The generation of today, have been bombarded by an information overload since birth: television, games, computers, internet, smart phones, Gameboys, schooling, magazines, religions, sports, culture are among the various nets thrown upon the youth of today that has shaped and molded everything they are. Today we are spending more time in the mind than ever before! Due to the information overload! This makes you cold, like a robot! It makes the mind assume absolute power! Everything you have ever done or will do could simply be the product of a highly-advanced computer code. Every relationship, every sentiment, every memory could… This premium content is for PLUS+ members only. Visit the site and log in/register to read. The post Matrix or what is behind the mind: do you believe in what you see? appeared first on Anomalien.com.

In the aftermath of the Israeli Defense Forces using force to rescue four Israeli hostages held in Gaza by the terrorist group Hamas, CNN's Fredricka Whitfield had on an anti-Israel Middle East analyst who complained about Palestinian civilians being killed in the raid. Omar Baddar -- former director of the Arab American Institute -- went on to preposterously complain that the U.S. treats Israeli lives as being of more value than those of Palestinians even though it was Palestinians who started the war. After reading a quote from Kamala Harris, Whitfield asked for his reaction to the raid. Baddar immediately griped: WHITFIELD: The Vice President, Kamala Harris, saying in Detroit: "Thankfully, four of those hostages were reunited with their families tonight." She said this last night. "But we mourn all the innocent lives that have been lost in Gaza, including those tragically killed." What is your reaction to all that's transpired? BADDAR: Look, there's no question whatever. I know there's some dispute about the specific numbers, but what unfolded yesterday was unquestionably a massacre. We have seen the images of the bodies of children littering the streets. We've seen the horrific scenes of the hospitals of weeping parents and bloody children. And to look at an incident of that scale and to see that many casualties and to celebrate this as any kind of success is effectively to say that the lives of Israelis are more valuable than the lives of Palestinians. That is the only way that anyone can celebrate this is a success. He added: Now, it's unsurprising that that's the view of the Israeli government. They've made it absolutely clear that they don't value Palestinian lives at all -- not just throughout this campaign of assault on Gaza these last several months, but Israeli policy towards Palestinians for much longer. What has been disappointing is the way our government also has reduced the massacre to a footnote to focus primarily on the retrieval of hostages. And, Fredricka, all you have to do is just imagine the reverse scenario. After complaining about Palestinians being arrested by Israel, the anti-Israel analyst blamed Israel for the war as he complained that the U.S. would be critical of Hamas if the terrorist group's members attacked Israel to free some of its prisoners: There is an article in The New York Times outlining the absolute, horrific abuse they are undergoing on a daily basis. And if Hamas today were to carry out an incursion into Gaza, kill a couple of hundred Israelis, and then retrieve four Palestinians, would anyone in our discourse be celebrating this as some kind of victory? Would anyone even know the names of any of the four Palestinians who have been rescued from Israeli detention? Just -- we know the answer to that, and that's because we currently have a moment in which it's incredibly upsetting the fact that we don't see Palestinian lives as equal or as deserving of the same kind of concern, and we carry on just accepting this mantra of Palestinians as collateral damage and a necessity in continuing to treat the Israeli government as some kind of protagonist in this story even though they are ultimately responsible for the situation which we find ourselves in. About a month earlier, Whitfield spoke with the same analyst and gave him a sympathetic forum to cheer on anti-Israel protesters on college campuses pressuring the schools to boycott Israel. He accused Israel of committing "atrocities" with no pushback from the CNN anchor. Transcripts follow: CNN Newsroom June 9, 2024 3:11 p.m. Eastern FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: All right, let's talk more now about all this. Here with us now is Palestinian American Middle East analyst Omar Baddar. So good to see you, Omar. I would love your reaction, you know, about what has transpired a lot in the last 24 hours from four Israeli hostages rescued. The Palestinian health ministry as well as the hospitals say more than 270 civilians were killed. The IDF is disputing that, saying the number is more in the 100 range. And then we just heard the national security advisor there with his point of view, saying "innocent people were tragically killed in this operation. The exact number we don't know, but innocent people were killed, and that is heartbreaking." The Vice President, Kamala Harris, saying in Detroit: "Thankfully, four of those hostages were reunited with their families tonight." She said this last night. "But we mourn all the innocent lives that have been lost in Gaza, including those tragically killed." What is your reaction to all that's transpired? OMAR BADDAR, MIDDLE EAST ANALYST: Look, there's no question whatever. I know there's some dispute about the specific numbers, but what unfolded yesterday was unquestionably a massacre. We have seen the images of the bodies of children littering the streets. We've seen the horrific scenes of the hospitals of weeping parents and bloody children. And to look at an incident of that scale and to see that many casualties and to celebrate this as any kind of success is effectively to say that the lives of Israelis are more valuable than the lives of Palestinians. That is the only way that anyone can celebrate this is a success. Now, it's unsurprising that that's the view of the Israeli government. They've made it absolutely clear that they don't value Palestinian lives at all -- not just throughout this campaign of assault on Gaza these last several months, but Israeli policy towards Palestinians for much longer. What has been disappointing is the way our government also has reduced the massacre to a footnote to focus primarily on the retrieval of hostages. And, Fredricka, all you have to do is just imagine the reverse scenario. Right now, as we speak, there are thousands of Palestinians who have been kidnapped out of Gaza, placed in Israeli detention without any charge of trial. There is an article in The New York Times outlining the absolute, horrific abuse they are undergoing on a daily basis. And if Hamas today were to carry out an incursion into Gaza, kill a couple of hundred Israelis, and then retrieve four Palestinians, would anyone in our discourse be celebrating this as some kind of victory? Would anyone even know the names of any of the four Palestinians who have been rescued from Israeli detention? Just -- we know the answer to that, and that's because we currently have a moment in which it's incredibly upsetting the fact that we don't see Palestinian lives as equal or as deserving of the same kind of concern, and we carry on just accepting this mantra of Palestinians as collateral damage and a necessity in continuing to treat the Israeli government as some kind of protagonist in this story even though they are ultimately responsible for the situation which we find ourselves in. WHITFIELD: So when you hear the national security advisor (Jake) Sullivan saying the preference is a ceasefire from this point forward, do you believe it's possible? And/or do you believe that the release or rescue of more hostages can come without the cost of civilian lives? BADDAR: Yeah, Fredricka, it's even more than just civilian lives -- the Israeli insistence on pursuing the release of hostages through purely military means has, in fact, killed far more Israeli hostages than they have rescued. And that's -- I'm talking about Israeli bullets and Israel bombs cost the lives of their own hostages. There's no question that a ceasefire and an agreement to exchange hostages is the only path forward in which you can guarantee the safety both of Israelis and Palestinians out of all this. We've seen the biggest number of hostages being released the last time there was a temporary ceasefire in which we agreed for an exchange of hostage and prisoners between the two sides, and that is obviously the path forward. There is currently a deal on the table that basically says an exchange for the end of this war on Gaza that has just utterly devastated Gaza -- killed nearly 40,000 people. In exchange for an end to that war, Israel can get all of its hostages back without another person being killed from this point moving forward. There is simply no reason to accept that except it seems the Israeli government's goal of destroying Gaza seems to rank much higher than the lives of their own hostages, which is why we're stuck in this grotesque scenario. And it's why Netanyahu seems to be beholden to the fanatical wing of his own government who are insisting that the ultimate goal has to be either the ethnic cleansing of Gaza or the permanent reoccupation of Gaza, and we're stuck in this situation where there is no real plan for what happens after this war. And, in the meantime, people are going to continue to get killed. It's a very, very tragic and unfortunate situation. (...) The only way President Biden can actually change Netanyahu's behavior is by credibly threatening to withhold U.S. military funding for Israel if Netanyahu does not change course. That, unfortunately, does not seem to be on the table, but I think (Benny) Gantz is banking on that pressure ramping up moving forward and is trying to express a more clear and decisive disagreement with Netanyahu, hoping that when there is more mounting American and domestic Israeli pressure on Netanyahu that he might potentially be there to essentially reap the benefits of that discontent and take charge. But, ultimately, really, we're stuck in a situation in which you need a ceasefire. That ceasefire can only be brought about through American meaningful pressure, and that has to mean that America cannot continue just providing unconditional military funding, knowing how these weapons are being used -- knowing that every major human rights organization in the world is describing Israeli bombings in Gaza as "indiscriminate," as costing too many civilian lives. That is not something that the United States should be complicit in. It's really way belatedly about time to say that we have to put them into that kind of support in order to obtain that meaningful change regardless of what Israeli prime minister happens to be in charge when that change comes about. WHITFIELD: Omar Baddar, appreciate you being with us. Appreciate your point of view. Thank you so much.  (...) CNN Newsroom May 4, 2024 12:29 p.m. Eastern FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: So how will you be measuring the gains or the losses that have come from the variation of protests across college and university campuses in the U.S.? OMAR BADDAR, MIDDLE EAST ANALYST: Look, I think there have already been significant gains. I mean, those protesters are the conscience of America at a time when American weapons are being used to kill literally tens of thousands of children. It's just an unconscionable situation, and the fact that, even in the face of official demonization from the rhetoric that we have seen not just from people like Tom Cotton and others, but many other people across the entire political spectrum. You also see significant police violence, you also see counterprotesters, you know, attacking them. And yet the resilience of this protest movement and the fact that it's spreading rather than shrinking is a sign of -- that this is really a wakeup call for Washington -- that business as usual cannot continue while American weapons are being used for these kind of atrocities that Israel is actually currently committing in Gaza. And this is, you know, there is not going to be a way in which young people are just going to let this one go. The comfort that President Biden has coming into this upcoming election is also shaken by the fact that a significant portion of his own constituency is demanding a change in American policy not just as a matter of passive American opinion, but they're actually willing to really stand up and take significant risks in order to make their voices heard on this issue. So I think it has been incredibly successful so far, and I hope that there is a better response that we come to understand that you can't beat this protest movement down -- that the more you try to repress it, you only actually have the counter effect, and it's time to start listening to the legitimate demands of these protesters. WHITFIELD: So I hear you when you -- you like the intensity, you know, of the protests and the voices of the many young people and what they're exerting, but we've even heard Biden this week who was asked, "Will this effect policy -- will it change policy?" He said no. So what, you know, isn't that what you want? You want this to provoke some sort of policy change or even perhaps changes among university and colleges in terms of how they are being asked to divest? (BADDAR) The Washington Post is reporting today that many students don't know how much or if at all certain universities or colleges have holdings to actually divest. And if that's the case, then how will these demonstrators know whether their demonstrations -- whether the encampments are at all influencing the very campuses where those encampments have been in terms of divesting? If they don't know whether the campus has any holdings at all, do you worry that the goal -- I guess there are too many variations of goals and what these demonstrations are really about? BADDAR: Yeah, look, I mean, what we need primarily is transparency. That's part of how you negotiate with students. You can look at the case of Brown University as a prime example of how you actually should do these things where the administration saw that a progressive, conscientious movement is actually demanding change and refusing to basically disband these protests. And the way that they have responded is by saying, "Okay, fine, let's sit down and negotiate." I'm talking about voting on a resolution in the future about divesting from companies that do -- that are effectively complicit in Israeli atrocities against Palestinians. We need more of that transparency and beyond that even if institutions are not immediately transparent about what investments they do and don't have, I think the voice of this movement goes beyond just the immediate impact on the institutions and is effectively showing that there is a generational divide in this country that is very, very real -- that, even though in the case of Brown University, you have billionaires withholding their money and expressing disapproval about the fact -- about the way that we're granting the wishes of these demonstrators by agreeing to enter into these negotiations. Young people are standing their ground, and this is not going to be an issue that is going to go away. That, I think, should be clear to everyone that the status quo is no longer acceptable -- that we need a fundamental change in American policy where we can no longer allow Israel to continue behaving however it wants with blanket U.S. support diplomatically and militarily without ever questioning how that support is actually being used and how it's impacting real people. There is a generation that is conscientious that sees Palestinians as equal human beings and sees the loss of Palestinian life as being no less meaningful than the loss of Israeli lives. And that is something that we have not seen in Washington, and it's a matter of time before that is reflected because that generational change is very, very real. WHITFIELD: All right, Omar Baddar, glad you could be with us today. Thank you so much.

The nation’s most self-impressed journalists, the ones who strangely self-identify as “mainstream,” could not bring themselves to treat the Hunter Biden trial as comparable in any way to Donald Trump’s trial in Manhattan. Treating Hunter as a significant “news” subject gives them the creeps, like they’ve been drafted into Rupert Murdoch’s army. So it’s a little shocking the Hunter trial gained about half as much coverage as Trump’s -- at least through the first eight days of coverage. On the ABC, CBS, and NBC morning, evening, and Sunday-interview shows, Trump’s trial drew more than 174 minutes, while Hunter’s trial drew 85 minutes. (By the Trump trial’s end, they filled the air with 640 minutes.) It’s less shocking to notice the difference in tone. Trump’s trial was a “criminal” trial about “hush money.” On April 25, fill-in CBS anchor Margaret Brennan announced, “The former president faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business documents related to a so-called hush money payment to a porn star.” Other stories fussed that Trump was bullying and threatening witnesses and court staff. Hunter Biden stories were loaded with empathy. On June 3, ABC’s Terry Moran relayed: “President Biden released a statement standing by his only surviving son, saying in part ‘I have boundless love for my son.’” CBS’s Norah O’Donnell echoed him that night on “the President’s only surviving son.” On June 10, NBC fill-in anchor Tom Llamas began: “For the first time, the child of a sitting president facing a potential criminal conviction. Right now, a jury deliberating the fate of Hunter Biden, the sole surviving son of the president.”  Hunter Biden is 54 and network anchors refer to him as a “child.” The contrast in tone tells you that the media elites loathe Trump, but treat the Biden family like they’re close friends who they want to surround and protect. There was a sense of glee when Democrats began crowing about Trump the “convicted felon.” Then came the sorrow that they only had eleven days to celebrate before the president’s son drew the same label. Then came the stubborn facts. Conservative outlets like the New York Post were more interested in how prosecutors based their case on the contents of Hunter Biden’s laptop, and the court verified it as evidence. CBS never mentioned this. ABC gave 10 seconds and NBC offered 30 seconds acknowledging the laptop’s use in court. None of them revisited their 2020 performance, when they all robotically regurgitated the Biden campaign spin that the laptop was “garbage” carrying the “hallmarks of Russian disinformation.” Prosecutors not only mined the laptop, but used Hunter’s addiction memoir Beautiful Things against him. That was quite a backfire, after the pro-Biden networks (and their affiliated comedians like Jimmy Kimmel) gushed over Hunter’s memoir as “catharsis” for the fifty-something child. Back in 2021, CBS donated 25 minutes of airtime to syrupy interview segments with the addict. Maybe “donated” is the wrong word since CBS-affiliated Simon & Schuster published the book. These guilty verdicts will not affect the pro-Biden media’s incessant efforts to tout the Biden family as a selling point for the Democrats. They couldn't stop talking after the verdict about how the First Lady was in the courtroom almost every day, and how the president scores points with voters when he talks about how much he loves his "only surviving son." They will keep spinning in desperation that Hunter Biden’s epic crack-and-hookers binges somehow make the Bidens more sympathetic to Americans with addicts in their family. Journalists were given cocaine-powdered lemons, and the lemonade they are making is a heady brew. But not everyone wants to drink it.

The Pew Research Center indicated in a December report that 71% of Americans believe in heaven, 61% believe in hell, and 60% believe in both. Gallup and AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research surveys conducted last year turned up similar results. American Christians appear to be keeping these numbers north of 50%. A 2021 Pew survey revealed that 92% of American Christians signaled a belief in the existence of heaven and 79% said they believed in the existence of hell. By way of comparison, 37% of the unaffiliated camp — which included atheists, agnostics, and "nothing[s] in particular" — said they believe in heaven and 28% said they believed in hell. A survey now 10 years old indicated that American Jews, meanwhile, are on the whole far more skeptical than even the unaffiliated camp concerning the existence of hell: 22% said they believed in hell, and 70% said they didn't subscribe to the notion. While many Americans believe that the moral choices they make today could prove eternally consequential for their immortal souls, there are some resistant to the possibility that they might one day face judgment and be found wanting. There are others yet who have taken an active role in reassuring believers that they have nothing to worry about in the way of eternal damnation. David Bentley Hart, the philosopher who penned "That All Shall Be Saved," is among those keen to discount the existence of hell and shame Bible-citing cautioners. Hart suggested in the New York Times that the corresponding belief is not only biblically unjustified but an anachronistic "instrument of social stability." Derek Ryan Kublius, an ordained elder in the East Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church, similarly figures the belief in hell to be a means of controlling people, blaming the belief largely on alleged biblical mistranslations. While the likes of Kublius and Hart figure that when it comes to hell, it's more than just the gates that won't prevail, psychologists and bloggers working on eudemonistic presumptions about earthly priorities have warned that a belief in hell might adversely affect mental health and moods. Given the stakes and the enduring controversy about hell, it is worthwhile reviewing what is meant by "hell" — is it a place, a state of being, or both? Is hell eternal or a temporary means to purification? What action could guarantee a man's placement "where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched"? Blaze News put these and other questions to a Catholic cardinal; a British Old Catholic priest; a high-profile conservative member of the Presbyterian Church in America; an Anglican bishop; the executive minister of the Christian Universalist Association; a professor of Jewish studies; an Australian rabbi; and an American Reform rabbi. In what follows, the accomplished constituents of this octet provide their respective views on the thing of nightmares that haunts the bottom of many a Renaissance painting and perhaps existence itself: Gehenna, the inferno, Hades – hell. Archbishop Emeritus Cardinal Thomas Collins After earning degrees in theology and English in 1973 and becoming a priest the same year, Cardinal Collins studied at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, specializing in sacred scripture and the Book of Revelation. He received his licentiate in sacred Scripture in 1978 and a doctorate in theology in 1986. Cardinal Collins has held various academic appointments and leadership roles in the decades since. In addition to his appointment to the College of Cardinals by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012, Cardinal Collins ran Canada's largest archdiocese from 2007 until last year. 'Dogma takes its stand on solid ground when it speaks of the existence of Hell and of the eternity of its punishment.' At the outset of his phone interview with Blaze News, Cardinal Collins referenced three writers with penetrating insights into hell whom he indicated were worth readers' consideration. The first: St. Thomas Aquinas, whose supplements 97-99 to "The Summa Theologica" detail the nature and physicality of hell and its torments; the will and intellect of the damned; and the endlessness of hell. The second: the late American Jesuit priest James V. Schall, who noted in "The Modern Age," "Hell, in its original teaching, was a final guarantee of justice. If rightly understood, it is rather a positive teaching, even a freeing one. Hell has too few defenders, not that we advise anyone to choose the place." The third: Pope Benedict XVI's 1977 book, "Eschatology: Death and Eternal Life," wherein the late pope, then Joseph Ratzinger, noted, "No quibbling helps here: the idea of eternal damnation, which had taken ever clearer shape in the Judaism of the century or two before Christ, has a firm place in the teaching of Jesus, as well as in the apostolic writings. Dogma takes its stand on solid ground when it speaks of the existence of Hell and of the eternity of its punishment." Hell exists and is eternal'The second death is a death over which we have some choice by how we live, and we would call that hell.' Cardinal Collins confirmed to Blaze News that the Catholic Church believes that hell exists, that it is a place, that it is "eternal punishment for those who are guilty of what we call deadly or mortal sin," and that this understanding is supported by the sacred scriptures. The cardinal highlighted several biblical passages referencing hell, including: Chapter 16 of Luke, where the poor man Lazarus dies, then goes to the bosom of Abraham, whereas the rich man dies and goes to hell; Matthew 25:31-46, which notes that Christ the judge will separate all the nations as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats and will say to those at his left hand, "Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels"; and Chapter 20 of the Book of Revelation, which says "Death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and all were judged according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire; and anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire." Cardinal Collins noted that whereas we all experience the first death, which is unavoidable, "the second death is a death over which we have some choice by how we live, and we would call that hell." Infernal physicality When asked about the physicality of hell, Cardinal Collins said that most of the imagery in the scriptures is natural and "comes from something physical on earth like Gehenna." "So the imagery is there. It is fire. But immediately after death, we're spirits. We know the body is not there. At the resurrection, however, it is," said Collins. "I think the imagery [of hell as a fiery, physical place] is like angels' wings. It expresses something profoundly true, but the imagery being used is natural, it's earthly. It speaks to a truth, but we don't know." Cardinal Collins underscored that "when we're talking about the ultimate things, the resurrection of the body, we're talking about something we don't understand. Even the risen body. What is it? What do we mean? The only example we have is Jesus after the resurrection, which we have descriptions of. So our mind is really not quite prepared to figure out what it means." Choosing hell Cardinal Collins indicated that hell is chosen. 'The collateral side effect of having the freedom to love is, obviously, we also have the freedom not to, and that can lead us away from God.' "[Life on earth] is a time where we are challenged to make choices. We have free will. That's at the heart of the Catholic teaching on the existence and reality of hell — is free will," said Collins. "If we are to be free to love God, we have to be free to the alternative. Freedom is a key point here." "The collateral side effect of having the freedom to love is, obviously, we also have the freedom not to and that can lead us away from God," said Collins. While God wants us to be with Him forever and gives us His grace, Collins indicated sinners can nevertheless "swim against the stream" of His grace and love toward hell. The unholy trinity The sinners' damning rejection of the holy Trinity often takes the form of self-worship. 'We get caught up in these little islands of autonomy. Ego.' Reflecting back on 51 years of hearing confessions, Cardinal Collins said that one of the common penances he gives is, "Say one Our Father and think on the words: 'Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,' because most frequently we say, 'My kingdom come, my will be done.' We get caught up in these little islands of autonomy. Ego." "Instead of worshiping the blessed Trinity in whose image we're made — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: three persons, one God, joined together in love — we worship the unholy trinity of me, myself, and I. We implode into ourselves. And that moral spiritual black hole is hell. That's what leads to hell," said Collins. Just as worship of this unholy trinity amounts to a pre-emptive descent into hell while still alive, Collins said heaven similarly begins on earth. "It's not completed, but it begins on earth when we love other people with a generous love, when we live in the imitation of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — the way the second person of the Trinity showed us how to do it in the midst of this wicked world," said Collins. Guaranteeing real estate in hell Cardinal Collins told Blaze News that Catholics believe that sinners can secure their spots in hell by committing "what's called deadly, fatal, or mortal sin." For an action to qualify as deadly sin, Collins noted three criteria must be satisfied: the action must be seriously evil; the actor must know that the act is wrong; and the actor must commit it freely. 'If any of those things are missing, we're not talking about mortal sin.' Cardinal Collins referenced the Hamas terrorist attacks on Oct. 7 and other such massacres as "unspeakably evil" acts fulfilling, at the very least, the first criterion. He noted that extra to non-defensive killing, other actions that would qualify as intrinsically evil would be adultery and abortion, adding that Pope John Paul II provides great clarity on this matter in his encyclical "Veritatis Splendor." In terms of the second criterion, Cardinal Collins raised the hypothetical of a child who unwittingly kills a number of people after picking up a gun. While the act itself is evil, the absence of knowledge means it is not a mortal sin. After all, even with conscience present, the child had no idea what effect the weapon would have. The third criteria, that the act must be executed freely, might not be satisfied in cases of mental and medical compromise or coercion. "So mortal sin is serious evil, knowingly done with complete knowledge, and freely done. If any of those things are missing, we're not talking about mortal sin," said Collins. The hell-bound society Blaze News sidetracked the conversation to press Cardinal Collins about whether a society that regularly commits intrinsically evil acts, abortion in particular, would be hell-bound if its population was propagandized into thinking the acts amoral or even good, thereby putting a mortal sin criterion into question. "Would somebody growing up with a society having their mind twisted by false teachings — swimming through a sea of lies — can they be held morally accountable as they should be for a mortal sin? I would say that's a very good point. I think that is a limitation on their freedom," said Collins. 'We have within us — everyone does, not just people of faith — a basic understanding of right and wrong.' The cardinal said that on the one hand, "I think our society is so corrupt in its valuation that people can honestly, to some degree at least, they cannot know these things are wrong and/or they might have pressure to do them if they don't have the freedom." On the other hand, Cardinal Collins emphasized that "there is still conscience." "We have within us — everyone does, not just people of faith — a basic understanding of right and wrong," said the cardinal. "Now, it can be weakened and corrupted by society, but I think we can’t simply say, 'Oh well, society made me do it.'" Heaven's antechamber While Cardinal Collins said Catholics noted that while there are ultimately two destinations after death, there is also a purification process for heaven-bound souls. "Purgatory is another part of Catholic teaching. It's not — some think of it as a temporary hell, you know, like fire and stuff like that, but just for a short time. That's not the way to look at it. It's not true," said Collins. "Purgatory, purification, is part of heaven. You might call it the antechamber to heaven, and it's a state of purification." 'There's no use praying for people in heaven because they don’t need it or in hell because they can't use it.' Cardinal Collins indicated that purification can begin long before stepping foot in heaven's antechamber and can take the form of "the struggles of this earth." Regarding the post-death variety of purification, Collins indicated Catholics pray for the souls of the dead who may not have been fully purified. "There's no use praying for people in heaven because they don’t need it or in hell because they can't use it. We pray for people who have died and that's found in the Old Testament, in Maccabees," said Collins. "It's a good and noble thing to pray for the dead. That’s what we do at our funerals." "That's why I don't like it, it's so wrong — I mean, it's understandable, but it's so inadequate — when our funerals are canonizations of people. ... We pray for people that if they are not fully in communion with God yet, they will be purified and they will be with the Lord," added the cardinal. Hell's relevance "Hell is part of our faith, but it's not the heart of our faith," Collins told Blaze News. "It's sort of an obvious corollary to freedom, and it's all over the scriptures. It's there in the faith of the church. Yeah, there it is." In terms of his ministry, Cardinal Collins indicated that hell comes up quite frequently, as he regularly says Leo XIII's prayer to St. Michael and asks Christ to "save us from the fires of hell" when praying the Rosary. However, he insisted that the Catholic faith is not centered on fear of hell but rather on the love of God. "If we're dwelling on hell all the time, I think that's not spiritually healthy. But if we ignore it, I think we're naïve, and that’s also not spiritually healthy. The focus of our life is the love of God and living that way," said Collins. Cardinal Collins summarized the matter thusly: I would simply say that freely loving God is what God makes us for. If we're going to freely love God, the alternative has to be there that we don't. I think history and simple common sense reveal to us that that happens in life — that people totally go against the love of God. Look at the horrible things — just look at the last century, at reality, at the horrible things done. And that reality to have the freedom to say no to God is the foundation for the fact, the reality of hell. But hell is not the main thing. We focus on the love of God. Rabbi Aron Moss Rabbi Aron Moss is the rabbi at Nefesh Center in Sydney, Australia. He is the author of "Can I Name My Dog Israel: Life Questions That Aren't So Black & White" and a prolific writer whose insights into a broad range of topics, including Jewish mysticism, frequently appear on Chabad.org as well as on his podcast entitled, "Two Jews, Three Opinions." Rabbi Moss spoke to Blaze News over the phone about the Jewish beliefs regarding the afterlife and the idea of hell, specifically Gehinnom — alternatively pronounced "Gehenna" — as a "great kindness." Hell exists by another name — but it's neither physical nor eternal 'To be able to get there you need to cleanse yourself of any negative residue that you accumulated during your lifetime.' Rabbi Moss indicated that he and his congregation "certainly do believe in hell" but noted that hell is an English word with its own connotations. When responding to questions about hell, Rabbi Moss specifically referred to Gehinnom. Unlike the hell described by Cardinal Collins, Rabbi Moss indicated that Gehinnom is a temporary state that prepares souls for heaven. "So almost every human being leaves this world with some residue of negativity from their sins, the things they've done wrong in this lifetime," Rabbi Moss told Blaze News. "In order to be able to reach the afterlife, which we call the Garden of Eden, paradise — a place where we enjoy the closeness to God — to be able to get there you need to cleanse yourself of any negative residue that you accumulated during your lifetime." Bodiless and on the go Gehinnom serves as a "spiritual washing machine to rid the soul of the residue of negativity that accumulated while in the body," said Moss. Despite its physical description in sacred texts, Gehinnom is completely spiritual, as is the rest of the Jewish afterlife. 'It's a good exchange rate that we have: A bit of suffering in this world is worth a lot in the next world.' "The body turns to the dust where it came from, the soul returns to God and on the way to its return to God may go through that cleansing, and it's a purely spiritual state," said Moss. "Any physical terminology we use, like, you know, the fires of Gehinnom or anything like that, are purely metaphorical to understand what that cleansing is." What is described as fire may instead reflect the feeling that results from a soul's confrontation with its earthly past. "One depiction of Gehinnom is that the soul has to face its behavior that it's done over its lifetime and by looking back at your behavior from the perspective of truth, when you're in the world of truth," said Rabbi Moss. "So just the shame and the embarrassment of looking back at our misdemeanors and our wrongdoings — that shame itself is like the fire of Gehennim, the heat that we feel in the embarrassment. The soul feels that embarrassment, and that itself is the cleansing." Like Collins, Rabbi Moss indicated that purification can also take place on earth. "If we go through pain and suffering in this world, then that is a cleansing of our soul, and a small amount of suffering in this world will exempt us from a large amount of suffering in the next world," said Moss. "It's a good exchange rate that we have: A bit of suffering in this world is worth a lot in the next world."Some souls too dirty to launder Rabbi Moss indicated that there are some souls too wicked to be allowed into Gehinnom. 'Once you've studied in Kabbalah, you can see it in the Hebrew Bible.' "They may be sent back down in a form of reincarnation to fix things on earth. There may be unfinished business that rather than being cleansed, you maybe need to go back down and reverse it in another lifetime," said Moss. When pressed about the nature of that reincarnation, Rabbi Moss noted that the Hebrew Bible does not go into great detail about what happens to the soul or discuss Gehinnom at length but does, however, provide hints. "These ideas are much more found in the Kabbalah, the mystical side of Judaism," said Moss. "But once you've studied in Kabbalah, you can see it in the Hebrew Bible." Rabbi Moss noted that the story of Jonah and the whale serves as a prime example. "So the Kabbalists understand that as talking about the process of reincarnation. The soul that has a mission to fulfill in this world, and if you don't fulfill that mission, so you can be reincarnated in non-human form," said Moss. "You might find yourself in the belly of a fish. Eventually, you'll be spat up on dry land to be reincarnated in human form and to fulfill the mission that you didn't do last time." While some souls too wicked initially for Gehinnom may be afforded the opportunity to settle their earthly affairs and try again, Rabbi Moss indicated there are other cases of people whose "evil is so entrenched, so connected to them, that Gehinnom — the sort of external cleansing is not enough." "The [person's] soul would have to be completely destroyed," said Moss. "And that's a very extreme thing. We're not talking about the garden-variety person who may have done wrong. We've all done wrong. We're talking about somebody who is evil incarnate. I guess Hitler is the one we always use as the example. So someone of that level of evil: It's not enough for them to go through some time of cleansing. That's a different story. Hell as a great kindness Blaze News asked Rabbi Moss why hell was a "great kindness," which he has previously suggested elsewhere. He underscored that unlike the hell of eternal torment, Gehinnom is a short route to paradise. Rabbi Moss noted that "ultimately, the journey of the soul is to reunite with God and to connect deeply and profoundly with our Divine source. That's really where the soul is headed to. In order to get there, we have to get rid of all of the blockages that would prevent us from joining that union with God." Gehinnom is a kindness for aiding souls in that regard. "It's not an idea of eternal damnation, and it's [in] order to get to a higher place," said Moss. More prayers for the dead Just as Catholics pray for the souls of the dead, so too do Jews. But instead of praying for souls believed to be in purgatory, they pray for the souls transitioning through Gehinnom. "Jewish tradition believes that the average wicked person has twelve months of cleansing. So in our Jewish tradition, if somebody passes away, their friends will pray for the departed, and we actually say those prayers called Kaddish. It's a prayer that allows the soul to be elevated," said Rabbi Moss. The rabbi noted that it is customary to pray for the departed for 11 months and not 12, to signal an understanding the decedent was not wholly wicked. Gehinnom's relevance While Jews generally believe in the afterlife, Rabbi Moss indicated they don't place great emphasis on heaven or hell. "We do see it as an important element of faith, but it's not central to our belief system, meaning we do good because it's good, not because we're going to get rewarded," said Rabbi Moss. "We avoid evil because it's wrong, not because we're going to get punished." Rabbi Moss acknowledged that the prospect of eternal punishment or reward can serve as an incentive and is "necessary for our moral structure" but, again, is not central — especially not a great deal more focus assigned to the here and now. "We believe that being good and doing good is much more about this world — making this world into heaven rather than going to heaven, and also that the bad that we do makes a hell down here and creates suffering down here," said Moss. "That's much more our purpose — is the here and now." In "Blaze Originals: Understanding hell – Part II," Rev. Fr. Calvin Robinson discusses the reality of hell from a British Old Catholic perspective; Rev. Dr. Lance Haverkamp discusses the Christian Universalist belief that all souls will ultimately be saved, possibly negating the need for hell; Bishop Stephen Andrews provides an Anglican perspective on the darker side of the afterlife; and Dr. Kenneth Green provides historical insights into Jewish views on Gehenna. In Part III, Rabbi Shana Goldshein provides some Reformed Jewish thoughts on the prospect of hell and the afterlife; and American conservative talk radio host and writer Erick Erickson goes deep on the Presbyerian Church in America's views on perdition. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

This week’s Let Her Cook is inspired by my friend Chelsey, “Kitchen Marm” on X. She’s a New Hampshire-based, homesteading mother who makes just about everything she feeds her three kids (the oldest of whom is three) from scratch, including, most recently, banana pudding.If you’re as motivated as Chelsey, you’ll make your own vanilla pudding and caramel, and if you’re Nara Smith, you might even make your own vanilla wafers. If you’re Helen Roy, you’re taking this to a party and want to keep it pretty simple, with just a splash of that special Southern social lubricant: preferably Basil Hayden’s.* Bourbon banana puddingIngredients 14 oz sweetened condensed milk1 1/2 cups water 1 pack instant French vanilla pudding (3.4 ounces) 3 cups heavy whipping cream 1.5 ounces bourbon 6 bananas (just ripened) 2 cups Nilla Wafers 1 cup caramel for topping Instructions In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the sweetened condensed milk and water until well combined. Add the French vanilla pudding mix to the diluted sweetened condensed milk, and whisk until pudding is fully dissolved. Cover bowl and place in refrigerator until solidified. (This typically takes 2-3 hours). Once solidified, remove from the refrigerator, and continue the recipe. Place heavy whipping cream and bourbon into the bowl of a standing mixer. Beat on medium speed until cream stiffens into a whipped cream texture. Fold solidified French vanilla pudding into whipped cream with a spatula until evenly mixed. Beat for another minute in the standing mixer until no streaks of pudding exist. Prepare dessert in a trifle dish or in individual versions. To assemble the dessert, arrange 1/3 of the Nilla Wafers and lemon snaps covering the bottom of the dish, followed by a layer of bananas, and top with a layer of pudding. Drizzle the top with 1/3 cup of caramel. Repeat this step two more times. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill at least 4 hours overnight. (Longer chill produces the best results.) *The Heydons (original spelling) emigrated to the Virginia Colony in the 1660s, when much of Britain became inhospitable to Catholics. Francis Hayden, Basil Hayden Sr.'s great-grandfather and the first Heydon (then switching to Hayden), moved from Virginia to Maryland in 1678, settling in St. Mary's County on St. Clement's Bay, where the family remained until Basil led a group of 25 Catholic families from Maryland into what is now Nelson County, Kentucky, (near Bardstown) in 1785. There, Hayden donated the land for the first Catholic church west of the Alleghenies and the first Catholic church in what is now the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Basil began farming and distilling on a small scale. Legend says that Basil Hayden produced whiskey with a higher rye content than most distillers. He was also philanthropic and donated the land to build the first Catholic church in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. During the American Revolution, Basil Sr. supplied provisions to the Continental Army.

Back in the Steam Next Fest of February 2023, a Dungeons and Dragons style old-school, dungeon-crawling multiplayer RPG mixing the looks of Skyrim with the extraction sensibilities of Escape From Tarkov blew up, with a demo peaking at over 100,000 concurrent players. That was Dark and Darker, and after a lengthy period absent from the Valve platform due to legal issues it’s now back as a free Steam game. Despite a mixed user response to the return, it seems to be holding strong for now, as developer Ironmace works on resolving the divide between free and paid players. Continue reading Dark and Darker has plenty of players despite struggling Steam reviews MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Dark and Darker release date, Dark and Darker system requirements, Dark and Darker classes guide

A lot of the times when I play city or colony builders, I eventually get bored of my surroundings. Sure, it's wonderful to see a small town turn into a bustling metropolis, but the hills and the scenery rarely change - Cities Skylines 2 is gorgeous, but it's still, throughout all my trials and tribulations, just a city. Well, in Ark of Charon, a new builder that you can play now, you have to pick up your settlement and move onto a new area every few days. You also carry your entire city on the back of a giant creature. Continue reading Unique new city builder with an amazing twist is available to play now MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best management games, Best strategy games, Best city-building games

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