Truth or Tradition?

War is raging between Pope Francis and members of his flock. Abortion, LBGTQ rights, political affiliations, women priests, globalism and various social issues have divided Catholics as never before between conservatives and liberal progressives.

But, as a convent-educated ex-Catholic, this is not my fight. The Church has moved so far away from Jesus Christ's teachings, the only real battle for minds and hearts - of all faiths - is Truth versus Tradition. 

A few years ago, a young Christian I know was involved in a discussion with a Catholic bishop and his companion, a Hebrew scholar. Both men were charming, well-spoken and extremely well-educated.  Rosemary, * on the other hand, was the product of a good but basic state education and had rejected university in favour of a steady job in banking. She did, however, have one huge advantage...a lifelong love and keen understanding of the Bible.

The discussion began with the trinity, a doctrine so cherished by Christendom that every denomination must hold the trinity  as its core belief to join the World Council of Churches. Yet, sacred as it may be to Catholics in particular, the concept of a triune god – i.e. three gods in one - was adopted in the 3rd century, ** no doubt to draw pagans into the new religion. Other pagan ideas, such as hellfire, purgatory, immortality and idol worship were also included, sullying the pure teachings of the Gospels. 

Unable to defend the trinity in the face of Bible truth, the bishop became exasperated. “Young woman!” he exclaimed. “Don’t you realise, the Catholic Church is based on centuries of Tradition?”

Rosemary remembered Jesus’ words to the Pharisees when he accused them of making God’s word invalid by their traditions.  (Mark 7:7-9,13)

“If it came to a choice, which would you obey,” she asked, “Your traditions or the Bible?”

The bishop's answer was unequivocal. “Tradition! Tradition, tradition, tradition!”

Which should we obey?

*Not her real name.

**"Many think the Trinity doctrine was formulated at the Council of Nicaea in 325 C.E. That is not totally correct, however. The Council of Nicaea did assert that Christ was of the same substance as God, which laid the groundwork for later Trinitarian theology. But it did not establish the Trinity, for at that council there was no mention of the holy spirit as the third person of a triune Godhead.” https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1101989303#h=1 

 

When coronovirus is over...

Seeing as I'll be using at least some of my lockdown time to regenerate my blog,  it's only fitting to devote a short  post to this strange, unsettling confinement.
In actual fact, I was rather looking forward to it. I had such plans. As well as blogging, I was going to give my dusty old house a thorough spring clean and maybe (if really desperate) a lick of paint. I also have a mountain of books to read, and a whole raft of chat groups to visit, populated by wise and witty friends, and, of course, Twitter. I could refresh my  foreign languages, learn a new skill, and even write a novel - oh yes, time would fly!
So what have I been doing since my self-isolation began?
Slumping on my sofa with endless cups of tea watching daytime TV.
The last time I slobbed out like this, I was out of work, my daughter had decamped to London and for the first time in my life I could do exactly what I wanted....as long as it didn't cost anything.
I was quite industrious at first. Realising my Jobseekers Allowance wasn't going to pay many bills, I spent hours advertising my freelance services with flyers, emails and straightforward begging letters only to meet with a blank wall....and then I found myself being inexplicably lured in an entirely new direction...
It was only meant to keep me company; a reassuring presence, a hum of friendly voices and familiar faces....besides, I told myself, I needed to keep up with the news, to be informed, alert to world conditions.
But gradually, remorselessly,  inevitably, I was totally sucked into a vortex of soaps, quiz shows, cookery programmes and the endless machinations of reality TV.  Coach Trip was a particular favourite...Come Dine with Me, Four in a Bed, Location Location, Doctors, Father Brown and scores of detective series repeated over and over again. I should have known better, should have been stronger,  but, before I knew what was happening, it was too late.
I was hooked.
If the phone rang, or I needed to nip to the shop, I'd feel irritable and anxious, cutting all social contact short to get back to my beloved friend in the corner. Even so, I thought I could handle it, refusing to recognise my problem until an advertising agency contracted me for 3 months in Manchester.
This came as quite a shock....not only had someone actually bothered to read my profile, they were now dragging me away from my comfort zone, a way of life I yearned for on that chilly Monday morning, waiting for a train to the first day's assignment. That's when it struck me: I was a TV junky, wrapped up in a  cosy, unthreatening world I had now been forced to leave.
Goodbye sofa, goodbye Kirsty and Phillip and Holly and Brendan....I had to break free! I DID break free.
But now?  With weeks of home confinement on the cards, can I really resist the "On" switch? Will I emerge from the coronovirus clampdown with my senses still intact, or as a helpless telly addict?


  

Life after Locked-in Syndrome

3 Soldiers Finish the Job Together

As members of the 22nd Cheshire Regiment, Andrew Harding (left), Peter Coghlan (centre)  and Shaun Schofield (right) served together on a peace-keeping mission in Northern Ireland. This is Peter’s story:

“We all had each others’ backs during that time; keeping the peace was a very scary task for a 19-year old, I'm not ashamed to say. Fire bombs, bricks and a few hundred angry people wasn’t our idea of a night out on the town! We would spend a lot of days on patrol across the Northern Ireland borders too, feet bleeding sometimes from all the kilometres we covered in full combats. Carting the heavy I.E.D. detectors (Improvised Explosive Device) with helmets, webbing, magazines and rifles was not easy! Crossing wet barbed wire fences for days occasionally catching your privates while ripping your tackle area open...Oh yeah, we were living the dream!
  I loved to see that Chinook helicopter arrving to take us home when near to dropping with bleeding feet. The sound of it coming before we even saw it was incredible. ThudThud thud thud thud thud thud thud....The sound came from everywhere - and you had no idea for a while where she was! I sometimes got the seat right above the RAF Gunner, literally hanging over him or her as the chopper banked left and right WITH THE DOOR OPEN!!! Gunner covering the arks. Yeah, we became close in the army us Stockport lads, for sure...one mate is training me at the moment, boxing the pads. Rob McCormick or Macca as we know him.
Now, I’d better explain where this is all going!
In 2011, after a severe blow on my head brought on the stroke that left me locked-in,  I was nothing but a quadriplegic fart in a bed ..watching my drip-drip-drip..all day in ICU. No speech, no movement just these memories of a young, fit soldier and the dreams for a future I once thought I had!!
Being rolled about the bed in my own faeces, being pumped full of drugs and craned in and out of bed like a sand delivery, I certainly didn't visualize that 9 years after my brain stem stroke I'd be on national television with Holly & Philip on the ITV This Morning show watched by millions of viewers. I did okay, I think, but you can judge for yourself here:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=I6QXSLf7sf8

Having learned to walk and to speak again through 9 years’ obsessive behaviour, I'm living proof that the brain is more powerful than we know. All it needs, I believe, is the will, stubbornness, and persistence.
I absolutely refused to believe my life was over. As a soldier I wasn't going to stop until the job was done!
Andrew and Shaun were going to join me in a new assault.. up Mount Snowdon, which has sadly had to be postponed, due to Covid-19 and my having to return to Oz. But it was great seeing my old army pals again. Andrew, who got me busted for raiding a RUC cigarette machine (see my book)* and Shaun, who is now a CERT-ED Mountain Leader, have always been great guys to have in my corner.  These Cheshire Regiment pals have still got my back in civi street all these years later (cheers lads)!
I'm hoping we can inspire many head injuries & stroke survivors out there with my story. Cancer patients too!! as I was discharged from the army in 1998 with Hodgkins Lymphoma - my first battle.
If you want to follow my incredible 9-year rehabilitation, visit my website petercoghlan.com, or YouTube - In the Blink of an Eye - Reborn
Today I’m being used to help occupational therapy and physiotherapy students in university education to better understand LIS and stroke from the survivor's point of view. To show the strength and the power in the human brain and to provide insight into how determination can help the human spirit overcome adversity.
I'm very proud indeed to share my story with you and I hope I can make a difference to this, sometimes, unforgiving world.”

Peter's book  'In the Blink of an Eye Reborn', is available from Amazon and Smashwords

mybook.to/ITBOAEP

A literary look at locked-in syndrome by Alexandre Dumas

Did you know that the first description of locked-in syndrome was written by Alexander Dumas in 'The Count of Monte Cristo'? 

‘Sight and hearing were the only senses remaining.... It was only, however, by means of one of these senses that he could reveal the thoughts and feelings that still occupied his mind, and the look by which he gave expression to his inner life was like the distant gleam of a candle which a traveler sees by night across some desert place, and knows that a living being dwells beyond the silence and obscurity. In his eyes, shaded by thick black lashes, was concentrated, as it often happens with an organ which is used to the exclusion of the others, all the activity, address, force, and intelligence which were formerly diffused over his whole body; and so although the movement of the arm, the sound of the voice, and the agility of the body, were wanting, the speaking eye sufficed for all’.

https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/locked-in-syndrome/

Now you can read this 21st century experience by Peter Coghlan whose remarkable recovery from LIS is inspiring thousands of stroke and brain injury survivors worldwide.

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blink-Eye-Reborn-Peter-Coghlan/dp/1727145593/ref=asc_df_1727145593/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=310817435886&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13854897127753846491&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=t&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046433&hvtargid=aud-858307789606:pla-581237497900&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

US: https://www.amazon.com/Blink-Eye-Reborn-Peter-Coghlan-ebook/dp/B07H74XL4F/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=In+the+blink+of+an+eye+reborn&qid=1582968638&sr=8-1

Is your future already written?

Omens, superstitions and predictions all have one thing in common - Fate, a philosophy which began with the original three Fates from Greek mythology, goddesses who spun the thread of life, decided how long it should be for each individual, and cut it at the predetermined time.

Despite its mythical roots, this belief is very widespread, pointing to inevitable (often adverse) outcomes for every event - outcomes that are totally inescapable because they’re determined either by God or by other supernatural forces. As a result, fatalists may have a laissez-faire view of life, displaying a lack of purpose and an unwillingness to make decisions.  After all, what’s the point if the future’s already written?

If there IS no point and if the future is truly controlled by unseen forces, then why do we visit doctors? Why do we try to live healthily? And why are there fewer fatalities for people who wear seat belts when setting off in cars? If you’re fated to be an X-Factor winner, why bother with singing lessons? If you’re meant to pass that exam, why bother swotting? And if the job’s destined to be yours, does it matter how you dress for the interview? 

According to astrologers, a person’s character can be determined by their horoscope, the precise positioning of the planets and signs of the zodiac at the time of birth. Despite many challenges to astrology over the years, belief for many in its abilities - not only to predict the future but also to influence human behaviour - is very deep-rooted. 

Yet is such faith backed up by evidence? As part of an A-level course in Psychology, students were given a horoscope that had supposedly been drawn up according to each individual’s date and time of birth. Most students agreed it was extremely accurate, only to find they’d all been given exactly the same character description! 

So what’s the harm? Well, convincing someone they have a certain nature, set of talents or even destiny can exert undue influence over his or her decisions for the future......almost as though a screenplay of their life has been written in advance by somebody else. Social workers and psychologists have highlighted how being typecast as, say, the black sheep of the family, the clever one, or the ditz can colour  youths’ development,  virtually obliging them to live up (or down) to their given role. 

Even worse, whether it comes via zodiac chart or family members, such prejudgement interferes with our most basic human right – free will. 

We may be born with certain traits, we can certainly be influenced by nurture, and circumstances we encounter throughout life will obviously affect us. But with free will, we have the right and the means to change ourselves. So be the person you want to be, choose the path you want to follow and never, ever let fate or superstition dictate yours – or your children’s -  life!

Social Media: Avoid the Pitfalls

Avoid the pitfalls

       Before signing up for a social network, it’s good to set a few boundaries. Look at the potential dangers, decide how best to avoid them and create rules that will protect you from any fallout. Here are a few suggestions which I try to apply myself: 

1)   Be careful what you post and only do so when sober! If you wouldn’t like your parents to see those photographs or comments, why make them available to total strangers? Or worse – prospective employers! When texting, remember your manners. Try to ensure that every remark is gracious, ‘seasoned with salt’. 

      

2)   Check your privacy settings, as the default settings on the network site may let more people view your page than you imagine. It’s a good idea to customise your settings so only close friends can access your posts. Even then, you need to watch that you don’t give out more information than intended. 

3)   Should you receive a critical or negative response, don’t retaliate. If the criticism is well-meant, thank the sender for his/her interest. Ignore abusive comments and block them from your page along with any that make you feel uncomfortable. The same goes for dubious would-be followers or ‘friends’. Be selective and never open links from anyone you feel unsure of. Some may be pornographic or violent.

       

4)   Social websites are constantly buzzing with gossip, rumours and opinions about people in the public eye. Be determined never to write derogatory personal remarks about anyone, famous or not, even if they seem to deserve it – after all, who are we to judge? Failing to observe this rule may, at best make you seem spiteful, and at worst get you sued for libel! 

       

5)   Remember your details are accessible to millions of people, including some who know you, so guard your privacy. Don’t give out too much personal information such as home address, email address, where you attend school, work or college, when you’re at home, when and where you’re going, when you’re at home, when nobody is at home, your photos, opinions, likes, dislikes and hobbies and innermost thoughts. 

6)   Set limits for the time you spend on social networks and stick to them. Doing this will help you control your online activities instead of letting them control you. And if social networks start to take you over, and you find yourself thinking constantly about your tweets, blogs and profiles, then switch them off. Or simply take a break from them, like these teenagers: 

       “I deactivated my account, and I had heaps of time. I felt free! Recently, I reactivated my account, but I have complete control. I don’t check it for days at a time. Occasionally I even forget about it. If my social networking account becomes a problem again, I’ll just deactivate my account.” 

       “I have taken ‘networking breaks,’ where I deactivate my account for a couple of months and then reactivate it later. I do that whenever I realize that I’ve been spending too much time with it. Now I don’t feel as attached to it as I used to. I’ll use it for a purpose, but then I’m done.”  

      By taking sensible precautions and rationing the time we spend on social network, we can use it with confidence -without filching too much attention from more important activities.

       

Advice for Teens Online - Protect Yourself!

Keep online devices in the living room or other well-used areas and only go online when others are at home. Maybe you feel your parents are too strict, but any boundaries they set are for YOUR protection - because they love you - so cooperate.

Beware dodgy links, blogs, sites or ‘friends’ who want to manipulate or corrupt you. If you DO stumble onto anything unwholesome or disturbing, close the site down immediately – or even get offline! Don’t allow nasty, sick images to linger in your head and NEVER let curiosity get the better of you! Pornography is highly addictive and can actually change your brain!

If you’ve already been hooked by porn, violence or other disturbing websites, speak to someone who cares about you, a mature friend or family member who will help and advise you.

DO NOT allow anyone to manipulate you, groom you, intimidate you, make you uncomfortable or mess with your head. Remember, not everyone you meet online may be the person you think they are. That cool, good-looking 18-year old may be a lot older (and uglier) than you think! Never EVER give out your address or other contact details no matter how 'nice' your chatty new friend may seem!

Browsing aimlessly can be one of life’s biggest time-wasters, so schedule the time you spend online - and stick to it—no matter how absorbed you become. This applies not only to social media and chat rooms, but also emails! Countless messages can eat into other important activities, such as homework and studies.

Never let virtual communication take the place of face to face contact with the people who matter most – family and friends.

+BBC News has reported that paedophiles are using Facebook to swap images. NEVER agree to 'meet' anyone in a secret 'room' while visiting this site. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-35521068

*Names have been changed