See you in Valhalla

 

"Indian man telling a Christian man he'll see him at Valhalla". This must be the most stupid controversy so far in the wake of the Charlie Kirk assassination. 

First, everyone knows exactly what Kash Patel means. Indeed, *that* might be the problem with the statement - that an FBI director implies he wants to start a civil war. Not the "theology". Second, why is it "cringe" for an Indian-American in 2025 (AD) to say "see you in Valhalla"? 

Third, "cringe" is relative in religious matters as your local angry atheist will surely tell you in your face. Is it less "cringe" for a Norse pagan to convert to a religion according to which an executed Jewish carpenter from a one-horse town was actually the one and only god?

What´s probably going on here is frustration at the FBI for initially catching the wrong guy, anger at Patel´s role in the Epstein Files affair, and (perhaps) annoyance at the fact that the Great White Father in Washington appointed a Hindu to an important position in the administration in the first place...

Or not. Some of the people who complain seem to be Hindus?! But sure, maybe Patel should test the waters next time somebody is murdered and tell them "see you in Shiva-loka"! 

Wasn´t Kash Patel born and raised a Hindu?

Sabbatarianism

I didn´t know that Charlie Kirk was a Sabbatarian. In Christian circles, that´s a "heresy" usually connected to "Judaizers" and, I suppose, Adventists?!  

Amerika´s Groyper predicament

 

This is an anti-Israeli conspiracy video, actually claiming that Netanyahu´s government killed Charlie Kirk (!), but it does contain some interesting information about Kirk´s views on Israel and his conflicts with the so-called Groypers. It also mentions (albeit briefly) his peculiar Sabbatarianism. 

Another night, another cult

 

When I visited Stockholm recently, I actually spotted the Swedish office of the "Universal Church" from the bus and obviously asked the AI about it. Answer in five seconds. Sometimes all that nuclear power is well spent!

What is UCKG Universal Church?

The UCKG (Universal Church of the Kingdom of God) is a large Pentecostal / Neo-Pentecostal Christian denomination that began in Brazil in 1977. In Portuguese it’s called Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus (IURD), founded in Rio de Janeiro by Edir Macedo, who later became a billionaire media owner and one of Brazil’s most influential religious figures.

Here are the key points:

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1. Core Identity

• Type: Neo-Pentecostal megachurch.

• Theology: Prosperity gospel, spiritual warfare, deliverance from demons, and faith healing.

• Style: Very charismatic — services are emotional, with loud preaching, exorcisms, and testimonies.

---

2. Teachings & Practices

• Prosperity Theology: God blesses true believers with financial success and health. Giving tithes and offerings is emphasized as a way to “unlock” blessings.

• Exorcism / Spiritual Warfare: A central feature. Pastors often perform public exorcisms, “casting out” evil spirits blamed for illness, addiction, poverty, or family problems.

• Faith Healing: Prayer and laying on of hands for healing physical and emotional issues.

• Strict Lifestyle: Members are discouraged from participating in Afro-Brazilian religions (like Candomblé or Umbanda), which the church frames as demonic.

---

3. Global Expansion

• Since the 1980s, UCKG has expanded massively, especially in Latin America, Africa, Europe, and North America.

• Today it claims millions of members worldwide in over 100 countries.

• Its headquarters is the colossal Temple of Solomon in São Paulo (inaugurated 2014), built as a modern replica of the biblical temple.

---

4. Controversies

• Prosperity gospel critics accuse UCKG of exploiting poor people by urging them to give money in exchange for promises of miracles.

• Exorcism practices have been controversial, sometimes staged in sensational ways.

• Founder Edir Macedo has faced accusations of fraud, money laundering, and abuse of power — though he remains highly influential in Brazilian politics and media.

• Its antagonism toward Afro-Brazilian traditions has drawn strong criticism as religious intolerance.

---

5. Sociological Role

• In Brazil, UCKG is not just a church but a cultural and political force.

• It runs TV and radio networks, publishing houses, charities, and has close ties with political parties.

• It represents the new wave of Pentecostalism that blends religion, mass media, and prosperity ideology.

---

✅ In short: The UCKG is a Brazilian-born neo-Pentecostal megachurch known for exorcisms, prosperity teaching, and massive global expansion — deeply influential but also highly controversial.

---

Would you like me to also compare UCKG’s style with traditional Catholicism and Afro-Brazilian religions, since it defines itself partly against those? 

Another kind of problems

 

Meanwhile, in the safest corner of Connectictut....

Seven

 

This reminds me of the serial killer in the movie "Seven". Except that this is for real. This guy, who is clearly a psycho, actually crucified and killed a random priest in Arizona for "breaking the first commendment" as in worshipping Jesus rather than Yahweh?! 

And no, he´s doesn´t seem to be a Jewish extremist. Probably a quasi-religious nutjob in general. He wants the state to try and execute him ASAP, since he believes that God will somehow save him at the last moment. Of course, the Christian content-creator commenting the interview believes that the man is demonically possessed...

A kind of white pill?

 

At least we don´t have to worry about *this* shit...

Is it really true that the Amish has such a population growth that they will become the majority of the US population if the population growth just continues like today?

Not quite — that’s a big exaggeration, though the Amish do have unusually high population growth for a modern group.

Here’s the reality:

---

1. Current Amish growth rate

• Amish families average 6–7 children who typically remain Amish as adults.

• They have a doubling time of roughly 20–25 years.

• In 2025, the Amish population is estimated at ~380,000–400,000 in the US.

---

2. Extrapolation fantasy vs. reality

• If you theoretically extended that growth without change, Amish numbers would grow like this:

  • ~0.4 million today

  • ~0.8 million in 25 years

  • ~1.6 million in 50 years

  • ~3.2 million in 75 years
    This is fast compared to the general US population growth (~0.5% per year), but…

• Even at that rate, it would take many centuries for them to be a majority.

• By then, social and environmental changes, land availability, and possible cultural shifts would almost certainly slow growth.

---

3. Why the claim circulates

• Demographers have noted that the Amish are one of the few groups in the developed world with sustained high fertility.

• In contrast, US average fertility is ~1.6 children per woman (below replacement).

• That contrast inspires “what if” scenarios, but those ignore migration, intermarriage, and attrition over long periods.

---

4. Realistic expectations

• The Amish population will almost certainly continue to grow rapidly in relative terms for the next century.

• They might reach a few million by the year 2100 — significant, but nowhere near a majority.

• For them to actually become the US majority, you’d need not just continued fertility but zero assimilation and exponential growth over 200–300 years, which is very unlikely.

---

If you want, I can run the actual exponential projection math to see just how long it would take for Amish to become 51% of the US population under current growth rates. That makes the “Amish takeover” idea look… well, comically distant.

Yes, please. 

Short answer: under naïve “nothing changes” assumptions, the Amish would not be a US majority for ~220–330 years, depending on parameters. That’s many centuries—so the popular claim is vastly overstated.

What I calculated (simple exponential scenarios; details shown in the table I generated for you):

• Starting point (2025): Amish ~0.40 million, US ~335 million.

• Amish growth modeled by a doubling time of 20–25 years (≈ 2.8–3.5%/yr).

• US total population grows at 0.3–0.7%/yr.

Results (first year Amish reach ≥51% of the total, if ever within 400 years):

• DT 20y, US growth 0.5%/yr → majority around 2254.

• DT 22.5y, US growth 0.5%/yr → majority around 2288.

• DT 25y, US growth 0.5%/yr → majority around 2323.

• Faster US growth or slower Amish doubling pushes it later (as far as 2352 in the runs).

I also plotted the mid-case (DT 22.5y, US 0.5%/yr) so you can see the SLOW climb in share this century (still <1% by 2100), with steep gains only in the 2200s.

Caveats (big ones):

• These are toy models. Real populations don’t grow exponentially forever.

• Amish growth depends on land availability, retention, vocational shifts, and possible policy/cultural changes.

• Even small changes (e.g., retention dipping from ~85–90% to ~70–75%) would delay a “majority” far beyond these dates—or prevent it entirely.

If you want, I can tweak assumptions (different starting population, retention, or a logistic slowdown) and rerun the projection.

Gubbhumor

 

Hittade detta på nätet just nu. Vet förstås inte om det är sant, eftersom jag bara träffade Wolmar Holmström två eller tre gånger (på Ortodoxa bokhandeln i Stockholm). Kanske omkring år 2000? Minns att han var med i TV en gång också. I något slags ekumenisk dokumentär om trossamfund i Sverige.

Och apropå ekumenik...

Första gången jag besökte bokhandeln (på jakt efter "Den Ortodoxa Kyrkan" av Kallistos Ware) utspelade sig en "situation" i den lilla lokalen. Wolmar storgrälade med en mycket märklig gubbe. Han såg ut att vara 90+, hade stora stövlar och en gigantisk överrock. Ärligt talat såg han ut att vara hemlös. Gubben skrek något i stil med detta: "Jehova, Jehova kommer att STRAFFA ER på domedagen, ni kommer att BRINNA". Till svar skrek Wolmar "Ut, ut härifrån!!!". Han lyckades på något sätt slänga ut den galne gyben genom dörren (där jag också stod). 

Jag frågade förstås (något chockad) vem i allsin dar gubben var. Var han ett Jehovas Vittne? Som alltså trängt sig in på Ortodoxa Kyrkans bokhandel och öppet hotade föreståndaren med yttersta dagens ljungeldar. Till min stora förvåning svarade Wolmar: "Det där? Nej, nej, det där är en gammal pingstpastor. Vi har känt varandra i 40 år. Han brukar låtsas att vara ett Jehovas Vittne, och jag låtsas att slänga ut honom. Vi brukar kalla det rå men hjärtlig stil".

????!!!!

Det kan man kalla kristen gubbhumor, det.

I brist på nekrolog - reflektioner om Wolmar Holmström

Costly signalling

 

How is asserting that the Bible has no contradictions "costly signalling" if everyone around you is an evangelical Christian? Like, say, in the Bible Belt 50 years ago? Or even today in some places. This is unconvincing.  

Bruh

 

An arrogant Christian YouTuber exposes Hinduism and Buddhism in 4 minutes. LOL! Yeah, I´m sure he spent 40 years at the lotus feet of a guru (or a scholar, or even a hippie) really studying the topic...

To quote Vivekananda: "Christians say their religion is true because it´s historical. I say my religion is true because it *isn´t* historical".

And no, the quote isn´t literal. It´s a teaching story, bruh!  

God in the machine?

 

This is actually an interesting video. Not as weird as the usual ChatGPT Messiah-cultic stuff. About an "angry atheist" who encounters God through AI...kind of.  

Large Language Model

 

The first video (about Ozzy Osbourne) is extremely infuriating. The second one is about a new trend among charismatic Christians: to speak in tongues and then ask ChatGPT to "translate" it?! Yes, really. Gives an entirely new meaning to the term "Large Language Model"! Ironically, both presenters sound AI-like so there´s that... 

I won´t even tell you what the third video is about. But yeah, chances are that´s just another AI end times deception...

John MacArthur is no longer among us

 

But look what I posted on this blog in 2018 (and on Amazon years earlier)...

Fundamentalist law and order

Look who´s back...

 

I still follow Doreen Virtue on YouTube, but she seems to have been busy elsewhere for some time. Not anymore. Look who´s back...with the same negativity as usual. This time, she attacks Christians who think that heart-shaped rocks are messages from God. Not because they aren´t (I mean, really) but because Gideon didn´t have the full canon, and so on. You get the drift. 

Concordant

 

I literally never heard of "Concordant Believers" before. It´s an extremely strange sectarian current at the outskirts of American Christianity. Their theology sounds like a mixture of E W Bullinger´s ultra-dispensationalism and Charles Russell´s original Watchtower Society (not the later JW´s). 

The anti-Trinitarianism and universalism comes from Russell, while the strong distinction between Israel and the Gentile Church resembles both Russell and Bullinger. Note that the Concordant groups seem to reject both baptism and the Lord´s supper. 

Most sensationally, the Concordant Believers are "liberal" in their views of homosexuality (especially lesbianism), transgenderism, sex before marriage, prostitution, polygamy, and abortion?! I didn´t see *that* coming. Definitely one of the most peculiar Christian groups I´ve encountered.    

A Satanist in West Papua

 

I blogged about West Papua before, so I might as well link to this content. Taylor (alias The Antibot) is a self-proclaimed Satanist and witch who grew up as a Christian missionary kid in New Guinea, specifically the Indonesian-controlled Western half. In this video, she reflects on her experiences. I never heard the expression "Main Character Syndrome" before...

Christian ashram

 

Tonight´s robot essay. So I asked ChatGPT about Rupert Sheldrake´s teacher or guru in India, Father Bede Griffiths. Ahem, that´s a strange name for a Hindu guru?! Here is what I found out...

Who was Father Bede Griffiths who had an ashram in India and was the teacher of Rupert Sheldrake?

Father Bede Griffiths (1906–1993) was a British-born Benedictine monk, Christian mystic, and interfaith pioneer who became known for his work integrating Christianity and Hinduism. He spent much of his life in India, where he lived in an ashram and taught a form of Christian Vedānta—a contemplative path combining Christian monasticism with Indian spirituality.

---

🧔 Who Was He?

• Birth name: Alan Richard Griffiths

• Born: 1906, Walton-on-Thames, England

• Died: 1993, Tamil Nadu, India

• Religious background: Raised Anglican, converted to Roman Catholicism in 1931

• Became a Benedictine monk at Prinknash Abbey in England

He was also a student of C.S. Lewis at Oxford and part of the literary Christian intellectual circle there.

---

🌏 His Journey to India

In 1955, Griffiths moved to India, feeling called to explore the mystical and contemplative dimensions of Hinduism. Over time, he increasingly wore ochre robes, adopted the sannyāsin lifestyle, and engaged deeply with Advaita Vedānta, especially as presented by figures like Śaṅkara and Sri Ramana Maharshi.

---

🕉️ The Shantivanam Ashram

• He eventually settled at the Shantivanam Ashram in Tamil Nadu (founded by Fr. Jules Monchanin and Henri Le Saux a.k.a. Abhishiktananda).

• There, he practiced and taught a Christianized version of Vedānta, encouraging a unitive experience of God beyond doctrinal boundaries.

• The ashram emphasized:

  • Silent meditation

  • Chanting both Vedic and Christian scriptures

  • Interfaith dialogue

  • Simple monastic living

🗣️ Griffiths believed that Christ is the fulfillment of Vedānta, not in a missionary or colonial sense, but in a universal mystical sense.

---

🧠 Relationship with Rupert Sheldrake

• Rupert Sheldrake, the biologist known for proposing morphic resonance, met Griffiths in India in the 1980s.

• Sheldrake credits Bede Griffiths as a spiritual mentor and intellectual influence, particularly in helping him see the spiritual and philosophical limitations of materialism.

• They shared an interest in consciousness, mysticism, and breaking down the Western separation between science and spirituality.

---

📘 Key Writings by Bede Griffiths

• The Marriage of East and West

• Return to the Center

• A New Vision of Reality

• The Cosmic Revelation

These works combine Christian theology, Vedāntic philosophy, and Jungian psychology, seeking a universal mystical core in the world's religions.

---

🕊️ His Legacy

• He’s often cited alongside Thomas Merton and Abhishiktananda as a bridge between Eastern and Western contemplative traditions.

• Advocated for interspirituality, a deeper communion among faiths at the mystical level.

• Today, his ashram continues to host seekers of various traditions who explore nondual spirituality through a Christian lens.

---

Would you like a quote from Griffiths or one of his key teachings on integrating Christ and the Self (ātman)?

Who was Fr Jules Monchanin and Henri Le Saux?

Fr Jules Monchanin and Henri Le Saux (also known as Swami Abhishiktananda) were two pioneering Catholic monks and mystics who laid the foundations for interfaith dialogue and Christian–Hindu monastic integration in 20th-century India.

They were the co-founders of the Saccidananda Ashram (later known as Shantivanam) in Tamil Nadu, which became a major center for Christian–Vedantic contemplative life—later continued and expanded by Bede Griffiths.

---

🔹 Father Jules Monchanin (1895–1957)

📖 Background:

• French Catholic priest and theologian

• Deeply drawn to Indian spirituality and mysticism

• Arrived in India in 1939

• Embraced elements of Advaita Vedānta while remaining firmly Trinitarian

🧘 Role in Interfaith Dialogue:

• Wrote under the Indian name "Swami Paramarubyananda" (Swami of the Supreme Spirit)

• Sought to "Hinduize" Christian contemplation, not by syncretism, but by a deep encounter with the Indian tradition

• Emphasized inner transformation, simplicity, and inculturation of Christianity into Indian soil

• He wrote extensively on Christian mysticism and Indian metaphysics

“India is a land of seeking. The Christ we bring must speak to the inner realization India longs for.”

---

🔹 Henri Le Saux / Swami Abhishiktananda (1910–1973)

📖 Background:

• French Benedictine monk

• Came to India in 1948 to join Monchanin

• Adopted the name Swami Abhishiktananda ("bliss of the Anointed One")

• Lived as a Christian sannyāsi, practicing intense Advaitic meditation and Hindu-Christian mystical synthesis

🕉️ Spiritual Path:

• Deeply influenced by Ramana Maharshi and the experience of the Self (Ātman)

• Had powerful nondual mystical experiences, which he struggled to reconcile with traditional Christian dogma

• His writings explore the tension and convergence between Christian mystical experience and Advaita Vedānta

📝 Key Works:

• Saccidananda: A Christian Approach to Advaitic Experience

• The Further Shore

• The Secret of Arunachala

“The depth of the Self is the depth of God. It is there that Christ is born.”

---

🌿 Saccidananda Ashram (Shantivanam)

• Founded in 1950 by Monchanin and Le Saux

• "Saccidananda" = Being–Consciousness–Bliss, a Sanskrit expression for the divine in Advaita Vedānta—and reinterpreted by them as a Christian symbol for the Trinity

• A center of Christian monasticism in Indian form:

  • Wore ochre robes

  • Practiced daily meditation, chanting, and Hindu-style rituals infused with Christian meaning

  • Aimed for a deep encounter between East and West

🕊️ The ashram was later led by Bede Griffiths, who carried their vision forward into a more public and global platform.

---

🪔 Legacy

• Monchanin was the intellectual theologian, cautious and exacting

• Le Saux was the mystic adventurer, willing to plunge deeply into Advaita and let it shake him to the core

• Together, they represent a radical experiment in interreligious encounter, rooted not in comparison, but in lived contemplative experience

Their work helped inspire the Christian Ashram movement, and today they are remembered as spiritual pioneers of interfaith mysticism.

---

Would you like excerpts from their writings or a comparison of their views on Advaita and Christ?

What is the Christian Ashram movement?

The Christian Ashram Movement is a spiritual and monastic initiative that seeks to express Christian faith using the forms, language, and lifestyle of Indian spiritual traditions, especially Hinduism. It emerged in the 20th century as a response to the encounter between Christianity and Indian culture, particularly in the context of monasticism, contemplation, and interreligious dialogue.

---

🕉️ What Is an “Ashram”?

In Hindu tradition, an ashram is a spiritual hermitage or monastery—a place for:

• Simple, disciplined living

• Meditation and prayer

• Study and spiritual guidance

• Renunciation of worldly distractions

The Christian Ashram movement adopts this form while centering the Christian mystical path—particularly contemplative prayer, service, and Christ-centered devotion.

---

🌱 Origins and Influences

🧘 Founded in India in the early-mid 20th century by:

1. Jules Monchanin (Swami Paramarubyananda)

2. Henri Le Saux (Swami Abhishiktananda)

3. Bede Griffiths
   → These three were the core initiators of the Christian Ashram movement.

They believed:

• Christianity could be authentically expressed in Indian spiritual language

• Christ could be experienced through deep Advaitic (nondual) meditation

• Christian monasticism could take Indian forms (robes, names, rituals, diet, silence)

---

✝️ Key Characteristics of Christian Ashrams

Feature	Description
Christ-centered life	Jesus is the center, but interpreted sometimes in mystical or universal terms
Indian lifestyle	Sannyāsa robes, vegetarianism, simplicity, celibacy
Meditation & prayer	Silence, mantra (e.g., "Jesus," "Om Christu"), contemplative practices
Scriptural dialogue	Study of both Bible and Hindu texts (Upanishads, Gita)
Inculturation	Integration of Indian philosophy, music, ritual forms
Interreligious openness	Deep respect for Hindu sages and spiritual paths

---

🏞️ Notable Christian Ashrams

1. Shantivanam Ashram (Tamil Nadu)

• Most well-known Christian ashram

• Founded by Monchanin and Le Saux in 1950

• Later led by Bede Griffiths, who made it internationally known

2. Saccidananda Ashram

• Original name of Shantivanam

• "Sat–Cit–Ananda" (Being–Consciousness–Bliss): interpreted as a Christian symbol for the Trinity

3. Other Ashrams:

• Ashram in Pune founded by Fr. Francis Acharya

• Krupalaya Ashram (Karnataka)

• Jyotiniketan Ashram (Uttar Pradesh)

---

🌍 Global Reach

Although the movement began in India, it has influenced Christian mystics and contemplatives worldwide, especially those involved in:

• Contemplative Christianity

• Interfaith dialogue

• Christian–Hindu comparative spirituality

• Universal Christ theology (e.g., Richard Rohr)

---

💬 Key Themes

Theme	Message
Christ as inner guru	Christ can be encountered as the indwelling divine Self
Inculturation	Christianity must be expressed in native cultural forms
Nondual mysticism	Many ashram leaders embraced Advaita Vedānta alongside Christian faith
Interreligious encounter	Not just tolerance, but mutual transformation and learning
Monastic renewal	Revitalizing Christian monasticism through Indian models

---

🔥 Controversies and Criticism

• Some orthodox Christians saw it as too syncretistic

• Some Hindus were cautious of Christian missionary motives

• Theological tensions: how to reconcile Advaita (nonduality) with Christian personalism

Still, the movement has been widely respected as a genuine and respectful spiritual synthesis, not proselytizing.

---

✨ Legacy

• Inspired interspiritual dialogue long before it became mainstream

• Helped reframe Jesus as a universal teacher and mystic

• Opened new paths for Christian contemplative practice, especially in Asia

---

Would you like a comparison of Christian Ashram spirituality with traditional Benedictine monasticism or modern contemplative practices?

Persecuted by facts?

 

This shit just won´t go away, LOL. Is "the world´s smartest man" YoungHoon Kim just a recreational liar and cultists? Apparently, he claims to be "persecuted" now and wants people to donate money to his "Church". So he isn´t a Presbyterian, then? Anyway, I still think Mr Kim is a flash in the pan, and will be gone by September by the very latest. Unless Joe Rogan decides to feature him on a certain show...  

The invasion of the body snatchers

 

A Christian content-creator who calls himself "The Tentative Apologist" discusses atheist fundamentalism, which often mirrors religious ditto. This is definitely a thing. I´m old enough to remember when Bart Ehrman was treated as a treacherous apostate by his fellow ateistas for daring to suggest that Jesus actually was a real historical person. They went full "body snatcher" on the man. As in "Reeeeee"!!! The guy who simply switches to the opposite worldview while remaining just as dogmatic is also a thing. A classical example from Cold War political culture is the Communist turned anti-Communist who becomes a kind of "conservative Pravda". 

However, I think Mr Tentative is wrong on one score. He says that fundamentalists deny being fundamentalists. This may be the case in a community ostensibly based on skepticism and critical thinking, but I know from my own experience that many fanatics are quite proud of their zealotry, ideological purity and unwavering conviction. Yes, that includes advocates of certain atheistic worldviews. Trotskyism and Marxism-Leninism are two examples (this sentence is an "acid test", btw. The guy in the commentary section below who says "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, ONLY TROTSKYISTS ARE REAL MARXIST-LENINISTS" is excatly the kind of dude bro I´m refering to here). 

In a sense, it´s actually stranger to be a religious fundamentalist than a secular one, since the former is zelous about things he can´t even perceive! And yet, here we are...  

Exorcists on TikTok

 

Here we go again. 20 years ago, there was an unconfirmed claim on the internets that Christian fundamentalists opposed the Smurfs (for all kinds of unrelated reasons). Not sure if that was even true, or some kind of anti-Xian satire, but these days the memes make themselves.

A new toy line known as Labubus (and the rip-off version Lafufus) has created pandemonium on TikTok, with misguided believers claiming that the adorable critters are demon-possesed, specifically by the Sumerian demon Pazuzu. Which would have been completely unknown to the layperson...had it not been for "The Exorcist".

Guys, I´m sure there is real evil out there (I don´t know, Epstein or something) so stop obsessing about some Chinese collectible elves, please!