but he’s a loon. He sounds like he’s from outer space- you know, a space shot. I’m going to have to stop reading this web site because I love Leonardo Da Vinci and the Italian Renaissance. You need to sojourn up to Mt. Athos and start sleeping in a cave or up on top of a rock.

                    • Mt. Athos — you’ll find plenty of writings by Athonite fathers, some saints, some elders, some simple monks, who discuss Freemasonry, the occult, and Zionism. In St. Paisios the Athonite’s writings and sayings alone you’ll find more than a fair share of references to these things. Take it up with him.

                • Michael Bauman says

                  Wow, so we should doubt and cower in fear believing that the evil forces are winning.

                  Forgive my skepticism. Anathema to all of it.

                  • Peter Ray Millman says

                    Patrick.
                    It is not good for man to be alone. There are plenty of nut cases on Mt. Athons. He’s your saint, not mine. These are same cock and bull conspiracy theories by men who have lost the ability to think and reason. There seems to be a virulent strain of hyper fundamentalism running through parts of Orthodoxy. Many Orthodox are worse than Protestant fundamentalists. There is no Judeo Masonic conspiracy. My grandfather was a thirty third degree mason; he was an extremely successful entrepreneur and one of the finest men I have ever had the privilege of knowing.

                    • I read my father’s copy of Pike’s “Morals and Dogmas” that was given to him when he was initiated as a young man. He would later distance himself from the lodge, even going so far as to dispose of his copy of Pike, though he retained his apron and a few other things, including his ring. He was a 32nd degree. He refused to talk about the Craft or say why he quit attending meetings, even though he paid his member’s dues throughout his life. When he was active in his lodge, he brought home documents in a tube that no one could look at. Read your grandfather’s copy of Pike and see what you think. And you’re right — there is no conspiracy; it’s simply neoliberal, globalist policy now.

                    • very worried says

                      “He’s your saint, not mine” Don’t you commemorate Orthodox saints now, or something? Saint Paisios is one of the most widely venerated and beloved contemporary saints.

                      If you love the renaissance and your 33rd degree Mason grandpa, but not the saints of God, then maybe you’re the space shot. Go find me an Orthodox saint that gave the thumbs up to Freemasonry.

                      Oh, and don’t try to pull the ‘fundamentalist’ card, Fordham already tried that and failed.

                    • Peter Ray Millman says

                      Patrick and “very worried,”
                      I’m really not interested in arguing. It’s a waste of my time and energy.

                    • George — one last thing on this topic: whenever talk of a “Judeo-Masonic” conspiracy arises, people often point to the discredited “Protocols of the Elders of Zion.” The official debunking of these is said to involve an initiative on the part of the Okhrana, the Tsarist Secret Police, to create propaganda laying blame for various problems at the feet of the Jews rather than an incompetent government. Supposedly, a copy of the Protocols made their way into the hands of Nilus and he published them. Nilus is demonized in any number of ways — an anti-Semite; a fundamentalist; a monarchist; a crazed mystic; a monk, etc, etc, etc.

                      What most histories don’t discuss is the fact that they appeared in a book by Nilus titled, “The Great within the Small: On the Imminent appearance of Anti-Christ.” The book itself is comprised of three sections. The first is a sort of historical and cultural overview of Russia. The second section is a copy of the Protocols. The third section is a fairly detailed explanation of Masonic esoteric beliefs, complete with drawings and diagrams of Masonic symbols. Neither the first section or the third section, to my knowledge, has been translated into English and neither of these sections is ever discussed in relation to the Protocols themselves as they appeared in Nilus’ book. In the third section, Nilus teases out the Kabbalistic and Gnostic roots of mystical Masonry. In fact, Nilus sees revolutionary forces as being driven by Masonry, influenced by Kabbalistic and Gnostic ideas.

                      Now, when you look at the last diary of Royal Martyr Tsaritsa Alexandra (published some years ago by Massie), you’ll see that in a few places she indicates in her entry that “Nicky” — Tsar Martyr — “read to us from the Protocols of the Masons.” She doesn’t call them the “Protocols of the Jews.” Here, it’s interesting to note that they considered them to be plans of the Masons — or at least not exclusively those of the “Elders of Zion.” Considering that Kerensky and many others surrounding the Tsar were Masons, it’s probably not surprising that the book would resonate with the Royal family while they were held in captivity during the last year of their lives.

                      Are the Protocols authentic? It has been demonstrated that they bear a striking resemblance in certain passages to a book written by Maurice Joly concerning a dialogue in hell between Machiavelli and Montesquieu. And this book, interestingly enough, bears a striking resemblance in places to a book by a Jacob Venedy about Montesquieu, Machiavelli, and Rousseau. Venedey, though Jewish, was apparently a Mason and a revolutionary. If one spends a bit of time trying to track down the relationship between Joly, Venedey, the Okhrana, Nilus, and the Protocols, it’s easy to get lost in a “forest of mirrors.” Who knows what the truth is.

                      The interesting thing here, I think, is the fact that the Protocols have been presented as some sort of plan related to Zionism when in fact, (whatever their authenticity) they seem to be related as much to Masonry. Why this hasn’t been “alleged” or brought out, I don’t know.

                    • Peter Ray Millman says

                      “very worried,”
                      You are hyper fundamentalist, a space shot and a disgrace to Orthodoxy. By the way, where do you get off telling me what to do? This is the problem with the internet. Any cowardly, anonymous internet troll can shoot their big mouth off with no consequences. The thing that makes me laugh is that you wouldn’t dare say boo to me in person. In fact, you would be too frightened to even look me in the eye. I eat clowns like you for breakfast, my feckless, cowardly friend. If you had the misfortune of ever being in my presence with your big mouth, there would be a puddle of urine at your feet, and your diaper would be soaking wet. How lame can you get? My advice to you: lock it up!

                    • Peter Ray Millman says

                      This is for George:
                      First, there’s no need to call me Mr. Millman- much too formal. Secondly, when I’m obviously in a bad mood and post stupid things such as the post to “very worried,” please help me out and refrain from posting my nonsense. I went back to delete my post, but, alas, it was too late. That post was extraordinarily unChristian of me, and should never have seen the light of day. You’re not to blame; the fault is totally and completely mine- and mine alone. Please- just help me out a little. I was disgusted with myself after reading my post.

                    • George Michalopulos says

                      Peter, you’re a stand-up guy. Don’t be so hard on yourself.

  4. Ahh, it is Halloween and the schools all do dress up, but dqst is ridiculous

  5. Joseph Lipper says

    It seems that tranvestism has always been commonplace in theater. The female roles in the ancient Greek tragedies would have been played by men or boys dressed up as women. This would have been normal in theater up through the time of William Shakespeare. Historians point to the first female actors as emerging in the latter half of the 17th century in England, nearly half a century AFTER Shakespeare’s death.

    And we know that transvestism existed in even more ancient times. For example, we have the admonition against it in Deuteronomy 22:5:

    “The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God.”

    However, we have a few female saints in the Church who did just this. They wore men’s clothing and/or disguised themselves as men. Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg lived as a homeless person and was known to wear her late husband’s clothing. At least a few women have also lived in male monasteries, possibly disguised as male eunuchs. For example, there is St. Mary, called Marius, who died in a men’s monastery in the year 508. It was only after her death that it was discovered that Brother Marius was actually a woman. We now call her St. Mary.

    And I’ve seen a few Greek nuns who seriously have more facial hair than some men. Not to doubt their femininity, but it doesn’t exactly look feminine either.

    My point here is not to defend cross dressing, but rather to point out that it is not a new phenomenon. It may even be that it was more accepted in the mainstream culture of ancient times than it is now. For example, we can point to it’s convention in the Greek tragedies and also the plays of William Shakespeare. There are also Church canons forbidding Orthodox Christians from going to the theater and perhaps partly for this very reason.

    • George Michalopulos says

      Joseph, in late Antiquity (i.e. during the fall of the Roman Empire in the West) civil order had fallen precipitously in many regions. Rape-gangs ranged around looking for single women. Some of these female saints passed themselves off as men (sometimes as eunuchs) in order to escape being raped. If I were a single woman at that time I’d do the same thing.

    • Michael Bauman says

      There are many reasons for the prohibition on attending theater. Aside from the fact that many in the theater are narcissitic hedondists and prostitutes, Greek theatre was an integral part of pagan sacrifice and other such festivals.
      There is a certain liturgical quality to them. The further removed from classical Greek theater the more attenuated but such quality is not missing even in today’s theater.

    • Tim R. Mortiss says

      Come on. Men played women’s roles on the stage in Shakespearian times not because of a preoccupation with cross-dressing, but because it was considered improper for women to appear on the stage. It was a reflection of a social moral stance, not its opposite.

      Once people mount their hobby horses, they’ll ride them anywhere and everywhere…..

      • George Michalopulos says

        True that. In Byzantine times, women were on the stage. Disreputable women, like the future empress Theodora, who played the part of Leta in the nude while a swan (the avatar of Zeus in the myth) mounted her. That’s how the young Justinian met her and was instantly smitten.

      • Joseph Lipper says

        In Shakespeare’s time and before, any woman who worked as an actor was automatically considered to be foremost a prostitute. They would not have been considered foremost as actors like many are today, but rather as prostitutes who were acting.

        So, yes, to avoid advertising prostitutes in your play, playwrights who wanted to appear more respectable would use men or boys to play the female roles, and the playwrights would need very flamboyant males to play those roles effectively. They would want males who were preoccupied with cross dressing.

        In contrast, today we have female actors who are seen by the public as priests and moral champions. They often have social causes that they promote, and people listen to their opinions on all matters. Angelina Jolie, for example, is probably regarded by some as a saint because of all the social causes she promotes.

        Yes, the better example is Empress Theodora, who we now call Saint Theodora. She was formerly a prostitute who was well known for her acting. She married very well, repented of her former life, and she is now a saint in the Church.

  6. George Michalopulos says

    Yet another reason for Christians to be glad that Trump won:

    https://conservativetribune.com/trump-pulls-un-funding/?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=MobileFloatingSharingButtons&utm_content=2017-10-28&utm_campaign=websitesharingbuttons

    Or maybe I should say Christians who care about religious liberty, are pro-life, etc…

  7. Dionysius Roco says

    In today’s postmodern and post-Christian world love has become a self-serving fulfillment of the basest of passions by any means necessary. Love is expressed with the Satanic perversion that humans should “Do what thou wilt” and however they wish to do it. Love has been reduced to feeding the sexual appetite by the crudest means available and deviantly labeled a moment of so-called *celebration*. We have been duped into believing that we can use our bodies to heal our emotional despair and spiritual wounds, and thus sin enslaves us even as we are told that sin doesn’t exist by Hollywood, the mainstream media, and other perverted so-called cultural elites. We have been duped by anti-Christian culturally deficient propaganda, and we often don’t even realize it. Sacred Scripture clearly reveals that homosexuality is a sin that cries out to God for divine vengeance. “The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is multiplied, and their sin is become exceedingly grievous. I will go down and see whether they have done according to the cry that is come to me…” (Gn 18:20-21) So far gone were they in this vice that the men of the town would not even accept heterosexual license with Lot’s daughters, both virgins, as a means of sating their lust.

  8. Is Trump influencing – directly or indirectly – a draining of Hollywood’s swamp? I mean, what is going on in Hollywood? See: https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/producer-bryan-singer-accused-sexual-misconduct-015929533.html
    More accusations against homosexual, pedophile serial rapists in Hollywood. Is it possible – is it? – that Trump is somehow, behind the scenes, draining these swamps? Serious question. I don’t believe in coincidences. We know Hollywood’s ties with D.C.

    • George Michalopulos says

      I believe he is. More importantly, I believe there is a significant faction of the Deep State firmly behind Trump and together they are cooperating behind the scenes.

      Mind you, some of this is fortuitous in that it’s coincidental. But the thing about Weinstein and now Pedogate, I believe is causing the dam to burst. Both were contained for awhile but for some reason, it’s all going to start coming out now. (I plan on publishing something tomorrow about this very topic.)

  9. Michael Bauman says

    I do not doubt for an instant that there are all sorts of nefarious occultists out there using all sorts of techniques. Really bad stuff.

    Once you know and accept that however, I question reading up on and studying them in detail. One is much better off reading up on and studying the Tradition of the Church, the lives of the saints and participating in the sacraments while dedicating one’s life to prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

    Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength and your neighbor as yourself.

    Dedicate yourself to knowing the truth and accepting nothing else. Give up all to God in Thanksgiving practicing discernment.

    My lovely wife had a conversation about God with a man at a business event at which she was speaking Saturday. He was kind and helped her. At the end of the conversation he went out of his way to give her a book to read on Self Actualization the Hindu way. He mentioned that she might find the connection between Krishna and Christ interesting.

    My wife is an incredibly kind and caring woman but needs work on her discernment. That is why I am around. She brought the book home and showed it to me to see what I thought. I took one look at the cover and threw it away. She was taken aback at first but I explained why and she understood especially when she thought back about her interaction with the man. His energy was “off” but it did not really occur to her until I described what I thought had taken place. I was right even though I had not been there. Then she could see and understand.

    The way of Christ is the way of the Cross. Without the Orthodox Church there is no salvation. Those who seek the truth will be led to her. Those that seek to damage her people will also increase. Inside and outside the Church.

    Anything other than the Christ revealed in the Creed, the Councils, the lives of the saints and the prayers of the Church is nothing. Literally nothing.

    The more you study nothing, the more strength you give it and it can become amazingly seductive. So my advice is don’t read any of that s***. Don’t read about any of that s***. We are not cats but curiosity can kill our souls. The desire to defend the Church can kill our souls. The desire to direct history for the better can kill our souls.

    Glory to God and Him alone, have mercy on us.

  10. Michael Bauman says

    I also have no doubt that the Morman’s are occultists. My late wife was particularly aware when anyone tried to use occultic energy. She also knew how to protect herself in Christ.

    We entertained a couple of Morman missionaries in our home in night solely for the purpose of keeping them away from others. As is their practice, the lead missionary launched into his logical sales talk with me while his partner played the emotional card with my wife. That also inculded direct energy designed to inflame those emotions. She smiled and sent right back to him and he went to sleep. Right in the middle of the conversation.
    Oh, she also told them right out that their founder was a thief and a con-man.

    That was fun. The lead guy even tried again with a new partner but they did not say much to my wife. I gave him a copy of the Nicean Creed, blathered a bit and they went home. Don’t think they came back to town. Not many easy pickings there. Too many Christians. Catholic, Protestant and us who took care of each other.

    • Tim R. Mortiss says

      Most interesting. When they come my way, several times a year, I just tell them I am an Orthodox Christian, show them my cross, and politely send them on their way.

      While I certainly believe in the existence of occult powers, and the Mormons indeed have a lot of this in their origins, mostly they are just people, in my experience, to whom this characterization would not really apply.

      • George Michalopulos says

        I agree with you TimR. In truth, I’ve never met a bad Mormon.

        As for the Masonic angle, I plan on writing something about it and how I believe it got hijacked by bona fide occultists.

        • Michael Bauman says

          George…….I have met a number of “bad” Mormans. Bad is every where. Theologically they are absolutely scandolous and should never be thought of as Christians.

          They play a lot of emotional games. The young man who tried to grab my wife’s emotions was not trained well enough to work it on her. Few people could. He was probably not trained in specific occultic techniques just the emotional energy attack. Low level though it is, it is still an occultic practice. It is all part of their recruitment technique. Fascinating actually if it did not do such damage.

          We entertained them to keep them away from others. They spent a total of about five hours with us. All they got out of it was a meal. Why they even bothered with us once, let alone twice is a mystery to me.

          • Joseph Lipper says

            Mormonism is just the new Gnosticism.
            It’s like what the early Church fought against. They call themselves Christians, and they believe some of the same things, but it’s all infused with outside esoteric knowledge and “secrets”.

            Joseph Smith was a former Freemason. Many of his religious ideas where derived from Freemason esoterism.

            • Tim R. Mortiss says

              That is probably as good a capsule description of Mormonism as any.

              My view is that one of the shrewdest things in Mormonism is the lack of a professional clergy. Thus, if you are an active male member of the LDS church, you are, in fact, active. You must be there, you must know how to conduct services and perform any number of ecclesiastical functions, you all preach, etc. There are of course “jack Mormons” and inactive Mormons, etc., but there’s no such thing as just being an attending member of a Mormon congregation. If you are not in, you are out.

              This is by no means a argument in favor of the system. But there are lessons to be learned there. Folks don’t just get to attend services now and then, donate, and that’s it. It doesn’t work that way.

              • Joseph Lipper says

                As an aside, Mormons are also probably the most Zionist of all who call themselves Christian. Joseph Smith sent a Mormon missionary in 1841 to go to Palestine to dedicate the land of Israel for the return of the Jews. This man, Orson Hyde, was preaching Zionism in Palestine long before Theodore Herzl was in 1897.

                “Why Mormons Can’t be Anti-Zionists”:
                http://jewishjournal.com/culture/religion/132436/

                Of course, the Mormons have their own peculiar take on Zionism. They see Zionism as being twofold: The Jewish homeland in Palestine, and then the New Jerusalem which is supposed to be specifically in America.

                http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Zionism

            • Michael Bauman says

              Actually, Joseph Mormons believe nothing of the same things Christians do. They use similar words that is all.

              • Joseph Lipper says

                Michael, you have a very good point. However, you can ask a Mormon if they believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and they will say “yes”. Was He born of a virgin? They will say “yes”. Did He die on a cross and was resurrected from the dead? Again they will say “yes!”. Mormons have no problem saying “Christ Is Risen!’. This is why talking to a Mormon about religion can be so maddening.

                The only way that I personally can maintain my sanity when talking to a Mormon about religion, is just to recognize that they are basically Gnostics. Gnosticism is what the early Church fought against. The Book of Mormon obviously has no place at all in Orthodoxy, and just like the Gnostic texts that were denounced by the early Church.

                • Tim R. Mortiss says

                  My most recent visit from Mormon missionaries was two days ago. In this urban area I will see a few pairs several times per year.

                  As always, I say that I am an Orthodox Christian, or a believing Christian, and show them my cross, then bid them good night.

                  I haven’t got enough time left on earth (even if by the Lord’s grace I were to have a fair amount) to discuss religion with a Mormon.