Places where Adultery is Illegal
In Praise of MegaChurches
Percentage of Cleared Homicides by County, The Contiguous United States, 1965-2021
The Pope’s Exorcist
(Trailer) The Pope’s Exorcist is a 2023 American supernatural horror film based on the 1990 book An Exorcist Tells His Story and the 1992 book An Exorcist: More Stories by Father Gabriele Amorth. The film stars Russell Crowe as Amorth.
In 1986, Amorth, the Pope’s personal exorcist, an earthy, scooter-riding, humorous, practical man, visits an Italian village where a man is seemingly possessed by a demon. With the local priest, Amorth enters the room where the man is tied up. While exorcising him, using a Saint Benedict Medal sacramental, Amorth drives the demon into a pig, which is then killed with a shotgun.
This incident gets Amorth in trouble with a Church tribunal since he acted without permission from superiors. One tribunal member is a friendly African bishop, Lumumba, but another is a vicious American cardinal, Sullivan, skeptical of demonic possession. Amorth replies that evil does exist, and that he did not perform a true exorcism, but rather, some psychological theater to help the mentally-disturbed man. Disgusted, Amorth walks out of the tribunal.
The Pope assigns him to visit a possessed boy named Henry in Spain. Henry, his mother Julia, and his rebellious teenage sister Amy had traveled from America to take possession of a mysterious old Spanish abbey which was Henry’s father’s sole bequest to his family after he died in a car accident in which Henry was also present. The traumatized Henry has not spoken since the accident. Workmen, who were restoring the abbey so the family could sell it, leave after a sinister fire. Henry starts behaving bizarrely; serum chemistry panels and MRI show nothing abnormal.
Henry, diabolically possessed, requests a priest; the local Father Esquibel arrives, but Henry obscenely derides him. Amorth arrives and enlists Esquibel as an assistant, though Esquibel is untrained as an exorcist. Esquibel says he has heard of Amorth but not read Amorth’s books; Amorth says, “They’re good books.” Amorth advocates the importance of prayer, though Esquibel makes mistakes as an assistant exorcist, including strangling Henry when Henry antagonizes him, and mocking him for his sins.
The duo attempt to exorcise Henry, without success, as he utters blasphemous phrases during the rite. Henry’s demon even possesses Amy at times. Amorth finds Julia has not been a religious believer since childhood, but he convinces her to pray after she reveals she believed her guardian angel helped her in childhood.
In Rome, the Pope becomes ill while reading documents about the Spanish case, and is hospitalized. Amorth finds a well on the abbey grounds going down to a complex sealed off by the Church as demonically dangerous. He learns that a founder of the Spanish Inquisition, an exorcist, was possessed, which let him infiltrate the Church and do many evils. Amorth also finds the Church covered this up, and eventually discovers the name of Henry’s demon, Asmodeus, which will assist the exorcism.
From the Days of Fighting Sail
USS Argus vs. HMS Pelican
USS Argus commanded by Master Commandant William Henry Allen arrived at Lorient in Brittany, France, on 11 July 1813. Argus began raiding British shipping in the English Channel and Irish Sea. During the next month, she captured nineteen merchant ships. Rather than weaken his crew by sending the captured ships to American, French, or neutral ports under prize crews, Allen set most of the captured ships on fire.
The American brig Argus engaging His Majesty’s sloop Pelican in British waters, 14th August 1813, by Montague Dawson (1895-1973)
The shipping losses soon caused insurance rates for merchant shipping to increase greatly. The British Admiralty sent orders to all available ships to hunt down Argus. The British brig-sloop HMS Pelican had just arrived in Cork Harbor in Ireland, having escorted a convoy from the West Indies, and immediately put to sea again on 10 August 1813. Pelican’s captain was Commander John Fordyce Maple.
On 13 August, Argus took two prizes. As with Argus’s previous captures, the Americans set fire to the prize unfortunately for them, Pelican was near enough to sight the smoke from the burning vessel and make for it. On the morning of 14 August 1813, Argus and Pelican sighted each other west of St David’s Head in Southwest Wales. Argus was the faster but more lightly armed vessel. Allen could have used Argus’s greater speed to escape. Instead, he accepted battle.
Capture of the Argus, August 14th, 1813.From a painting in the possession of Capt.n Maples. Painted by Whitcombe. Engraved by T. Sutherland. ca 1815
The wind was from the south, giving Pelican the weather advantage. Four minutes after the ships exchanged their first broadsides, Allen lost his leg. His first lieutenant was also badly wounded, and Argus’s rigging was badly damaged. Pelican tried to cross Argus’s stern to deliver raking fire but Argus’s second lieutenant, William Howard Allen, threw his sails aback to slow the American brig and instead raked Pelican. This did not cripple the British vessel, and the two brigs continued to exchange broadsides. After four more minutes, Argus’s rigging was to badly damaged for the Americans to prevent Pelican from crossing Argus’s stern and delivering several raking broadsides.
The crew of the HMS Pelican prepares to board the USS Argus. A slightly idealized image of Commander Maple, in British Battles on Land and Sea, volume 2, p. 458, 1873
Finally, the two vessels came into contact, Argus’s bow against Pelican’s quarter. As British boarding parties mustered but before they could board Argus, the Americans surrendered. Pelican and the captured Argus went into Plymouth. Allen died there of his wounds a week after the battle. He was buried with full military honors. The rest of the crew, including Argus’s sailing master, were held as prisoners of war in England for the duration of the war.
Identify the Camouflaged Tank
(I realize that the camo makes the ID tough). It’s a modern tank, 2023 photo.
Meme of the Day
She’s waiting for Cederq
A blessed Sunday to you all, LL.
Thank you, LindaG
Identify the Camouflaged Tank:
You got me. Other than:
1. The turret is reversed as fuel drums are mounted on the rear of a tank.
2. Given the fuel drums, the tank is probably Chinese or Russian or Russian-inspired. I’ll ignore British Challengers for the nonce.
3. The drums are mounted relatively low which eliminates the T-80.
I’ve got nothing.
Hint – British
Challenger
Which one?
2
Yes indeed! This was a nearly impossible challenge.
Operative word, “nearly”…no match for Surly AI or a couple of other VM reading savants.
The exquisitely long-legged lass puts me to mind of the young countess in Hemmingway’s Across the River and Into the Trees.
Yes, she does
Solved Homicides
Looking at the map it appears Wyoming isn’t a good place to kill someone if you want to get away.
They’re on their game.
Bill Hybels (ousted founder of Willow Creek after 42 years at the helm) used to say “The local church is the hope of the world”. If…a big ‘if’.. “Mega Churches” preach the proper gospel, and don’t drown out worship with the music (often designed to build emotion), but challenge the congregation…then so be it.
Chris-Craft Runaround Gal- “These Bruno Magli stilettos MAY be the latest style and a gift from Giuseppe, but they are KILLING my feet.”
I think of Mega Churches as whited sepulchers.
Look, if people enjoy the show, they pay their money. Is it a Christian Church after the model set forth by Jesus Christ? Did Jesus teach “entertainment based faith”? No, that was the Romans.
Exactly. Yet in even large church settings the worship experience is really up to the individual. Being more rural, on the heels of 12 years of pastoring our local church, and 4 holding “ranch “fellowship”, we do not attend a church. Which in itself is not unusual once being on that side of the pulpit, but we find many churches, large and small, have lost their way. Instead we worship our faith in other ways.
I have a friend whose brother was pastor of a church he built to over 5,000.
He had to keep his phone number secret to get sleep.
He was a devout guy and the church was a good church.
But to my mind it was too big.
But it’s size allowed it to have influence in the community.
Did the Mega Church bring its flock closer to Jesus Christ? That’s the real question. In my experience, entertainment-based faith may be better than nothing. Or maybe not.
Ever see the Face of God? Or hear the voice of Jesus as if He’s standing right there? Ever see the Hand of God? Ever feel His presence?
Happens in nature or those quiet moments all the time when we are receptive and tuned into His spiritual realm. Worship between Believers is important to maintain fortitude…but it does not have to be in a building…can be of course…but not critical to be in “one accord”.
For me…as long as I do my part and He knows me.
I believe it did. The members I met were quality.
He resigned it. It did not hold him.
Once again, I am not a fan of mega churches.
Yet my sister got sincerely saved in one. Then her husband.
But they eventually left for better deeper teaching of the Word.
At a smaller church.
Looks like Cederq is mighty slow this morning. Let me know if she’s stood up.
I am right behind you Woodman…
While she is an attractive lass, I tend to favor Nordic, blond lasses well shorter so I unencumbered by looking directly at her bosom or have my eyes poked while sideling up in an intimate embrace… Beside that level of malarkey, I couldn’t afford her on my measly pensioner living. The shoes, outfit, the clutch and necklace and manicured claws and the fact of riding a water taxi in what appears Venice bespeaks of very high expectation of being well maintained.
Picky-picky-picky.
You’d kick if you were hung with a new rope.
That’s what AMEX black Centurian cards are for. I’m sure that she’ll want her own card.
Sure I’d kick, new rope is scratchy…
I feel a need to say something about Ex Pimps here, but clever words elude me at the moment.
We probably could not afford her hair styling bill let alone the rest!
I’m sure that a spa day would run you $8K.
don’t know if it’s appropriate to say this of women (in specific),
but from my (lofty?) vantage point
she appears to be all hat, no cattle.
I have no understanding of the talent that may be involved.
It does not matter the size of the church, big, small, extended, on-line, in-person, as long as the Message is sent and received.
I’ve been in some mega-churches (okay, cathedrals) where the Message was pure and clear. I’ve been in some micro-churches where the Message is so covered by politics and offering requests that I’ve realized the Message exists better in a Vegas Elvis chapel.
As to the naval battle, always run, always, if the other guy is bigger and you’re faster unless it’s your job to slow down the bigger guy in order to protect others. And if you’re smaller and faster and you’ve shot your wad, get the hell out (the part that MTBs have problems with.)
I’m just wondering how the crew of the Argus felt about letting all that prize money go down in flames.
I’m sure that they were not enthused about losing the prizes to the fortunes of war and military expediency.
As to adultery, yes it’s ilegal in Florida, yet if the wife commits it in Florida, she’ll still probably get the kids and a huge alimony and child support settlement.
Was told about a divorce in Florida where the man caught his wife shagging her boss. The husband made 2/3s what the wife made which was around $175,000 back in the early 90s. The couple had worked the settlement out with no alimony. The judge in the case forced the man to pay alimony. That is bizarre.
Female judge?
That would qualify as “equity” in 2023.
Now I’m curious as to what the boat is the Italian lady is riding in. That’s not a Chris… Looks like it might be a Serenella design. http://www.antiqueboatamerica.com/Boat/37108
Nice airbrushing. Reminds me a of a fine morning in Paris with young lass and a ’65 Mustang …..
Some don’t require an airbrush.
If you are interested in reading of a genuine exorcism:
https://ed-bonderenka.blogspot.com/2021/12/tearing-down-strongholds.html
Astounding. Demonic forces will find the chink in the armor…if given the opportunity. Been there, in a spiritual attack situation. Watched people known for a decade or more turn. Never heard any of that out my pulpit, yet they allowed it to happen…hence my retirement from that congregation. Got ugly fast. Happens every week in churches all over the country. Not a good accounting.
They don’t all spit pea soup.
Mr. LL, for some reason I read colored” for “cleared.” Can’t think why.
You must tell your daughters to be careful on those gondolas. I know, prob a lost cause but still.to