The Real purpose behind the Celebration Movement

Inculturation:
One of the major activities of the Jesuits involved something called "Inculturation".

Malachi Martin explains it like this:

"The idea was to adapt so severely to the culture of the alien (one who was not a Catholic) that the missionary would aquire the mind of that culture, and would revamp both doctrine and moral practice to fit that alien culture." -The Jesuits, Malachi Martin

This actually means that the Jesuit would try to be as much like the people in the particular group that he was seeking to win over to his side- as he could. But all the while, he was sneaking in Catholic doctrines, little by little, until the church or group became Catholic in their thinking- without even realizing it! This is one of the tactics that the Jesuits are notorious for.

Acculturation:
And then there is another tactic that the Roman Catholic church is using called "Acculturation". This is something that means to adapt the practices of your own church- such as your worship format- to the practices of the different cultures or denominations that you are seeking to win over to Catholicism.

In this way, they believe, people will feel "comfortable" in the Catholic church and perhaps eventually join the catholic faith. For instance, Malachi Martin, former Jesuit, tells of how in some Catholic churches now they have coffee afterwards for "socialization time". Their bands play "Blues music- using trombones, kazoos, saxaphones and top it off with drums to add a rhythmic foundation." -The Encounter, Malachi Martin

And a Catholic priest, Andrew Greeley, tells a story of how things have changed in the Catholic church, for the purpose of enlarging their congregations:

"In many new Catholic churches, statutes, the stations (of the cross), and the stained glass windows have either been swept away or reduced to the diagrams or abstractions that would not offend the most fundamental protestant. Reverence and awe have been replaced by often cloying informality; solemnity by 'letting it all hang out' manners. Great music has been replaced by bad pseudo-folk music... As part of the final phase of our acculturation into American life, it became appropriate to abandon the whole mess, to... eliminate the mysteries and the medals, the invocations and the pieties, the blessings and the rosaries, the May crownings and the mumbo jumbo." -How to Save the Catholic Church, Andrew Greeley

Then we see people in our own Adventist churches complaining because some of our churches have adapted by doing the Eucharist, selling rosaries in our hospitals, doing the stations of the cross... then there is the celebration movement.

I'll come back if I can and explain the celebration tie-in to you, and what it is they are 'REALLY' celebrating and, the incorporation of the Charismatic Spiritualism Movement into the churches.

Celebration Part 2
Usually we associate the word "celebration" with having a party or a general "high time". But in the Catholic mind, the word "celebration" means something else entirely.

I have done extensive research on the subject. In the Book "How to Save the Catholic Church" by Roman Catholic Priest, Andrew Greeley, the word "celebration" is used over and over. First we need to understand that EG White warned that the Alpha of the pantheism in our own church would wax worse and worse into the omega, and that few would recognize this spiritualism for what it really was- in the various forms it would take.

"...the natural world is a sign of God, not merely because God created it, but because God, somehow actually is IN it." How to Save the Catholic Church pg 40 "The catholic religious imagination says that God lurks in every place." -Ibid. pg. 43

Just like the Baal worshippers of old, the Catholic church (whose teachings were adopted from the ancient mystery religion of Babylon, by the way) sees God in all of nature. "..in the sticks and stones, the sky and the stars, the caves, the dances, in conception, birth, growth, and death... God is still there- not totally encompassed by these material realities but nonetheless totally present in and among them." How to save the Catholic Church pg 48

Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order, believed that one could see God in all things, and spent much of his time trying to do just that. You see, the Catholic church believes that because God supposedly is "in" everything... that this means that everything is something to "celebrate". In fact, Andrew Greeley, when explaining what a true catholic who understands his religion would say if you ask him what his religion means:

"...it means that God loves us and celebrates our life with us and comes to be with us and our families as we celebrate the passage of life and the fact of His love." Ibid. pg 80,81

Jesuit Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (who's ideas were said by Malachi Martin to be what was behind the idea of Vatican II) believed in the evolution of humankind towards the "Ultra Human"... He taught that all things were progressing toward perfect unity, until there was "The Omega Cosmic (pantheistic) Christ" which meant that all of mankind together was "God".

Ellen White warned of this:
Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, page 364, "Rapidly are men ranging themselves under the banner they have chosen, restlessly waiting and watching the movements of their leaders. There are those who are watching and waiting and working for our Lord's appearing; while the other party are rapidly falling into line under the generalship of the first great apostate. They look for a god in humanity, and Satan personifies the one they seek. Multitudes will be so deluded through their rejection of truth that they will accept the counterfeit. Humanity is hailed as God."

A few more quotes and I think you will get the picture:

"The Catholic theologian Richard Mc Brien says, 'The Catholic vision sees God in and through all things: other people, communities, movements, events, places, objects, the world at large, the whole cosmos.... all these are potential carriers of the Divine Presence.." How to save the catholic church pg 41

From the Trappist Monk, Thomas Merton:

"Celebration is not noise. It is not just a spinning head. it is not just individual kicks. It is the creation of a common identity, a common consciousness. Celebration is everybody making joy..."

The Celebration Movement has to do really with creating a common identity, where everyone in all churches are doing the same thing, together. EG White identified pantheism with Theosophy, which is known as the New Age Movement. Jesuit Teilhard de Chardin was known as "Father of the modern New Age Movement".

In the same year the World Council of Church's Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry Document was agreed to by our SDA leadership... The entire SDA 1982 Collegiate Quarterly was put out for all our college and university students to study. The general idea throughout this quarterly was that we, as SDAs need to realize that basically all religions are the same and we ought to rejoice in our common identity with them. (sounds just like Teilhard, doesnt it?) What what do you know? I was looking through this quarterly and lets look at pg 62...

Art Esposito, 'chairman of the Modern Language Department and director of the English Language Institute at Atlantic Union College' [b]tells us how to achieve our 'unique center of exaltation' -through the creative forces within us. (just so you know, he just told us we need to find the "God within ourselves). And then he goes on to explain that neither you nor I can really
know much about God -until we associate with those around us... so lets read now from -pg 62
of this Collegiate quarterly at what Art Esposito has to say:

"Obviously, however, this knowledge can only be shared if possessed. And just here lies a problem: There are as many different views of God as there are individual human beings. [b] As the French theologian philosopher PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN[b] puts it in his book The Divine Milieu: 'We must never lose sight of it: just as in the experimental zones of the world, men, wrapped up as they are in the universe, each represent in relation to that universe an
independent center of perspective and activity (so that there are as many partial universes as
there are individuals), just so in the area of heavenly realities, [b]so filled we are with the same creative and redemptive force that each constitutes a unique center of exaltation (so that there are as many partial conceptions of God as there are Christian souls.' An individual's conception of God is relative to his or her position in the universe. One's God is never the ultimate, but always part and incomplete.

However, it is possible to enter into communion with a "more complete God' by interrelating with others. But of course our total knowledge of God is limited by the variety of people with whom we interrelate."

Just so you know in case you didnt realize- we were just told by Esposito that we need to learn
about God from Jesuit Teilhard de Chardin... and that we cannot have a true picture of God will we realize we are all parts of God and that if we ecumenize with other churches, we will then realize what the complete Omega God is.

Our SDA Ministry Magazine, the official magazine for our SDA ministers had on its cover... a picture of the second coming of Christ called "The Return of the Cosmic King" ... (that term means the New Age Cosmic Christ)

Matthew Fox, former Dominican Priest heartily endorses Teilhard's Cosmic Christ". He even has his own witch on his staff, Miriam Starhawk who is the most well-known Wiccan Witchcraft propagandist...

"At a recent summer workshop on creation spirituality in North Carolina there were not only Roman Catholics and Quakers, Anglicans and Methodists, but Southern Baptists [b]and Seventh-Day Adventists." -Matthew Fox, The Coming of the Cosmic Christ pg 239

By the way, Wiccan Witches over and over use the word "celebration" in their literature... they
say every event in life is a celebration too. EG White in Great Controvery said spiritualism IS
witchcraft and has "invaded churches". (GC pg 556)
Remember- "Roman Catholicism will join hands with Spiritualism and Protestantism".

I hope you are getting the picture of what the Celebration Movement is all about? The celebration music and movement is to get us all doing the same things together as the other
churches are.. remember EG White said "when they all unite in common points of doctrine"...

Claudia

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Reformatted for easier reading. - Daryl

[ November 26, 2005, 06:42 PM: Message edited by: Daryl Fawcett ]

Claudia, I know what you are saying is correct. I also have studied some of the same stuff as you have posted. Even some in the Protestant world who are alarmed at the celebration stuff going on in the "emergent" SDA Prot. churches see the mysticism and spiritualism along with new age witchcraft that have come into the churches and they are protesting! God has His people everywhere.

So does the "Traditional" SDA church have "THE" proper worship format??

I don't think there is any one proper worship service as long as it's reverent and draws the congregation to the Creator. Is clapping reverent and does it draw people to the Creator or is it directed at the performer on the stage? Is this not the essence of weather or not clapping is a good or bad thing in the sanctuary?

Redfog

any action that is done to show approval or heartfelt appreciation is aimed towards Heaven. How is it that an Amen is OK, but a Clapping is not??? God must look upon us and be amazed that we are even in any form of oneness... The scripture explains the cultural essance of weddings, worship, living... and "we" try to "North Americanize whom God is! This concept of clapping when and only when it is done towards heaven is by no means wrong nor irreverent. The sad thing is that our Anglo North American society sees silence as respect! Silence can be respectful, ignorant or just plain not understanding. Is it wrong to clap when a 60th wedding Anniversary has been announced from the pulpit with regards to 2 church family members whom are present at the church? This clapping is it to "puff" up the couple or is it to acknowledge the life of dedication that the couple has been able to live together by His power? When the praise is givenb to Him, I would much rather PRAISE him with every strength and fiber of whom I am rather than to sit silent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What did you think of the information Claudia provided and the chapter I posted by Sister White?
What I want to find out from you Dan, is do you think that exalting a person is a safe thing to do, thats what Ellen White was getting at, so Iwant to know what you think about that info as well.
God Bless,
Will

OK Will,

PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!! X a MILLION!

OBVIOUSLY it is not right to PRAISE a person and BOAST him or her, just to lift up a person. What EGW has written and the scripture states is OBVIOUSLY true!! This all talks against boasting a person to just boast a person. That is to praise a person, not praising God. When we as men praise in church, we are to Praise God. If an Oracle of God has conveyed a point or action to God, and we as the Church are in agreement, we either say Amen or clap or state our unity in spirit and in truth.
-WHAT is LOVE???? It is not Proud, Puffed up etc... When we praise it is all to be to Him.

-
It is amazing the determination with which some would stifle the praise of clapping, just because the stoical New England Methodist roots our SDA church. (other threads talk against the conformity to various religions yet we have and still do the same!!! ) James White, was known for his enthusiastic leading of hymn singing during which he would clap out the rhythm when there was no instrumental accompaniment. AND he would walk down the aisle keeping rythm to songs on his Bible!

I know it has already been pointed out in this long and tedious topic, but it is
worth repeating a reminder of Psalms 47:1 which says, "Clap your hands, O ye
people..." This whole Psalm is about loud praise to God!


WHO do WE think we are that WE can through our CULTURAL understandings reject expressions of PRAISE!!! Especially when they are done with hearts lifted to GOD! (This is not saying that we are to lift people and stop there, we are to carry each others burdens and to celebrate the gift that God himself has given to US His people!!! That is supposedly BROTHERLY LOVE!
-STOP THE Canabalism !

I think maybe there are two different perspectives here. If the person in the pew makes the initiative and if the speaker makes the initiative.
If the person in the pew starts clapping it is easily seen as approval of what was just performed or said while saying an "amen" in church circles means approval. However, if initiated by the speaker it is very different. If the speaker says "Give God a hand", it is obvious that he is not the recieving end of the clapping. However, when he says "amen?" it is seen as something like "are you still with me?" or "you agree with what I said, right?".

So if the congregation initates a clapping or the speaker initiates an "amen", it is the speaker that is elevated, while if the congregation initiates an "amen" or the speaker initiates a clapping to God, it is God who is elevated.

((disclaimer)this is ofcourse only a generalisation and does not apply to 100% of the cases even if it is my belief that it applies to the majority of cases.)

/Thomas

Speaking of celebration churches and some of the more extreme so called Christian rock music what does the following quotes from Mrs. White sound like?

The things you have described as taking place in Indiana, [THESE COMMENTS WERE MADE IN CONNECTION WITH THE "HOLY FLESH" MOVEMENT AT THE INDIANA CAMP MEETING OF 1890. FOR FURTHER DETAILS, SEE SELECTED MESSAGES, BOOK 2, PP. 31-39.] the Lord has shown me would take place just before the close of probation. Every uncouth thing will be demonstrated. There will be shouting, with drums, music, and dancing. The senses of rational beings will become so confused that they cannot be trusted to make right decisions. . . . {LDE 159.1}

A bedlam of noise shocks the senses and perverts that which if conducted aright might be a blessing. The powers of satanic agencies blend with the din and noise to have a carnival, and this is termed the Holy Spirit's working. . . . Those things which have been in the past will be in the future. Satan will make music a snare by the way in which it is conducted.--2SM 36, 38 (1900). {LDE 159.2}

In the way they are usually used? A handy little quote to silence all talk on topics ranging from what instruments to play during church service to whom to associate with to where to gather. Quite handy to stay in status que in other words..

/Thomas