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Post by Joe on Feb 7, 2006 14:55:53 GMT -5
A bonus in getting back to that place you were when you were a child is perception changes. Remember when you were a kid and your psychic abilities or your esp abilities were sky high? Some don't. Anyway it proves to be built in hardware that gets covered up.
I noticed that today. i have an ingrown toenail but I always hide my feet, keep my socks on. Ava came over and kept trying to grab the bad toe. I tried to offer my left foot but she kept going for the sore toe. She couldn't see it and I didn't tell her about it, she just could "SEE" it. I thought the same thing you are saying, the power gets covered up with age. I hope to learn a lot from my baby's mind power.
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Ben on too much coffee
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Post by Ben on too much coffee on Feb 8, 2006 3:21:16 GMT -5
Great story about Ava searching for your toe. I have had many similar experiences with my little one. The best was when I started doing some Sufi chanting and he got up and proceeded to join in word for word. He then started spinning in a circle doing the chant. I stopped chanting and watched in amazment as he spun and chanted. As I watched him I was pulled into some sort of deep trace for a breif time. When I realized I was back in the room I looked up and he was just standing there smiling. God I love kids!
I love seeing them in all their openess and beauty. The best thing I have experienced is when you can manage to be in that place with them. Where the communication on higher levels is rolling and you can catch a glimpse of how they are experiencing the world. There is this deep understanding of all things, a deep, deep unity.
Ben
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Post by Bill on Feb 14, 2006 13:09:31 GMT -5
Ben,
I can not argue with the fact that you had a unbeleivable recoverey. I found the recoverey to be absolutely unbeleiveable to this day. I saw you when you were very ill. I still feel that there has to be somthing supernatural about your recovery.
I cannot completely accept how it happened, or why. Why do you think it happened and how?
Have you considered the possibility that its all coincidental?
Perhaps the infections you had were things that everyone has in their system and they simply does not cause any symptoms?
have you heard of anyone else with the same test result as you becoming healed?
What was traditionals medicines suggestions to cure the disease if any?
I would love to see your story published a little better then just on here. Perhaps I could consolodate all of this and have you check it out and edit it. What do you think?
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Post by Bill on Feb 14, 2006 13:26:37 GMT -5
About Prophet Isa (from www.jamaat.org/islam/Isa.html) who from Ben's account visited him. Prophet Isa(Alaih Assalaam) The mother of Prophet Isa (Alaih Assalaam)was called Maryam(sa). Some people also call her Mary(sa). She was a very pious woman and once, an angel of Allah Allah came to her and said: Soon you will have a son. But how can I have a son? Maryam(sa) asked. I have no husband. The angel replied: Allah is almighty. when He wishes something, then it will happen. You will have a son, and his name shall be Isa, and he will be a great prophet of Allah(swt). When Isa (Alaih Assalaam) was born, Maryam(sa) was on her own. She was very sad and hungry, for she had nothing to eat. But Allah came to her aid. He made a stream flow and a tree with nourishing fruits grew in the place where Maryam lived. Now, she would not have to suffer thirst and hunger. Later Maryam(sa) returned to her family. They were very curious about the child and asked: How did you get him? But Maryam(sa) did not answer. Instead, she just pointed to the child. Don’t be silly, Maryam! the people admonished her. How can we ask a child, who is still in the cradle? But just then, to their amazement, they heard the child say: I am the servant of Allah. He has given me the scripture and made me His prophet. We, mankind, should worship only Allah and help the poor and give them some of our money. Years passed and Isa grew to be a man. Often, he spoke to the people and told them what Allah had revealed to him. He told them too of the earlier prophets of Allah. He told them: I am also a prophet of Allah and I am also a man like all the other prophets of Allah. You should believe in Allah and worship no-one apart from Allah. You should be good to one another and help each other. Some people have given Isa(Alaih Assalaam) the name Jesus. They say that Allah is the father of Jesus. We know that this is not true. Isa(Alaih Assalaam) himself has said that he is only a prophet of Allah, even though he had no father. Allah has no sons. Only human beings have sons and daughters. Isa(Alaih Assalaam) brought a book to mankind. This book is called Injil, and Allah gave this book to Isa. In it there are many stories and it is also stated there that mankind should worship only Allah. Prophet Isa (Alaih Assalaam)had many blessings from Allah. He was able to perform many miracles with Allah’s help. He could cure the sick so that they would be grateful to Allah and obey and pray to Allah alone. Isa (Alaih Assalaam) could also bring the dead back to life so that the people would be happy and pray to Allah and thank Him. Prophet Isa (Alaih Assalaam)told the people of another prophet who was going to come later, whose name would be Prophet Ahmad. It was Allah who had sent Prophet Isa (Alaih Assalaam) to the people to tell them that Prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Himwould come. There were many people who listened to Prophet Isa (Alaih Assalaam) and worshipped Allah, but here were some who refused to listen and wanted to kill him. Evil people have always tried to persecute and kill Allah’s prophets. We know that from the stories of Ibrahim (Alaih Assalaam) and Yusuf (Alaih Assalaam)and many other prophets. But when the evil people were just about to kill Isa (Alaih Assalaam), Allah came to his rescue, just as He had rescued other prophets when they were in danger. Some people say that Prophet Isa (Alaih Assalaam)was nailed onto a cross by his enemies and that he died in this way. But we know this is not true. Allah protected Prophet Isa (Alaih Assalaam)so that the people could not carry out their evil intentions. Allah said to Isa: I will let you die in peace and then you will come to Me and be with Me. Those who had been following you and prayed to Me and did good will be brought to Me. They will receive the best rewards, because they have been very obedient. Thus, Allah helps His prophets when they are in danger, and He also helps those who follow the prophets and worship only Allah and do good.
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Ben after the freeze
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Post by Ben after the freeze on Feb 15, 2006 3:17:15 GMT -5
I just wrote for an hour and then had my computer freeze. I lost the post I was working on. I gave some addtional information on Mary or Mariam in Islam. It just added to Bill's last post. Clif notes on side commentary:
-Wahabi scholars put in place by modern Saudi government. Radical Islam can be traced to it. Wahabi change Islamic Law through fundamentalist interpretation and violate Prophet Muhammad's (SAWS) commentary on interpretation. Wide spread corruption emerges. Wahabi reform mysteriously benefits the Saudi government. Sufism not permitted according to Wahabi interpretation.
-Wahabi derived Islam (very widespread none the less) and the Islam I have been taught are incredibly different although the names and a few of the books we use are the same.
-I was closing with, "If you want to just take my word for it and save me a few hundred pages, if it is not in accordance with Peace, Love, and Mercy chances are it is not original Islam" when the freeze happened.
-Short examination on the similarities and differences between Islam and Christianity. Bible and Qu'ran compared regarding being changed, translated, and the time line of recording as per the living existance of each Prophet (SAWS).
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Post by Ben DuBois on Feb 15, 2006 5:02:33 GMT -5
In respone to Bill's questions:
Why do you think it happened and how?
At the end of your last post you said something along the lines of, "Allah also helps those who worship only Him, believe in His prophets, and those who do good"
That is my short answer to this question but you have to ask, "well what does that mean?". What does it mean to worship only Allah? What does it mean to believe in His Prophets? What does it mean to do good? Define worship, define Allah, define good, define prophets, etc.
I think is your average person read my response they would get triggered by so many of those "hot" terms deriving my real meaning would be virtually impossible.
So let's do a little exersise. Think of the highest, greatest, most good natured thing that really means something to you. To me Allah is those things, real Peace, real Compassion, real Gentleness, real Strength, all in the best form you can imagine. So that pure ecstacy you felt on such and such of an occasion, part of the meaning of Allah.
So, "The greatest thing, etc., etc. assists those who try to orient themselves only to that thing, trust and believe the human beings who have proven themselves messengers of that greatest thing, and follow what those messengers have said that greatest thing has said to do as well as following one's own knowing of what to do based on knowledge recieved from direct experience with that greatest thing". Something like that.
So for example you might have had an overwhelmingly peaceful experience. That peaceful experience had some tangible qualities and feelings to it right? That peace acted in a certain way, you could define it's general nature to a certain extent. So doing good in this case would be to conduct yourself in a similar manner to the way that peace conducted itself. That peace wouldn't go and hit a child right? On the contrary you eliminate the actions that are not in accordance with the way that peace acted. If you do this you find your life benefits positively directly and indirectly. For some reason when you act in this way, as opposed to contrary to it ,good things happen to you more often i.e. you are calm, you help another by being peaceful with them, things are just going your way, etc. So, "The Peace helps those who orient themselves only towards the Peace."
Wow. I could go on and on and on in so many different directions with this question. The above is a little from the whole meaning.
-Possibility of coincidence? Bret Osterling, Geisinger Medical Group, Bellefonte, PA. From an MD's perspective my condition should not have changed without medical intervention. Based on various factors. My story got around the medical community and he was flooded with questions as well as new patients. His answer to both the medical community and the new patients was, "I didn't heal Ben, he healed himself".
-Infections in everyone that do not cause symptoms? Well I guess first I would bring up the fact that everyone has a bit of cancer in them and deadly pathogens often pass right through the GI. Generally these types of things become active when the immune system is compromised for some reason. I guess I should have added that the tests performed confirmed that not only were these pathogens present, they were affecting organ systems, immunity, etc. The MD's measure specific levels of this and that to confirm the body's reaction (I mentined the liver panel and the fungal antigen level test). However, the fungal infection around my heart and several of the infections in my GI were not common except in cases of compromised immunity as in "opportunistic diseases". So the fungus you breathed into your lungs that came from bird droppings on the street was processed and eliminated while in my case it travelled through my blood and colonized itself in my pericardium.
-Anyone with same results becoming clear? I have never heard of anyone having the same symptom set I had.
-Traditional medicines to cure the disease I had? The MD's has nothing available to help with the immune disfunction which they concluded was the root of the problem. Similar to AIDS but not AIDS they would say. They treated the fungal infection with 200mg per day of Diflucan, the GI infections with various anti-biotics, diet, etc. Because they couldn't treat the root cause the problems just kept coming back.
I guess the one thing to stress on the medical side of things is the MD's confirmation that even if the root cause was resolved the symptoms and infections were developed enough where they scientifically should not have resolved on their own (think infected wound).
Couple all of this with the Isa event and the likelyhood of something like this just vanishing...either the immune system performing beyond known limits or something supernatural.
It is funny you mentioned publishing the case. I have been recently inspired to really root around in this area of my life again and turn out a book of some sort. Until then blurbs are all I have. We can always get together over a coffee or two and talk about it. Sometimes face to face goes far and beyond anything you can print.
In the theme of proving the supernatural nature of the case I can support it by shedding light on other separate occurances that have happened since or have happened to other people in our Sufi community.
I lived with Dr. Ibrahim Jaffe for two years in Napa Valley. He is one of the leaders of spiritual healing in the US as well as Sidi Muhammad al-Jamal's representative in North America when Sidi is not here.
His story is unique especially him being an MD. He was practicing medicine in Hawaii twenty years ago when he came down with an eye infection that proved to be incurable through standard methodology. He went to the Mayo Clinic, Harvard, etc. and none to help him kick this eye infection that was taking away his sight. So with all the alternatives exhausted he sat in a room and meditated eight hours a day for three months. In the end he got really pissed off at his situation and when he began to rage about it, screaming, and beating his fists, etc. he heard a "pop" and he saw a slight flicker of light through the previously blind eye. Being an MD he reproduced the experiment again and again. He found that everytime he would let his anger fly about something that had been pissing him off the same flicker of light would come and his sight would improve even more. He continued eventually healing the infection through this release technique. So using his education he got a team together and studied this phenomenon. They came up with a healing technique. He persued healing himself to the extent that he became permanently clairivoyant. He opened a school and a practice in Sedona and helped usher in that movement down there in AZ. He healed thousands of people with his emotional release technique (which couldn't be explained scientifically by the way) and with his clairivoyant sight he would simply tell the patients what was the root issue that needed to be released.
This continued for ten years until he came down with heart disease. For some reason his method would not work for his condition. He set out to find help and just before angina claimed his life he found Sidi Muhammad al-Jamal in Jerusalem. Sidi was giving a spiritual healing demonstration and Dr. Jaffe noticed that a cold he had at the time was cured just from being in the audience. He could also see with his clairivoyance the light this man contained. Sidi laughed at Dr. Jaffe's healing methods and proceed to cure his heart disease with spiritual healing techniques. Dr. Jaffe stayed with Sidi for two years mastering a good amount of his teachings. On a fateful night Dr. Jaffe had a dream of creating a Sufi community in the USA. He awoke to Sidi coming into the room saying, "what did you see my son". So he departed and came to the US and bought 700 acres in Napa Valley for this community. Several of my friends at this time in State College were heavily involved in hands on healing. Some had already completed a four year school on the subject. Dr. Jaffe was fambous in the healing world and they took an offer to go and help build this community.
Five years later a friend of mine was, as I said, sending me the beginning text in Sufi studies. Over the years Dr. Jaffe has performed 35,000 spiritual healings. Healing cancer, MS, AIDS / HIV, diabetes, etc. I studied and lived with him after the resolution of my illness. Let me tell you, it isn't easy living with a clairivoyant, you can't hide anything.
Anyway there were several others like me who lived at this community (which has now spread to dozens of locations across the US, about 4,000 active members) all very similar stories to mine (including my wife) and all studying in depth the ways of Shadhiliyya Sufism under the direction of Sidi Muhammad al-Jamal.
Sidi is another case however when it comes to miracles. Be it a live TV program with him on it while he is standing in the room in front of you, an Israeli sniper swearing he shot him three times even showing him the holes in his robes, holding burning embers, drawing a picture of my slipped disc on a piece of paper exactly the same as my MRI, etc. If you have doubt after being around this guy for a while. You are either seriously deluded or dead.
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Post by DrCank on Feb 15, 2006 12:00:41 GMT -5
Ben,
Is it your belief that these astonishing accounts are procured from external or internal forces. It gets really hazy for me, when I am trying to understand the accounts you speak of. I guess my question is a bit vague so please allow to elaborate; Which of these choices best paraphrase the dubious events you describe:
1) When people open their hearts and allow themselves to believe, a great omnipotent force, some form of ultimate reality, cures them of the ailments.
2) When humans reach a point of ultimate relaxation they can will their internal networks/workings to self diagnose and react in an appropriate way to cure them of what many would describe as the incurable.
Does this make sense, is it that something is triggered with in these people when they have faith, that actually the faith is the cure manifested within, because it can produce a belief of wellness that was lacking before. Because I guess if it’s the later it is well documented that a positive mental outlook is the greatest cure. That is the very reason any accredited study must also include a placebo, I don’t want you to get the impression that I am saying science has all of the answers, I simply like to comment on the structure that, in my belief, must be followed in trying to understand the unexplainable.
A good example of what I am trying to say is say two people get sick, patient one and patient two, they both live in the same dwelling and are showing the same symptoms at the same time. Patient 1 feels ill and gets really nervous and after 48 hrs of showing symptoms has patient 2 drive him to the hospital for diagnosis and medication. Patient 1 now knows what he has and is given medication, patient 1 calls off work for three days and sits on his couch with his medications and day-time television. Mean while patient 2 after only 24hrs. has self-diagnosed himself with a common-cold, realizing that colds come and go he decides not to alter his normal regiment in any way, he continues to go to work and act as if he doesn’t feel ill, puts the sickness in the back of his mind. On the fifth day, patient 2 is leaving to go to work and passes patient one camped out the couch with medicine and Kleenex. it occurs to patient two that his symptoms are gone so he must be cured.
I know this is a simplified version of what I am trying to say but I have seen happen on numerous occasions through my life. My question is; due you think this belief in being well may have something to do with your remarkable recovery.
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Post by NEB on Feb 15, 2006 15:14:45 GMT -5
Dr.-
External or internal forces? Summary statement? Thanks for the great questions. My answer for this one goes deep into the Sufi view on the reality of existance. Actually I shouldn't reserve that view solely under Sufism as many religions and spiritual paths converge together on points contained within its length.
The short answer is both external and internal but a fair amount of context is needed for that to make any sense. Speaking on this matter requires the need to address many factors that are happening on many different levels all at the same time. I'll get back to you on it. If I forget please remind me. I'm moving to a new house today.
Positive point of view having to do with the resolution of my illness?
I agree that the documented power of placebo is striking and you have to always take that into consideration in a very honest way. I studied in depth the nature of positive disposition and its effects on immune function when I was ill. It was one of those things lumped into "and a few others" when I mentioned the alternative methods of healing I tried. It is useful and like you said results can be incredible. In my case I achieved this frame of mind you are touching on here yet the illness didn't resolve. It did help me keep away from negativity and fear which was a benefit as both of the aforementioned can metabolically effect a person in a bad way.
Believe me. When you are bed ridden for months and months, gasping for breath every waking moment, you try everything you can, everything in your power to get better. Imagine being in incredible pain every moment of every day of your life (the chronic pericardisis that I had my MD told me, "feels exactly like a heart attack but isn't") . You become very willing to entertain all the options. I remember saying to myself at one point, "OK I'll believe I am nuts and this is all in my head". I gave everything a total and equal 100% shot. I was able to read about the very beneficial effects of many, many things but when I would try them my experience would differ. Lots of people standing there with their honey pots out saying, "go ahead, its awsome". Well I stuck my finger in all of them. Some of them sucked, some of them turned out to be useful.
Actually if you ever need a review on any alternative medicine chances are I have studied it thoroughly and tried it.
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Post by Bill on Feb 16, 2006 12:56:23 GMT -5
I have some other questions for you Ben. What does Islam / Sufi think of evolution? What is Islam's standpoint on evolution? How about your own personal feelings? There's a lot of really great research coming to light on how life began scientifically speaking. Altough science has not been able to start life in a test tube, they (perticularly a noble peace prize winning scientist, whose name elude's me at the moment) are begining to put together evidence behind the Panspermia theory. Here is a small excerpt from a website I found that had a debate on the subject. serendip.brynmawr.edu/biology/b103/f01/web1/baird.html"The Debate of Panspermia: Are We the Descendents of Aliens? Alexis Baird Panspermia is the theory tha stuff of life is everywhere and that we humans owe our genesis and evolution to a continual rain of foreign microbes. (1). The concept of panspermia has been around for centuries and was first proposed by the Greek philosopher Anaxagoras. (1) Since then, it has received varying amounts of endorsement from the scientific community. Although long shunned by most scientists, certain types of panspermia have recently gained support. While the prevailing theory for the origin of life is still that the first organisms formed spontaneously out of a nutrient soup during the early days of Earth and then evolved through random mutations and natural selection, the theory of panspermia should nonetheless be considered. The type of panspermia most widely accepted is called weak panspermia or pseudo-panspermia. Weak panspermia is the theory that organic compounds arrived from outer space and added to the nutrient broth that spawned the first life. (3) The theory of weak panspermia is widely accepted and has extensive evidence to back it up. In 1969 a meteorite landed in Australia that was 12% water and contained traces of 92 amino acids. (9) This evidence points to not only the presence of organic compounds in outer space, but also the capacity of such compounds to reach earth. Also, millimeter arrays have detected the presence of complex organic molecules in star-forming clouds (9), further adding to the proof of organic molecules in space. "
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Post by nebsiobud on Feb 18, 2006 2:12:37 GMT -5
Ben here- I so the guest thing because I have a dial up and the log in takes about a minute. Precious minutes add up when using a dial up. I'd rather spend my time eating the fruits of the degicank garden.
Bill - I didn't get to the end of your post so if there is another question other than the first I'll have to get back to it later.
The whole creation debate between science and religion for me comes down to somantics and context. Being one who has experienced both contexts my opinion is both are right.
I'll have to add more on the Islam's creation view later when I get my desk set up at our new place. We had a hard move this week. It took nearly five days to cart everything about a mile up the road.
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Post by Joe on Feb 18, 2006 2:19:21 GMT -5
"I would love to see your story published a little better then just on here. Perhaps I could consolodate all of this and have you check it out and edit it. What do you think? " - I want edit through this message baord on many topics for a printable version. I don't want to have to cut and past from every page. Noob is there a "saved " version of the entire contesnt of this forum that i could get a copy of?
-"I just wrote for an hour and then had my computer freeze." must be the office of homeland security.
- Good luck in your new house!
-Healing power of positive thinking. Could be... Ben was sick as hell though, I didn't recognize him at first and when I did i actualy gaged, and jess cried right after we saw him, and that was after he had begun to recover.
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Post by DrCank on Feb 20, 2006 8:31:08 GMT -5
This account of Ben's healing would make a great Degimentury. However it may require more resources then we can mustar at this time
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Post by 33bencdubois11 on Feb 22, 2006 2:27:31 GMT -5
And now....deep thoughts
Remembering Death: Not to be morbid but there is some use in remembering death day to day. It can help people put to rest the petty things and live in a different way. I'm not saying quit your job and fulfill every desire you have pretending you are going to die tomorrow. It is important to keep your obligations. An example would be: Let say I am going to die tomorrow. How would I treat those around me differently? How would I take time to enjoy the things around me differently? or What stuff would I ditch from my life if I knew I was going to die in three months? Would I still sweat the little things as much?
The reality of it as I understand is you just never know when you are going to go. The Prophet Muhammad said, "You should live for your spirit as if you were going to die tomorrow and you should live for your obligations as if you were going to live a thousand years". I guess we are focusing on the spirit part of this Hadith (saying of the Prophet Muhammad). The latter part of it involves such questions as: If I were going to live a thousand years how would I manage my provisions? If I were going to live a thousand years how would I take care of my belongings? If I were going to live a thousand years how would I manage my business? etc.
So if you don't really know when you are going to go tomorrow might very well be the day or now or now or now. It is a Sufi practice to prepare oneself for death every day. Work hard to tie up those loose ends. Call that person and settle the dispute. Pay off that debt you owe. etc.
An MD friend of mine who is also a spiritual healer told me about some interesting observations he had regarding those who prepared for death vs. those who didn't in terminal chronic illness cases. He found that those who had tied up those loose ends tended to just slip away peacefully with minimal pain, etc. Those who hadn't tied up those loose ends tended to have hard and painful deaths. When you have a loose end from a spiritual standpoint you have an actual thread of light attached to you and whatever it is whether it be debt, a love relationship, an unresolved conflict, etc. His explaination was those who had tied up the loose ends in their lives had less connections with the material world while those who hadn't tied up the loose ends had those threads still connected and near the time of death as the soul began to pass many of those threads of light literally ripped off of them. He also stated that many of those threads actually stayed attached to the soul keeping it from fully passing on. Kinda keeping the soul in limbo which from his observations is a tough place to be.
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Post by DrCank on Feb 22, 2006 9:42:01 GMT -5
"You should live for your spirit as if you were going to die tomorrow and you should live for your obligations as if you were going to live a thousand years" That is beautiful phrasing, here at DegICank though, we appeal to a younger ADD driven audience so we have rephased the words of the mighty prophet to a single declaration: [glow=blue,2,300]Always[/glow]
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Post by DrCank on Feb 24, 2006 8:58:57 GMT -5
I knew I heard a simular quote to Muhammad's before, and I ran across this mourning:
Work as if you were to live a hundred years, Pray as if you were to die tomorrow.
- Father Franklin.
I'll throw this one in too, simply because I like it,
After three days men grow weary, of a wench, a guest, and weather rainy
-Father Franklin
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