“I deny the holy spirit” Thu. Dec 21st, 06
So, this isn’t new, but it’s kind of new to me. I first heard about this on another episode of the RU Sirius show (It’s also on 10 Zen Monkeys)only then it was the “war against easter” instead of the war against Christmas (www.endchristmas.com). What this is is The Blasphemy Challenge. I’ll post the commercial below, or after the jump. The Blasphemy Challenge dares people to post a video online of them denying the holy ghost. According to a bible quote, there is one unforgivable sin. I remember being a christian and totally buying into this. In fact, shameful as it is, I remember hearing a joke once and thinking OMG! that man just commited the unforgivable sin!! The joke went something like, “What’s pearly white and falls from the sky? The second coming of Christ!” Anyway, I’ll quote the instructions from the site:
You may damn yourself to Hell however you would like, but somewhere in your video you must say this phrase: “I deny the Holy Spirit.”
Why? Because, according to Mark 3:29 in the Holy Bible, “Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin.” Jesus will forgive you for just about anything, but he won’t forgive you for denying the existence of the Holy Spirit. Ever. This is a one-way road you’re taking here.
What I want to know is–who buys this? I know we have a few ex-christians and some current christians reading this bitch. Do you buy into it. If I say aloud, as I did just this second, “I deny the Holy Spirit, $%@#”–am I really damned, irrevocably damned? Doesn’t it seem kind of, I don’t know, stupid?
P.S. Feel free to deny the Holy Ghost, or any other god or spirit in the comments section. 
For the commercial…
For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.
And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?
But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.
And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?
And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.
But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.
Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.
He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.
And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.
O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
Matthew 12:22-37
King James Bible
Well, that just about clears it up. Thanks mortalis beatus!
I guess I’m going to burn in hell for all eternity and there’s nothing, even God, can do about it. If God keeps his word, that is.
I was just trying to provide a context, not end a conversation.
Actually, that’s what I thought, at first. But after reading it, it seemed pretty clear and final. Does The Church actually have a stand on this?
Yes, she does, but I’ll have to write it out in detail later when I have more time. I’m going out to dinner with some friends in a couple of minutes.
I posted the entire passage because I thought it’d be useful for framing this particular statement of Jesus within the event in which it arrises.
The Pharisees, the religious authorities of the time practically speaking, don’t deny what Jesus had done, exorcizing a demon and restoring the senses of a man, in fact they themselves are quite familiar with this sort of practice as Jesus points out. The problem is that out of some obstinancy on thier part they refuse to ’see’ and ‘hear’ God at work and instead assert that it is in fact demonic…
Sorry, gotta go.
What the Church teaches in brief:
1864 “Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.” There are no limits to the mercy of God, but anyone who deliberately refuses to accept his mercy by repenting, rejects the forgiveness of his sins and the salvation offered by the Holy Spirit. Such hardness of heart can lead to final impenitence and eternal loss.
Catechism of the Catholic Church
Since the Holy Spirit is the agent by which the redemptive work of Jesus Christ is applied to humanity, the persistent and deliberate rejection of the grace offered (Operating Grace(Catholic)/Prevenient Grace(Protestant)) results in what the Church defines as Final Impenitence, a state upon death in which the impenitent has placed themselves beyond the pale of redemption by rejecting the Holy Spirit and His works, i.e. the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, the Communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting, the very means by which God has ordained salvation.
Granted, this seems less specific than the words of Christ himself, but frankly, at least in all my readings, the Church has never been certain as to exactly what Christ meant and the above catechetical formulation intends to cover at least the most basic meaning of His words, anything more specific being merely speculative.
It’s important to note that this definition applies not only to the unbeliever, but also to the apostate, heretic, and schismatic, as well as to the believer who, having forfeited sanctifying grace through mortal sin, refuses to repent even unto death.
Given the above, it’s unclear whether a simple statement “I deny…” would irrevocably damn one for eternity. Ultimately, the Rational Response Squad is operating under a Fundamentalist (technically, not pejoratively) reading of scripture, which is probably not something they’d want brought to their attention since everyone knows that fundamentalists (pejoratively, not technically) are idiots.
I’m a little tipsy so I shouldn’t really respond right now, but I will say that I do think the Rational Response Squad, and this whole deal, is pretty cynical. I think they’re just trying to get people to deny religion once and for all time. Which pursuit is actually contrary to the scientific spirit, or, as you say, fundamentalist in color. As in, “Believe this now and never question it again.”
Without looking into the context of the passage, and who was being addressed, I would speculate that…Let me restate myself. According to scripture you must except the sprit to be saved, therefore I believe, what is meant, is that not excepting the sprit is what is meant by denial. Not simply saying, “I don’t believe,” will damn you. But never “believing” is where damnation comes from.
Did you ever ask yourself why you are living? I see a contradictory with your statement. You need to believe that there is hell and heaven. Otherwise it makes no sense to proclaim against it. It is all a question of faith. It is faith to believe that there is no god. You can’t proof it. So I don’t know your point. If you face upcoming threats and fear unexplainable where thats from, ask God to forgive you. And see whats happening. Medication or Atheism don’t help when you’re distressed.
Ben, I can’t listen to people like you. Just because you can make words come out of your mouth doesn’t mean you should. Plus, I don’t think the words sound like you think they sound. They actually sound a lot like a monkey yipping, if you want to know the truth.
Rodney, I could be wrong but something tells me that beneath the guise of your challenge lies a personal quest for truth. I make this assumption only because I’ve been there myself. Here’s my brief but relevant personal history: I’ve broken every single commandment. I’m not proud of it but, it’s a fact. I always believed in God. I didn’t believe in hell until about 12 years ago. I thought it was a made up story to keep us in line. Up until Jan 1, I wasn’t sure about Jesus. I spent half of 2007 yearning for the truth (for no apparent reason). I went directly to a source I had no faith in, the Bible. I spent countless hours trying to rebuke it. I challenged the truth just like you are doing now only my approach was different. I begged God to tell me the truth every single day, several times a day, for months. Finally, on Jan 1, in the privacy of my bedroom with no church affiliation or religious denomination God answered my fervent prayer in black and white by my own hands. It was an undeniable moment that came at the end of a series of unbelievable (yet undeniable) events. A moment like you’ve never experienced I’m certain but I’m fairly sure your time is coming. Now, how can I make that claim if according to the bible itself denying God will seal your fate? Here’s the simple truth. God is running through your veins whether you accept it or not. God is the knowing you were born with that can’t be explained or proved (the knowing of right and wrong and the difference between them). That is your Spirit Rodney. It is what connects us all. If you deny the Spirit you will simply become disconnected by your choice. He has blessed us all with the gift of choice Rodney. We are not puppets on a string. He won’t (not can’t) decide for you. I don’t know if you have children but it is the hardest thing giving them control knowing they will fall on there face. Anyway, if you are condemned it is by your own choice not His. God Rodney I’m no scholar. I’ve only just started going to church (I’m still very untrusting of people on the subject of my eternal life). I only found your blog because I too was uncertain about this scripture. I asked God this morning to tell me the truth and next thing I know you’re staring back at me with this challenge. At first it upset me but I was compelled to comment and in this commentary I’ve come to understand it myself. Thank you Rodney. Yeah, your time is coming. Seek with all your heart and you shall find, Oh Jesus, I never thought I’d quote scripture but there it is. Good Lord!! Being saved makes you crazy for sure but it’s ALL good. I hope you find what you’re looking for soon Rodney. I’ll pray for you. Take care and God bless.