The Helpful Pointer

CATHOLICS vs ROME

Vatican II declared it was no longer a sin for a Catholic to read a non-Catholic Bible or visit a non-Catholic church.

The average Catholic in the Western world loved that. Non-Catholics, too, where so many are prone to visiting each other’s churches with friends and family of various denominations. Strangely, they did nothing at Vatican II to remove the more than 100 anathemas, or curses, pronounced by the Council of Trent in 1545-63 on the Protestant churches and beliefs. More about that coming up. How good it is for all those who march under the banner of Christianity, to be able to worship our Lord and King together. But let’s be together TOGETHER. Question: Why didn’t Rome clean the slate while they were at it and lift those curses?

Is unity breaking out among denominations throughout the world? Not hardly. In some sections of the world, if a non-Catholic church begins a ministry, persecution, even death, is eminent. In other nations anything that’s not Catholic is considered a cult and is considered as unworthy of government tax exempt benefits. Strangely, in many so-called “Catholic” countries…
Italy, France, Spain, Mexico… the percentage of the population that attends church, reads the Bible, or has the slightest clue of what it means to be Catholic is staggeringly low. Fact is, sadly, the overwhelming majority of Catholics worldwide do not know what it is that God would say to them through His Word, the Bible, but are relying upon official interpretations, opinions, traditions and dogmas of the denomination, even mixing basic teachings with blatant occultic practices. Few have taken the time to study those dogmas themselves. The competency of Catholics,their sincerity, integrity, intelligence, or religious dedication, is not the concern here. Their strong convictions
are admirable, even enviable. Most would agree that, to make a quality decision, one requires quality facts. So, I encourage you, as I did, to compare the major teachings of the Catholic church with the obvious truths of God’s Word.

An analogy from my own life is this: since I was a boy, I have been a Chicago Bear football fan. Why? Because I lived in Chicago and my dad was a fan. I didn’t know the players, how well they played, the long history of the team, but it was a family tradition. As the years passed, I have remained true to the Bears, win or lose (mostl lose). Strangely, my younger son, here in the heart of Dallas Cowboy country, where we now reside, is ALSO a Bear fan. Now, I haven’t watched a pro football game on TV in many years at this writing. I know very little about
the Bears, who the coach is, who the players are, but I guarantee you, if they make it to the Super Bowl any time
soon, my world will stop to see them play on some big TV screen somewhere. (Incidentally, I am to be pitied above all men for I am also a Chicago Cub fan. Sigh).

If you will, please examine the following synopsis of details which caused me to question my Catholic affiliation and decide for yourself if there was any merit to my decision to leave the Catholic church I had been affiliated with for 21 years, attending a Catholic school, wearing my scapular, serving as an altar boy, was baptized, confirmed, etc.

THE BIBLE vs ROME

– The Bible was officially forbidden to the people, placed on the Index of Forbidden Books List by the Council of
Valencia, 1229 AD.

– Council of Trent (1545-63 AD) also prohibited its use and pronounced a curse (anathema) upon anyone who would oppose this decree.

– The Roman Catholic Church has burned Bibles and the people who translated it and promoted its study (EX: John Hus, 1415 AD; Wm. Tyndale, 1536 AD).

– Though external pressures have caused Rome to relax restrictions against Bible study in the U.S., its distribution
is still widely withheld in many countries heavily influenced by Roman Catholicism.

–Though the Roman Church claims the inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, it openly exalts the authority of its own traditions, dogmas and decrees ABOVE the Bible.

– The church teaches the deity of Christ but places Mary and priests as mediators between God and believers so that free access to Jesus is possible only through them.

– The church teaches forgiveness of sins but only through confession to a priest and the absolution given by him.

– The church teaches salvation, but substitutes a system of grace plus works in which human deeds are important.

– The church teaches that Christ established the Church, but exalts the pope as its head and invests absolute, infallible
authority in him and his decrees.

Though the Roman Catholic Church claims to be “the one true church,” arguing that its roots can be traced to Christ, the historical facts do not substantiate this claim. Roman Catholic dogma has evolved over the centuries, however, none of its
major traditions and doctrine were ever taught, defended, practiced, or embraced by the early, apostolic church.

None.

Following are some elements of Catholic doctrine, rituals, decrees, and beliefs and the approximate year they were
instituted:

Sign of the cross…300AD

Veneration of angels, dead saints, use of images…375AD

Mass as a daily celebration…394AD

Exaltation of Mary and use of term “Mother of God”…432AD

Extreme Unction…526AD

Doctrine of Purgatory, instituted by Gregory I…539AD

Prayers to Mary, dead saints, angels…600AD

Holy Water…850AD

Canonization of dead saints, first by Pope John XV…995AD

Fasting on Fridays and during Lent…998AD

Mass developed as a sacrifice, attendance mandatory…11th Century

Celibacy for priests, decreed by Gregory VII…1079AD

The inquisition, instituted by Council of Verona, suspects convicted of heresy, tortured and executed, estimated
15 million people died…1184AD

Sale of Indulgences…1190AD

Transubstantiation, proclaimed by Innocent III…1215AD

Confession to priests, instituted by Innocent III in Lateran Council…1215AD

Adoration of the host (Latin: means “victim”), decreed by Honorius III…1220AD

Bible forbidden, Council of Toulouse…1229AD

Cup forbidden to people at communion, Council of Constance…1414AD

Purgatory, pronounced as dogma by Council of Florence…1439AD

Tradition declared as equal authority with Bible, Council of Trent…1545AD

Apocryphal books added to Bible, Council of Trent, a reaction to the Protestant Reformation. By canonizing
these books it legitimized their use in doctrinal matters (1 Maccabecs 4:46, 9:27, 14:41 states the days of prophets
were gone; Jesus quoted all 39 OT books from Genesis to Malachi, never the Apocrypha; No other New Testament writer
quoted the Apocrypha. Jesus contradicted teachings from Apocrypha; Jerome, Origen and others denied its inspiration;
The Pesshitta, the Syriac Bible of 2AD, did not contain the Apocrypha)…1546AD

Infallibility of Pope, Vatican Council…1870AD

Public schools condemned, Pius XI…1930AD

Assumption of Mary, bodily ascension into Heaven after death, Pius XII…1950

Mary proclaimed “Mother of the church,” Paul VI…1965AD

Other areas of scriptural abuses and manmade doctrine include nuns, Ash Wednesday, All Saints day, medals, charms, relics, novenas, and more. This revealing list represents an overview of the many human inventions which have corrupted, distorted, and perverted the official positions presented as truth by the Roman Catholic Church to its people. The problem: worldwide, the majority of Roman Catholics have no idea!

PETER vs ROME

In his book Eaclesiam Suam, Pope Paul expressed his distress because of what some of the “Separated brethren” say about the papacy as being the stumbling block in the way of church unity. He said, “Do not some of them say that if it were not for the primacy of the pope, the reunion o the separated churches with the Catholic Church would be easy? We beg the separated brethren to consider the inconsistency of this position, not only in that, without the pope, the Catholic church would no longer be Catholic, but also because without the supreme decisive pastoral office of Peter, the unity of the Church of Christ would utterly collapse.”

Collapse? I doubt it. I do agree that if the Catholic Church were reformed according to Scripture, it would have to be abandoned. About Peter, claiming him as first pope is nothing short of doctrinal error. It’s based upon Matthew 16:13-19, where Jesus responds to Peter’s confession that He is the Christ declaring that upon this rock He will build His church and will give the keys to the kingdom to Peter to bind and loose on the earth. The papacy claims that Peter is the rock referred to here and the keys represent the pope’s absolute authority and infallibility over the church. Jesus DID say Peter was a rock, but a study of the Greek word for “rock” reveals Peter’s name (Petros) as referring to a mere stone in comparison to the massive rock (petra)… the Gibraltar, which is His Holy Name, the Name above all names… Jesus!

Jesus was not saying He would build His church upon simple Simon Peter. NO! But, He would build it upon that simple foundational confession of faith which Peter made that Jesus is the Christ! Not only Peter’s confession, but every similar confession for generations to come (Rom 10:9-11). Jesus is the Rock, not Peter! (See I Cor 3:11; Eph 2:20, 21).

The “keys” symbolize the authority to open the way of salvation through the preaching of the Gospel to all those who are shackled in darkness and sin. Peter was first entrusted with the keys because he was first to give this confession of faith in Jesus and was instrumental in initially opening the door of salvation to the Jews at Pentecost (Acts 2), as well as to the Gentiles at Cornelius’ house (Acts 10). However, ALL true disciples possess these same keys when proclaiming the way of salvation to unbelievers and offering them spiritual liberty through Christ (Matthew 18:18).

Furthermore, the Scriptures disprove Roman Catholic claims concerning Peter. Neither the Scriptures nor Peter ever claimed to be pope, head over the church, or in a superior position over the apostles. Apart from Catholic tradition, there is no biblical, historical, or credible archacological evidence that Peter ever went to Rome or presided as its leader. Read the following Scriptures. Decide for yourself:

1 Peter 5:1 (he is referred to as merely another elder among many)

1 Peter 5:3 (he actually warned AGAINST lording over the flock)

Acts 10:25-27 (he refused to receive homage from men - no ring kissing or special treatment or titles)

Matthew 16:23 (proved he wasn’t infallible when Jesus rebuked him sharply regarding the need for crucifixion)

Galatians 2:11-14 (Paul scolded him for vacillating, being inconsistent, and a hypocrite)

Matthew 8:14; Luke 4:38; I Corinthians 9:5 (he was married)

Romans 16 (Paul wrote this epistle, greeted many believers but did not greet Peter. Why not? Because he wasn’t there).

MARY vs ROME

Catholic women seem to LOVE Mary! In this age of gender equality, I have found that there are many women who love being Catholic ONLY because there seems to be a woman in at least equal authority at the helm. These women forget that anything with two heads is a freak!

In spite of Rome’s great emphasis upon Mary, the Scriptures say very little about her. She’s never mentioned by Paul, Peter, James, or John. None of the New Testament epistles refer to her either. In fact, the most significant Catholic teachings concerning her are fairly recent in origin (Immaculate Conception, 1854; Assumption, 1950).

The Bible refers to Mary as “blessed…among women” (not ABOVE women, Luke 1:28). It does not teach us to deify, worship, or pray to her. Jesus did not. Neither did the early Christians. She is recognized for her many wonderful attributes, namely, her willingness to bring Christ into the world and non-Catholics would do well to study these attributes. By that example, we should each be as willing to be used as a vessel for bringing Christ into our own world. Unfortunately, Rome’s adoration of her is condemned by God’s Word as you will see.

In The Glories of Mary (p. 82, 83), Bishop deLiguori wrote that Mary acts as a Mediator between angry sinners and God. The scriptures refute that (I Tim 2:5 and Jn 14:6). He also states that the Holy Church commands a worship peculiar to Mary. It is blatant idolatry to kneel before her statues, recite Hail Mary’s or sing songs to her. This was forbidden by Christ (Matt 4:10), where He reminded Satan: “For it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’ ” Roman Catholicism teaches that Christ is a stern, wrathful judge who cannot be approached by sinners and that Mary is a tender, understanding, merciful intercessor who will plead our cause to her Son with the persuasion of a loving mother. The Bible refutes that (Rom 8:34; Heb 7:25; 9:24).

The Bible rejects Rome’s claim that Mary is the Peacemaker between sinners and God, pg. 80 of Bishop DeLiguori’s book. Compare this belief to the Scriptures (Eph 2:13-18). Christ is our peacemaker. Not Mary, priests, popes, deceased saints, or even the church. On page 160, deLiguori says Mary is “…the gate of Heaven because no one can enter that blessed kingdom without passing through Her…” St. Joseph’s Daily Missal, pg. 1305 says, “the Way of Salvation is open to non otherwise than through Mary,” and that “our salvation is in the hands of Mary.” Compare that claim to the Word of God, Acts 4:12. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under Heaven given to men by which we must be saved,” and John 14:6, “I am the Way and the Truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.”

The Bible gives no support to the many exalted titles the Roman Catholic Church bestows upon Mary: Queen of Angels, Door of Paradise, mother of Grace, Morningstar, Refuge of Sinners. These titles clearly represent Rome’s attempt to elevate Mary to a glorified status, not taught in the Scriptures.

Immaculate Conception teaches that Mary was born without sin. The Scriptures stress that we’ve ALL sinned (Romans 5:12) and that no one does not sin (1 Kings 8:46; Psalms 53:3, I John 1:8, 10). Mary herself acknowledges that she was a sinner in need of a Savior, (Luke 1:46, 47) by offering two turtledoves in the temple, like all poor Jewish mothers, atoning for their sin (Lev 12:6-8).

Rome’s emphasis on her perpetual virginity is clearly refuted in Matthew 13:54-56, Mark 6:3, John 7:5, 6. Though Rome claims these are Christ’s cousins, the original Greek wording clearly refers to brothers and sisters and not cousins. Read this for yourself! After Jesus’ birth, Joseph and Mary lived a normal husband and wife relationship, bearing other children.

MASS and THE EUCHARIST

According to John A. O’Brien’s The Faith of Millions, page 382, Catholics claim that communion is the exact same sacrifice as Christ’s death on the cross, and view it as a literal re-enactment of Christ’s crucifixion on Calvary in an un-bloody manner. Christ’s body is re-crucified and re-sacrificed for the atonement of the individual’s sins. Catholicism teaches that the physical presence of Christ is IN the sacrifice, and that the wine and the “host” are MIRACULOUSLY CHANGED into the actual blood and body of Jesus Christ. LITERALLY! Not figuratively or symbolically. This is referred to as “Transubstantiation,” the literal changing of a substance from one form into another. This is completely contrary to the Scriptures which repeatedly stresses the finality and completeness of Christ’s sacrifice. Read it! Hebrews 10:11, 12, 14, and 18. Also, Hebrews 7:27, 9:12, and 22:28. While you’re at it, read John 19:30 and I Peter 3:18.

In 1963, Pope John XXIII declared, “I do accept entirely all that has been decided and declared at the Council of Trent.” What did they decide at Trent, beginning in 1545? Canon I states: “If anyone shall deny that the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore entire Christ, are truly, really, and substantially contained in the sacrament of the most Holy Eucharist and shall say that He is only in it as a sign, or in a figure-let him be accursed!”

In other words, Rome teaches this: that little wafer is GOD! The bread is supposedly literally changed into Christ by the priest. You’d BETTER believe it…or you’re cursed, according to Canon I. Fact is, tens of millions of people have been tortured and killed through the age for challenging such Catholic dogmas. The problem with this particular decree is that the majority of today’s logical, thinking Catholics deny they can believe this is true. Especially in the Western world. According to TRADITIO: Traditional Roman Catholic Internet (www.traditio.com) “70% OF NOVUS ORDO CATHOLICS NOW HOLD AN HERETICAL BELIEF IN THE HOLY EUCHARIST.” According to their report, this staggering statistic reveals, “… Only 30% of Novus Ordo Catholics believe that they are really and truly receiving the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ under the appearance of Bread and Wine. This has always been the Church’s dogma regarding the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist… The poll results show a terrible confusion on the part of Catholics concerning one of the most fundamental dogmata of the Church, a confusion that has actually led them into (at least material) heresy. The poll results were presented to the U.S. Bishops at their annual conference of November 1992 at Washington, D.C. The bishops failed to take any action, but preferred to let 7 out of 10 Catholics remain in (at least material) heresy.” Ouch!

Since it wasn’t a practice till the early 1200’s, where did this belief originate? The mystic religions and worshipers of Osiris of the Middle East were a great influence on the West, particularly the cultured Italians. Also, the religion of Mithra had its impact. The idea of eating the flesh of deity was popular in Mexico and Central America long before missionaries landed there. Prescott’s Mexico, Vol. 3, quotes, “…their surprise was heightened, when they witnessed a religious rite which reminded them of communion…an image made of flour…and after consecration by priests, was distributed among the people…declaring it was flesh of deity.” A primitive practice indeed. Why do Catholic catechisms and doctrinal instruction books want people to think they must eat Jesus? The answer’s worth seeking.

PLEASE REQUEST PART 3 OF THIS SERIES. Scroll to the bottom to FORWARD, COMMENT, or RATE this article.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Pastor Michael is founder of t.e.a.m. ministries (team1min@aol.com). His eMail broadcasts, known as “Your Town for Jesus” (SEARCH it!) are reaching tens of thousands WEEKLY. He ministers by way of email and Instant Message, too. Write him at team1min@aol.com if you’d like to SUBSCRIBE to receive his messages directly.

Michael’s mission is to bring Discipleship and Encouragement to the Body of Christ. Michael is the author of numerous booklets on a variey of subjects that will interest the thinking Christian. Since 1999, he has written and broadcast hundreds of inspirational articles and a dozen booklets, all designed to accelerate the process of spiritual development in God’s people.

Many believe and some have documented instances when wild animals are taken from the wild and taught a new skill, that they do not necessarily use those skills once out of captivity. Why is this? Well many reasons one, is that it may not be a practical skill to use or there is no real need. Perhaps it might jeopardize their social status to do something that the others felt out of place? Maybe they cannot teach the skill to their offspring or the others in the group are not interested in learning what they have to show them.

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Indeed this hits the nail on the head. The adaptation would be residual to the normal life of the social group or individual animal in the wild. Humans are able to adapt very quickly and often take their skills to new levels with them. That is to say that this is one thing mankind is extremely good at, very well suited and the large brain makes it very easy for him. Indeed this has helped in the “luck” phases of cataclysmic evolution after his branch off from Chimpanzees. Able to adapt no matter where or what is presented.

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Alas, such an agreement is meaningless. We cannot (yet) measure sadness, quantify it, crystallize it, access it in any way from the outside. We are totally and absolutely reliant on your introspection and my introspection. There is no way anyone can prove that my “sadness” is even remotely similar to your sadness. I may be feeling or experiencing something that you might find hilarious and not sad at all. Still, I call it “sadness” and I empathize with you.

This would not have been that grave if empathy hadn’t been the cornerstone of morality.

The Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1999 Edition:

“Empathy and other forms of social awareness are important in the development of a moral sense. Morality embraces a person’s beliefs about the appropriateness or goodness of what he does, thinks, or feels… Childhood is … the time at which moral standards begin to develop in a process that often extends well into adulthood. The American psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg hypothesized that people’s development of moral standards passes through stages that can be grouped into three moral levels…

At the third level, that of postconventional moral reasoning, the adult bases his moral standards on principles that he himself has evaluated and that he accepts as inherently valid, regardless of society’s opinion. He is aware of the arbitrary, subjective nature of social standards and rules, which he regards as relative rather than absolute in authority.

Thus the bases for justifying moral standards pass from avoidance of punishment to avoidance of adult disapproval and rejection to avoidance of internal guilt and self-recrimination. The person’s moral reasoning also moves toward increasingly greater social scope (i.e., including more people and institutions) and greater abstraction (i.e., from reasoning about physical events such as pain or pleasure to reasoning about values, rights, and implicit contracts).”

But, if moral reasoning is based on introspection and empathy - it is, indeed, dangerously relative and not objective in any known sense of the word. Empathy is a unique agreement on the emotional and experiential content of two or more introspective processes in two or more subjective. Such an agreement can never have any meaning, even as far as the parties to it are concerned. They can never be sure that they are discussing the same emotions or experiences. There is no way to compare, measure, observe, falsify or verify (prove) that the “same” emotion is experienced identically by the parties to the empathy agreement. Empathy is meaningless and introspection involves a private language despite what Wittgenstein had to say. Morality is thus reduced to a set of meaningless private languages.

The Encyclopaedia Britannica:

“… Others have argued that because even rather young children are capable of showing empathy with the pain of others, the inhibition of aggressive behaviour arises from this moral affect rather than from the mere anticipation of punishment. Some scientists have found that children differ in their individual capacity for empathy, and, therefore, some children are more sensitive to moral prohibitions than others.

Young children’s growing awareness of their own emotional states, characteristics, and abilities leads to empathy–i.e., the ability to appreciate the feelings and perspectives of others. Empathy and other forms of social awareness are in turn important in the development of a moral sense… Another important aspect of children’s emotional development is the formation of their self-concept, or identity–i.e., their sense of who they are and what their relation to other people is.

According to Lipps’s concept of empathy, a person appreciates another person’s reaction by a projection of the self into the other. In his sthetik, 2 vol. (1903-06; ‘Aesthetics’), he made all appreciation of art dependent upon a similar self-projection into the object.”

This may well be the key. Empathy has little to do with the other person (the empathee). It is simply the result of conditioning and socialization. In other words, when we hurt someone - we don’t experience his pain. We experience OUR pain. Hurting somebody - hurts US. The reaction of pain is provoked in US by OUR own actions. We have been taught a learned response of feeling pain when we inflict it upon another. But we have also been taught to feel responsible for our fellow beings (guilt). So, we experience pain whenever another person claims to experience it as well. We feel guilty.

In sum:

To use the example of pain, we experience it in tandem with another person because we feel guilty or somehow responsible for his condition. A learned reaction is activated and we experience (our kind of) pain as well. We communicate it to the other person and an agreement of empathy is struck between us.

We attribute feelings, sensations and experiences to the object of our actions. It is the psychological defence mechanism of projection. Unable to conceive of inflicting pain upon ourselves - we displace the source. It is the other’s pain that we are feeling, we keep telling ourselves, not our own.

The Encyclopaedia Britannica:

“Perhaps the most important aspect of children’s emotional development is a growing awareness of their own emotional states and the ability to discern and interpret the emotions of others. The last half of the second year is a time when children start becoming aware of their own emotional states, characteristics, abilities, and potential for action; this phenomenon is called self-awareness… (coupled with strong narcissistic behaviours and traits - SV)…

This growing awareness of and ability to recall one’s own emotional states leads to empathy, or the ability to appreciate the feelings and perceptions of others. Young children’s dawning awareness of their own potential for action inspires them to try to direct (or otherwise affect) the behaviour of others…

…With age, children acquire the ability to understand the perspective, or point of view, of other people, a development that is closely linked with the empathic sharing of others’ emotions…

One major factor underlying these changes is the child’s increasing cognitive sophistication. For example, in order to feel the emotion of guilt, a child must appreciate the fact that he could have inhibited a particular action of his that violated a moral standard. The awareness that one can impose a restraint on one’s own behaviour requires a certain level of cognitive maturation, and, therefore, the emotion of guilt cannot appear until that competence is attained.”

That empathy is a REACTION to external stimuli that is fully contained within the empathor and then projected onto the empathee - is clearly demonstrated by “inborn empathy”. It is the ability to exhibit empathy and altruistic behaviour in response to facial expressions. Newborns react this way to their mother’s facial expression of sadness or distress.

This serves to prove that empathy has very little to do with the feelings, experiences or sensations of the other (the empathee). Surely, the infant has no idea what it is like to feel sad and definitely not what it is like for his mother to feel sad. In this case, it is a complex reflexive reaction. Later on, empathy is still rather reflexive, the result of conditioning.

The Encyclopaedia Britannica quotes fascinating research which dramatically proves the object-independent nature of empathy. Empathy is an internal reaction, an internal process, triggered by external cue provided by animate objects. It is communicated to the empathee-other by the empathor but the communication and the resulting agreement (”I know how you feel therefore we agree on how you feel”) is rendered meaningless by the absence of a monovalent, unambiguous dictionary.

“An extensive series of studies indicated that positive emotion feelings enhance empathy and altruism. It was shown by the American psychologist Alice M. Isen that relatively small favours or bits of good luck (like finding money in a coin telephone or getting an unexpected gift) induced positive emotion in people and that such emotion regularly increased the subjects’ inclination to sympathize or provide help.

Several studies have demonstrated that positive emotion facilitates creative problem solving. One of these studies showed that positive emotion enabled subjects to name more uses for common objects. Another showed that positive emotion enhanced creative problem solving by enabling subjects to see relations among objects (and other people - SV) that would otherwise go unnoticed. A number of studies have demonstrated the beneficial effects of positive emotion on thinking, memory, and action in pre-school and older children.”

If empathy increases with positive emotion (a result of good luck, for instance) - then it has little to do with its objects and a lot to do with the person in whom it is provoked.

ADDENDUM - Interview granted to the National Post, Toronto, Canada, July 2003

Q. How important is empathy to proper psychological functioning?

A. Empathy is more important socially than it is psychologically. The absence of empathy - for instance in the Narcissistic and Antisocial personality disorders - predisposes people to exploit and abuse others. Empathy is the bedrock of our sense of morality. Arguably, aggressive behavior is as inhibited by empathy at least as much as it is by anticipated punishment.

But the existence of empathy in a person is also a sign of self-awareness, a healthy identity, a well-regulated sense of self-worth, and self-love (in the positive sense). Its absence denotes emotional and cognitive immaturity, an inability to love, to truly relate to others, to respect their boundaries and accept their needs, feelings, hopes, fears, choices, and preferences as autonomous entities.

Q. How is empathy developed?

A. It may be innate. Even toddlers seem to empathize with the pain - or happiness - of others (such as their caregivers). Empathy increases as the child forms a self-concept (identity). The more aware the infant is of his or her emotional states, the more he explores his limitations and capabilities - the more prone he is to projecting this new found knowledge unto others. By attributing to people around him his new gained insights about himself, the child develop a moral sense and inhibits his anti-social impulses. The development of empathy is, therefore, a part of the process of socialization.

But, as the American psychologist Carl Rogers taught us, empathy is also learned and inculcated. We are coached to feel guilt and pain when we inflict suffering on another person. Empathy is an attempt to avoid our own self-imposed agony by projecting it onto another.

Q. Is there an increasing dearth of empathy in society today? Why do you think so?

A. The social institutions that reified, propagated and administered empathy have imploded. The nuclear family, the closely-knit extended clan, the village, the neighborhood, the Church- have all unraveled. Society is atomized and anomic. The resulting alienation fostered a wave of antisocial behavior, both criminal and “legitimate”. The survival value of empathy is on the decline. It is far wiser to be cunning, to cut corners, to deceive, and to abuse - than to be empathic. Empathy has largely dropped from the contemporary curriculum of socialization.

In a desperate attempt to cope with these inexorable processes, behaviors predicated on a lack of empathy have been pathologized and “medicalized”. The sad truth is that narcissistic or antisocial conduct is both normative and rational. No amount of “diagnosis”, “treatment”, and medication can hide or reverse this fact. Ours is a cultural malaise which permeates every single cell and strand of the social fabric.

Q. Is there any empirical evidence we can point to of a decline in empathy?

Empathy cannot be measured directly - but only through proxies such as criminality, terrorism, charity, violence, antisocial behavior, related mental health disorders, or abuse.

Moreover, it is extremely difficult to separate the effects of deterrence from the effects of empathy.

If I don’t batter my wife, torture animals, or steal - is it because I am empathetic or because I don’t want to go to jail?

Rising litigiousness, zero tolerance, and skyrocketing rates of incarceration - as well as the ageing of the population - have sliced intimate partner violence and other forms of crime across the United States in the last decade. But this benevolent decline had nothing to do with increasing empathy.
The statistics are open to interpretation but it would be safe to say that the last century has been the most violent and least empathetic in human history. Wars and terrorism are on the rise, charity giving on the wane (measured as percentage of national wealth), welfare policies are being abolished, Darwininan models of capitalism are spreading. In the last two decades, mental health disorders were added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association whose hallmark is the lack of empathy. The violence is reflected in our popular culture: movies, video games, and the media.

Empathy - supposedly a spontaneous reaction to the plight of our fellow humans - is now channeled through self-interested and bloated non-government organizations or multilateral outfits. The vibrant world of private empathy has been replaced by faceless state largesse. Pity, mercy, the elation of giving are tax-deductible. It is a sorry sight.

About the Author

Sam Vaknin is the author of Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited and After the Rain - How the West Lost the East. He is a columnist for Central Europe Review, PopMatters, and eBookWeb , a United Press International (UPI) Senior Business Correspondent, and the editor of mental health and Central East Europe categories in The Open Directory Bellaonline, and Suite101 .

Visit Sam’s Web site at http://samvak.tripod.com

Sometimes you have to see something to believe it. Like angels. Unfortunately, angels are adept at not being seen, yet many people believe in them.

I saw an angel at work last year. No, I did not see the halo. Or the feathered wings. Or a flowing white gown dancing in the wind. But there was no mistaking the unique handiwork.

When Little Lady was just one-and-a-half years old, we were visiting friends in another town. Sunday morning, we accompanied them to their church, which is surrounded by a great semi-circle hallway. You cannot enter the church itself except through one of the four or five doorways from the hallway.

We entered the building, heading right down the hallway straight for the nursery to leave our Little Lady with strangers for the first time ever. Note that we had not yet entered the actual church. The caretaker handed us a number and told us that if our child got too restless, we would see that number projected on the screen at the front of the church.

We headed into the church through a door at the far side. We sat down in a pew, anticipating to see the number within five minutes.

The number never showed up. After an hour, I snuck up to the door of the toddler area and saw her gleefully running around. That in itself might qualify as the work of angels, but the real miracle was yet to come.

At the end of the service, we went to retrieve Little Lady. As we led her out of the toddler area, SHE took over and started pulling my wife by the hand.

She lead my wife down the hallway with great determination, dragging her through the throng of almost 1000 people milling about in the hallway, all the way to the far side of the church where we had entered before to reach our pew. This was no small feat, and it took ten minutes to get through the crowd, but she was persistent.

When we had fought our way two-thirds around the church, she pulled my wife into the church from the hallway through the very door we had entered earlier - after we had left her off at the nursery.

I stood in amazement as I watched her go several pews down and turn right into the very pew where we had been seated. She had never seen us go there. She had never been inside the church before. How did she know?

OK, so this was not the parting of the Red Sea and nobody’s life was saved. But could it be anything other than the work of angels?

Bilbao, Spain - September 15, 2004 - IBS Software Services (IBS) today launched its new-generation Cargo solution - SmartCargo at TIACA’s 22nd International Air Cargo Forum and Exposition here in Bilbao. SmartCargo is a web-based solution that comprehensively meets the needs of the core cargo operations of airlines.SmartCargo is an effective tool for cargo capacity management, tracking, pricing, AWB stock control and ULD management. It enables accurate estimation of available cargo capacities using historical information, increases revenue through better management of available capacities, maintains integrated cargo tariffs helping airlines to price their services better. It provides up-to-the-minute information on shipment status and facilitates communication of shipment status to the supplier/customer. It also gives customers direct access to airline services via the Internet. Significantly, the system minimises errors in data capture that translates into substantial savings in time and cost.Associated with the launching of SmartCargo, Mr. V K Mathews, IBS Chairman and Managing Director was all praise for the team that came up with this innovative product. He said, “SmartCargo is a futuristic solution that supports the integrated management of cargo reservations and ground operations of modern cargo carrying airlines. Built on technologies that offer scalability, it can be customised to meet current and future business needs”. SmartCargo is a product that has understood the needs of the airline cargo industry and has delivered a very user-friendly solution.Whilst SmartCargo is capable of interfacing with a multitude of airline systems, it also facilitates in providing information to Departure Control, Load Balancing, Revenue Accounting, Financial Accounting, Passenger Reservation and Customs. Peter Cefai - (COO, IBS-Europe) said, “With this launch of SmartCargo, IBS has established itself as a new generation cargo and logistics solutions provider. In fact, IBS has combined domain vision and path-breaking ideas with technology expertise and domain experience, to create a cost-effective solution to solve business challenges of today and tomorrow”.IBS recently partnered with Cendant Travel Distribution Services (TDS), a division of Cendant Corp. for the marketing of IBS’ new generation Passenger Services System designed to replace legacy technologies. IBS domain expertise was key to implementing a sophisticated new generation cargo terminal operations system for the Emirates Group and implementing a comprehensive mail management system for Qantas Freight.

About IBS Software Services

IBS Software Services is a world-class provider of software solutions to the global travel, transportation and logistics industry. IBS has business operations in USA, Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific, and Group companies operate out of USA (Atlanta), Europe (London), Middle East (Dubai), Asia Pacific (Sydney) and India (Trivandrum). IBS has a large offshore software production and competence development center situated in India, which is SEI CMM Level-5 assessed, and ISO 9001:2000 and ticket certified. The global clientele of IBS includes major corporations like British Airports Authority, Air Canada, Emirates, Dubai Airport, Swiss, Qantas, SITA, EDS, Shell, GulfShare, and Qatar Airways. More information about IBS can be found on the web at http://www.ibsplc.com.

Media Contact:
Pradeep P. Suthan
Head-Corporate Communications
Tel: +91-471-2700080
Email: pradeeps@ibsplc.com

About the Author

Head-Corporate Communications

‘Is that from the boat, Grampa? What is it?’ my daughter asked the other day.



‘It’s a whizzy whatchamacallit,’ replied my father-in-law, spinning a chunky bit of metal around in his hand. ‘From the mast. It’s broken.’



We have a lot of whatchamacallits on our boat, whizzy or otherwise. Take the cockpit for example. Fourteen different ropes, with fourteen different names, snake their way from various parts of the boat into the cockpit, and that’s only on the right - sorry, the starboard - side.



The whole thing is repeated on the port side, giving us twenty-eight bits of string, of clashing colours and patterns, to decorate the middle of the boat. There seems to be a rope for every conceivable purpose, so whether it be kicker or cunningham, runner or halyard, you can be sure that we have a sheet for it.



It all gets a bit messy at times, especially when I pull the wrong one!



And the sails! I can at least tell a spinnaker from a mainsail, but what is the difference between a genoa, a number one jib, a working jib and a storm jib? And what about a staysail and a trysail? I have to say that I have no idea.



But sails are the least of my worries. Sailing conversations, on board, in the pub or over the dinner table, sometimes seem as if they are in a foreign language. Discussions of jackstays, goosenecks and sliplines all sound a little fascist to me, and as for warp protection… well, is it any wonder that I get confused?



In the interests of sanity, I opened a sailing book the other day, just to see if I could work out what it all means. It was heavy going, but I struggled on until I reached the bit about jiffy reefing and leech cringles.



So, I’ve made a decision: if you want me to pull a rope on board a boat, keep it simple. Don’t tell me to pull the spinnaker halyard sheet, just ask me to heave on the green rope. And as for all the other essential sailing items, well, from now on, they’re all watchamacallits to me.



Which brings me back to the whizzy one - the broken whatchamacallit from the mast.



You’ll be glad to hear that this turned out to be a vang bracket, of a type that they don’t make any more.



But I’d better not tell you whatcha my father-in-law said about that!
For all the Reluctant Sailor articles go to The Reluctant Sailor.

Helen MacKenzie is a freelance writer. She contributes to the web site at http://www.sea-dreamer.com The Sea Dreamer web site has articles, guides and news on sailing and cruising on the West Coast of Scotland.

Website promotion is certainly a main focus of all business owners and their respective Web sites; however it is not something that happens overnight. This is because once you have a new Web site it takes a bit of time before search engines upload your URL and it becomes part of search results. Also, while your Web page might be returned in the results of free search engines, it will still not relate to the amount of traffic you want. As a result, there is one particular way to increase traffic to your Web site that is inexpensive, and that is web site promotion through newsletters.

Many newsletter editors online are looking for new information from new business all the time. However, they generally do not want to pay for the article you write but rather prefer to trade a byline or a small advertisement for your business or web page. As a result, all you need to do is spend a few hours writing a newsletter that discusses a relevant topic and that also has a plug for your web page. This is a way for you to quickly get the word out about your web page as well as increase traffic and business while you are waiting for the search engines to get your information in the system and part of the search results.

Finding newsletter editors online that need information submitted and will allow you to trade a newsletter for an advertisement plug is not difficult and all you need to do is search your favorite search engine. However, whatever newsletter editor you are writing for, you will want to make sure its subscribers are part of your niche or it might not prove very successful for you.

Make sure, however, you do not transfer the copyright of your article to anyone, but only grant the right to print your newsletter. By doing this, you can submit this one newsletter to multiple ezines and the like and reach many more potential subscribers than you would with only one. Also, it saves you time because you do not have to write new newsletters for every ezine.When you write the resource box for your advertisement, make sure you include your entire web site address so individuals can simply click on the address and be taken directly to your page rather than having to cut and paste. The easier you make it, the more individuals will take a look at what you have to offer. Also, you might consider using different advertisements from time to time in order to rate which ones are most productive at getting individuals to actually click on the link. The one that generates the most traffic is certainly the one you want to use, however you will need to play with your advertisement a little in order to get it just like you want and have it generate the most traffic possible for your new web site.

Copyright 2005 Paul Jesse

Paul Jesse is a retired government employee and author of numerous home business articles. It you are interested in starting a Internet home business visit his site. http://www.sheamarketing.com

Afraid that someone is monitoring your PC or installed a keylogger to record every single keystroke? Find out which tools you need to get to make sure you are protected.

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CyberScrub’s Internet clean up erases all evidence of your on-line activity to ensure your valued privacy. Most people are shocked to learn files have been placed on their computer (without their knowledge or permission) that create user profiles and document their Internet activity. Sensitive data can easily fall into the wrong hands. And because Windows is not capable of deleting information beyond recovery, you are at risk. CyberScrub allows you to purge, wipe and erase data with methods that far exceed US Department of Defense standards for file deletion (DOD 5220.22).

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