Web Link - UK ghost sightings on the rise

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7631387/Ghost-sightings-highest-in-25-years.html

Supposedly there has been an increase in activity in the UK....

Not sure how big of a Twinkie that would be though, Egon...

New Book

"Dreams, Visions, and Spiritual Authority in Merovingian Gaul" by Isabel Moreira.

Found it at half-price books [I need to just stop prentending I won't buy something "this time"]

It sounds intereting, i'll post some comments when I'm done. [And when I get to it, as i'm reading a book on the sacraments]

Web Link - See of Rome cracks down on false miracles

Bad picture of the Pope (biased reporter maybe?) but nice bit of information. I'm glad to see Rome is actively investigating these claims and cracking down on false ones.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1113943/Pope-declares-holy-war-people-falsely-claim-seen-Virgin-Mary.html

Marian Apparitions?

Being more protestant then my catholic brethren, I tend not to put allot of stock in claimed visions and apparitions of the Theotokos (I term I do use at least). However these are relevant to this blog in some ways.

As such Here is a link to an article about the Pope and Marian apparitions. Apparently he is having the rules revised and made more critical of claimed encounters and revelations. 

I'm undecided on appearances of saints and angels in the modern world. I don't think I can say it is impossible for at least angels to continue to appear. It would be highly absurd to think we have recorded in scripture all angel appearances ever made, and then that afterwards there have been none. Saints like Mary are a bit trickier. The closest in scripture to an occurrence like this was the Transfiguration when Moses and Elijah appeared on the mountain with Jesus, but they didn’t deliver a message and it seemed unique. Now a Reformed theologian will then say that is enough, if God didn’t have a saint appear in scripture delivering a message, then a saint can’t do this. This is an epistemological issue with the use of scripture that is beyond this blog (see Moreland’s article on evangelicals being over committed to scripture for more) and so I don’t think we can go that far.

Does this mean that they are legitimate? Not necessarily, just that they should be critically examined by trained theologians and investigators, and not believed because they become popular places to visit. The Pope is right to enforce some standards of investigations and emphasize that “No apparition is indispensable to the faith”.

The new guidelines have not been drawn up yet, but I would think they would be along the lines of:

1) Are there any possible natural explanations for the visions?

2) Have they been witnessed by more then one person over a length of time?

3) Do the messages given conflict with the Christina faith?

4) Do the people who flock there leave encouraged to live a life of faith and virtue?

5) Does the entire event glorify God?

I’m sure some more could be added, and it would be interesting to see what the Papal commission comes up with, as it could be applied to any supernatural visions such as modern angel encounters within both catholic and protestant circles.