faith

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a ghost hunter? Imagine camping out in an empty house in the dark just waiting for something paranormal to happen. This is a bizarre profession and maybe even a dangerous one. The Syfy channel on Dish Network Satellite TV offers the show Ghost Hunters. You can go along for the ride with the ghost hunters as they investigate homes that are reportedly haunted by ghosts.

I was listening to the radio this morning when the DJ’s were interviewing another group of ghost hunters who visit people’s haunted homes for free. They were recently working on an investigation in a Nashua, New Hampshire apartment for a family that was tormented by ghostly occurrences. Their 13-year-old daughter has visions of blood dripping from the walls in her room and she hears things and sees full body apparitions. She will also start writing randomly in handwriting not characteristic of her own. The investigators did not see anything when they were at the home but they did hear growling unlike an animal that they attribute to something demonic.

The apartment is new so it is rare that a place like this would be haunted. The ghost hunters recommended that the family move somewhere else but they also recommended a demonologist to help them rid of the demon. Ghost hunters are out to learn more about the paranormal but they are not qualified to perform an exorcism. They claim that a demonic haunting usually stems from a curse or something that their ancestors were guilty of in the past that was carried down to them. They would need to consult the church to find a demonologist who would be able to conduct an exorcism. The demonologist is an informed and very religious person who has a faith so strong that it cannot be overpowered by the demon. Demonic hauntings are said to follow their victims no matter where they move- not unlike the story in Paranormal Activity. The family decided not to move but there’s no word yet of whether they will seek out a demonologist.

A demon is characterized by a non-human entity that has a soul but never had a body, perhaps an angel that was cast down from Heaven. It is not seen but can be heard and felt. The demon enjoys wreaking havoc and can be very dangerous. They are jealous of our lives, they smell foul and they are intelligent but have no inhibitions. There are plenty of people who do not believe that this can be possible but there are also a few accounts of people experiencing this phenomenon. I’m sure there are cases that can be attributed to mental illness. I question whether or not it’s possible to be haunted by an evil unseen force but at the same time I’m curious about it on an entertainment level.

Can the cases be true that led to such movies as The Entity, The Amityville Horror, The Exorcist and The Exorcism of Emily Rose? There are many skeptics that do not believe these stories are valid and many investigations uncovered a few loopholes in the stories. For example The Amityville Horror story implied that there were hoof prints found outside the home in the snow that possibly belonged to the demon but it was confirmed that it did not even snow that day where the house is located in New York and it would be rare that the demon would have a visible form. I haven’t heard of any arguments concerning the story in The Entity so perhaps there was nothing to argue. The woman portrayed in the film was raped at night by an unseen force. She moved from the home and hasn’t been touched but she claims that there is still a presence.

Can just anyone be haunted by a demon? Investigators claim that demonic hauntings start off quietly and gradually build in intensity. Families that are under high stress are considered to be more vulnerable. Stressors can include anything from marital problems to mental illness. Demons have an outlet when people are at their weakest psychologically. Using objects that invoke spirits can bring more into your life than you bargained for. Ouija boards, crystals and Tarot cards seem like simple entertainment but according to some professionals can also bring in unwanted spirits and demons. There is also the curse factor. Demonic hauntings are very rare but when they occur they are impossible to rid of without the help of a professional demonologist and they can still return after they’ve been expelled. It is important for families who have had a demon expelled to attend counseling and repair their personal problems so they can maintain a positive mental state. This will make it difficult for the demon to return.

It is difficult to know what is fact and what is fiction when it comes to something as delicate and unseen as the paranormal. I would like to believe that demons do not exist and these occurrences can be attributed to something else- anything else. Like many people I would like to believe that angels are real and they are watching over us and protecting us. There may be more reliable measurements in the future to test the validity of the paranormal but perhaps it is better to use our imagination than know the truth.

Are tears of blood a miracle or a medical condition? There have been many interesting accounts of such tears with people from all over the world, but it is obviously more difficult to prove a miracle than it is to rule out possible causes for this. There is more of a focus on the scientific explanations for such occurrences and a sense of doubt pertaining to religious explanations. We want an immediate answer for things like this but we don’t always get one. Anyone who brings up the religious angle is destined for ridicule and apt to be called a “religious nut”.
I was listening to The Early Show on CBS the other morning on Satellite TV while I was getting ready for work and something I heard grabbed my attention. "Stay tuned for our next story with a 15 year old boy who cries tears of blood." What? This has to be a unique story to say the least. I dropped my makeup and dashed to the living room to see the interview with the boy and his mother. Calvino Inman of Tennessee and his mother Tammy Mynatt brought the video of him crying tears of blood hoping to reach out to someone who can help them with this situation. His tears did not appear to be diluted in any way, they were pure blood! Calvino said that he thought he was going to die when he began crying the bloody tears. It happens randomly about 3 times a day and lasts for up to 15 minutes. The crying is not provoked by emotion as Calvino is not feeling sad when this happens or doing anything that would induce normal tear production.
There is a condition called Haemolacria that causes people to shed bloody tears, but the doctors cannot yet say for sure if he has this condition. Calvino went to five doctors with his mother and his condition has each of them baffled. He had an ultrasound, CAT scan and an MRI, which were all normal. Haemolacria is usually a result of a larger underlying medical condition but he seems to be in good overall health. Calvino and his mom are continuing their search to find a diagnosis for his condition. He claims that the tears burn and are annoying. His peers at school teased him at first by calling him names and saying he was possessed but they have since apologized realizing that Calvino cannot control his situation and has visited many doctors in a quest to find its diagnosis.
According to information provided by CNN, a doctor from the University of Tennessee's Hamilton Eye Institute has studied this condition extensively and said that there were only four cases of this mysterious occurrence between 1992 and 2003. He is amazed that it is happening to a healthy young boy. He claims that Haemolacria can be caused by deep emotional trauma or a head injury, but agrees that Calvino doesn't even fit the bill for this disorder. Another doctor at the same institute said that the condition that Calvino has could be something very miniscule in size, which can be difficult to pinpoint with any of the tests he has undergone thus far. He claims that they may have to wait for more symptoms to surface to get the full picture of what the cause might be. Evidently, the condition can be the result of anything from a tumor to a simple infection. It may be a repeat occurrence of the four cases from '92-'03 when the bleeding mysteriously stopped on its own.
This is claimed to have no religious significance. It is spelled out that religion is not a factor on most of the websites that I visited to gain more information. Could it be better for each of these unexplained cases to be a religious phenomenon rather than a medical condition? I understand that people want closure, especially the children and their parents. I also realize that it has to be extremely difficult to deal with this in your everyday life but history has shown that it doesn’t last forever, as the tears of blood will most likely stop as spontaneously as they began. Why is it such a taboo to consider this to be a miracle? There might not be a medical explanation for this simply because it hasn't been researched enough since it alone doesn't seem to be life threatening. Perhaps it is something that is beyond our grasp of true understanding.
Some believers may say that this is a result of "vicarious suffering" which is believed to be the act of involuntary suffering for other people's sins so they can be forgiven. There is a 13-year-old girl named Twinkle Dwivedi in India who is currently experiencing such tears and is displaying what is believed to be stigmata. Her palms, head and feet all emit blood yet she has no wounds. National Geographic will air her story on September 13th with Dish Network.
There are two religious statues of The Virgin Mary that cry tears of blood and are deemed to be genuine miracles according to the Vatican (others turned out to be staged). The two documented statues are the weeping statue of The Virgin Mary in 1949 in Syracuse, Italy and Our Lady of Akita in 1988 in Japan. Religious believers who feel that this phenomenon is a miracle are not sure why it’s happening. Some believe an occurrence like this is a sign from God and are unsure as to whether it is good or bad. Some believe that the weeping statues are reflecting sadness for these difficult times of war, poverty and violence.
Calvino’s story and the occurrence of weeping statues remind me of the young girl Audrey Marie Santo in my hometown of Worcester, MA who was in a coma for 19 years before she passed away. Audrey was found in her pool at home when she was three and never regained consciousness. Doctors informed her mom that Audrey would only live a few years and suggested she place her in a nursing home. Her mom is a believer and decided that if the doctors can’t help, perhaps a miracle can. She took Audrey to the shrine of Medjugorje. Audrey had a moment where she began to move and attempt to speak, which did not last very long before she returned to her previous state.
According to her parents, many religious experiences occurred in her room such as religious statues that wept oil and blood. One might think that the parents saw things they needed to see at a very sorrowful time, but this story reached neighbors and eventually the newspaper and news. Soon enough, people from all over the world came to visit her and to pray for her recovery and for miracles. Many visitors also gave testimony that they were present when such miracles had occurred. Audrey was said to have responded to one man’s prayers for a loved one with a tear. Perhaps there was a miracle at the shrine of Medjugorje, not only for obvious reasons, but also for the fact that Audrey lived to be 23 years old. She never had a bed sore, even with the fact that she was bed-ridden for 19 years.
Calvino Inman is from Tennessee which is a state well known for the amount of churches housed there in the Bible belt. Could there be a miraculous connection with Calvino and the religious beliefs of the people in his community? Could it be something even larger than that? I’m not stating that I believe this is a miracle, but I would rather hear that than find out this young teenager has a serious medical problem. There is no scientific explanation for why this boy cries blood and there was none for Audrey Marie Santo who survived until the age of twenty-three. There were no tangible explanations for what occurred with the religious statues in Japan and Italy. Will we ever know the reason behind these phenomena or will they forever remain a secret?

Are tears of blood a miracle or a medical condition? There have been many interesting accounts of such tears with people from all over the world, but it is obviously more difficult to prove a miracle than it is to rule out possible causes for this. There is more of a focus on the scientific explanations for such occurrences and a sense of doubt pertaining to religious explanations. We want an immediate answer for things like this but we don’t always get one. Anyone who brings up the religious angle is destined for ridicule and apt to be called a “religious nut”.
I was listening to The Early Show on CBS the other morning on Satellite TV while I was getting ready for work and something I heard grabbed my attention. "Stay tuned for our next story with a 15 year old boy who cries tears of blood." What? This has to be a unique story to say the least. I dropped my makeup and dashed to the living room to see the interview with the boy and his mother. Calvino Inman of Tennessee and his mother Tammy Mynatt brought the video of him crying tears of blood hoping to reach out to someone who can help them with this situation. His tears did not appear to be diluted in any way, they were pure blood! Calvino said that he thought he was going to die when he began crying the bloody tears. It happens randomly about 3 times a day and lasts for up to 15 minutes. The crying is not provoked by emotion as Calvino is not feeling sad when this happens or doing anything that would induce normal tear production.
There is a condition called Haemolacria that causes people to shed bloody tears, but the doctors cannot yet say for sure if he has this condition. Calvino went to five doctors with his mother and his condition has each of them baffled. He had an ultrasound, CAT scan and an MRI, which were all normal. Haemolacria is usually a result of a larger underlying medical condition but he seems to be in good overall health. Calvino and his mom are continuing their search to find a diagnosis for his condition. He claims that the tears burn and are annoying. His peers at school teased him at first by calling him names and saying he was possessed but they have since apologized realizing that Calvino cannot control his situation and has visited many doctors in a quest to find its diagnosis.
According to information provided by CNN, a doctor from the University of Tennessee's Hamilton Eye Institute has studied this condition extensively and said that there were only four cases of this mysterious occurrence between 1992 and 2003. He is amazed that it is happening to a healthy young boy. He claims that Haemolacria can be caused by deep emotional trauma or a head injury, but agrees that Calvino doesn't even fit the bill for this disorder. Another doctor at the same institute said that the condition that Calvino has could be something very miniscule in size, which can be difficult to pinpoint with any of the tests he has undergone thus far. He claims that they may have to wait for more symptoms to surface to get the full picture of what the cause might be. Evidently, the condition can be the result of anything from a tumor to a simple infection. It may be a repeat occurrence of the four cases from '92-'03 when the bleeding mysteriously stopped on its own.
This is claimed to have no religious significance. It is spelled out that religion is not a factor on most of the websites that I visited to gain more information. Could it be better for each of these unexplained cases to be a religious phenomenon rather than a medical condition? I understand that people want closure, especially the children and their parents. I also realize that it has to be extremely difficult to deal with this in your everyday life but history has shown that it doesn’t last forever, as the tears of blood will most likely stop as spontaneously as they began. Why is it such a taboo to consider this to be a miracle? There might not be a medical explanation for this simply because it hasn't been researched enough since it alone doesn't seem to be life threatening. Perhaps it is something that is beyond our grasp of true understanding.
Some believers may say that this is a result of "vicarious suffering" which is believed to be the act of involuntary suffering for other people's sins so they can be forgiven. There is a 13-year-old girl named Twinkle Dwivedi in India who is currently experiencing such tears and is displaying what is believed to be stigmata. Her palms, head and feet all emit blood yet she has no wounds. National Geographic will air her story on September 13th with Dish Network.
There are two religious statues of The Virgin Mary that cry tears of blood and are deemed to be genuine miracles according to the Vatican (others turned out to be staged). The two documented statues are the weeping statue of The Virgin Mary in 1949 in Syracuse, Italy and Our Lady of Akita in 1988 in Japan. Religious believers who feel that this phenomenon is a miracle are not sure why it’s happening. Some believe an occurrence like this is a sign from God and are unsure as to whether it is good or bad. Some believe that the weeping statues are reflecting sadness for these difficult times of war, poverty and violence.
Calvino’s story and the occurrence of weeping statues remind me of the young girl Audrey Marie Santo in my hometown of Worcester, MA who was in a coma for 19 years before she passed away. Audrey was found in her pool at home when she was three and never regained consciousness. Doctors informed her mom that Audrey would only live a few years and suggested she place her in a nursing home. Her mom is a believer and decided that if the doctors can’t help, perhaps a miracle can. She took Audrey to the shrine of Medjugorje. Audrey had a moment where she began to move and attempt to speak, which did not last very long before she returned to her previous state.
According to her parents, many religious experiences occurred in her room such as religious statues that wept oil and blood. One might think that the parents saw things they needed to see at a very sorrowful time, but this story reached neighbors and eventually the newspaper and news. Soon enough, people from all over the world came to visit her and to pray for her recovery and for miracles. Many visitors also gave testimony that they were present when such miracles had occurred. Audrey was said to have responded to one man’s prayers for a loved one with a tear. Perhaps there was a miracle at the shrine of Medjugorje, not only for obvious reasons, but also for the fact that Audrey lived to be 23 years old. She never had a bed sore, even with the fact that she was bed-ridden for 19 years.
Calvino Inman is from Tennessee which is a state well known for the amount of churches housed there in the Bible belt. Could there be a miraculous connection with Calvino and the religious beliefs of the people in his community? Could it be something even larger than that? I’m not stating that I believe this is a miracle, but I would rather hear that than find out this young teenager has a serious medical problem. There is no scientific explanation for why this boy cries blood and there was none for Audrey Marie Santo who survived until the age of twenty-three. There were no tangible explanations for what occurred with the religious statues in Japan and Italy. Will we ever know the reason behind these phenomena or will they forever remain a secret?

  Eunice Kennedy Shriver, a sister of the late President John F. Kennedy, who carried on the family's public service tradition by founding the Special Olympics and championing the rights of the mentally disabled, died early Tuesday surrounded by relatives at a Hyannis, MA. hospital. She was 88. The hospital is near the Kennedy family compound, where her sole surviving brother, Sen. Edward Kennedy, has been battling a brain tumor himself. 

"She was the light of our lives, a mother, wife, grandmother, sister and aunt who taught us by example and with passion what it means to live a faith-driven life of love and service to others," the family said.

Sen. Kennedy said his earliest memory of his sister was as a young girl "with great humor, sharp wit, and a boundless passion to make a difference."  "She understood deeply the lesson our mother and father taught us — much is expected of those to whom much has been given," he said in a statement. "Throughout her extraordinary life, she touched the lives of millions, and for Eunice that was never enough."

President Barack Obama said Shriver will be remembered as "as a champion for people with intellectual disabilities, and as an extraordinary woman who, as much as anyone, taught our nation — and our world — that no physical or mental barrier can restrain the power of the human spirit."

Shriver was credited with transforming America's view of the mentally disabled from institutionalized patients to friends, neighbors, and athletes in her role as celebrity, social worker, and political activist. . Her efforts were inspired in part by the struggles of her mentally disabled sister, Rosemary.

While her brother, John, was in the White House, she pressed for efforts to help troubled young people and the mentally disabled. And in 1968, she started what would become the world's largest athletic competition for mentally disabled children and adults. Realizing the children were far more capable of sports than experts said, Shriver organized the first Special Olympics that year in Chicago. The two-day event drew more than 1,000 participants from 26 states and Canada. Now, more than 1 million athletes in more than 160 countries participate in Special Olympics meets each year. By 2003, the Special Olympics World Summer Games, held that year in Dublin, Ireland, involved more than 6,500 athletes from 150 countries. The games are held every four years.

Parents of mentally disabled children owe a tremendous debt of gratitude over the years to this woman from the Kennedy family who almost single-handedly opened doors that had been closed for decades, but never asked for or expected anything in return. She was able to draw upon the polital clout of her powerful family to substantially improve the quality of life for millions. We all owe her and her family that much. 

When the full judgment on the Kennedy legacy is made — including JFK's Peace Corps and Alliance for Progress, Robert Kennedy's passion for civil rights, and Ted Kennedy's efforts on health care, work place reform and refugees — the changes wrought by Eunice Shriver may well be seen as the most consequential," Harrison Rainie, author of "Growing Up Kennedy," wrote in U.S. News & World Report in 1993.

That is a tremendous compliment to Shriver based on the fact that her brother, John, was elected president in 1960, but was assassinated in 1963; her brother, Robert was elected as a US Senator from New York, and was running for president in 1968 when he, too, was assassinated; and her brother Edward, a US Senator for 37 years, also ran for president, as well.      

As the family stated, Eunice taught her own children "by example and with passion how to live a faith-driven life of love and service to others", it's important to note that three of her sons are all involved in high-profile charitable organizations: Timothy is the Chairman of the Special Olympics; Mark is an executive at the Save The Children charity; and Anthony is the founder and Chairman of Best Buddies International, a volunteer organization for the mentally disabled. 

Just off the wire. News is that Satellite TV in their continuing efforts to keep pace with their customers diverse viewing habits has signed an agreement with The Inspiration Networks, which gives Satellite TV  distribution rights for INSP (Inspiration Network). Beginning on August 27, 2008 all of Satellite TV's 17 million customers will be able to watch INSP on channel 364.

The Inspiration Network, for those of you who might not be familiar with it, is a Christian television network which features value based family programming, some of which is specific to children, teens,women and men. The network in addition to their original talk and music programs also features inspirational weekly programs from more than 20 different faiths.

Some of the shows which will Satellite TV subscribers will be able to watch on The Inspiration Network are "Dooley & Pals", "Everyday Woman" and "The Zone" to name just a few. For a more indepth view of the vast selection of programming which INSP will be airing on Satellite TV channel 364 please refer to your Satellite TV channel guide. 

Exploration Films has teamed up with The NRB Network to provide prime-time programming on Wednesday nights at 8pm Eastern for the 2008 Summer and Fall seasons. Exploration Films features faith based documentary films and movies on history, wildlife animals, music and more, presented through stories that bring out the best in people. Their content surpasses secular television in that it provides a doorway to adventure, a key to unlock truths and values that are worth building your life on, values that are worth living for and in some cases dying for. NRB Network broadcasts on Satellite TV channel 378. Satellite TV has over 16 million subscribers, making it the nation's leading and fastest-growing digital multi-channel satellite television service provider in both residential and commercial markets. The NRB Network is included in Satellite TV's base package, TOTAL CHOICE, making it available to all Satellite TV subscribers.NRB Network is a unique Christian television experience, and a "revolution" in a way, being the first of its kind to provide "genre" blocks of programming slotted in specific times of day to meet the needs of the viewing audience.