Abigail Williams - I Am God

I oppose the light
I am the bringer of storms and eternal fire
Into the night
I am the ruler of this mortal world
Under a pale night sky blood rains from above
Curdled and spoiled

I am the walker of ethereal worlds
Marked by the shadows
Eternally yours
Unblessed be
Behind the vastness of the sorrow
I see no traces of light through the silence of night
I am the earth

Shattered images
A grain of salt
What we once were, what we once lost,
Cursing the dawn of man to hell
Black candles burning
Darkness and death
Beyond the light of the sun
Make no mistake
I am God

Damnation
Harvesting the ruin of another failed
Creation
The sign of evil, the path of the wolf
Invocation
In the morning twilight, elemental wisdom
Elimination
Of the weak, slit their throats to the spine

I am God
In the burning darkness, death and beyond
I am God
The center of the earth shall be my throne

Martyr Defiled - Masochrist Lyrics

Vicious fundamental beliefs lead to the restraint of independent thought - where did the message of hope get fucking lost? FAITH IS A FUCKING LIE. Left to face salvation at the hands of a god we never believed in - how can we ever find the courage to break free from the cycle of regurgitated bullshit? WE ARE ALL FUCKED. Enlightened man makes the decision for his peers, and to contest is what we call sacrilege. THIS IS NOT THE PATH TO SALVATION, THIS IS NOT A ROAD TO REDEMPTION -
we are all born to serve in our own private and personal hell. THERE IS NO ESCAPE.

Giving up their life to serve a false cause, can't they see they're living a lie? NOTHING IS REAL, everything is a pretense to another end - we will lie beneath the ground. TOTAL WORLD DOMINATION IS THE END GOAL- we're all fucked.

The powers that reign in our intellectual sensitivies are the same that control our influx of our life supply. THE ONLY TRUTH IS THERE IS NO TRUTH - we are all force fed digested and remnants of lies.

Cut Tari and Ariel Peterporn Video Link

This is even better compared to Luna Maya counterpart.
The link is:
http://hotfile.com/dl/47045773/9a3cab0/ariel_cut_tari.mp4.html

Luna Maya and Ariel Peterporn Sex Videos

Want to see sex videos of Luna Maya doppelganger, go check www.mediafire.com/jesusfuckingchrist and look for the download links. For your information, Luna Maya is a famous female celebrity/MC/model from Indonesia.

Video 1:
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?xgglgtumajm
Video 2:
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?w13mp0meazt

Cheap Monday

Intro
Sejalan dengan sejarah peradaban, manusia telah mengalami beberapa kali revolusi mulai dari masa nomaden, hidup menetap, agraris, industri manufaktur, sampai ke era teknologi informasi. Berbarengan dengan perkembangan tersebut, semua bidang kehidupan pun mengalami perkembangan dan evolusinya masing-masing. Semuanya pun saling mempengaruhi satu sama lain layaknya unsur-unsur dalam sebuah sistem Salah satu bidang yang mengalami perkembangan menarik dari masa ke masa adalah pakaian. Tren berpakaian atau biasa dikenal dengan fashion telah mengalami perkembangan dari sarana penutup tubuh manusia yang sederhana hingga menjadi sesuatu yang kompleks, yaitu sebagai alat untuk menunjukkan status sosial, menjaga prestise/gengsi, mengekspresikan diri, mengidenfifikasikan diri ke dalam kelompok tertentu, sampai dengan melakukan resistensi terhadap nilai-nilai tertentu.
Meskipun telah dimulai berabad-abad silam, perkembangan dunia fashion mengalami jaman keemasannya di abad ke-20 hingga kini. Kini, di abad ke-21, fashion pun menjadi komoditi dunia bisnis. Hal ini terlihat dengan berbagai macam merek dan model pakaian yang ditawarkan di seluruh dunia. Pengelompokan-pengelompokan yang ada membawa fashion ke dalam berbagai macam klasifikasi. Secara umum, ada fashion yang biasa-biasa saja (seperti produk massal yang dijual di toko-toko) dan ada pula yang dibuat secara spesial/khusus (melibatkan perancang profesional). Kelebihan jenis fashion yang kedua ini adalah kelasnya yang dinilai lebih tinggi dibandingkan kelas pertama. Biasanya fashion jenis ini biasa disebut dengan high-end fashion atau designer fashion dan harganya jauh lebih mahal dibandingkan dengan jenis standar massal. Sekedar informasi, harga designer fashion biasanya dipatok minimal US$ 100. Lebih jauh lagi, individualitas pun lebih diutamakan dalam fashion jenis ini, para perancang berupaya menampilkan gaya yang berbeda dari rancangan-rancangan yang lain dengan pemberian sentuhan yang unik.
Dengan adanya pembagian kelas ini, maka secara otomatis merek-merek fashion yang dijual pun akan dibedakan menurut kelasnya. Bagi orang-orang di kota besar, semakin tinggi prestise sebuah merek, maka semakin tinggi kepuasan yang didapatkan ketika mereka mengenakan busana merek tersebut. Kawula muda di kota-kota besar di seluruh dunia, yang merupakan pasar fashion potensial, tak ketinggalan mengadopsi gaya ini. Mereka bersaing satu sama lain untuk menampilkan pakaian yang up to date dan yang mereknya bergengsi tinggi.
 
Jika di tahun 1990-an seseorang bisa dibilang berkelas jika mengenakan “setelan sejuta”, maka tidak heran jika kini orang baru disebut berkelas jika dia mengenakan “setelan 10 juta”, atau bahkan kalau mau benar-benar serius, “setelan 50 juta”. Hal ini menjadi semacam kesepakatan tidak tertulis yang menjadi “norma” bagi orang yang ingin menjaga kelasnya. Namun, harga mahal bukanlah segala-galanya dalam fashion era kontemporer. Masih banyak aspek-aspek lain yang mempengaruhi bergengsi atau tidaknya sebuah busana, salah satu di antaranya adalah aktualitas.
Bagi kawula muda yang benar-benar memperhatikan fashion, aktualitas atau kebaruan merek adalah sesuatu yang vital. Untuk jeans misalnya, merek bergengsi dan mahal namun sudah usang seperti Levis tidak lagi populer. Kini, mereka lebih tertarik pada merek seperti Cheap Monday, Nudie, Evisu, True Religion, Rock & Republic, Rogan, Acne, dan lain-lain . Di antara merek-merek baru tersebut, satu merek yang menarik untuk dibahas adalah Cheap Monday. Cheap Monday merupakan merek fashion yang sebenarnya merupakan designer fashion, namun harganya lebih murah, yakni sekitar 400 kronor (atau US $50). Meskipun menurut standar Indonesia harganya masih cukup mahal, merek ini cukup digemari di kalangan kawula muda penggemar fashion di Bandung dan Jakarta sejak sekitar tahun 2007.
 
Cheap Monday: Sebuah Pernyataan Sikap

Sejak kemunculannya pada Maret 2004 di Stockholm (Swedia), Cheap Monday telah mengalami perkembangan pesat dan kini cabangnya dapat ditemukan di 20 negara dan sekitar 1.500 toko (agen dan distributor) di seluruh dunia, terutama di Eropa, Amerika Serikat, Jepang,Australia, Kanada, dan bahkan Timur Tengah . Cheap Monday sendiri pertama masuk ke kancah bisnis fashion dengan rilisan jeans bergaya punk-rock. Seiring dengan perkembangan bisnisnya, produk yang dijual pun bukan hanya jeans, namun juga kaos, tank top, sweater, dan jaket (baik untuk pria maupun wanita). Kelebihannya, meskipun bahan pakaian yang digunakan merupakan bahan high-end fashion, harganya masih termasuk murah untuk designer fashion .
Örjan Andersson, pendiri Cheap Monday, menyatakan bahwa di akhir abad ke-19 jeans merupakan pakaian untuk kelas pekerja (yang sebenarnya tidak mahal). Mungkin Cheap Monday dapat mengembalikan denim/jeans ke akarnya seperti dahulu . Di samping itu, Cheap Monday sendiri memiliki ciri khusus yang mudah diingat, yaitu adanya logo tengkorak yang pada dahinya ada cap salib terbalik.





Logo ini diciptakan oleh Björn Atldax dan Karl Grandin dari bagian grafis dan pemasaran Cheap Monday.
Sekedar informasi, salib terbalik sebenarnya memiliki 2 arti, yakni :
1 Salib terbalik (tanpa tubuh Yesus) merupakan lambang kemartiran dari Santo Petrus (biasa disebut dengan Petrine Cross). Petrus memilih disalib terbalik untuk menunjukkan bahwa dia bukanlah apa-apa (merendahkan diri) di hadapan Yesus yang menurut kisah Kekristenan telah berkarya dengan menebus dosa seluruh umat manusia. Gereja Katolik Roma tidak melihat Petrine Cross sebagai lambang setan. Salib terbalik baru yg dianggap lambang satanisme/antikristus jika Yesus disertakan dan sama-sama dibalikkan bersama salib tersebut.
2 Beberapa dekade terakhir, salib terbalik sering dianggap sebagai simbol satanisme, anti-Kekristenan, dan anti-kristus. Pembalikan salib Latin ini akhirnya menjadi populer di kalangan anti-agama dan musisi death/black metal. Dalam budaya pop, salib terbalik yang merepresentasikan setan pun dimunculkan dalam film-film seperti The Exorcism of Emily Rose dan The Omen .


Berbicara mengenai logo yang provokatif dan mengundang pertanyaan tersebut, Cheap Monday sempat menyatakan bahwa hal tersebut merupakan lelucon semata. Örjan Andersson menyatakan bahwa dia hanya menginginkan logo yang menarik untuk label besutannya dan dia memang tidak tertarik pada agama. Selanjutnya dia juga menyatakan bahwa dirinya tidak percaya akan tuhan dan setan. Sementara itu, Atldax, yang membuat logo tersebut, menyatakan hal lain, menurutnya, ada makna yang lebih dalam dari logo tersebut. Baginya, salib terbalik yang ditampilkannya merupakan sebuah pernyataan penentang Kekristenan.


Sesuai dengan yang dilansir oleh Associated Press, Atldax menyatakan bahwa dirinya bukanlah seorang Satanis, namun dia memiliki ketidaksukaan yang kuat pada agama. Hal ini pun akhirnya mengundang kontroversi dan membuat banyak toko melarang penjualan produk Cheap Monday karena pesan anti-kemapanan yang dihembuskannya . Lebih jauh lagi, Atldax pun menegaskan bahwa rancangan-rancangan grafis yang dibuatnya (untuk Cheap Monday) memiliki tujuan di samping menjual denim semata, dia ingin membuat orang-orang muda untuk mempertanyakan Kekristenan sebagai “kekuatan jahat” yang menurutnya memicu peperangan-peperangan sepanjang sejarah.
Kemungkinan besar, karena pernyataan anti-kemapanan yang ditampilkan dalam logo itulah, Cheap Monday menjadi sangat populer, terutama di kalangan kawula muda di Swedia sampai-sampai Cheap Monday sempat mendapat nominasi “rancangan jeans terbaik” oleh Elle Magazine . Di sisi lain, Cheap Monday mengakui bahwa perusahaannya telah menerima keluhan-keluhan mengenai logo tengkorak dan salib terbaliknya, sebab logo tersebut memang sudah secara umum diasosiasikan dengan satanisme atau pemujaan terhadap setan.
Meskipun begitu, angka penjualan bercerita lain, sejak Maret 2004, jeans yang terjual telah mencapai lebih dari 200.000 buah. Kawula muda Indonesia, terutama yang ada di Bandung dan Jakarta pun termasuk konsumen yang berpartisipasi menyukseskan penjualan jeans anti-agama tersebut. Sayangnya, yang menjadi masalah adalah, tidak semua pengguna jeans Cheap Monday di Indonesia tahu bahwa Cheap Monday sebenarnya merupakan pernyataan anti-Kekristenan secara khusus atau anti-agama secara umum.
Sebagai buktinya, beberapa siswa SMU swasta Katolik terkemuka di Bandung baru mengetahui bahwa jeans Cheap Monday sebenarnya merupakan medium yang dimanfaatkan untuk menyampaikan nilai anti-Kekristenan setelah mereka menerima penjelasan dari saya. Saya menjelaskan kepada mereka bahwa Atldax sengaja membuat logo salib terbalik untuk menyampaikan nilai-nilai “enlightenment” yang dipegangnya. Awalnya, mereka hanya ikut-ikutan saja membeli celana jeans Cheap Monday karena tren fashion yang ada. Ketidaktahuan inilah yang membuat mereka sampai membela-bela untuk membeli celana Cheap Monday di Singapura.
 
Dalam sebuah tulisan di situs MSNBC , dinyatakan bahwa logo salib terbalik (yang belakangan dianggap sebagai simbol satanisme) tidak mengganggu penjualan Cheap Monday. Hal ini disebabkan oleh sekularisme di Swedia yang menghargai kebebasan berpendapat dan angka kunjungan ibadat ke gereja yang selama beberapa dekade terus turun. Namun, yang menjadi masalah adalah, apakah merek Cheap Monday dapat masuk ke negara-negara yang mayoritas penduduknya masih religius? Pendapat Atldax mengenai agama dapat memicu kehebohan bahkan keributan besar jika Cheap Monday membuka cabang di Indonesia (sebenarnya di Bandung sudah cukup banyak celana Cheap Monday versi tiruan/palsu, tetapi masih banyak yang belum tahu-menahu mengenai nilai-nilai yang sebenarnya diangkat Cheap Monday).
Atldax menyebutkan bahwa dia membenci organized religion dan kongregasi (jemaat). Dalam sebuah artikel, sempat dinyatakan bahwa yang diserang Atldax bukan hanya Kekristenan, tetapi, secara keseluruhan, juga agama-agama lain yang terorganisir., maka sudah jelas bahwa dia membenci agama Yahudi, Katolik/Kristen, dan Islam. Bo Larsson, pimpinan Departemen Pendidikan, Penelitian, dan Budaya Gereja Lutheran Swedia (gereja terbesar di Swedia), bahkan menyatakan bahwa tidak ada yang perlu ditakutkan dengan adanya logo fashion semacam ini.
Menurutnya, para perancang hanya ingin menciptakan opini publik melawan Kekristenan saja. Namun, pendeta lain berbicara lebih keras dan menentang keberadaan Cheap Monday. Pendeta Karl-Erik Nylon dari Gereja Mary Magdalene di Stockholm mengeluh bahwa perusahaan-perusahaan Swedia tidak memperlakukan Kekristenan seperti agama lain. Menurutnya, tidak ada yang mau memprovokasi orang Yahudi/Islam, tetapi orang-orang Kristen malah bebas diprovokasi.
Penentangan lain datang dari Joe Schimmel yang menulis “Buyer Beware” untuk Good Fight Ministries (Amerika Serikat). Mereka mengajak pembeli untuk waspada pada Cheap Monday yang dianggap mengangkat nilai-nilai Satanisme di kalangan muda-mudi Swedia (meskipun sudah jelas bahwa tim Cheap Monday sendiri bukanlah Satanis). Good Fight Ministries menyebutkan bahwa Swedia yang merupakan negara paling liberal dan anti-Kristus. Menurut mereka, Swedia telah mengambil langkah besar dalam menjauhi tuhan (sang pencipta) menuju kematian dan kegelapan.
 
Pandangan sempit ini dinilai cukup wajar di kalangan orang yang fanatik pada agama, namun akhirnya pandangan ini tidak begitu berarti, sebab kalangan muda Eropa memiliki kecenderungan tidak mempedulikan agama karena sekularitas yang dibangun sejak jaman Pencerahan (Age of Enlightenment) beberapa abad silam.

 
Cheap Monday sebagai Sebuah Wacana
Penentangan terhadap agama yang dilakukan Cheap Monday lewat bahasa visual berupa logo yang disampaikannya merupakan sebuah wacana yang merupakan praktik sosial. Hal ini sejalan dengan pandangan Fairclough dan Wodak (1997, dalam Wodak dan Meyer, 2001: 1) yang menganggap bahasa sebagai praktik sosial. Habermas pun menganggap bahasa sebagai kekuatan sosial (Habermas, 1977: 259). Fairclough dan Kress pun mengungkapkan,
A fully 'critical' account of discourse would thus require a theorization and description of both the social processes and structures which give rise to the production of a text, and of the social structures and processes within which individuals or groups as social historical subjects, create meanings in their interaction with texts (Fairclough and Kress, 1993: 2ff.).

Maksudnya adalah, sebuah analisis kritis wacana membutuhkan teorisasi dan deskripsi proses dan struktur sosial yang membangun teks dan struktur dan proses dimana individu atau kelompok sebagai subjek historis menciptakan makna dalam interaksinya dengan teks. Untuk mengerti mengapa Atldax dan kawan-kawannya di Cheap Monday melakukan resistensi terhadap agama, harus dilihat struktur dan proses sosial yang terjadi di tempat mereka berada, yakni Swedia.
Gerakan anti-agama atau khususnya anti-Kekristenan di Eropa bermula dari sekularitas yang dibangun selama berabad-abad. Dari sebuah survei yang dilakukan New York Times di tahun 1999 terungkap bahwa 75% responden Amerika Serikat menyebutkan bahwa iman kepada tuhan merupakan salah satu nilai terpenting mereka pegang. Survei serupa yang melibatkan responden Swedia di tahun 1990 hanya menghasilkan angka 8% populasi saja yang mengganggap bahwa tuhan sangat penting dalam kehidupan mereka (Petursson dan Johnson: 1994, 154) .
Semua negara Skandinavia mengikuti kecenderungan ini, sebagai negara-negara Uni Eropa lainnya, tapi Swedia tetap nomor satu dalam hal sekularitas. Dikarenakann sekularitasnya, banyak yang menganggap negara-negara Skandinavia memusuhi agama, tapi sebenarnya hal itu tidaklah benar. Negara-negara di kawasan Skandinavia cenderung cuek tidak peduli pada agama. Hal yang mereka musuhi adalah pandangan penuh nafsu/gairah terhadap agama. Orang di Swedia misalnya, akan merasa gelisah jika seseorang menyatakan dirinya benar-benar percaya atau tidak percaya pada tuhan.
Di sana, mengangkat subjek mengenai agama dianggap sebagai kelakuan yang tidak baik (atau sedikit gila). Jadi, pada dasarnya, mereka tidak peduli pada agama. Sebuah tulisan berjudul Scandinavian Studies karya Richard Tomassen menjelaskan bagaimana orang-orang di Swedia menjadi tidak peduli pada agama. Ketidakpedulian pada agama ini dianggap sebagai representasi langkah baru dalam perkembangan sosial manusia . T. S. Eliot dalam Chorus from The Rock mengungkapkan bahwa “Men have left god not for other gods, they say, but for no god, and this has never happened before”. Maksudnya adalah, manusia telah meninggalkan tuhan, namun bukan untuk tuhan-tuhan yang lain, melainkan untuk ketidakadaan tuhan, dan hal ini belum pernah terjadi sebelumnya.
Daerah Skandinavia merupakan wilayah paling sekuler di dunia barat. Kehadiran di gereja sangatlah rendah, meskipun keanggotaannya tinggi. Kepercayaan agama di sana bersifat samar-samar dan berintensitas rendah. Oleh karena itu, tingkat ketidakpercayaan pada agama sangatlah tinggi. Otoritas-otoritas religius hanya memiliki pengaruh kecil pada opini dan kebijakan publik di sana. Namun, di sana tetap masih ada gerakan anti-kependetaan.
Sekularitas di kawasan Skandinavia tersebut awalnya dimulai dari Reformasi Protestan di abad ke-16. Tiap-tiap negara (Denmark, Norwegia, Iceland, Swedia, Finlandia) memiliki perjalanan historis masing-masing dalam hal ini. Namun, masalah pemisahan negara dan agama di Swedia sudah diangkat sejak akhir abad ke-19 dan akhirnya negara dan agama benar-benar mengalami perceraian mulai 1 Januari 2000. Alan D. Gilbert (1980, 9), ahli sejarah agama dan sekularisasi di Inggris telah meramalkan bahwa norma, nilai, dan tata cara dalam memaknai realitas, berbarengan dengan simbol dan ritual yang mengangkat dan meneguhkannya telah terbebaskan secara keseluruhan dari asumsi-asumsi ketergantungan manusia akan pengaruh atau kekuatan supernatural. Maka dari itu, dunia natural akan dianggap otonom, dan karenanya, pengetahuan, nilai, dan struktur sosial akan ditata sesuai dengan prinsip-prinsip duniawi.
Ramalan ini berlanjut dengan pernyataan bahwa agama-agama resmi akan termarjinalkan, dan ketidakreligiusan akan menjadi universal. Orang-orang akan bertindak dan berpikir secara sekuler dalam hal sebab-akibat. Formulasi ekstrim ini belum ada di masyarakat manapun, tetapi Swedia memiliki karakteristik yang sangat dekat dengan ramalan ini.
 
David Martin (1978) dalam A General Theory of Secularization sempat mengatakan bahwa Swedia akan menjadi negara tersekuler di masyarakat barat. Goran Therborn pun mengungkapkan data yang menunjukkan bahwa Swedia merupakan negara Eropa Barat yang tingkat kepercayaan kepada tuhan dan kehadiran di gerejanya paling rendah (1995, 275). Dekade 1990 di Swedia diwarnai dengan hasil survei yang menyatakan bahwa hanya 15% dari populasi saja yang percaya pada tuhan sebagai sebuah pribadi dan hanya 19% orang yang percaya pada kehidupan setelah kematian (sesuai dengan kutipan dari European Values System Study of 1990 (Hamberg: 1994, 179).
Lebih dari setengah abad lalu (21 Juli 1949), Herbert Tingsten, ilmuwan politik dan pemimpin redaksi Dagens Nyheter, menulis sebuah esai berjudul "Svensk kristendom" (Kekristenan Swedia). Menurutnya, Kekristenan terbesar di Swedia hanya ada pada nama saja (namnkristna). Saat itu, orang-orang masih menyatakan percaya pada tuhan, namun tidak menerima doktrin-doktrin kekristenan. Mereka mempertahankan pendidikan Kristen di sekolah, tapi tidak pergi ke gereja. Kontak mereka dengan agama hanya ada pada pembaptisan, pengesahan, pernikahan, dan pemakaman. Maka, akan sangat jarang politisi Swedia yang mengangkat topik mengenai tuhan, sama jarangnya dengan politisi di Amerika yang menyatakan dirinya adalah atheis.
Terhadap pertanyaan “Seberapa penting tuhan dalam hidup anda?”, dibuat skala 1-10 di mana 1 merepresentasikan “tidak penting sama sekali” dan 10 merepresentasikan “sangat penting”. Jawaban rata-rata yang didapat adalah 3,8, di mana 36% menjawab 1 dan hanya 8% yang menjawab 10. (Petursson and Johnson: 1994, 154).
Hal lain yang juga berpengaruh dalam pembentukan sekularitas dan penurunan kepercayaan Kristen tradisional di Swedia adalah bidang pendidikan. Tahun 1919, pemerintah Swedia menghilangkan pelajaran kitab suci Martin Luther yang telah ada hampir selama 400 tahun dalam rencana pengajaran nasionalnya mulai dari tingkat sekolah dasar. 25 tahun setelah Perang Dunia II berakhir, pemerintahan sosial demokratis Swedia oposisi radikal terhadap kepercayaan Kristen di sekolah-sekolah di Swedia, dan hal ini pun berhasil. Keberhasilan pemisahan negara dan agama ini tidak muncul begitu saja. Hal ini membutuhkan waktu sekitar 82 tahun sejak Gustav Moller, sekretaris Partai Sosial Demokrat mengajukan penghilangan otoritas gereja dalam aturan-aturan mereka atas nama kebebasan dan demokrasi untuk pertama kali (Hessler: 1964, 436).
 
Ada 6 penjelasan utama mengapa Swedia bisa menjadi sangat sekuler, yaitu:
1 Swedia tidak pernah tertindas negara lain yang menggabungkan politik dan agama. Negara ini memiliki otonomi penuh sepanjang sejarahnya
2 Homogenitas agama di sana mencegah adanya pembedaan sosial. Hal ini bertentangan dengan situasi agama di Amerika Serikat, Belanda, dan Inggris. Keanekaragaman agama cenderung menonjolkan perbedaan, meskipun di beberapa negara yang memiliki homogenitas Katolik masih ada perbedaan-perbedaan, terutama dalam hal politik dan isu moral.
3 Semasa periode awal modernisasi di tahun 1880 sampai 1910, gereja menyejajarkan diri dengan solid dengan aturan lama dan nilai-nilai tradisionalnya, sehingga membuat segmen masyarakat yang berorientasi pada nilai modern seperti liberalisme dan sosialisme. Namun, ideologi modern berhasil menyentuh dan membuat kalangan bawah menjadi cerdas dengan kekuatan dan kecepatan luar biasa di beberapa dekade akhir abad ke-19.
4 Aliran Lutheran (terutama yang ada di Swedia) memiliki pemuka agama yang berpendidikan tinggi dengan intelektualitas yang tinggi pula dan menjalankan teologi rasional. Seiring dengan keberhasilan nilai-nilai modern di masyarakat, gereja pun menjadi lebih sekuler.
5 Sejak berakhirnya Perang Dunia I hingga tahun 1960-an, positivisme logis, yang disebut nihilisme nilai di Swedia mendominasi filsafat formal dan kehidupan intelektual. Salah satu figur dominannya adalah profesor filsafat praktis di Uppsala, Axel Hagerstrom (1868 – 1939). Positivisme ini memberi dukungan besar bagi agnostisisme dan ketidakpercayaan pada agama tradisional dan pada pragmatisme dalam hal moralitas konvensional.
6 Partai Sosial Demokrat mendominasi Swedia sejak 1933 hingga 1977 dan merupakan partai dengan periode pemerintahan terpanjang dalam sejarah partai politik di Eropa. 25 tahun setelah Perang Dunia II berakhir, merupakan periode pertumbuhan ekonomi yang cepat dan luar biasa sukses dikombinasikan dengan optimisme masyarakat di sana. Masa itu juga merupakan masa sekularisasi terhebat .
 
Kembali ke masalah logo salib terbalik Cheap Monday, Atldax menyatakan bahwa dirinya sengaja membuat logo salib terbalik di atas dahi tengkorak dengan tujuan membuat orang-orang Kristen marah. Dia pun memiliki rencana untuk menciptakan logo anti-Hinduisme dan agama-agama lain, kecuali Islam, sebab menurutnya sudah terlalu banyak sentimen anti-Islam saat ini .
Pendapat lain menyatakan bahwa Atldax sengaja tidak membuat logo anti-Islam karena adanya kekhawatiran di Eropa terhadap potensi kekerasan yang akan muncul dari umat Muslim di Eropa dan benua lain jika logo anti-Islam tersebut benar-benar dibuatnya. Oleh karena itu, mungkin bukanlah ide yang baik untuk membuat orang-orang religius marah secara sengaja, meskipun lingkungan di Swedia memang mendukung tindakan liberal ini.
Iklim liberal seperti di Swedia juga ada di Amerika Serikat. Glen Benton, pentolan grup death metal Deicide merupakan contoh nyata dan aktual dari kebebasan berekspresi. Jika Atldax hanya membuat logo anti-Kristen, Benton berbuat lebih dengan mengecap dahinya sendiri dengan lambang salib terbalik berulang kali (12 kali) . Benton sendiri melakukannya jauh sebelum Atldax membuat logo Cheap Monday. Atldax, Benton, dan orang-orang lain yang melakukan resistensi terhadap tekanan sosial dari dominan otoritas agama sebenarnya sudah melakukan praktik sosial.






 
Referensi

Fairclough, N. and Kress, G. (1993) 'Critical discourse analysis'. Unpublished manuscript.

Habermas, J. 1977. Erkenntnis und Interesse. Frankfurt: Suhrkamp.

Wodak, Ruth and Meyer, Michael. 2001. Methods of Critical Discourse Analysis. London: Sage Publications.

http://www.detectivemarketing.com/a-skull-brand-named-cheap-monday/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross_of_St._Peter

Quotes from Richard Dawkins and Other Thinkers

Quotes By Richard Dawkins:

Religious people split into three main groups when faced with science. I shall label them the "know-nothings", the "know-alls", and the "no-contests".

Religion is a scientific theory.

I suspect that today if you asked people to justify their belief in God, the dominant reason would be scientific. Most people, I believe, think that you need a God to explain the existence of the world, and especially the existence of life.

God is not an old man with a white beard in the sky. Right then, what is God? And now come the weasel words. these are very variable. "God is not out there, he is in all of us." God is the ground of all being." "God is the essence of life." "God is the universe." "Don't you believe in the universe?" "Of course I believe in the universe." "Then you believe in God." "God is love, don't you believe in love?" "Right, then you believe in God?"

Modern physicists sometimes wax a bit mystical when they contemplate questions such as why the big bang happened when it did, why the laws of physics are these laws and not those laws, why the universe exists at all, and so on. Sometimes physicists may resort to saying that there is an inner core of mystery that we don't understand, and perhaps never can; and they may then say that perhaps this inner core of mystery is another name for God. Or in Stephen Hawkings's words, if we understand these things, we shall perhaps "know the mind of God." The trouble is that God in this sophisticated, physicist's sense bears no resemblance to the God of the Bible or any other religion.

Truths about the cosmos are true all around the universe. They don't differ in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Poland, or Norway. Yet, we are apparently prepared to accept that the religion we adopt is a matter of an accident of geography.

When so-called Muslim community leaders go on the radio and advocate the killing of Salman Rushdie, they are clearly committing incitement to murder--a crime for which they would ordinarily be prosecuted and possibly imprisoned. But are they arrested? They are not, because our secular society "respects" their faith, and sympathises with the deep "hurt" and "insult" to it.

We cannot prove that there is no God, but we can safely conclude the He is very, very improbable indeed.

I want to move on from evidence, which is a good reason for believing something , and warn you against three bad reasons for believing anything. They are called "tradition,", "authority," and "revelation."
Tradition: They said things like: "We Hindus believe so and so"; "We Muslims believe such and such"; "We Christians believe something else." Of course, since they all believed different things, they couldn't all be right. Tradition means beliefs handed down from grandparent to parent to child, and so on. Or from books handed down through the centuries. Traditional beliefs often start from almost nothing; perhaps somebody just makes them up originally, like the stories about Thor and Zeus. But after they've been handed down over some centuries, the mere fact that they are so old makes them seem special. People believe things simply because people have believed the same thing over the centuries. That's tradition. The trouble with tradition is that, no matter how long ago a story was made up, it is still exactly as true or untrue as the original story was. If you make up a story that isn't true, handing it down over a number of centuries doesn't make it any truer! People who believe even slightly different things from each other go to war over their disagreements. So you might think that they must have some pretty good reasons - evidence - for believing what they believe. But actually, their different beliefs are entirely due to different traditions.
The tradition that Mary's body was lifted into Heaven is not an old one. The bible says nothing on how she died; in fact, the poor woman is scarcely mentioned in the Bible at all. The belief that her body was lifted into Heaven wasn't invented until about six centuries after Jesus' time. At first, it was just made up, in the same way as any story like "Snow White" was made up. But, over the centuries, it grew into a tradition and people started to take it seriously simply because the story had been handed down over so many generations. The older the tradition became, the more people took it seriously. It finally was written down as and official Roman Catholic belief only very recently, in 1950, when I was the age you are now.
Authority: as a reason for believing something, means believing in it because you are told to believe it by somebody important. In the Roman Catholic Church, the pope is the most important person, and people believe he must be right just because he is the pope. In one branch of the Muslim religion, the important people are the old men with beards called ayatollahs. Lots of Muslims in this country are prepared to commit murder, purely because the ayatollahs in a faraway country tell them to.
The third kind of bad reason for believing anything is called "revelation. When religious people just have a feeling inside themselves that something must be true, even though there is no evidence that it is true, they call their feeling "revelation."

Once something gets itself strongly believed - even if it is completely untrue and there never was any reason to believe it in the first place - it can go on forever. Could this be what has happened with religions ? Belief that there is a god or gods, belief in Heaven, belief that Mary never died, belief that Jesus never had a human father, belief that prayers are answered, belief that wine turns into blood - not one of these beliefs is backed up by any good evidence. Yet millions of people believe them. Perhaps this because they were told to believe them when they were told to believe them when they were young enough to believe anything. Millions of other people believe quite different things, because they were told different things when they were children. Muslim children are told different things from Christian children, and both grow up utterly convinced that they are right and the others are wrong.

Next time somebody tells you something that sounds important, think to yourself: "Is this the kind of thing that people probably know because of evidence? Or is it the kind of thing that people only believe because of tradition, authority, or revelation?" And, next time somebody tells you that something is true, why not say to them: "What kind of evidence is there for that?" And if they can't give you a good answer, I hope you'll think very carefully before you believe a word they say.

Much of what people do is done in the name of God. Irishmen blow each other up in his name. Arabs blow themselves up in his name. Imams and ayatollahs oppress women in his name. Celibate popes and priests mess up people's sex lives in his name. Jewish shohets cut live animals' throats in his name.

More Quotes:
“I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.” -Stephen Roberts

“I do not think it is necessary to believe that the same God who has given us our senses, reason, and intelligence wished us to abandon their use.” -Galileo Galilei

According to scientists reality would be unaffected by God’s absence. That is, just as we previously learned that natural phenomena, such as lightning & rain, were unaffected by the absence of ancient gods, we’ve recently learned that our universe, and everything in it, would be unaffected by the absence of any god.

Since self-creation is impossible all conscious beings ultimately owe their existence to the unconscious nature of things. That is, if God had a god, and so on, then the supreme god, with nobody around to create him, and unable to create himself (as stated above), must owe his existence to something other than conscious creation, which is exactly where we were before assuming God had a god.

In addition, most theists claim that God meddles in our affairs; however, according to all studies, including those performed by religious institutions, God does not answer prayers, performs miracles or modifies reality in any other way. For example, according to all relevant statistics, devout believers are no more favored by God than the amoral or atheistic.

Atheists are free to admit the limits of human understanding in a way that religious people are not. It is obvious that we do not fully understand the universe; but it is even more obvious that neither the Bible nor the Koran reflects our best understanding of it.

In most cases, it seems that religion gives people bad reasons to behave well, when good reasons are actually available. Ask yourself, which is more moral, helping the poor out of concern for their suffering, or doing so because you think the creator of the universe wants you to do it, will reward you for doing it or will punish you for not doing it?

Unquestioning Bigotry

I found this on the net, and it expressed everything that *I* couldn't express in words.

I want to see some real Christians debunk these, instead of quibbling over irrelevant issues:

1: You vigorously deny the existence of thousands of gods claimed by other religions, but feel outraged when someone denies the existence of YOUR god.

2: You feel insulted and "dehumanized" when scientists say that people evolved from lesser life forms, but you have no problem with the Biblical claim that we were created from dirt.

3: You laugh at polytheists, but you have no problem with believing in a Trinity god.

4: Your face turns purple when you hear of the atrocities attributed to Allah, but you don't even flinch when hearing about how God/Jehova slaughtered all of the babies of Egypt in 'Exodus' and ordered the elimination of ENTIRE ETHNIC GROUPS in 'Joshua' - including women, children, and animals.

5: You laugh at Hindu beliefs that defy humans, and Greek claims about gods sleeping with women, but you have no problem in believing that the Holy Spirit impregnated Mary, who then gave birth to a man-god who got killed, came back to life and then ascended into the sky.

6: You are willing to spend your life looking for little loopholes in the scientifically established age of Earth (4.55 billion years), but you find nothing wrong with believing dates recorded by pre-historic tribesmen sitting in their tents and guessing that the Earth is a couple of generations old.

7: You believe that the entire population of this planet, with the exception of those who share your beliefs - though excluding those in all rival sects - will spend eternity in an infinite hell of suffering. Yet you consider your religion the most tolerant and loving.

8: While modern science, history, geology, biology, and physics have failed to convince you otherwise, some person rolling around on the floor 'speaking in tongues' may be all the evidence you need.

9: You define 0.01% as a "high success rate" when it comes to answered prayers. You consider that to be the evidence that prayer works, and you think that the remaining 99.99 % failure was simply the will of God.

10: You actually know a lot less than many Atheists and Agnostics do about the Bible, Christianity, and church history, but still call yourself a "Christian".

True Love = Unhappy Ending (Indonesian Version)

100 hari yang berharga

Peter dan Tina sedang duduk bersama di taman kampus tanpa
melakukan
apapun, hanya memandang langit sementara sahabat-sahabat mereka
sedang
asik bercanda ria dengan kekasih mereka masing-masing.

Tina: "Duh bosen banget. Aku harap aku juga punya pacar yang bisa
berbagi
waktu denganku."

Peter: "kayaknya cuma tinggal kita berdua deh yang jomblo. cuma
kita
berdua saja yang tidak punya pasangan sekarang."
(keduanya mengeluh dan berdiam beberapa saat)

Tina: "Kayaknya aku ada ide bagus deh. kita adakan permainan yuk?"

Peter: "Eh? permainan apaan?"

Tina: "Eng... gampang sih permainannya. Kamu jadi pacarku dan aku
jadi
pacarmu tapi hanya untuk 100 hari saja. gimana menurutmu?"

Peter: "baiklah... lagian aku juga gada rencana apa-apa untuk
beberapa
bulan ke depan."

Tina: "Kok kayaknya kamu gak terlalu niat ya... semangat dong!
hari
ini
akan jadi hari pertama kita kencan. Mau jalan-jalan kemana nih?"

Peter: "Gimana kalo kita nonton saja? Kalo gak salah film The Troy
lagi
maen deh. katanya film itu bagus"

Tina: "OK dech.... Yuk kita pergi sekarang. tar pulang nonton
kita
ke
karaoke ya...
ajak aja adik kamu sama pacarnya biar seru."

Peter : "Boleh juga..."
(mereka pun pergi nonton, berkaraoke dan Peter mengantarkan Tina
pulang
&g t; malam harinya)

Hari ke 2:
Peter dan Tina menghabiskan waktu untuk ngobrol dan bercanda di
kafe,
suasana kafe yang remang-remang dan alunan musik yang syahdu
membawa
hati
mereka pada situasi yang romantis. Sebelum pulang Peter membeli
sebuah
kalung perak berliontin bintang untuk Tina.

Hari ke 3:
Mereka pergi ke pusat perbelanjaan untuk mencari kado untuk
seorang
sahabat Peter.
Setelah lelah berkeliling pusat perbelanjaan, mereka memutuskan
membeli
sebuah miniatur mobil mini. Setelah itu mereka beristirahat duduk
di
foodcourt, makan satu potong kue dan satu gelas jus berdua dan
mulai
berpegangan tangan untuk pertama kalinya.

Hari ke 7:Bermain bowling dengan teman-teman Peter.
Tangan tina terasa sakit karena tidak pernah bermain bowling
sebelumnya.
Peter memijit-mijit tangan Tina dengan lembut.

Hari ke 25:
Peter mengajak Tina makan malam di Ancol Bay.
Bulan sudah menampakan diri, langit yang cerah menghamparkan
ribuan
bintang dalam pelukannya.
Mereka duduk menunggu makanan, sambil menikmati suara desir angin
berpadu
dengan suara gelombang bergulung di pantai. Sekali lagi Tina
memandang
langit, dan melihat bintang jatuh.
Dia mengucapkan suatu permintaan dalam hatinya.

Hari ke 41:
Peter berulang tahun. Tina membuatkan kue ulang tahun untuk Peter.
Bukan kue buatannya yang pertama, tapi kasih s ayang yang mulai
timbul
dalam hatinya membuat kue buatannya itu menjadi yang terbaik.
Peter
terharu menerima kue itu, dan dia mengucapkan suatu harapan saat
meniup
lilin ulang tahunnya.

Hari ke 67:
Menghabiskan waktu di Dufan. Naik halilintar, makan es krim
bersama,dan
mengunjungi stand permainan. Peter menghadiahkan sebuah boneka
teddy
bear
untuk Tina, dan Tina membelikan sebuah pulpen untuk Peter.

Hari ke 72:
Pergi Ke PRJ. Melihat meriahnya pameran lampion dari negeri China.
Tina penasaran untuk mengunjungi salah satu tenda peramal.
Sang peramal hanya mengatakan "Hargai waktumu bersamanya mulai
sekarang"
kemudian peramal itu meneteskan air mata.

Hari ke 84:
Peter mengusulkan agar mereka refreshing ke pantai.
Pantai Anyer sangat sepi karena bukan waktunya liburan bagi orang
lain.
Mereka melepaskan sandal dan berjalan sepanjang pantai sambil
berpegangan
tangan,
merasakan lembutnya pasir dan dinginnya air laut menghempas kaki
mereka.
Matahari terbenam, dan mereka berpelukan seakan tidak ingin
berpisah
lagi.


Hari ke 99:
Peter memutuskan agar mereka menjalani hari ini dengan santai dan
sederhana.
Mereka berkeliling kota dan akhirnya duduk di sebuah taman kota.

15:20 pm
Tina: "Aku haus. Istirahat dulu yuk sebentar. "
Peter: "Tunggu disini, aku beli minuman dulu. Aku mau teh botol
saja.
Kamu
mau minum apa?"
Tina: "Aku saja yang beli. kamu kan capek sudah menyetir keliling
kota
hari ini. Sebentar ya"
Peter mengangguk. kakinya memang pegal sekali karena dimana-mana
Jakarta
selalu macet.

15:30 pm
Peter sudah menunggu selama 10 menit and Tina belum kembali juga.
Tiba-tiba seseorang yang tak dikenal berlari menghampirinya dengan
wajah
panik. Peter : "Ada apa pak?"
Orang asing: "Ada seorang perempuan ditabrak mobil. Kayaknya
perempuan itu
adalah temanmu"
Peter segera berlari bersama dengan orang asing itu.
Disana, di atas aspal yang panas terjemur terik matahari
siang,tergeletak
tubuh Tina bersimbah da rah, masih memegang botol minumannya.
Peter segera melarikan mobilnya membawa Tina ke rumah sakit
terdekat.

Peter duduk diluar ruang gawat darurat selama 8 jam 10 menit.
Seorang dokter keluar dengan wajah penuh penyesalan.

23:53 pm
Dokter: "Maaf, tapi kami sudah mencoba melakukan yang terbaik.
Dia masih bernafas sekarang tapi Yang kuasa akan segera menjemput.
Kami menemukan surat ini dalam kantung bajunya."
Dokter memberikan surat yang terkena percikan darah kepada Peter
dan
dia
segera masuk ke dalam kamar rawat untuk melihat Tina. Wajahnya
pucat
tetapi terlihat damai.
Peter duduk disamping pembaringan tina dan menggenggam tangan Tina
dengan
erat.
Untuk pertama kali dalam hidupnya Peter merasakan torehan luka
yang
sangat
dalam di hatinya.
Butiran air mata mengalir dari kedua belah matanya.
Kemudian dia mulai membaca surat yang telah ditulis Tina untuknya.

Dear Peter...
ke 100 hari kita sudah hampir berakhir.
Aku menikmati hari-hari yang kulalui bersamamu.
Walaupun kadang-kadang kamu jutek dan tidak bisa ditebak,
tapi semua hal ini telah membawa kebahagiaan dalam hidupku.
Aku sudah menyadari bahwa kau adalah pria yang berharga dalam
hidupku.
Aku menyesal tidak pernah berusaha untuk mengenalmu lebih dalam lagi
sebelumnya.
Sekarang aku tidak meminta apa-apa, hanya berharap kita bisa
memperpanjang
hari-hari kebersamaan kita. Sama seperti yang kuucapkan pada bintang
jatuh
malam itu di pantai,
Aku in gin kau menjadi cinta sejati dalam hidupku. Aku ingin menjadi
kekasihmu selamanya dan berharap kau juga bisa berada disisiku
seumur
hidupku. Peter, aku sangat sayang padamu.

23:58
Peter: "Tina, apakah kau tahu harapan apa yang kuucapkan dalam hati
saat
meniup lilin ulang tahunku?
Aku pun berdoa agar Tuhan mengijinkan kita bersama-sama selamanya.
Tina, kau tidak bisa meninggalkanku! hari yang kita lalui baru
berjumlah
99 hari!
Kamu harus bangun dan kita akan melewati puluhan ribu hari
bersama-sama!
Aku juga sayang padamu, Tina. Jangan tinggalkan aku, jangan biarkan
aku
kesepian!
Tina, Aku sayang kamu...!"

Jam dinding berdentang 12 kali.... jantung Tina berhenti berdetak.
Hari itu adalah hari ke 100...



PS:
Katakan perasaanmu pada orang yang kau sayangi sebelum terlambat.
Kau tidak akan pernah tahu apa yang akan terjadi besok.
Kau tidak akan pernah tahu siapa yang akan meninggalkanmu dan tidak
akan
pernah kembali lagi.



True love doesn't have a happy ending, because true love never
ends....

Office VS Prison + What The Hell is Independence?

A Dream to Remember
It was a dream … a dream …
There I was, sitting on my car seat and driving. The road was still that it made me feel so alone. I had just work overtime but I didn’t feel tired. Then, a sudden thought came into my mind. Why don’t You yourself have fun tonight? A disco session, maybe. Well, in about fifteen minutes I was already in the parking lot of my favorite club. I looked at my watch. It was 11.30 pm. The perfect timing.
Inside the club, I noticed that it was full even though it was not a weekend. The club was already filled with so many people and that really excited me. The laser, the disco ball, the cheers, the sweat. Everything was there. I saw people dance, clap their hands, shout, and sing along while some popular tunes were played. Of course, we all just wanted to forget everything that had happened.
An hour passed. And while I was dancing, a glimpse in the VIP area caught my eyes. There were some “lucky” guys and girls drifted away in some kind of hot conversation. One pair of them ended up in kissing each other passionately. Well, congratulations! I felt happy for them. Too bad, I was alone at that time.
I danced again, half-heartedly hoping that I could be like them. Suddenly, after some beat-driven tunes, a girl walked in front of me. From the way she walked, I could say that she had drunk too much alcohol. Of course this girl’s appearance stole people attention, including me. And then, up to my surprise, in the blink of an eye, she came to me, and hugged me. Wow! What a pleasure. But then I thought, how come this girl just came and hugged me?
“I think You drink too much, Girl? Where are your friends, or Your boyfriend?” I asked her.
Then she replied, “Yes, I drank too much. But I don’t care, this makes me feel free. And umm, speaking of any boyfriend, … I’ve got no boyfriend. I am alone.”
What a coincidence! But I didn’t know whether she was kidding me or not. I thought she said such thing just because she was under the influence. Maybe she had just had a row with her boyfriend and sort.
Suddenly, she fainted. OMFG! I felt worried, so I brought her to the nearest sofa from the bar. Her body was the slim/slender type, so it wasn’t a big problem to carry her to the sofa. After that, I ordered a glass of orange juice, for myself. Yes, I love nightclubs but I really hate alcohol. I don’t even smoke.
A few minutes passed and she got conscious. I offered her a sip of juice from my glass. She took a sip. And there was silence… I thought she was about to throw up, because she put her hand on her mouth, but thank God, she resisted it.
Somehow, she looked more and more conscious. That’s better. So I introduced myself to her my name and told her that she had just gain consciousness after she fainted for about 10 minutes.
“Thanks for that! Oh, and my name is Ms. Conscience.”
Ms. Conscience. What an unusual name? It’s quite weird. But, at heart, I told myself that the girl was still drunk for telling me that name, but she appeared so conscious to me. So I asked her about her name, about how she got that unusual name but she told me that it was a secret and kept insisting that only her and her parents knew. Maybe it’s not her real name. After all, she’s drunk.
“So, Ms. Conscience, I think You consume too much alcohol. And why are You alone?” I asked.
“Because I love freedom. I feel so free when I am alone and drunk,” she replied slyly.
Then she added, “I see that You’re alone, too. People consider it is lame to be alone. But I enjoy my solitude. Solitude means freedom. Umm… what’s Your favorite drink anyway? And why are You drinking orange juice? You are of age.”
“Well, I don’t drink alcohol. I hate the taste. And You know what, it’s not healthy. It’ll damage Your liver eventually. And I think there is no such thing as freedom. As far as I am concerned, being alone doesn’t mean freedom. You’re free from any commitment, but You’ll face another problem. Loneliness.”
I tried to change the uncomfortable topic and thought about another question. Too bad, before I opened my mouth, she cut me and then asked the strangest question I’d ever heard in my entire life.
“So, which one is better for freedom, prison or office?”
What a silly, crappy, and simple question from a drunk girl, I thought.
So I answered, “Well, of course office is better than prison. We have more freedom and even independence in the office.”
“Sorry man, I think you’re wrong, indeed, very very wrong,” she replied
“What?” was all I can say.
“Yes. You’re wrong. Here, let me give you some reasons. First, in prison we get 8 X 10 m2 room, but in the office we can only have 6 X 8 m2 or less. So this limits Your opportunity. You are less capable of doing anything you want in a narrow room.
And of course, in prison, we can have three free meals a day. In the office, maybe you can only get just once or even none. That means you have no freedom to eat three times for free because you have to pay for the rest.
Besides, in prison, we will be given leisure time if we behave well. But in the office it doesn’t work that way, we will be given more and more and more jobs.”
I was amazed by the things she had just said, but I didn’t want to give up easily by her words. Especially because she was drunk and I am totally conscious.
“But there are many many things we can’t do in prison freely. Like making a phone call, and how about those bad things usually happening in the prison such as fights, rape, or even murder,” I commented.
She nodded, and replied, “You’re right. Definitely right. But let me give You some other reasons.
Sometimes prison is better than office. Example, in the prison, the guard will open, close, and lock the door for us. But in the office, we have to open, close, and lock the door by ourselves. They’re only small things, but that means our freedom to enjoy a small bit of time, even if it’s short, was taken.
Moreover, we can watch TV everyday in prison without any threat of being punished or even fired. In the office, we have no right to watch TV, we have to work and work and work. And the worst thing about that is, as I had just said, we might get fired. We have less freedom in the office.
Last but not least, in prison, we don’t have to worry about money. The government or the state will pay everything for us. In the office, or maybe in our daily life, we have to pay all of expenses by ourselves, and even our salaries will be cut for the tax which eventually used to pay those people who are in the prison. And I know you know it sucks, really sucks! Well, that’s all I can say about the differences between prison and office,” the drunk girl said.
I was astonished. She was right, totally right. After that time I started to feel that I had been imprisoned in my own office most of the time since I worked there. And I realized that it was a fact and I couldn’t argue even for a bit because all the things she said eventually opened my eyes, my mind, my conscience. Well, I thought it was why she got her name, for she had the capability of opening someone else’s eyes, mind, and maybe conscience, soon.
“I haven’t finished yet, you know.” she said to my surprise.
“I have another question… So, do you feel that you are free and independent?”
Based on what I had just experienced, I wonder... What kind of another bloody tricky question is that?
“Yes, I do,” I answered her.
“Why do you think so?” she asked again.
“Well, I live in an independent and free country, and I am able to do anything I want as long as it’s not illegal, that means I am independent,” I imagined what things she would said to counter my argument.
“Well, I guess you are too naive, and that’s why you’re wrong again,” she spoke in a flat tone.
“Why?” I argued.
Then she said, “Hmm, I thought that your opinion about independence is just a dream. It’s only a dream!”
“Why did you say so?” I asked.
“Because you are still alive, so you’ll never know what independence is like,” she said in a flat tone, again.
This conversation started to make me feel dizzy as if I was the one who’s drunk. It was like an everlasting conversation. I looked at my watch and it showed me that it was 2 a.m. in the morning.
Then I asked her again, “Hey, How could I become independent if I am dead?”
This time, she looked more and more conscious than before.
“Well, human beings never know the things that will happen to them in the future, either good or bad. Human life is full of mystery, and that’s why they will always worry about their future, not to mention their death. That means they are not independent, because they live in fear.” she said.
Quickly, she added, “You know, there are only two things in life You have to worry about. First, whether you are problem-free or whether you are not. If you are problem-free, then there is nothing to worry about. But it’s impossible, we as human beings always, and I mean always, find problems in our lifetime.
If you are not problem-free, then there are two things to worry about, whether you are going to have Your problems solved soon or whether you are going to die because of depression since You cannot solve those problems. If you can have them solved, then there is nothing to worry about.
If you die, there are two things to worry about, whether You know You are going to go to heaven or hell. If you know You are going to heaven when You die, then you have nothing to worry about. Here’s where the story ends and you’ll feel independent more than ever.
On the contrary, if you go to hell, you'll be so busy praying to God, doing good things, participating in the charity events, forgiving people’s faults, and even making friends with your enemy. Because of what? Because you’ll never know where you are going to go when You die, heaven or hell. And that is why you’ll feel so worried and dependant to anyone and anything and that’s the reason why this life is so mysterious.
You think you are independent, but you aren’t. You know, when there’s nothing you have to chase for, to fight for, to struggle for, or to fear of, then it is the time that you are independent.”
I applauded her, and she smiled.
“Wow, thanks for “brainwashing” my mind, You are an amazing girl”, I said. Then I gave a quick kiss on her forehead. I didn’t know why I did that. She blushed afterward. I think she wasn’t drunk anymore.
Then she said, ”Well, I think maybe my parents named me ‘Conscience’ so I can open people’s mind and heart. But You know, I don’t want to live in prison even if it gives some sort of “freedom”. And I don’t know where I am going to go when I die. Nobody knows their fate.”
Then we laugh together.
“You know, I learn something from You too. Alcohol is bad and getting drunk is not a good thing. I should stop drinking alcohol,” She said.
“That’s great!” I replied.
Oooh, time moved so fast. It was 3 a.m. and both of us felt so starved. So, we ate in a 24-hour fast food restaurant beside the nightclub. There, we talked about other things. This time, it was more casual than our previous topics in the club. We even shared some riddles and jokes. I realized that she looked prettier when she was conscious.
After that, I drove her to her house and kissed her forehead once again in front of her front door. When I was about to leave, she asked me to stay.
What the …
I couldn’t refuse such a request, especially from such pretty girl, so I entered the house and sat with her in the sofa. She embraced me, murmured something incomprehensible, then she fell asleep. Damn! She’s cute. I think I fall in love. I stroked her hair for minutes. I believed that she wouldn’t complain. Loneliness sucks, after all. And forget about freedom. Such precious moment should not be distracted by heavy thoughts like freedom, independent, and sort. Then, a yawn. I felt sleepy. but before I fell into a dream, I wondered where I would wake.
……… Heaven ……… Hell ... Who knows?

A very good e-books collection upload link.

Somebody posted this on hotfile. I am just reposting the link. Here it is:
http://hotfile.com/dl/29618441/192ad6c/Atheism_vs._Religion_Books.rar.html

Miley Cyrus - When I Look At You Lyrics

Lirik Lagu Miley Cyrus - When I Look At You.

Miley Cyrus - When I Look At You

Everybody needs inspiration,
Everybody needs a song
A beautiful melody
When the nights so long

Cause there is no guarantee
That this life is easy…

Yea when my world is falling apart
When there’s no light to break up the dark
That’s when I, I…
I look at you

When the waves
Are flooding the shore and I can’t
Find my way home anymore
That’s when I, I…
I look at you

When I look At You I see forgiveness
I see the truth
You love me for who I am
Like the stars Hold the moon
Right there where they belong
And I know I’m not alone.

Yea when my world is falling apart
When there’s no light to break up the dark
That’s when I, I…
I look at you

When the waves
Are flooding the shore and I can’t
Find my way home anymore
That’s when I, I…
I look at you

You appear just like a dream to me
Just like Kaleidoscope colors that
Cover Me, All I need every
Breath that I breathe don’t you know
You’re beautiful…

Yea Yea Yea

When the waves
Are flooding the shore and I can’t
Find my way home anymore
That’s when I, I…
I look at you
I look at you

Yea Yea Oh OH OH

And you appear Just like a dream
To me.

Suffokate - Not The Fallen Lyrics

We are not the fallen, but intelligent we see through the lies.
The false papers try to tell us how to live our lives; I will not fall for it.
Now I see you're all hypocrites. It's just a lie you live by, overlooking all the cracks; and still you try to save us.
Can't you see? We don't believe this bullshit that you sell, so take it back.
You'll be sorry if you persist. I live to end life, no book will change that.
No higher power controls me.
No fear of consequences, he will not come down and smite me because he's fake. Why can't you see that you're all wrong, we are all our own gods.
Just take it back, 'cause I don't want it. Just take it back 'cause I don't want it.
It's a fucking joke.
Life's shit then you die, so get used to feeling pain 'cause that's all you're gonna feel. You wanted to save me, but you can't even save yourself.
Religion is sickness; I'm the cure. Nothing is sacred.
You are the sickness - we are the cure.

Some Harsh Vocal Tips (Combined from some Sites)

Death shriek
The death shriek is a singing technique which is a hybrid of the death grunt and black metal vocals, resulting in a high-pitched scream or screech.
Arguably, the death shriek can be seen as being the predecessor of black metal vocals, due to thrash metal bands such as Possessed or Destruction, both which had a significant influence over early death metal bands such as Death and Obituary that utilising similar vocal techniques.
Death's debut musical album Scream Bloody Gore, from 1987, featured what was essentially death shrieking, rather than guttural growls. A similar vocal style was also displayed on Obituary's debut Slowly We Rot. It was not until Morbid Angel released Altars of Madness in 1989 that death growls were definitely established via vocalist David Vincent, and numerous bands followed in the revolutionary band's footsteps, including Cannibal Corpse, Malevolent Creation and Incantation.
Death shrieking, however, continued to grow in the shadow of the more commonly used death growl. It was developed elsewhere in genres other than death metal, most notably grindcore, in which bands would often combine growls with shrieks to create a more distinctive sound. The band Carcass is a prime example of this approach which is still common in modern grindcore bands.
The early 1900s saw a development of a new offshoot genre of death metal, mainly out of Gothenburg, Sweden, which became known as melodic death metal. Bands such as In Flames and Dark Tranquillity featured the less guttural death metal shriek to compliment their more harmonious and less intense guitar work.
In addition to this, the modern North American metalcore genre has also developed its own take on the death shriek. Bands like Killswitch Engage and ShadowsFall feature an unusual hybrid of hardcore vocals and death shrieks, some add more of a hardcore tinge to the vocals, while to others the death shriek influence is more apparent. In both cases, the pure death shriek found in the early death metal bands has been diluted to properly suit the less heavy and intense music.
Some notable death metal bands that use death shrieks: Deicide, Death, Angel Corpse, Panzerchrist, Obituary, Sceptic, Psycroptic.



How to Do Black Metal Vocals
If you want to sing black metal, you probably already know all about vocalists like Shagrath and bands like Exciter, Exodus and Primal Fear. Black metal singers differ in style and vocal range. Some scream or growl while others sing with a clear operatic voice. Read the following tips about how to develop your own black metal vocals.
Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Instructions
Step 1
Learn singing basics. You need to know the mechanics of how the voice operates and how the throat, diaphragm and breathe relate to each other when you sing. Even when growling death or black metal, the more you learn about vocal functions, the better you'll be able to produce the sounds you want.
Step 2
Select the vocal style that is appropriate for your voice and personality. You can sing in a high-pitched shout or a raspy lower register growl. Practice singing with your own lyrics or with songs by Mayhem or Dimmu Borgir.
Step 3
Practice singing along with your favorite black metal songs. Once you have mastered that, turn the volume down and concentrate on your own vocal technique. You might sound better with a back of the throat gurgling sound or a deep-down sci-fi monster growl, experiment and gauge what feels more comfortable with your voice.
Step 4
Perfect a guttural black metal sound. Leave the throat open and let air out by pushing it with the diaphragm. Project this sound with your mouth slightly closed or in a round O shape. Control your vocals by positioning air towards the roof or your mouth.
Step 5
Protect your voice. Drink water and juice and put the beer away before show time. Save that for later. Drinking alcohol can cloud up your vocals and prevent you from hitting high notes.






Black Metal Vox Tips
Remember, trying harsh vocals at a young age can cause permanent damage. However, if you want to try, read these following tips:
1. Listen to any album using harsh vocal techniques. I assume you already do. Do not try to imitate a vocalist in particular, get your own style.
2. Learn how to sing properly. The most important technique for performing death/black metal vocals is to be able to control your breathing, establishing a balance between the force used by your diaphragm and your vocal cords. Using only the vocal cords will put undue pressure on them and is sure to damage them (minor damage will heal in time). Proper technique is established by using the diaphragm to push air out of your lungs.
3. Try going sssssss quietly and then increase in volume. The feeling in your stomach is your diaphragm, the push. This is what you want to feel when performing death metal vocals.
4. Pick a lyric you want to perform. Always try to pick songs from bands who do not use the death grunts as it will be easier to rehearse your grunts. Try singing it normally, then slowly add more "fire" to it, until you can feel your diaphragm really pushing and you're getting that deep sound you're looking for. If you don't succeed in the deep guttural vocals try the raspier approach to these vocals. Anyone can achieve this. So long as your vocal range is Alto or lower. If you are a Soprano, don't even try. This will help you achieve the vocals. Once you have control you can make them sound raspy
Steps
Listen to an album that showcases harsh vocal techniques. Good references include Cannibal Corpse, Behemoth, Death, Deicide, Celtic Frost, Carcass, Hate Eternal, Morbid Angel, Suffocation, Vader and Besatt.
Learn how to sing properly. Start with something that has vibrato, like Classic Rock or Progressive, i.e. Nevermore. The most important technique for performing death metal vocals is to be able to control your breathing, establishing a balance between the force used by your diaphragm and vocal cords. Using only the vocal cords will put undue pressure on them and is sure to damage them (minor damage will heal in time). Proper technique is established by using the diaphragm to push air out of your lungs.
Warm up your voice before recording or performing death metal. "Warming up" can mean anything from singing mid-tone melodies to delivering your vocal patterns in a clean chest tone. Even humming for five minutes would be more beneficial to you than not warming up your voice at all.
When performing live, drink lukewarm water or tea an hour before performing, as well as in between songs. Avoid cold water, as it shocks the voice, and causes the vocal cords to "tense up." Following these simple guidelines will help protect and strengthen your vocal cords. If you don't sing properly, you may not be singing for much longer.
Fill up your lungs with air, then push out some of the air, tightening your throat and moving your tonsils as you do this. Do this all in one motion, but don't push too hard. Aim the sound higher in your throat to make a "dying old man"-like sound. It should sound something like a black metal raspy voice. From there lower the pitch in your throat the same way you would with your normal voice. At first, it won’t sound like much-- it takes some time to get used to.
Pick a lyric you want to perform. Try to choose songs from bands like Slayer, Metallica, Alice Cooper, AC/DC or other bands who do not use the death grunts, as it will be easier to rehearse your grunts (Six Feet Under has redone classic rock songs and given them a Death Metal makeover). Try singing it normally, then slowly add more "fire" to it, until you can feel your diaphragm really pushing and you're getting that deep sound you're looking for. If you don't succeed in the deep guttural vocals try the raspier approach to these vocals like Mark Hunter of Chimaira. Anyone can achieve this, men as well as women (listen to the current vocalist for Arch Enemy), as long as their vocal range is Alto or lower. Arch Enemy's Vocalist Angela Gossow is an alto, and will say it herself--if you are a Soprano, don't even try Death Growls.
Practice barking like a dog. Take a deep breath and go from your diaphragm. Force the sound out from the bottom of your belly, really imitating the barking sound. Then extend the barking sound and try it with several words. Breathing like a dog, as stupid as it sounds, can help you open your throat and get a guttural sound to your grunts. Don't do it loudly at the beginning--increase your volume as you get better at it.
After you've mastered basic death grunts, move on to bigger things. Make your grunts louder, faster, lower, deeper, or all of the above. It will help add some variety to your vocals.
After you've mastered death metal vocals, try to mix things up by learning another vocal style--even the best death metal vocalists don't use only death grunts in their songs. For example, George Fisher of Cannibal Corpse is known for having high-pitched screams in a few of his songs and Trevor Strand of The Black Dahlia Murder has been known for using a mix of death grunts, high-pitched shrieking and screaming. Also Jerry Sturino from Path changes his pitch during his songs.
After you're done performing death metal vocals, be sure to drink a healthful beverage such as the universal choice, water. Milk is a definite bad choice as it produces phlegm, which will coat your throat, stunting your progress. (Note that if your throat is sore, you're most likely doing something wrong.) Don't drink juice-- it contains citric acid, which will eat away at your throat. An occasional lemon squeezed into a glass of lukewarm water is fine, however. Water can be consumed before, during and after practicing and performing.
Sigh. It also helps if you pull your lips back in a wide open smile, tighten your throat like you are about to gurgle water, and push air from your chest. Also, looking a little up helps, since it stretches your vocal chords and makes the sound coming out a little higher.


How to Perform Death Metal Vocals
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal, which evolved from the harsher side of thrash metal demonstrated by Slayer. The accustomed vocal style of death metal involves deep, guttural growls; however, the style has evolved to include violent shrieks and variations of the growl.
Notice: This article is not a health guide, and you're advised to consult your doctor before performing death growls for long periods. Special thanks to FireProphet and Felipe "Phil" Diez III of Encryptor for giving this writer some of the advice found in this article.
Things You'll Need:
* Thick vocal cords
* Patience and endurance
* A passion for death metal
* Guidance from your doctor (only if you feel it is necessary)
Step 1
Experiment. Death metal vocals don't come from the throat but the diaphragm. Fill your lungs with air, and push out the air tightening your throat to create the guttural sound. It should feel like a constricting egg in the very back of your throat. To start, try talking normally and moving your voice to a lower, and lower register. (Use the lyrics of your favorite song, or something you've penned yourself. Something aggressive works well; however, don't use words that make you too angry: contrary to popular belief, technique is far more important than anger in death metal vocals, and an overpowering sense of anger actually hampers the performance.) Once you've established your basic growl, experiment with lower growls and different tones. If your growls initially aren't very loud, don't fret: this often comes with time. However, do not try to growl from your throat; this will wreck your vocal cords, and not to mention, sound terrible.
Step 2
Find the style of vocal that suits your voice and preference best. From the commanding grunts of Scar Symmetry; to the guttural screams of Children Of Bodom, Arch Enemy, and Living Sacrifice; to the inflated hollers of Napalm Death and Mortification, and the deeply guttural gurgles of Cannibal Corpse and Impending Doom, there is a style for any thick set of vocal cords. Don't try to growl lower than what is comfortable and consistent; this will actually lead to a less low (and very restrained) sound.
Step 3
Melodically pitching a guttural growl is impossible; however, it is important to understand that death metal vocals are more than mindless growling, and actually employ a range of "tones". (Begin by singing along to your favorite death metal songs, this is the best way to learn proper technique in performance.) Always plan the tone and accent of each lyric and syllable before recording; otherwise you'll slip up while recording. Choose the tone for each word first and foremost by what sounds pleasing to the ears, and secondly by the emotion the lyric implies.
Step 4
By now, you have established your default style of growls. Is it the constant grunt of Mortification? Is it an enraged low scream Children Of Bodom would be proud of? You might not have "mastered" it just yet (this takes time!), but you have a basic idea of what you'll be doing the most in your death metal compositions. Now diversify with growl variations of your choice:
Step 5
Violent Shrieks/Screams:
Want to contrast your low growls with a guttural shriek? If you've mastered death growls, picking up this style should be fairly easy. Start with a standard growl, and take it higher and higher in your register. Flap your tongue around the roof of your throat while screaming to create the twisted, deranged sound most commonly heard in death metal shrieks. If you're aiming for more of a black metal, "dying old man" shriek than something along the lines of The Black Dahlia Murder or Bring Me the Horizon, use a bit more throat for a wild, uncontrolled sound. (Note that the syllable-tone rule also applies to shrieks.) For the raspy screams of Carcass and Zao, coat your throat with phlegm. (If this looks disgusting on paper to you, just think of how Louis Armstrong had no problem employing the powers of phlegm in his singing.) The rasp technique involves more screaming from a phlegm-coated throat than use of the diaphragm; however, be sure not to rely wholly on your throat, unless you want to wreck your vocal cords, and/or sound like the guy from The Devil Wears Prada.
Step 6
Inhales:
Though commonly criticized by the metal community, the inhaled growl is incredibly sinister and haunting, and has gained much popularity among vocalists in recent years. It is most commonly heard in (but not limited to) slam death metal and deathcore, and may have evolved from goregrind. Simultaneously lower, yet more screeching than most growls, it may be the most inhuman sounding death vocal style ever developed (it sounds more like a pig). As the name suggests, this technique involves inhaling the air and allowing the throat to rattle (death growls in reverse), as well as enunciating everything with an "ee" consonant. If your first attempts at inhaled growls sound terrible, don't fret: this style takes time. You might notice that most inhale vocalists intersperse inhales with standard death growls (Brook Reeves of Impending Doom, for example). This is partly because the sound is tiring in long bouts, but mostly because it's extremely difficult to inhale a growl before first belting out a few standard gutturals. Start with a standard exhaled growl and gradually begin to inhale the growl, creating more and more of a screeching/gurgling sound. With time and practice, you'll be able to switch from standard growls to inhales at will. If using the inhale-vocal technique is difficult for you, try practicing it while reclining your back, or experiment with other positions.
Pig Squeals:
Pig squealing is not a vocal style of its own, but an extension of inhales. It involves manipulating the inhaled vocal's screech into the sound of a pig being slaughtered. This is done by moving the inhaled growl what feels like the center of your register and inhaling a shriek, relying completely on the "ee" consonant. A consistent pig squeal is difficult to master. This sound should be secondary in your vocal arsenal, as it is not only very difficult, but very tiring to the ears in long bouts
Tips & Warnings
When first starting out, take plenty of breaks, and don't perform growls for long periods until you're able to growl without scratching the throat. (If you hear a gurgle in the back of your throat while growling, chances are you've reached this point.) Drink warm tea or water before, after, and between sessions; this soothes the throat, whereas cold water shocks it.
It's worth forking out the dough for an expensive microphone, and/or recording software. Higher recording quality accentuates the tone you're bringing forth with your voice, whereas lower quality might amplify the weak points of your voice.
Despite the references to established death metal vocalists found in this article, you probably won't (and preferably shouldn't) sound just like your favorite vocalist. Even in death metal vocalizing, copying someone else's singing voice is nigh impossible, and the few who succeed fade into obscurity. Be bold, find your own voice. Add your own touch to the tapestry of death metal; the genre's growth has always relied on those unafraid to stand apart from the crowd.

Quotes from THE LOST SYMBOL by DAN BROWN

The act of tattooing one's skin was a transformative declaration of power, an announcement to the world: I am in control of my own flesh. The intoxicating feeling of control derived from physical transformation had addicted millions to flesh-altering practices . . . cosmetic surgery, body piercing, bodybuilding, and steroids . . . even bulimia and transgendering. The human spirit craves mastery over its carnal shell.

To live in the world without becoming aware of the meaning of the world is like wandering about in a great library without touching the books.
The Secret Teachings of All Ages

The goal of tattooing was never beauty. The goal was change, from the scarified Nubian priests of 2000 B.C., to die tattooed acolytes of the Cybele cult of ancient Rome, to the moko scars of the modern Maori, humans have tattooed themselves as a way of offering up their bodies in partial sacrifice, enduring the physical pain of embellishment and emerging changed beings.
Despite the ominous admonitions of Leviticus 19:28. which forbade the marking of one's flesh, tattoos had become a rite of passage shared by millions of people in the modern age—everyone from clean-cut teenagers to hard-core drug users to suburban housewives.

Langdon smiled. "Sorry, but the word occult, despite conjuring images of devil worship, actually means 'hidden' or 'obscured.' In times of religious oppression, knowledge that was counterdoctrinal had to be kept hidden or 'occult,' and because the church felt threatened by this, they redefined anything 'occult' as evil, and the prejudice survived."

So tell me, what are the three prerequisites for an ideology to be considered a religion?
"ABC," one woman offered. "Assure. Believe, Convert."
"Correct," Langdon said. "Religions assure salvation; religions believe in a precise theology: and religions convert nonbelievers." He paused. "Masonry, however, is batting zero for three. Masons make no promises of salvation: they have no specific theology: and they do not seek to convert you. In fact, within Masonic lodges, discussions of religion are prohibited."
"So . . . Masonry is anti religious?"
"On the contrary. One of the prerequisites for becoming a Mason is that you must believe in a higher power. The difference between Masonic spirituality and organized religion is that the Masons do not impose a specific definition or name on a higher power. Rather than definitive theological identities like God, Allah. Buddha, or Jesus, the Masons use more general terms like Supreme Being or Great Architect of the Universe. This enables Masons of different faiths to gather together."

Langdon nodded and lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Don't tell anyone, but on the pagan day of the sun god Ra, I kneel at the foot of an ancient instrument of torture and consume ritualistic symbols of blood and flesh."
The class looked horrified.
Langdon shrugged. "And if any of you care to join me, come to the Harvard chapel on Sunday, kneel beneath the crucifix, and take Holy Communion."

Langdon winked. "Open your minds, my friends. We all fear what we do not understand."

For centuries the "brightest minds" on earth had ignored the ancient sciences, mocking them as ignorant superstition. Arming themselves instead with filing skepticism and dazzling new technologies—tools that led them only further from the truth. Every-generation's breakthroughs are proven false by the next generation's technology'. And it had gone through the ages. The more man learned, the more he realized he did not know".

Human thought can literally transform the physical world.

We are the masters of our own universe.

Superstring theory was a brand-new cosmological model. Based on the most recent scientific observations, it suggested the multidimensional universe was made up not of three . . . but rather of ten dimensions, which all interacted like vibrating strings, similar to resonating violin strings.

"Katherine, we have been born into wonderful times. A change is coming. Human beings are poised on the threshold of a new age when they will begin turning their eyes back to nature and to die old ways . A back to the ideas in books like the Zohar and other ancient texts from around the world. Powerful truth has its own gravity and eventually pulls people back to it. There will come a day when modern science begins in earnest to study the wisdom of the ancients . . . that will be the day that mankind begins to find answers to the big questions that still elude him."

Mankind, it seemed, had once grasped the true nature of the universe . . . but had let go, and forgotten.

Trish would have said impossible, but the I-word was banned here. Katherine considered it a dangerous mind-set in a field that often transformed preconceived falsehoods into confirmed truths. Trish Dunne seriously doubted this key-phrase search would fall into that category.
I'm not surprised, Trish thought. Even the Institute of Noetic Sciences in California described the field in arcane and abstruse language, defining it as the study of mankind's "direct and immediate access to knowledge beyond what is available to our normal senses and the power of reason." The word noetic, Trish had learned, derived from the ancient Greek nous—translating roughly to "inner knowledge" or "intuitive consciousness."'

[Catherine's gray eyes focused in on her now. "Trish, might I ask about the ethical dilemma posed by your work?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean you created a piece of software that can easily be abused. Those who possess it have access to powerful information not available to everyone. You didn't feel any hesitation creating it?"
Trish didn't blink. "Absolutely not. My software is no different than say ... a flight simulator program. Some users will practice flying first-aid missions into underdeveloped countries. Some users will practice flying passenger jets into skyscrapers. Knowledge is a tool, and like all tools, its impact is in the hands of the user."

"Now," Katherine said, "if we Take Trillions of These sand grams and let them attract one another to form . . . say, die moon, then their combined gravity is enough To move entire oceans and drag The tides back and forth across our planet."
"So let's take a hypothetical," Katherine said, discarding the sand grain. "What if I told you that a thought. . . any tiny idea that forms m your mind . . . actually has mass? What if I told you that a thought is an actual thing, a measurable entity, with a measurable mass? A minuscule mass, of course, but moss nonetheless, what are the implications?"
"Hypothetically speaking, Well, the obvious implications are ... if a thought has mass, then a thought exerts gravity and can pull things toward it."

"As are many equally improbable beliefs." Langdon often reminded his students that most modem religions included stories that did not hold up to scientific scrutiny: everything from Moses parting the Red Sea ... to Joseph Smith using magic eyeglasses to translate the Book of Mormon from a series of gold plates lie found buried in upstate New York. Wide acceptance of an idea is not proof of its validity.

Langdon exhaled. Have you got a few weeks? "In short, die Ancient Mysteries refer to a body of secret knowledge that was amassed long ago. One intriguing aspect of this knowledge is that it allegedly enables its practitioners to access powerful abilities that lie dormant in the human mind. The enlightened Adepts who possessed this knowledge vowed to keep it veiled from the masses because it was considered far too potent and dangerous for the uninitiated."
"Dangerous in what way?"
"The information was kept hidden for the same reason we keep matches from children. In the correct hands, fire can provide illumination . . . but in the wrong hands, fire can be highly destructive."

Langdon was not sure how to respond. The Ancient Mysteries had always been the greatest paradox of his academic career. Virtually every mystical tradition on earth revolved around the idea that there existed arcane knowledge capable of imbuing humans with mystical, almost godlike, powers: tarot and / Citing gave men the ability to see the future: alchemy gave men immortality through the fabled Philosopher's Stone: Wicca permitted advanced practitioners to cast powerful spells. The list went on and on.

Langdon exhaled 3"He's made the same error many zealots make—confusing metaphor with a literal reality." Similarly, early alchemists had toiled in vain to transform lead into gold, never realizing that lead-to-gold was nothing but a metaphor for tapping into true human potential—that of taking a dull, ignorant mind and transforming it into a bright, enlightened one.

"Yes." Anderson works here. He blows. "The word apotheosis literally means ' transformation'—that of man becoming God. It's from the ancient Greek, apo— become," theos—'god'."

'"The questions we discuss are challenging ones: What happens to the human condition if the great mysteries of life are finally revealed' "'What happens when those beliefs that we accept on faith . . . are suddenly categorically proven as fact'? Or disproved as myth? One could argue that there exist certain questions that are best left unanswered."

Wealth is commonplace, but wisdom is rare.

Great minds are always feared by lesser minds

Breathable liquid.
Liquid breathing had been a reality since 1966. when Leland C. Clark successfully kept alive a mouse that had been submerged for several hours in an oxygenated perfluorocarbon. In 1989, TLV technology made a dramatic appearance in the movie The Abyss, although few viewers realized that they were watching real science. Total Liquid Ventilation had been born of modem medicine's attempts to help premature babies breathe by returning them to the liquid-filled state of the womb. Human lungs, having spent nine months in utero, were no strangers to a liquid-filled state. Perfluorocarbons had once been too viscous to be fully breathable, but modem breakthroughs had made breathable liquids almost the consistency of water

'"Thirty-four,'' she said. "Every direction adds up to thirty-four."
"Exactly," Langdon said. "But did you know that this magic square is famous because
Dürer accomplished the seemingly impossible?" He quickly showed Katherine that m
addition to making The rows, columns, and diagonals add up to thirty-four, Dürer had also found a way to make the four quadrants, the four center squares, and even the four comer squares add up to that number. "Most amazing, though, was Dürer 's ability to position the numbers 15 and 14 together in the bottom row as an indication of the year in which he accomplished this incredible feat!"

16 3 2 13
5 10 11 8
9 6 7 12
4 15 14 1


He suspected America's "thirteen" conspiracy theorists would have a field day if they knew there were exactly thirteen storage rooms buried beneath the U.S. Capitol. Some found it suspicious that the Great Seal of the United States had thirteen stars, thirteen arrows, thirteen pyramid steps, thirteen shield stripes, thirteen olive leaves, thirteen olives, thirteen letters in annuit coeptis, thirteen letters in e pluribus unum, and on and on.

"And your students/' Sato demanded, "don't find it unnerving that Masons meditate with skulls and scythes?"
"No more unnerving than Christians praying at the feet of a man nailed to a cross, or
Hindus chanting in front of a four-armed elephant named Ganesh. Misunderstanding a culture's symbols is a common root of prejudice."

VITRIOL

"An odd choice of word." Sato said as the candlelight cast a frightening skull-shaped silhouette across the letters.
"Actually, it's an acronym," Langdon said. "It's written on the rear wall of most chambers like this as a shorthand for the Masonic meditative mantra: Visita interiora terrae, rectificando invenies occultum lapidem."
Sato eyed him, looking almost impressed. "Meaning?"
"Visit the interior of the earth, and by rectifying, you will find the hidden stone."

Moreover, Langdon knew, this little pyramid—with its flat top—was not even a true pyramid. Without its tip, this was another symbol entirely. Known as an Unfinished Pyramid, it was a symbolic reminder that man's ascent to his full human potential was always a work in progress. Though few realized it, this symbol was the most widely published symbol on earth. Over twenty billion in print, adorning every one-dollar bill in circulation, the Unfinished Pyramid waited patiently for its shilling capstone, which hovered above it as a reminder of America's yet-unfulfilled destiny and the work yet to be done, both as a country and as individuals.

And it is indeed a talisman. When Peter had told Langdon the package contained a talisman, Langdon had laughed. Now he realized his friend was right. This tiny capstone was a talisman, but not the magic kind . . . the far older kind. Long before talisman had magical connotations, it had another meaning—"completion." From the Greek telesma, meaning "complete," a talisman was any object or idea that completed another and made it whole. The finishing element. A capstone, symbolically speaking, was the ultimate talisman, transforming the Unfinished Pyramid into a symbol of completed perfection.
Langdon now felt an eerie convergence that forced him to accept one very strange truth: with the exception of its size, the stone pyramid in Peter's Chamber of Reflection seemed to be transforming itself, bit by bit. into something vaguely resembling the Masonic Pyramid of legend.

"I can see your dilemma. Professor However, both the Ancient Mysteries and Masonic philosophy celebrate the potentiality of God within each of us. Symbolically speaking, one could claim that anything within reach of an enlightened man ... is within reach of God."

"Even the Bible concurs." Bellamy said. "If we accept, as Genesis tells us, that 'God created man in his own image/ then we also must accept what this implies—that mankind was not created inferior to God. In Luke 17:20 we are told, 'The kingdom of God is within you.' "
"I'm sorry, but I don't know any Christians who consider themselves God's equal."
"Of course not," Bellamy said, his tone hardening. "Because most Christians want it both ways, they want to be able to proudly declare they are believers in the Bible and yet simply ignore those parts they find too difficult or too inconvenient to believe."
"I mention the horned Moses/' Bellamy now said, "to illustrate how a single word, misunderstood, can rewrite history."

"Very well then, In a moment, I shall do exactly that." He dabbed his mouth again. "Let me remind you that there was an era when even the brightest minds perceived the earth as flat. For if the earth was round, then surely the oceans would spill off Imagine how they would have mocked you if you proclaimed. 'Not only is the world a sphere, but there is an invisible, mystical force that holds everything to its surface'!"
"There's a difference," Langdon said, "between the existence of gravity . . . and the ability to transform objects with a touch of your hand."

Langdon knew die dean was correct. The famous Hermetic aphorism—Know ye not that ye are gods?—was one of the pillars of the Ancient Mysteries. As above, so below . . . Man created in God's image . . . Apotheosis. This persistent message of man's own divinity—of his hidden potential—was the recurring theme in the ancient texts of countless traditions. Even the Holy Bible cried out in Psalms 82:6: Ye are gods'

"Professor," the old man said, "I realize that you, like many educated people, live trapped between worlds—one foot in the spiritual, one foot in the physical. Your heart yearns to believe . . . but your intellect refuses to permit it. As an academic, you would be wise to learn from the great minds of history." He paused and cleared his throat. "If I'm remembering correctly, one of the greatest minds ever to live proclaimed: That which is impenetrable to us really exists. Behind the secrets of nature remains something subtle, intangible, and inexplicable. Veneration for this force beyond anything that we can comprehend is my religion.' "
"Who said that'1'" Langdon said. "Gandhi'?"
"No," Katherine interjected. "Albert Einstein."

Katherine Solomon had read every word Einstein had ever written and was struck by his profound respect for the mystical, as well as his predictions that the masses would one day feel the same. The. religion of the future, Einstein had predicted, will he. a cosmic religion. It will transcend personal God and avoid dogma and theology.

"Oh. heavens, the Book of Revelation is a mess!" the dean said. "Nobody knows how to read that. I'm talking about clear minds writing in clear language—the predictions of Saint Augustine, Sir Francis Bacon, Newton. Einstein, the list goes on and on, all anticipating a transformative moment of enlightenment. Even Jesus himself said, 'Nothing is hidden that will not be made known, nor secret that will not come to light.'"
"It's a safe prediction to make," Langdon said. "Knowledge glows exponentially. The more we know, the greater our ability to learn, and the faster we expand our knowledge base."
"Yes," Katherine added. "We see this in science all the time. Each new technology we invent becomes a tool with which to invent new technologies . . . and it snowballs. That's why science has advanced more in the last five years than in the previous five thousand. Exponential growth. Mathematically, as time passes, the exponential curve of progress becomes almost vertical, and new development occurs incredibly fast."

'"The cross," Langdon said, "was not a Christian symbol until the fourth century. Long before that, it was used by the Egyptians to represent the intersection of two dimensions—the human and the celestial. As above, so below. It was a visual representation of the juncture where man and God become one."
"Of course," Langdon said. In the days of Pythagoras, six centuries before Christ, the tradition of numerology hailed the number 33 as the highest of all the Master Numbers. It was the most sacred figure, symbolizing Divine Truth. The tradition lived on within the Masons . . . and elsewhere. It was no coincidence that Christians were taught that Jesus was crucified at age thirty-three, despite no real historical evidence to that effect. Nor was it coincidence that Joseph was said to have been
thirty-three when he married the Virgin Mary, or that Jesus accomplished thirty-three miracles, or that God's name was mentioned thirty-three times in Genesis, or that, in Islam, all the dwellers of heaven were permanently thirty-three years old.

Echoes of the ancient Art still resonated in every corner of the globe, from the mystical Kabbalists of Judaism to the esoteric Sufis of Islam. Vestiges remained in the arcane rituals of Christianity, in its god-eating rites of Holy Communion, its hierarchies of saints, angels, and demons, its chanting and incantation, its holy calendar's astrological underpinnings, its consecrated robes, and in its promise of everlasting life. Even now, its priests dispelled evil spirits by swinging smoke-filled censers, ringing sacred bells, and sprinkling holy water. Christians still practiced the supernatural craft of exorcism—an early practice of their faith that required the ability not only to cast out demons but to summon them.
And yet they cannot see their past?

Nowhere was the church's mystical past more evident than at her epicenter. In Vatican City, at the heart of St. Peter's Square, stood the great Egyptian obelisk. Carved thirteen hundred years before Jesus took his first breath—this numinous monolith had no relevance there, no link to modern Christianity. And yet there it was. At the core of Christ's church. A stone beacon, screaming to be heard. A reminder to those few sages who remembered where it all began. This church, born of the womb of the Ancient Mysteries, still bore her rites and symbols.
One symbol above all.

Adorning her altars, vestments, spires, and Scripture was the singular image of Christianity—that of a precious, sacrificed human being. Christianity, more than any other faith, understood the transformative power of sacrifice. Even now, to honor the sacrifice made by Jesus, his followers proffered then own feeble gestures of personal sacrifice . . . fasting, Lenten renunciation, tithing.
All of those offerings are. impotent, of course. Without blood. . . there is no true sacrifice.

Even now, it seemed, the Ancient Mysteries were taunting him. "The secret hides within" was the core tenet of the mysteries, urging man kind to seek God not in the heavens above . . . but rather within himself. The secret hides within. It was the message of all the great mystical teachers.
The kingdom of God is within yon. said Jesus Christ. Know thyself said Pythagoras.
Know ye not that ye are gods, said Hermes Trismegistus. The list went on and on . .
All the mystical teachings of the ages had attempted to convey this one idea. The secret hides within. Even so, mankind continued looking to the heavens for the face of God

THE ORDER EIGHT FRANKLIN SQUARE
One of history's best-known magic squares is the order-eight square published in 1769 by American scientist Benjamin Franklin, and which became famous for its inclusion of never-before-seen "bent diagonal summations."' Franklin's obsession with this mystical art form most likely stemmed from his personal associations with the prominent alchemists and mystics of his day. as well as his own belief m astrology, which were the underpinnings for the predictions made in his Poor Richard's Almanack.

52 61 4 13 20 29 36 45
14 3 62 51 46 35 30 19
53 60 5 12 21 28 37 44
11 6 59 54 43 38 27 22
55 58 7 10 23 26 39 42
9 8 57 56 41 40 25 24
50 63 2 15 18 31 34 47
16 1 64 49 48 33 32 17


As a young girl, Katherine Solomon had often wondered if there was life after death. Does heaven exist? What happens when we die? As she grew older, her studies in science quickly erased any fanciful notions of heaven, hell, or the afterlife. The concept of "life after death," she came to accept, was a human construct ... a fairy tale designed to soften the horrifying truth that was our mortality.
Or so I believed Katherine recalled writing in her lab notes with a trembling hand: 'There seems to exist an invisible 'material' that exits the human body at the moment of death. It has quantifiable mass which is unimpeded by physical barriers. I must assume it moves in a dimension I cannot yet perceive."
From the expression of shock on her brother's face. Katherine knew he understood the implications. "Katherine . . ." he stammered, blinking his gray eyes as if to make sure he was not dreaming. "I think you just weighed the human soul."

Solomon smiled. "My friends, don't get me wrong, our forefathers were deeply religious men, but they were Deists—men who believed in God, but in a universal and open-minded way. The only religions ideal they put forth was religious freedom. He pulled the microphone from the podium and strode out to the edge of the stage. "America's forefathers had a vision of a spiritually enlightened Utopia, in which freedom of thought, education of the masses, and scientific advancement would replace the darkness of outdated religious superstition."
Solomon smiled. "Why not? Our mythologies have a long tradition of magic words that provide insight and godlike powers. To this day. children still shout 'abracadabra' in hopes of creating some thing out of nothing. Of course, we've all forgotten that this word is not a toy; it has roots in ancient Aramaic mysticism—Avrah KaDabra—meaning 'I create as I speak.' "

Solomon gave the boy a nod of approval. "Exactly. The Apocalypse is literally a reveal-ation. The Book of Reveal-ation in the Bible predicts an unveiling of great truth and unimaginable wisdom. The Apocalypse is not the end of the world, but rather it is the end of the world as we know it. The prophecy of the Apocalypse is just one of the Bible's beautiful messages that has been distorted." Solomon stepped to the front of the stage. "Believe me, the Apocalypse is coming . . . and it will be nothing like what we were taught."

Oxygenated perfluorocarbons.
This new technology—known as Total Liquid Ventilation (TLV)—was so counterintuitive that few believed it existed.

One . . . but as Many.
"God is plural!' Katherine whispered, "because the minds of man are plural."
Langdon's Thoughts were spiraling now . . . dreams, memories, hopes, fears, revelations . . . all swirling above him in the Rotunda dome. As his eyes began to close again, he found himself staring at three words in Latin, painted within the Apotheosis
E PLURIBUS UNUM.
"Out of manv, one, " he thought, slipping off into sleep.


On the first landing, Langdon came face-to-face with a bronze bust of Masonic luminary Albert Pike: along with the engraving of his most famous quote: WHAT WE HAVE DONE FOR OURSELVES ALONE DIES WITH US; WHAT WE HAVE DONE FOR OTHERS AND THE WORLD REMAINS AND IS IMMORTAL

The text read:
TIME IS A RIVER . . . AND BOOKS ARE BOATS. MANY VOLUMES START DOWN THAT STREAM, ONLY TO BE WRECKED AND LOST BEYOND RECALL IN ITS SANDS. ONLY A FEW, A VERY FEW, ENDURE THE TESTINGS OF TIME AND LIVE TO BLESS THE AGES FOLLOWING.
There is a reason these volumes survived -while others vanished As a scholar of faith, Dean Galloway had always found it astonishing that the ancient spiritual texts—the most studied books on earth—were, in fact, the least understood
Concealed within those pages, there hides a wondrous secret.
One day soon the light would dawn, and mankind would finally begin to grasp the simple, transformative truth of the ancient teachings . . . and take a quantum leap forward m understanding his own magnificent nature.

"Robert, you and I both know that the ancients would be horrified if they saw how their teachings have been perverted . . . how religion has established itself as a tollbooth to heaven . . . how warriors march into battle believing God favors their cause. We've lost the Word, and yet its true meaning is still within reach, right before our eyes. It exists in all the enduring texts, from the Bible to the Bhagavad Gita to the Koran and beyond. All of these texts are revered upon the altars of Freemasonry because Masons understand what the world seems to have forgotten .. that each of these texts, in its own way, is quietly whispering the exact same message Peter's voice welled with emotion. " 'Know ye not that ye are gods?'"

Peter lowered his voice to a whisper. "The Buddha said. 'You are God yourself.' Jesus taught that 'the kingdom of God is within you and even promised us, The works I do: you can do . . . and greater. Even the first antipope — Hippolytus of Rome—quoted the same message, first uttered by the gnostic teacher Monoimus: 'Abandon the search for God . . . instead, take yourself as the starting place/ ,:

"Exactly. Our physical bodies have evolved over the ages, but it was our minds that were created in the image of God. We've been reading the Bible too literally. We learn that God created us in his image, but it's not our physical bodies that resemble God, it's our minds.'"

"You want a real answer? Here it is. If I hand you a violin and say you have the capability to use it to make incredible music, I am not lying. You do have the capability, but you'll need enormous amounts of practice to manifest it. This is no different from learning to use your mind, Robert. Well-directed thought is a learned skill. To manifest an intention requires laserlike focus, full sensory visualization, and a profound belief. We have proven this in a lab. And just like playing a violin, there are people who exhibit greater natural ability than others. Look to history. Look to the stories of those enlightened minds who performed miraculous feats.”