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Ancient
myths, human might, and a massive marketing system! These visible signs
of the modern Olympics stir the imagination and draw the masses. They also
hide the global politics and the cold-hearted pragmatism behind the scenes.
For Olympic masters celebrate the strong and mighty, but they show little
tolerance for the poor and weak whose homes are razed to build stadiums,
beautify surroundings, and impress visitors.
The
history of the Olympics lead us back to around 770 B.C. -- the apparent
birth of the
original Greek games -- when superstitious mortals worshipped ancient gods on Mount Olympus.
This extended family of promiscuous deities was ruled by Zeus and birthed by
Gaea (Gaia), supposedly the mother goddess of all.
In
that other-worldly realm, Zeus' oldest sister, Hestia, guarded the sacred flame on Mount Olympus.
Meanwhile, in the real world, a sacred fire was lit on an altar to Zeus in front of his
massive temple. At four-year intervals, nude athletes would compete for the
victor's wreath, honor and material gain. But the light of those early games flickered out in AD 394 when Emperor Theodosius,
apparently a Christian, could no longer condone such occult celebrations.
“There are not two parts of
a man... there are three -- body, soul and character: character
is not formed by the mind, but primarily by the body."[4]
"The
first essential characteristic of ancient and of modern Olympism is
that of being a religion. By chiseling his body with exercise as
a sculptor chisels a statue, the athlete of antiquity was 'honoring the
gods'. In doing likewise the modern athlete exalts his country, his
race, his flag. I therefore think I was right to recreate from the
outset, around the renewed Olympism, a religious
sentiment transformed and widened by the Internationalism and
Democracy which distinguish the present age, but still the same
as that which led the young Greeks, ambitious for the triumph of their
muscles, to the foot of the altar of Zeus.”[4]
Coubertin's idealistic vision of international
peace and spirituality is still the public theme of the Olympics. But
his point on character-building has been tainted by the moral
realities of the new millennium. While there are many admirable heroes among the athletes,
their "village" is also known
for its rampant use of free condoms, its obsession with the human body, its
shameless delight in all kinds of promiscuous sex,[5]
and its illicit use of drugs and
steroids.[6]
That's not surprising. Our culture is changing fast, and popular
entertainment is racing to stay ahead of the trends it helped create. Like
the mainstream media, the forces behind the Olympic vision have been reshaped by
changing values, national interests, international politics, global
economics, etc. And with the guidance and participation of globalist
power-brokers such as Henry
Kissinger -- who was rewarded with the title, "Honour
Member,"
by the
International
Olympic Committee
-- its global networks will surely increase.[7]
In
fact, the Olympics have always been entangled with contrary goals and
tactics. The most blatant
demonstration of political compromise was pushed by Hitler in
Berlin:
"...in 1936, Adolph Hitler had co-opted the Games... making
them a showcase for the Nazis' hollow facade of a new and better Germany."[8]
"Creating impressions
of grandeur and potency was one of Hitler's foremost talents.... The
Games would launch with lavish and spectacular ceremonies.... The sacred
flame would ignite from the focused rays of the sun in the ruins of ancient
Olympia, then be borne to Berlin by a relay of runners.... By this transfer
of fire from the oldest Olympic site to the newest, the past would touch
the present. A spirit would move across the ages...."
"The glorious
scheme was set in motion amid the tumbled stones of Olympia. ... A 'high
priestess' attended by 13 Greek girls in classical costume held a wand above
a sun-focusing mirror supplied by the Zeiss company, Germany's famed optical
firm. The wand burst into flame and was carried to an altar. ... A German
delegate declaimed: 'O fire, lit in an ancient and sacred place, begin your
race....'"[9]
Hitler's fascination
with ancient myth and mysticism fueled the fervor behind this ritual and
prompted its inclusion in future ceremonies. According to the official website of the
2002 Olympics,
"The Olympic Flame first became a tradition
of the modern Olympics at the 1928 Amsterdam Games.... A torch relay has
been held, in one form or another, at every Olympics since. The flame is
first lighted during a ceremony at the site of the ancient Olympic stadium
in Olympia. Women dressed in robes similar to those worn by the ancient
Greeks use a curved mirror to light the torch naturally with the sun’s rays.... The high priestess then presents the torch to the first relay runner."[3]
The lighting of the torch -- and
later the cauldron -- sets the stage for pagan celebrations befitting the spiritual visions of
global pacesetters. They know well that images
and suggestions, rather than facts or truth, will best change values and
establish
symbols that serve the global agenda.
So does the influential
spiritual leader, James Morton. This former "Dean" (or head pastor) of New York's infamous
Cathedral of St. John
the Divine
has been a guiding member of the interfaith
Temple
of Understanding. Speaking on Solidarity at the 1996 UN Conference on Human Settlements
in Istanbul, he offered his pathway to global peace. Notice how well it
matches the Olympic vision:
"What's needed is ...something analogous
to the ancient acropolis, where today's diversity of national and ethnic
customs and religious traditions can be celebrated and upheld for the enrichment
of everybody.... The new acropolises will... provide opportunity for sacred
expression needed to bind the people of the planet into a viable, meaningful,
and sustainable solidarity."[2]
The new acropolis is here!
It's making a difference! For whenever groups of people tune their hearts to
a shared experience, their personal values tend to change and blend -- be it
ever so slightly each time. Change agents in churches as well as in
government, community organizations, the UN, or the
Olympic Committee are counting on it!
Whether true or false, enticing stories and visual images can plant transformational
suggestions
in the collective mind.
We see the results in today's
growing consensus -- the common perceptions that it's okay to love and
celebrate gods and rituals that reigned in ancient times. Such idols and
practices are now
considered good, not bad. And woe to Christian children or teens who dare to
argue against that among their peers and teachers.
Genuine unity comes through
Jesus Christ,
not myth, marketing, or the human imagination. Only He can build in us the
kind of character that can withstand all the temptations to cheat, lie and
compromise the Truth. Only His light will shut out the false light of seductive
illusions and misleading visions.
"Beware," He warns us, "lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the
tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and
not according to Christ." Colossians
2:6-9
But only a few are likely to
listen. As Dr. Stanley Monteith so wisely said, "...reality is usually scoffed at and
illusion is usually king, but in the battle for the survival of Western civilization it
will be reality and not illusion or delusion that will determine what the future will
bring."[10]
House Churches Ready
to Welcome Brother Bush; Deeply Disappointed in his Visit to the
TSPM: "As the grand opening ceremony of 2008 Beijing Olympic Games
approaches, many house churches in Beijing are getting ready to welcome President
Bush.
...
When
the news came that President Bush will visit Kuanjie Protestant
Church of the TSPM that serves the Chinese government, it caused
widespread concern among the house churches. They believe that the
Chinese rulers have been consistently cheating and ridiculing their
guests from overseas by winning popularity through misleading
the public and by mixing the false with the genuine.
Through these means,
they intensify their persecution on the house churches. President
Bush’s visit to the TSPM’s Kuanjie Protestant Church will certainly
be utilized by the Chinese Communists.
"...one
of the Christian leaders... in Beijing, said with much disappointment:
'One of the most important means with which the Chinese Communists
persecute the churches in China is strengthening the TSPM churches
that it establishes and controls. Bush’s visit to the TSPM will
surely give out a wrong signal that President Bush endorses the
TSPM churches.'”
See
Persecution
Bush aims for balance in China:
"President Bush started his four-day visit to China Friday by sending a mixed message
of both praise for Chinese economic policy and admonishments to Chinese
leaders to respect religious and political freedoms....That dual-edged
message came through Friday morning, while he inaugurated a $434 million, 500,000 square-foot U.S. embassy in the heart of Beijing
that will be the second biggest American embassy, only behind the U.S. complex in Baghdad...
"Hours later, at a pre-Olympic luncheon for
world leaders,
Bush set a different tone as he climbed the steps of the monumental
Chinese parliament building, the Great Hall of the People, and happily
shook hands with Chinese President Hu Jintao....
"Sharon
Hom, executive director of the advocacy group Human Rights in China,
said the president could start by requesting the release of several
dissidents thrown in jail over the past months for criticizing
government preparations for the Olympic Games.
'The focus should move away from what leaders say to what they do....
World leaders should use every opportunity possible to demand concrete
human rights action."
