Templar Globe

Ley lines, also known as “leys” and “dragon lines” are phenomena most people have heard of but few really understand. Indeed it would be fair to say that no-one understands them fully, as they remain largely unexplained.

Are there ley lines in Gloucestershire? If so, do they really ‘pass through’ allegedly haunted places?

From what we do know, a ley line seems to be a straight line that carries an altered form of the earth’s magnetic field, however it is proving difficult to define that power even to this day.

It has been claimed that birds, fish and animals use them as ‘compasses’, helping them find direction back to breeding grounds and to warmer climates during winter months. They have also been said to be vast prehistoric trade routes.

An article in New Scientist magazine, published in 1987, suggested that species as diverse as pigeons, whales, bees and even bacteria can navigate using the earth’s magnetic field.

It is thought that a tissue containing a substance called magnetite is responsible for this.

Magnetite enables living creatures to sense magnetic changes and has been found in human tissue linked to the ethmoid bone in the front of the skull.

So what defines a ley line?

Ley/Li/Lei : “The supposed straight line of a prehistoric track usually between hilltops” (Concise Oxford Dictionary)

This is the general and most widely accepted description of a ley line, but what, then, do they have to do with allegedly haunted places?

“[Ley lines are] alignments and patterns of powerful, invisible earth energy said to connect various sacred sites, such as churches, temples, stone circles, megaliths, holy wells, burial sites, and other locations of spiritual or magical importance”. (Harper’s Encyclopaedia of Mystical and Paranormal Experience)

The scientific belief, as previously explained, is that these lines are areas of altered magnetic fields.

The more spiritual and romantic belief is that they ooze back the energy from all the people who have trodden these mystical, religious paths since time began.

So why are hauntings reported in places ley lines are alleged to pass through?

For the believer it could be said that these areas are likely to have more spirit activity as they are historically of a religious, political and even mystical nature.

It is even believed that UFOs are drawn to these ley lines, making them attractive to investigators of that particular phenomenon.

It is true that more ‘paranormal’ activity is evidenced in these areas however whether this is of the spirit type or paranormal in its true sense (’unexplained’) is still a topic of much debate.

For the follower of the more scientific approach, other explanations for the seemingly increased incidents of paranormal activity are possible.

Generally it is believed that electro-magnetic fields can affect the body and mind. Again this to some extent must be true if magnetic fields affect the magnetite in the human brain.

But other effects of this type of energy are said to be similar to those of static electricity: feelings of ‘tingling’ on the skin and hairs standing on end.

The energy is thought to produce vibrations on a low frequency which, although inaudible to the human ear, can alter perception and create sensations of dizziness and unbalance. In extreme cases it is thought to be able to cause nausea and headaches.

These symptoms mirror those often described by people who feel the presence of spirits.

A phenomenon often reported during investigations is that of technical equipment behaving erratically. This is certainly very common at the Ram in Wotton under Edge.

Again, we have to ask ourselves: is this spirit-based or could it be the effect of electro-magnetic fields on the equipment we use?

Could energy from the earth itself be tampering with our audio/visual devices causing interference in some way?

This may account for incidents of EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) on audio recordings, by changing the frequency of the evidence.

The weather can also influence investigations, for example ‘hauntings’ are often reported during thunder storms.

Maybe this is due to psychological reasons, the result of horror films where there is always a storm as the evil spirit grows stronger. Or perhaps it is because there is in fact more ‘paranormal’ activity during a storm.

Again this, to the believer, could be a spirit getting energy from the power around it.

To the scientist it could be the electricity linked with the storm causing natural phenomena that makes us feel something other than the ‘norm’ is happening, or the electrical power around us affecting our senses and perceptions.

How are ley lines found?

Geomancy is considered to play a strong part in the location of Leys.

The science of geomancy demands that structures be placed within the landscape according to certain magical formulas that included the laws of mathematics and music and used in such a way as to provide a harmonic setting for the monument.

The general belief is that prehistoric man was aware of these cosmic lines under the earth and sought to build his sacred structures along them in order to tap into their magical properties.

Major prehistoric structures of higher importance can frequently be found to occupy locations where two or more leys intersect with each other.

The priests or shamans of prehistoric man would have been expected to find these leys and work out their connection with other existing monuments accordingly. It is also believed that many ancient groves, worshipped by the Druids, sit upon leys.

Local spiritualists report a ley line running North-North East through the county of Gloucestershire, and that several ley lines converge in Wotton-under-Edge.

There are no known ‘maps’ of UK leylines, or even Gloucestershire ley lines.

Alleged ley lines are often identified by spiritualists “dowsing” with
rods. Such methods are questionable in their accuracy, so the alleged placing of ley lines should be treated with some scepticism.

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By Dave Wood (Paranormal Site Investigators), Anne Piper (Gateshead Paranormal Investigators) and Cindy Nunn (Anomalous Phenomena Investigations), from BBC Gloucestershire

No ancient relic causes so much controversy as the Ark of the Covenant. The subject of Spielberg’s ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’, featuring the intrepid Indiana Jones, the film does not exaggerate the passions the mystery of its location and power entails.

Believed to have been constructed from acacia wood by Moses on Mount Sinai about 1250BC, the wooden chest is overlain with solid gold on both the inside and outside. 3ft 9in long and 2ft 3in wide and high, it has a lid of solid gold with a pair of cherubim. Gold rings attached to the Ark’s sides allow poles to pass through to be carried.

WHY AN ARK?

Built according to Divine instructions, the Ark carried the two tablets upon which God scribed the Ten Commandments. Symbolic of the covenant God made between Himself and the people of Israel, it was said to be the focus of God’s presence.
Carried by Levites, members of one of the twelve tribes of Israel, it always went ahead of the Israelites as they wandered through the desert, even going ahead of their armies as they waged war.

When camped, the Ark was placed at the centre of a temporary sanctuary known as the Tabernacle. This centre became known as the Holy of Holies. Once the Promised Land was conquered and the Temple constructed at Jerusalem, the Ark was placed in the Holy of Holies of the temple.

In this respect we can see the Ark as the central symbol of faith. Some mystical Jews have even drawn an analogy of the Ark, with its two tablets inside, with the brain and its two cerebral hemispheres. The Ark remained the centre of their religion until after the Exile to Babylon in the 6th century BC.

OBJECT OF MYSTERY

Today there are two central mysteries concerning the Ark of the Covenant - namely, where is it, and what strange powers did it have? The former enigma comes from its remarkable history.

According to the Old Testament, some time around 1000BC the Ark was captured by the Philistines. For reasons we will narrate later, they eventually let it go, sending it away strapped to a cart pulled by two cows.

Reclaimed by the Israelites, they took it to Kiriath¬ Jearim, with King David eventually taking it to Jerusalem. Here, in 955BC, King Solomon placed it in the Holy of Holies of the first Temple.

At one stage one tradition speaks of it being stolen by Menelik, son of Solomon and Sheba and taken to Axum in Ethiopia. Another tradition speaks of it being taken by the prophet Jeremiah to an unknown cave prior to the Babylonian destruction of the Temple in 587BC.
What exactly happened is not known - it could have been simply destroyed - but the Ark was never seen again.

WHERE IS IT?

There are several theories concerning the location of the Ark. In 1952 a scroll known as the Copper Scroll was found near the caves at Qumran where the famous Dead Sea Scrolls were found. The scroll purportedly contains a list of sacred items that used to reside in Herod the Great’s second Temple, destroyed by the Romans in 70AD.

Among the listed items, it is thought, is the Ark. This discovery eventually fascinated American archaeologist Vendyl Jones. As director of the Institute for Judaic Christian Rsearch in Texas, Jones, who claims to be the real Indiana Jones, led an expedition to the area in March 1992. Claiming to have unearthed incense from the Temple, in May the Israeli Antiquities Authority suddenly stopped the excavation without explanation.

Could the Ark be buried near Qumran? Graham Hancock thinks not. According to him, the Ark remained in the Temple at Jerusalem until about 650BC.

CHURCH OF ST MARY

At this time Judea was ruled by a pagan king called Manasseh. Fearing he would destroy the Ark, the priests clandestinely removed it to a new temple in Elephantine in Egypt. In 410BC this temple was destroyed.

Rescued, Hancock claims the Ark was taken to Lake Tana in Ethiopia, and in 350AD to Axum. Being placed in a specially constructed Church of St Mary of Zion, except for minor removals during medieval times, it has remained there ever since.

To this day the church is guarded by a single monk known as the guardian of the Ark, spending his entire lifetime protecting the relic and allowing no one inside.

Whether the real Ark is really in the church, no one knows, but certainly a replica of the Ark exists here, and is carried in procession once a year during the feast of Timkat. However, apart from the mystery of its location, just as intriguing are powers that are said to be invested in the Ark.

REMARKABLE POWERS

The Old Testament speaks clearly of the Divine power of the Ark. When captured by the Philistines, they quickly got rid of it when they came down with a terrifying plague which caused cancerous tumours.

At Jericho the Ark was marched around the walls, and it is said to have been its power that caused the walls to fall down. Others who inadvertently touched it were instantly killed, and only a chosen few could manage to carry it on its poles, well over a hundred yards ahead of the people. Moses himself is said to have had a face that shined, and usually wore a cowl, after building the Ark.

Due to such powers, many theories have been offered as to what the Ark really was. Some even believe it was actually a small nuclear reactor, hence the cancerous boils, Moses’s ‘radiation effects’ and its seemingly miraculous power.

POWERS EXPLAINED?

Of course, easy answers can be placed on the powers of the Ark. It is well accepted that the walls of Jericho fell due to earthquake activity. Similarly, belief in its power was all that was needed for the Philistines to imagine disaster, possibly even causing some form of hysterically induced poltergeist activity.

As for the dangers of boils from being too close to the Ark, suggestion can easily cause illness in such a superstitious culture. Curses are known to happen in many primitive societies, based on the absolute belief that a curse can work.

But all this is irrelevant to the real power of the Ark. Thought of as the throne for the earthly power of an invisible God, it represented the very centre of faith to the people who birthed the idea of monotheism.

In this, sense, whether real or imagined, the Ark remains an icon of world-changing proportions. And there is no greater power than this.

© Anthony North, May 2007

SINCE the Middle Ages, monasteries in Europe have opened their doors to pilgrims and travelers. Today, monastic hospitality is also extended to tourists, who are attracted by the low price tag, the secluded medieval ambiance and the unspoiled locations.Spain has several dozen monasteries and nunneries that accept guests, many in sites of great natural beauty.

Most such religious establishments in Spain are geared toward modern travelers, but some monasteries and nunneries open their doors to either men or women only and limit guests to those who genuinely seek solitude and retreat. None require participation in religious activities although punctuality for meals and respect for the monastic way of life are requested.

Recently I decided to visit two of these — a monastery that takes both men and women as guests and a nunnery that takes women only, each for a weekend. Both institutions are on the Camino de Santiago, the ancient pilgrims’ route that crosses northern Spain from east to west to the tomb of Saint James the Apostle in Santiago de Compostela.

The Benedictine monastery of Valvanera, nestled in the mountains of the Rioja wine region, offers good hiking and bird watching. Medieval towns with a wealth of historical sites are only a short drive from the monastery through picturesque countryside of rolling hills and vineyards.

The Cistercian nunnery, San Miguel de las Duenas, is at the edge of a small town of the same name in northern Leon, also near a cluster of medieval sites. I chose these two mainly for their nearness to historic and scenic sites, although the monastery had been highly recommended by Spanish friends as an unbeatable weekend retreat. The nunnery, near a mysterious 10th-century castle, seemed like an adventure to share with my 8-year-old daughter, Andrea.

From Madrid, I set out for Valvanera with my husband, Jose, and youngest child, David, 5, on a weekend in late January. It was about a four-hour drive on the new four-lane N1 highway and toll road to Logrono. At 3,200 feet above sea level, the 15th-century Gothic monastery loomed above us, set into the steep slope of Mount Mori in the Distercio mountains. We followed a winding road alongside a rushing mountain river toward the abbey, half-way up the narrow lushly wooded mountain valley.

As we approached the brownstone abbey complex at dusk, a few hooded monks, in the black Benedictine habit, were returning to the cloister. An enormous keyring jangled in the hand of one who locked one of the thick wooden outside doors of the abbey, built in the 17th century at a right angle to the church. It seemed incongruous to be driving through a Gothic stone archway into a small parking area. However, a cubbyhole tavern in the three-foot-thick wall of the abbey hostel reminded us we were in 20th century Spain. The tavern serves local Rioja wine, other beverages and snacks for those who fail to adhere to the strict monastic mealtime schedule, we later learned.

Walking through the driveway, one sees a lookout perch with a view of the narrow wooded valley below. The rushing of the rapids, the occasional clanging of a distant cowbell, and the cacophony of birds settling down created an overwhelming sense of solitude. The forest on the opposite mountainside seemed a little over a stone’s throw across the valley. The dozen monks in residence own their own livestock and cultivate vegetables and fruit trees on narrow terraced ledges for a few hundred feet below the lookout and parking area. Every inch of land is cultivated to make the abbey almost self-sufficient using seasonal homegrown produce. About 200 feet to the left of the lookout station and under a small cliff is a small chapel where the monks are buried.

Brother Martin, the “innkeeper monk,” was waiting to welcome us. Stout and jovial, he is the life force of the monastery for guests. He showed us around parts of the abbey open to the public, which included the 15th-century church, a large vaulted-ceiling living room and the hostel.

According to legend, the abbey church dates back to the fourth century, but most of the present structure is 15th century, constructed over an 11th-century Romanesque sanctuary. The church itself, made with local brownstone, looks like a miniature cathedral, compressed to a two- or three-story building. Colorful modern abstract leaded glass windows have replaced the originals and, during winter months, masses are held in a heated modern chapel to the left of the main altar.

“It’s too cold in here for services,” Brother Martin apologized. Unfortunately, it was also too cold for Gregorian chants, which the monks sing inside the cloistered part of the abbey during winter instead of in the church’s choir of carved walnut chairs. Men, however, can ask permission to sit in on the chants.

Valvanera is best known for its 11th-century Romanesque wood sculpture of the Virgin of Valvanera, patron saint of the Rioja. A granite stairway to the right of the altar leads to a back chamber where one can see it at close range. The polychromed Virgin is seated with the Christ child twisted in an anatomically impossible position with his feet and legs pointing backward. “That is because He turned His head to avoid seeing the looting of Napoleon’s troops,” Brother Martin explained with a mischievous smile, referring to Napoleon’s conquest of the area in 1809. Centered behind the Virgin’s chamber lies the sacristy where antique ornaments are kept, which can be arranged to be seen with a monk.

In the church library, which you must also arrange to visit accompanied by a monk, ask to see an exquisitely illuminated codex dating from the 10th century, which is part of a collection of 29 leather-bound codices and songbooks. Monastic records show that Queen Isabella stayed at the abbey in 1482 to venerate the Virgin of Valvanera.The library room itself was not particularly interesting and the lighting was poor.

A 17th-century Renaissance brownstone abbey, rather ordinary, where the monks live, flanks the church and is closed to visitors. Joined to the abbey at a right angle, another two-story 17th-century building, remodeled somewhat shabbily in the 1950’s, has 30 guest rooms that have recently been retiled. Shuttered windows through two-foot-thick walls overlook the valley and abbey on the south side. During the day, sunlight floods the rooms. On the north side, windows look into the steep and rocky mountainside a few feet away.

ALL rooms have private baths with plenty of scalding hot water, and central heating, which is turned down at night, but you can ask for extra blankets. The austere 10 foot-by-16 foot rooms are furnished with beds that must date from the 1950’s restoration. (Anyone with back problems would do better with the mattress on the floor.) Double and single rooms have a desk with a gooseneck lamp and a comfortable armchair. Rooms for three and four people do without the desk and armchair. A religious painting decorates the bare white walls.

The only telephone is a cabin next to Brother Martin’s office in the hallway, but he is rarely there, meaning you may not be able to make phone calls whenever you wish to, andthere is no television or radio reception in these mountains.

Bells rang at 8:30 sharp for dinner and guests sat at assigned tables in a simple dining room. The tables had pink and white tablecloths and a blue-jean-clad hired waitress helped Brother Martin serve a frugal dinner of fresh winter garden vegetables, an omelet and freshly baked bread while he chatted with with each of the guests. Each table gets a bottle of excellent local wine that stays until the next meal and is replaced as needed.

After dinner we were all invited to the majestic vaulted living room for a nightcap of the monks’ own herbal liqueur, Licor del Monasterio de Valverna, which they also sell. Seated on hard wooden benches and chairs, we all huddled around a dwindling fire in one of the two huge stone chimneys.

Brother Martin appeared and pointed to four of the men, including my husband. “You, you, you and you. Follow me,” he ordered. Dutifully, they followed him through the No Entrance door, through the dark cloister, down dank narrow stairways, down to the distillery, past the herbs drying and finally out to a porticoed courtyard where they loaded up with firewood, and Brother Martin picked up two bottles of liqueur.

The fire was soon blazing as we sipped the medicinal-flavored spirits in the sit-around-the-campfire atmosphere. “This is Valvanera,” Brother Martin beamed as he poured us all another shot.

The next morning, after a buffet breakfast of cheese, toast, honey from the abbey beehives, with coffee, tea or instant hot chocolate (cold cuts were also available), we set out for a hike through the mountains. Several dirt roads, as well as steep goat paths and trails, lead to the rapids below or up to snow-covered Mount Mori.

Within an hour the abbey gleamed far below us in brilliant sunshine and the silence of the crisp mountain air was broken only by a wild birds, the mournful lowing of a lost cow and my impatient 5-year-old, ahead of us, yelling “Come on!” The lush vegetation had changed to hardier scrubby trees and brush.

Exhausted by our hike, we returned to the abbey to find the parking lot full of local bicyclists who had arrived for lunch. Sunlight poured through the enormous arched windows of the living room, where some guests were relaxing, and at lunch the dining room was almost full. The weekend menu is more varied, with hearty meat and bean stews and regional specialities such as salt cod with sweet red peppers, boiled potatoes with thistle stalks and borage, or salt cod with chickpeas and chards.

I found the buildings slightly underheated. Wool sweaters and socks are a must to feel comfortable. When I groused about the chill, Brother Martin said jokingly: “If you are looking for all the conveniences, go to a hotel.”

A few weeks later in February, I took my 8-year-old daughter on a weekend visit to the nunnery of San Miguel de las Duenas in Leon in northern Spain on the final stretch of the Santiago Trail. The convent is a huge complex, way out of proportion to the surrounding small town, despite the fact that there are now less than a dozen cloistered Cistercian nuns in residence. It dates to the 10th century, but only a Romanesque doorway to the Chapter Room survives from that period. The church, which is open to the public for services, is an unremarkable 17th-century building; the convent’s 18th-century exterior is austerely neo-classic with small barred windows. There are two simple belfries with resident storks that had returned unusually early.

We arrived at sunset and the granite buildings gave off a glow. Old-fashioned street lights illuminated the tidy grounds of the convent. Children played in a schoolyard.

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SAN GUILLERMO fue un caballero-monje muy admirado por las órdenes de caballería debido a su valentía y religiosidad. Tanto es así que una de estas órdenes le erigió una ermita que dio nombre a un monte de Fisterra.

El cardenal Jerónimo del Hoyo, que visita la ermita en 1607, dice que había un sepulcro donde estuvo el cuerpo del santo. Además, cuenta la leyenda de un ermitaño de Fisterra que pretendía subir desde la costa por la ladera del monte hasta su refugio un tonel de vino que le había sido regalado por unos franceses, cuando un demonio disfrazado de campesino se le presentó, y lo hizo rodar cuesta abajo, estrellándose el barril e hiriéndose su portador.

Este relato coincide, como sugirió Benjamín Trillo, con un pasaje del libro Vie de Benoît d’Aniane, del año 823, escrito por el hermano Ardon, sobre un monje al que se veía con frecuencia llevar pellejos de vino sobre el asno que montaba. Este monje era Guillermo, conde de la ciudad de Toulouse, Francia, y que más tarde fue nombrado duque de Aquitania por Carlomagno, primo de su abuelo Charles Martel.

Invasión
Cuando los sarracenos invadieron el sur de Francia en el año 793, Guillermo con su ejército los expulsó, y en el 801 cooperó en la reconquista de Barcelona. Regresó a su patria, y en el año 806 se retiró a la abadía benedictina de San Salvador de Gellone, que él mismo fundó en el 804, en la vía tolosana que va a Santiago; plantó viñas, creó una biblioteca, enriqueció su iglesia con reliquias como un trozo de la cruz del Señor y es allí donde hoy reposan sus restos.

A este convento se refiere, en 1417, Nomper II Señor de Caumont y caballero de la Orden del Santo Sepulcro, cuando visita la ermita de San Guillermo: «Allí hay una gran montaña donde está ubicada una ermita que recuerda a la de Saint-Guilhem en el valle de Gellone», hoy llamada Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert en Hérault, Francia.

En 1426, Sebald Rieter visita la ermita y escribe: «Allí yace el cuerpo del venerable señor San Guillermo que hizo en Fisterra muchos milagros».

Nicolas Popplau escribe en 1484, que en la Iglesia de Santa María de Fisterra se exhiben las reliquias de un brazo de San Guillermo en un relicario de plata; pues bien, en 1151 Raimon, abad de Sant-Guilhem-le-Désert, hizo este regalo a los Templarios de la iglesia de Sante-Eulalie-de-Cernon, al sureste de Millau, encomienda principal de Larzac, que traerían a Fisterra años más tarde. Y esto explica varias cuestiones…

Explicaciones
Primero, que una escuadra francesa haya robado en 1552 las valiosas reliquias del santo que estaban en la iglesia; segundo, que Fray Martín Sarmiento en 1745, cuando llega a la ermita, se encontrara una imagen de «…San Guillermo de piedra vestido de agustino…», siendo que el santo era benedictino, pero la regla de San Agustín fue la que observaron los Templarios originalmente; tercero, que la Orden del Temple que erigió la ermita fue prohibida por el Papa, hecho que explica la negativa arzobispal de 1901 al pueblo de Fisterra en su intento de reconstruirla (iniciativa que valdría la pena retomar hoy día), y, cuarto, que existan varios textos extranjeros haciendo referencia a esta villa y a su santo foráneo.

Por todo lo expuesto, difícilmente podríamos creer que San Guillermo sólo fue un eremita que el pueblo canonizó y no percatarse de la importancia de este santo, como sí lo hicieron un cardenal y un fraile benedictino.

by JUAN GABRIEL SATTI BOUZAS in www.lavozdegalicia.es

After years of scandalous publicity and tasteless priest jokes, the Catholic Church is settling out of court for a record $650 million in disbursements to victims of sexual abuse that occurred as far back as the 1940’s. Hoping to launch a new beginning in Los Angeles, the American Cardinal Roger Mahoney apologized to the plaintiffs, and regretted he could not turn back the clocks of time and repair their childhood.

In other words, the Church had sinned, and was seeking forgiveness. This is certainly not the gravest crisis within the Catholic Church, but the connection of bail out money, homosexuality and a costly apology is reminiscent of a darker period of the Church’s history when money was the root of a religious scandal that eventually brought about the Protestant Reformation in 1517.

In the Middle Ages, the Popes were, ultimately, businessmen- the administration of Church property and the distant geographies of Europe’s Catholics meant that a great deal of power and money changed hands quickly. It is ironic that the French Pope Clement V moved the entire seat of the Catholic Church to the French city of Avignon in 1307 as a direct result of the French king Philip’s oppression of the Knights Templars, who were suspected of homosexual activity. Ostensibly, the so-called “Babylonian Captivity” of the Papal office in Avignon for 70 years was aimed at cleansing the Church of its avarice- witness the suppression of the Templars- but it achieved little along these lines.

It was during these dark times in the Church’s history that corruption replaced the proper hierarchy and salvation became a blessing up for sale. In order to raise money for the new leaders of the Church, it became possible to pay the church in order to secure a lucrative position in the bureaucracy (simony), or to make sure that a favorite nephew got a job for life (nepotism- from the Greek nepos for nephew). But the most ingenious marketing campaign was directed at the Church’s sinners- of which there were many. A spurious argument was advanced that over the past 1,000 years the good deeds of the numerous saints were an asset of the Church that could be sold in order to achieve salvation and entrance into heaven. They were called “indulgences”, and when a guilty relative of a recently-deceased loved one made a contribution to the Church, the seller of the indulgences would draw on this moral bank account of the saints and withdraw an all coveted “get out of purgatory free” card for the sinner.

In 1377, the Papacy finally returned to Rome at the trusty hands of Pope Gregory, who immediately upon taking up residence there died. Another Pope was elected, but he was Italian, and this served to irk the French king so much that they decided to keep their own Pope in Avignon- resulting in two competing Popes. Naturally this meant double the corruption, which weakened the Church and shook the faith of the believers considerably. It was only in 1409 that the Church elders called a council to resolve the dreadful situation, and they finally agreed on one single Pope- who was elected that same year.

But neither the Pope in Avignon nor the Pope in Rome wanted to give up their jobs, so they boycotted the new Pope, resulting in 3 Popes. Finally in 1417 another Church council was able to push its will through by electing one, universal Pope- Martin V- but the institution’s reputation was irretrievable damaged by the past 120 years of scandal and corruption.

It would take exactly another 100 years before Martin Luther- a lawyer by education- would read in Romans 23 that salvation could be found exclusively through the righteousness of God. Without invoking yet another Church council to decipher what this meant, Luther interpreted it to mean that salvation could be attained by simply reading the word of God- the Bible. The simplicity of the notion, together with the countless princes, kings and noblemen who longed to be free of the confines of Rome, created a movement that would result in devastating European wars until the Peace of Augsburg granted religious freedom- but to the nobility only.

The Catholic Church will ultimately survive this sex scandal and put it behind the alter, but without external or even internal control of a patriarchal system based on loyalty and theology only, there is room for more abuse of power in the minds of people who believe in the sanctity of the Church and its spiritual leaders.

by Tracy Dove, editor of The Russia News Service, is a Professor of History and the Department Chair of International Relations at the University of New York in Prague, in US Politics Today

This year’s Annual General Assembly of The Order of Knights Templar in England and Wales took place in the picturesque seaside town of Llandudno, in North West Wales.

We initially all met on Friday night, 29th of June, at the Bonjour Restaurant on Madoc Street. Some of the members had travelled from their various corners of the U.K. and had booked into the Kensington Hotel earlier that day, while some had arrived on Thursday. For those of us, like myself, who live only a short car drive away from Llandudno the pleasant evening of French cuisine, complete with waitresses sporting berets, was the first glimpse we had had of old acquaintances and the new members who were to be Invested. Sadly, some of our members could not be present this year for a variety of reasons and while we remembered them in our hearts we did not let their absence sadden us overtly and a good night was had by all.

As usual on the Saturday morning of the A.G.A. weekend the ‘Executive’ met for a Chapter meeting where the day to day running of the Order was discussed. Normally, their meeting would be finished by about 10.15 a.m. allowing the other members of the Order to join them for the General Assembly at 10.30 a.m. However, this year, the discussions must have been more vociferous than usual as they continued until 10.50 a.m. As such, the main assembly didn’t start until around 11 o’clock. Despite the delay the meeting went well with reports by the General Prior, the Prior of Wales, the Chancellor, Treasurer and myself, the Webmaster, being greeted favourably by the enclave. It was with a sense of sadness that we bade farewell to our long standing Treasurer who retired from the position after many years of service due to ill health but at the same time our new Treasurer was welcomed warmly. The floor was then opened to the members and one of our new Postulants introduced himself and told us of his journey both literally (he resides in the Canary Islands) and spiritually to the Order and a warm welcome was given by all.

The business of the assembly finished we all converged on the hotel’s dining room where we enjoyed a pleasant lunch before departing for the Holy Trinity Church on Mostyn Street, the venue for the Initiation ceremo. This year the Initiation ceremony had been changed slightly from previous years new officers had been elected therefore, practice session we had prior to the main ceremony was well served. At 2 o’clock the main ceremony commenced and ran very smoothly with everybody playing their part extremely proficiently. We welcomed a new Knight and Dame into our Order and initiated two Postulants who I am sure will serve the Order honourably.

That evening we met once more to enjoy a six course banquet. The food at the Kensington Hotel was excellent and I for one had more than my fill. The wife of one person, who will not be named but is in the set of pictures above smiling, was not well so he ate most of her dinner as well (probably why he is smiling to be honest). During the meal the Prior General gave a talk on how he viewed Templarism and also recounted some of the travels he has been on during recent months. There were also the customary toasts and responses before everyone retired to the bar to discuss the events of the day. For the next couple of hours we relaxed among friends before retiring to our beds.

Sunday morning, those of us who didn’t have far to travel, attended the morning Eucharist at Holy Trinity Church and once again enjoyed a warm welcome from the rest of the congregation.

Although we may have been fewer in number this year than on previous occasions I feel I can safely say that what we lacked in quantity we made up for in quality. The Priory is growing from strength to strength and the members that we have are all dedicated to serving their communities, the Order and their fellow man to the best of their abilities…long may that last.

in http://www.osmthu.org.uk/

The Book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible, has fascinated and puzzled Christians for centuries. With its vivid imagery of disaster and suffering - the Battle of Armageddon, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the hideous Beast whose number is 666 - many have seen it as a map to the end of the world. Some say it predicts global warming, AIDS and even the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. But Biblical scholars, having studied the text and the social and political history of the time, have a different interpretation.

The author of the text tells us that his name is John. Christian tradition has taken him to be the apostle John, author of the Fourth Gospel. However, the John of Revelation does not claim to be one of the disciples or to have known Jesus. Stylometric analysis, a process which analyses an author’s style of writing, shows that the Book of Revelation and John’s Gospel display more differences to each other than any other two books in the New Testament.

What scholars can say about the John of Revelation is that he was a significant figure in the early church in the Roman province of Asia Minor (modern day Turkey). The text starts with a series of seven letters addressed to the Christian communities in seven important cities of the province - Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. He mentions details about these communities that indicate he knew and was known to them. They also conclude that he was a Jew from Palestine as his use of the Greek language indicates that he was not a native speaker but of a Semitic mother tongue, and he is very familiar with the Hebrew Bible.

John tells us in the text that he’s writing from the island of Patmos and that he’s there ‘because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus’. Christian tradition tells us that he was a prisoner of the Roman Empire, but again scholars disagree and say he may have been exiled to Patmos for being a bit troublesome or he may have gone there to preach. In any case he was able to write (or more likely dictate to a scribe) and circulate the texts to the Christian communities.

The Book of Revelation certainly contains some vivid and disturbing imagery and many have called it an angry text. John’s anger has traditionally been understood to be directed at the Romans for their persecution of the early Christians. Christians were certainly persecuted in Rome and the Emperor Nero blamed them for the devastating fire that destroyed much of Rome in 64CE, but there is no evidence for a systematic persecution of Christians in Asia Minor.

Rome was a society that worshipped many gods and goddesses, each with their own temples. In the first century BCE people began to worship the Roman emperors and temples were built in their honour. This was blasphemy to the early Christians who believed there was only one God and saw worship of other gods as idolatry. Academics believe that the development of this Imperial Cult made John angry and the Book of Revelation is a polemic against it and a warning to the Christians not to engage with it. The imagery shows that good triumphs over evil, that faithfulness will be rewarded and justice will be done.

They interpret John’s visions in a way that makes this clear. The infamous seven-headed Beast that rises from the sea demanding to be worshipped, symbolises Rome. By John’s time seven emperors had ruled over Rome and Rome was known as the city of seven hills. The number of the Beast - 666 - has always puzzled Christians and led to many speculations about who this could be. Scholars now believe that this was a matter of numerology - a popular puzzle in ancient times. The letters of a name were ascribed numerical value and added up to give a number - the name Emperor Nero adds up to 666. Historians believe that Nero’s persecution of Christians in Rome may have entered the consciousness of early Christians making him a hate figure.

However, evidence from ancient manuscripts indicates that 666 may not have been the number of the Beast. In the late 19th century, British archaeologists working at the site of the Egyptian city Oxyrhynchus discovered a cache of papyri which were brought to Oxford, where academics have been working their way through them ever since. One of these papyrus fragments is of the Book of Revelation and gives the number of the Beast as 616. Working on the same principle of numerology, academics work out 616 to indicate the Emperor Caligula. Caligula had had a statue of himself erected in the temple in Jerusalem which had greatly offended Jews. If John indeed was a Jew from Palestine he would have known this.

The image of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse is borrowed and updated from the Hebrew Prophet, Zachariah. The red horse symbolises war and destruction; the black horse symbolises famine; the pale horse symbolises death; but the white horse symbolises vengeance and salvation.

The word Armageddon is taken from al-Megiddo a place on the Jazreel Plain in modern day Israel. By John’s time many famous battles had been fought there and in the first century it was the site of the camp of the brutal Roman Ironsides. To John’s mind this would have been the perfect place for the final battle between good and evil.

So it seems that the Book of Revelation is not prophesising the end of the world but is a polemic against the Roman Empire. John frames his attack in a way that parallels other religious writings of the time and which would have made sense to early Christians. John was for first century Christians telling them to galvanise themselves against compromising with Rome, and that their faithfulness would be rewarded.

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in BBC Religion and Ethics. Excelent site, visit it.

The job of representing the pope in Burundi brings with it a fine colonial villa, but nobody would say Archbishop Paul Gallagher has an enviable post. In 2003 his predecessor, Archbishop Michael Courtney, died in a hail of bullets after mystery attackers ambushed his car. Whoever they were, the killers were clear about their target: the vehicle bore diplomatic plates and a Vatican flag, while the Irish cleric, in white cassock and purple skull cap, was known to all; so was his role in negotiating a peace accord, sealed a month earlier. The day of his death, December 29th, is now a fixture in Burundi’s calendar.

Thousands of miles away, on the frontier between Argentina and Chile, papal diplomacy is remembered in a different way. A mountain pass has been renamed after Cardinal Antonio Samorè, who before his death in 1983 helped settle a territorial dispute that could have led to war. In different ways, the Irish archbishop and the Italian cardinal represent the best of an ancient and often contentious quirk of the international scene: the fact that the Roman Catholic church, alone among faiths, is a diplomatic player.

Over the past century—despite the march of secularism—the Vatican’s role in world affairs has expanded. In 1890 a famous English Catholic, Cardinal Manning, said the Holy See’s diplomatic activities were “a mere pageant”, a medieval relic. He would be amazed to find that in 2007 papal diplomacy is more active than ever.

The real explosion came under John Paul II. When he was elected in 1978, the Holy See had full ties with 85 states. When he died, the figure was 174. Among states that dropped their misgivings were Margaret Thatcher’s Britain, Ronald Reagan’s America and Mikhail Gorbachev’s Soviet Union. The Holy See now has full diplomatic relations with 176 states. Vietnam, China and Saudi Arabia are among the few without formal links. Recent years have also seen an expansion in the See’s multilateral diplomacy. It sits in on the deliberations of 16 inter-governmental bodies, including the United Nations, the African Union and the Organisation of American States.

The Vatican acts, by its own choice, as a “permanent observer” rather than a voting member of the UN; but it is a signatory to some UN human-rights conventions, including those on racial equality and the rights of the child. It uses these vantage points to lobby for its ideas: non-violence, a better economic deal for poor nations, the extension of international law, support for marriage—and, controversially, the “sanctity of life” from the time of conception, which means opposing contraception, abortion and euthanasia.

Arguments over the Holy See’s diplomatic status came to a head in 1994 when the pope’s envoys—lining up with Muslim states—used their muscle to water down the outcome of a UN meeting on population in Cairo. The Vatican took a similar, albeit slightly lower-key, stance at a follow-up conference in 1999. This prompted campaigners for “reproductive rights” to demand that the Vatican be stripped of its diplomatic status—arguing that neither as a state, nor as a religion, should the Holy See have a place at the UN.

The pope’s “diplomatic service” is a reminder of his unique and ambiguous status as both a religious and temporal leader. Formally, the pope’s diplomats represent the Holy See—not the Vatican state which, under a 1929 accord with Italy, is the sovereign power in part of Rome. But in years past, some states (such as America in the 19th century) would deal with the pope only as head of a sovereign state. The fact that pontiffs wear two hats, temporal and spiritual, gives them, and their interlocutors, a certain flexibility. In 2001, when Greece’s Orthodox clergy grumbled over a visit by Pope John Paul II, the government in Athens could retort that it was merely receiving him as a head of state.

But more and more governments have in recent years seemed happy to deal with the Holy See on its own terms, especially after John Paul II boosted its global profile. For any state, an embassy to the See offers attractions. For poor ones, it is a chance to garner information from one of the world’s best-informed chancelleries. For powerful ones, it offers a way to influence the Vatican and seek papal approval. Napoleon told his man in Rome: “Deal with the pope as if he had 200,000 men at his command.” After some years in Rome, the envoy said 500,000 was nearer the mark.

The real extent of the Vatican’s power is hard to compute. One in every six human beings was baptised into the pope’s church. Of course, many quit the faith, but he remains a global opinion-former. His views can sway Catholic votes—a point not lost on American presidents, who rarely miss a chance to visit the Vatican. In Burundi all top politicians and expatriates flock to Archbishop Gallagher’s residence for the papal feast day. Cutting a lower profile than his predecessor, the 53-year-old Englishman reports only “occasional” contacts with Burundi’s rebel factions, the last of which signed a ceasefire agreement in September 2006. In the rich world one respecter of papal clout is Britain’s new prime minister, Gordon Brown. Three years ago this son of a Presbyterian minister went to seek Vatican endorsement of a proposal to boost aid to poor nations. This year he returned to co-launch a plan to bring new vaccines to poor states.

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O povoamento em Trancoso terá começado no século XIX A.C.. A comprová-lo a existência de um primitivo castro pastoril, posteriormente defensivo, provavelmente situado no mesmo local onde mais tarde se havia de erguer o castelo. Em 301 A. C. chegam os invasores romanos, aproveitam e ampliam o castro, dada a sua posição estratégica, o que lhes permitiu uma permanência bastante demorada, até ao ano 409 da nossa era (século V A.C.).Existem 2 hipóteses sobre as origens de Trancoso:

- Túrdulos,

- Um enviado da Etiópia e do Egipto, de seu nome Tarracon.

Da segunda hipótese terá resultado o nome de Trancoso: Tarracon - Taroncon – Trancoso.

Outros falam que o nome de Trancoso terá resultado do vocábulo arcaico Troncoso, derivado do sítio onde existem muitos troncos ou florestas (Trancoso, nos seus primórdios, estava rodeada de densas florestas e ainda hoje é viveiro de árvores de grande porte).O nome só aparece documentado pela primeira vez no século X no testamento de D. Chamoa (ou D. Flâmula ou D. Chama), filha do conde D. Rodrigo, com doação do castelo e dos bens que aqui detinha, uma vez que estava na posse de toda a região a sul do Douro, herdada em 960.Antes dos romanos estiveram em Trancoso os cartagineses que permaneceram por 300 anos. Seguiram-se os romanos e nesta altura fizeram-se grandes obras.

Trancoso, no século XIII, começa a ter uma importância grande. Tornara-se um local de intensa actividade comercial, por força da periódica reunião de feirantes, de que iria resultar, ainda nesse século, por decisão de D. Afonso III, a criação da sua feira franca. Essa mesma importância, que, como referimos, lhe vinha desde o tempo de D. Afonso Henriques, para quem a sua conquista representava uma acção fundamental para a fixação do território até aí subtraído aos mouros, atribuindo o direito de foral à dita terra, com todos os privilégios e regalias. Deste documento ignora-se a data, mas é em 1217 que D. Afonso II, neto daquele monarca, também por carta régia, confirma tais privilégios e regalias.

Em 1270, D. Afonso III cede por 600 libras anuais os seus direitos sobre Trancoso, o que mostra, com evidência, o valor já assumido pela povoação.

É, porém, com a escolha de Trancoso para lugar do seu casamento com D. Isabel de Aragão, que D. Dinis confirmará a importância assumida por esta terra na era de Duzentos. Depois do famoso enlace das duas régias figuras, em 1282, que trouxe à região trancosana centenas de componentes das duas comitivas e que nela permaneceram por mais de sessenta dias, jamais a Vila de Trancoso deixou de crescer em prestígio e grandeza. É também o próprio rei, que a elegera para palco do seu real casamento, quem vai lançar as bases do grande povoado em que haveria de tornar-se, mercê dessas atenções e dos muitos mais privilégios concedidos por este e outros monarcas.

Contudo, são os séc. XVII, XVIII e XIX que nos permitem falar sobre uma transformação arquitectónica, sob os pontos de vista de construção e de arte, quer nos edifícios civis, quer nos religiosos. Aliás, basta percorrer a Vila, no espaço intramuros e observar a aplicação dos estilos maneirista e barroco em tantas das suas edificações. São disso exemplo, construções como as igrejas de Santa Maria e de S. Pedro e a Misericórdia, também. O solar dos Garcês, o conhecido palácio Ducal, antiga residência dos Viscondes de Trancoso e a Casa do Arcos, ao lado da igreja paroquial de S. Pedro. Curiosamente, a volumetria não se equaciona com o porte em altura, o que nos leva a concluir, definitivamente, que sempre houve um nivelamento que caracterizou a malha urbana que não o enriqueceu com sumptuosidade e esplendor de alguns outros Centros Históricos conhecidos, mas que lhe permite valorizar a unidade dos seu conjunto, apenas pontuado, portanto, aqui e além, por um edifício de maior dimensão, o que, em contrapartida, valoriza o antiquíssimo burgo trancosense.

O Castelo de Trancoso

Desde meados do séc. X que a região dos extremos ou estremadura estava pontilhada de castelos e penelas, como se pode comprovar pelo documento em que D. Flâmula doa os castelos e penelas ao mosteiro de Guimarães, entre eles os castelos de Trancoso, Moreira de Rei e Terrenho. O mais notável é o de Trancoso em que a Torre de Menagem é testemunho único no país, pela sua estrutura tronco-cónica de origem moçárabe, base da torre que constituía o castelo de D. Flâmula. O castelo tem cinco torres quadrangulares, a torre de menagem tem a porta em forma de arco de ferradura e as principais obras de fortificação foram levadas a cabo entre os séc. X e XIII, quando foi centro de duros combates. D. Afonso Henriques tomou-o em 1139 mas suportou diversos ataques muçulmanos até 1155. Está classificado como Monumento Nacional por Dec. Lei n.º 7586 de 08/07/21.

As Muralhas

Em 1140 e 1160 reconstruíram-se as muralhas exteriores. Para manter os seus defensores, o rei atribuiu-lhe o foral por volta do ano 1173 e doou a terra à Ordem dos Templários, a qual pertenceu até à sua extinção, no princípio do séc. XIV. A fortificação contava com uma cerca de muralhas de 1 Km de circunferência, apoiada em 15 torres, sob as quais, ou a seu lado, se abriam 4 portas: as d’El-Rei, a de S.João, as do Prado e a do Carvalho; a estas juntavam-se 3 postigos: o Olhinho do Sol, o Boeirinho e a Porta da Traição. Sendo uma vila de fronteira nunca se descuraram as suas fortificações. D.Dinis ordenou diversas reformas no conjunto amuralhado e D. João I reforçou-o durante as guerras com Castela. Por volta de 1530, D. João II mandou acrescentar-lhe novas torres do lado norte. Estão classificadas como Monumento Nacional por Dec. Lei n.º 7586 de 08/07/21.

O Bandarra

De seu nome Gonçalo Anes, Bandarra por alcunha, terá nascido em Trancoso nos inícios do século XVI, ou mesmo em 1500.Da fama deste “Nostradamus” português possuímos uma gravura do século XVII publicada na 1.ª edição de 1603 das Trovas, levadas ao prelo por D. João de Castro. Conhece-se a assinatura do Profeta nos autos do Santo Ofício e por esta finada instituição de martírio, todos os passos do sapateiro e profeta entre 1538 e 1541.Bandarra faleceu em Trancoso, onde foi sepultado, estando o seu túmulo na Igreja de S. Pedro em Trancoso. Crítico de Costumes, poeta, profeta, Bandarra foi lido, temido e perseguido pela Inquisição.

Bandarra profetizou em termos bíblicos o Quinto Império, interpretado e comentado pelo Padre António Vieira e Fernando Pessoa.

O Padre António Vieira viria a escrever: “Bandarra foi verdadeiro profeta, pois profetizou e escreveu tantos anos antes tantas cousas, tão exactas, tão miúdas e tão particulares, que vemos todos cumpridas com os nossos olhos”.

Uma dessas profecias diz respeito ao próprio, judiciosa e relevante:

“Em dois sítios me achareis,

Por desgraça, ou por ventura:

Os ossos na sepultura,

A alma, nestes papéis.”

Bandarra chegou a prever que D. João ou “D. Fuan”, será esse “novo rei alevantado», aclamado em finais dos “anos quarenta”. De facto D. João IV seria aclamado em 1640, com coroação no Terreiro do Paço. Nessa época o retrato de Bandarra foi então exposto na Sé de Lisboa.

As principais referências bibliográficas são: As Trovas de D. João de Castro; A Mensagem de Fernando Pessoa; Oliveira Martins “História de Portugal”; Lopes Correia “Monografia”; Hermani Cidade “Padre António Vieira”.

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North America’s oldest church may lie beneath a small town in Newfoundland, according to information cobbled together from the research of a historian who recently died before publishing her seminal work.

An Italian friar and sailing companion of explorer John Cabot erected the church during his second trip to the continent in 1498, according to the late Alwyn Ruddock, said Evan Jones, a University of Bristol researcher who investigated and pieced together Ruddock’s notes.

“To describe Alwyn Ruddock’s claims as revolutionary would not be an exaggeration,” Jones said. “If Ruddock is right, it means that the remains of the only medieval church in North America may still lie buried under the modern town of Carbonear.”

Ruddock, a historian with the University of London, was one of the world’s foremost experts on Cabot’s voyages until her death in late 2005. In keeping with her will, all of her research was destroyed when she passed away, including 40 years’ worth of work for a book about the many mysteries surrounding Cabot’s maligned 1498 expedition.

However, a book proposal Ruddock gave to her publisher and some e-mail correspondences survived, allowing Jones to explore her theories in a recent article published in the journal Historical Research.

Ruddock’s most exciting claims concern an Italian friar named Fra Giovanni Antonio Carbonaro, who sailed aboard one of the five vessels that left with Cabot from Bristol, England, in 1498 and landed in Newfoundland.

“While we have long known that Fra Giovanni accompanied the expedition, along with some other ‘poor Italian friars’, nothing has been known of what happened to their mission,” Jones said.

Ruddock seemed to have found evidence that while Cabot sailed on down nearly the entire eastern shore of North America to the Caribbean-another new revelation-the friar and his brothers stayed on and established a religious colony in Newfoundland, at present-day Carbonear.

“It appears that Ruddock believed the Newfoundland church was named after San Giovanni a Carbonara,” Jones writes, “the locative element ‘a Carbonara’ presumably being carried across because it was key to the congregation’s identity.”

The problem with Ruddock’s notes is that they do not include actual documented evidence to substantiate her claims. “While her correspondence does not give all the answers, it does provide many clues that historians can use to investigate her claims,” said Jones.

Neither Jones nor any other historians involved in the literary reconstruction efforts understand why Ruddock chose to have her valuable work destroyed.

“Even if all the documents she claimed to have found do come to light eventually, the mystery of why she sought to suppress her own basic research may never be resolved,” Jones said.

By Heather Whipps

A new version of the Bible was launched at Canterbury Cathedral in September 2005 by its author the Rev Michael Hinton.

The 100-Minute Bible includes all the familiar Old Testament stories and a narrative version of the four Gospels, concentrating on Jesus’ ministry. Rev Hinton claims it takes less than two hours to read.

Is it possible to sum up the Bible in an even smaller amount of time? BBC Radio 4’s Today programme set their listeners a challenge: to sum up the Bible in 10 seconds.

Here are some of the best 10-Second Bibles:

The lights came on,
we could see the rules,
but being lost,
we behaved as fools;
He came to save us,
died on the cross,
will we learn,
or are we lost?

James Barabas

God made everything there ever was, and it was perfect. Men and women mucked it up, so God sent his son Jesus to make things better. Not much changed, but those who follow Jesus go to heaven, a true revelation.

Sheila Carroll, Harlow, Essex

1. God makes everything
2. Man fights over it
3. God sends his son to fix things
4. We kill him, and carry on as before
5. The End

Tony Briskham

In the beginning God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit brought Faith, Hope and Charity; but their greatest gift was Love. Amen.

Steve Johnson, agnostic but open-minded

God’s todo list, remembering he can see the future. Found on stone post it note.

Make in seven days
Kick Adam out of Eden
Tell Jews made it
Flood it
Try again.
No good. Send son
Son sent back
Try again.
Wait a few years
Give up
Send horsemen.
THE END

Dave Nicholson, Windsor, Berks

God created the World.
Even his own people kept messing it up.
He sent his Son to sort it out.
Christians don’t behave as if they really believe it
So one day he’s coming again
(allegedly)

Adrian Faiers, Chelmsford

bible haiku

an eye for an eye
father, son and holy ghost
turn the other cheek

Andrew Brown (Leeds)

In the beginning, God made the earth, made it perfect, like heaven. But man sinned and messed it up. For centuries and centuries he messed it up, even when he was wandering in the desert, even when he was trying to be good.

Eventually, God took pity on man, and sent his son, Jesus who really was utterly good. Man messed him up too, but because Jesus was so good, he didn’t mess up. He forgave man, and made a pathway back to heaven for him.

Clare F Harvey, St Albans

God created a great universe which greedy humans threatened to ruin. His son, Jesus, came to remind us of the rules but he was tortured and killed. Do better or else!

Dianne Kenny

A talking snake
A floating zoo
A burning bush, and then…
A man walks on water
Saying “Do what you ought ter!
Cos I’ll be back!”
Amen.

Andrew Carroll, Brighton

The Hollywood ten second bible (well five actually) goes:

“man meets God man loses God man finds God”

David Barlow

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in BBC Religion and Ethics. Excelent site, visit it.