Yes, you are correct, Lorie! Fifty points for the House of Griffindor.

Ye Olde Holy Oil Original Recipe is given in Exodus 30:23-33:

"Take the following fine spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much (that is, 250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant cane, 500 shekels of cassia--all according to the sanctuary shekel--and a hin of olive oil. Make these into a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer. It will be the sacred anointing oil. Then use it to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony, the table and all its articles, the lampstand and its accessories, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand. You shall consecrate them so they will be most holy, and whatever touches them will be holy. Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them so they may serve me as priests. Say to the Israelites, 'This is to be my sacred anointing oil for the generations to come. Do not pour it on men's bodies and do not make any oil with the same formula. It is sacred, and you are to consider it sacred. Whoever makes perfume like it and whoever puts it on anyone other than a priest must be cut off from his people.' "

Now 500 shekels weighs about 12 1/2 pounds; and a hin of olive oil is about four quarts. If you start with an olive oil base, four quarts, and then mix in 12 1/2 pounds of liquid myrrh, 6 1/4 pounds of cinnamon, 6 1/4 pounds of sugar cane, and 12 1/2 pounds of cassia (an aromatic bark similar to cinnamon), then what you would produce is a fragrantly perfumed oil, almost a syrrup.

Now, if the ministers who claim to have consecrated the Senate hearing room used Ye Olde Holy Oil Original Recipe, then we'd like to know where they came up with the liquid myrrh and cassia. But if they cut corners by just blessing some olive oil, then they've got some explaining to do, because they claim to want the Ten Commandments and their narrow, literal interpretation of biblical law as the law of the land. And a narrow, literal reading of Ye Olde Holy Oil Original Recipe, and its proper application, seems to indicate that sloshing sacramental oil around a secular Senate hearing room is a defilement of the religious purpose of holy oil, which was to set apart items that are sacred, not secular. Oiling up a senator's seat and smearing oil on a hearing room door makes a mockery of a religious rite from ancient Israel.

by jhutson on Fri Jan 06, 2006 at 02:53:36 PM EST
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"...In the Bible, the holy oils were created to an expensive and exacting recipe dictated directly by God, and only used for specific and exacting purposes....apparently, something got lost in the translation, because there are folks who think it's perfectly OK to use ordinary cooking oil from the local grocery store, load it into a Super Soaker (like some college students did to consecrate their campus) and smear it on everything, and everyone."

That makes a very nice quote.

by Bruce Wilson on Fri Jan 06, 2006 at 01:37:38 PM EST
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The version of "annointing" that is generally practiced in groups into "spiritual warfare" is not the same as practiced by the old Priests of Israel.  Yes, it is a mockery of it, a sad parody, but the methodology and intent are quite different.

The original annointing (as practiced by the Priests of Israel), as I understand it, was of sacred and rare herbs in an olive-oil base that were consecrated to God and then used to consecrate people and objects to God (such as the kings of Israel).

The use of annointing-oils by the "spiritual warfare" crowd has a different intent and a different purpose--almost an entirely different theology.

Generally, the "spiritual warfare" crowd--quite unlike the priests of Israel--quite literally see annointing an object with oil (and according to their words, it can be olive oil, but if olive oil is unavailable Wesson oil will do--the important thing is the "faith" behind the wielder) as a way to "bind" or "tie" an object--to leave a physical link to "claim the object or person for Jesus".  In other words, they are using it quite literally as a form of territorial pissing (and forgive my minor crudeness in that, but the intent is EXACTLY the same as a dog peeing on a fire hydrant--marking an object or person as theirs).

One of the most common uses of "annointing with Wesson oil" is marking of literal physical territory that is claimed to be "possessed by territorial spirits" and "claiming it for Christ"; another common use is--and I do not use this term lightly--literal cursing of people in the name of Christ.

Specifically, a common method of cursing someone in the name of Christ is to annoint their personal belongings--bedding, chairs, etc.--surreptitiously, and then have prayer gangs (of two or more) pray that the person will be miserable--to the point of suicide, often--unless and until they do exactly what the group of people praying want.  (Sometimes this is to cease drinking; sometimes this is to convert to the church; in this particular case, it's to vote in a specific way.)

This particular practice seems to have actually originated in the Assemblies of God among word-faith preachers (which is where dominion theology started in that denomination) where they would annoint people with Wesson oil "to annoint them and secure a healing over them" and has been practiced for at least thirty or more years among the group--it's an especially sick form of scripture twisting designed to literally hex people.  The hexing is actually an extension of the use in "word-faith" aka "name it and claim it", which is very very tightly bound with "spiritual warfare" theology in the AoG and other pente groups in particular that are involved in dominionism.  (Ted Haggard's New Life Church is an example of a neo-pentecostal group that, while not directly affiliated with the Assemblies of God, preaches almost identical theology.  Many "charismatic" (actually neo-pentecostal) churches, including the Vineyard churches and churches embracing the Brownsville aka Toronto aka Kansas City Pastors aka Third Wave theology, also have this as an essential part of their theology and also do the Wesson-oil "annointing" thing.)

They, ironically, do not see it as hexing even though there are actual Biblical warnings against cursing people in general and taking of the Lord's name in vain (or in some translations, misuse of the name of the Lord).  They see it as "establishing a stronghold", "driving demons out"...but it is cursing, all the same.  (Yes, this was actually one of the things that led me to become a walkaway--realising that they are cursing people, which I found (along with other practices of theirs) to be highly un-Christian.)

Now, one thing that could well be brought up (as far as Homeland Security type stuff) is what three unauthorised persons were doing in the first place in the Senate chambers--they could have been placing things on chairs that were a lot less innocuous than Wesson oil (the fact they're cursing people in the name of Jesus is bad enough, but I'm thinking along the lines of someone who used to work in a federal facility where non-employees had to go through full baggage screening and metal detectors--and that was just the Department of Commerce!).  That's one thing I would raise all kinds of heck about, but that's me.

But yes, having grown up in a group that practiced this very sort of thing--I'm willing to bet they were "marking" the senators, praying they'd be forced somehow--even by personal tragedy--to vote for Alito "or else".  I've seen it practiced too much on people when I was in the church, have had it attempted on myself, and had it attempted on other family members (in fact, practically every member of my family at one point or another). :P

by dogemperor on Fri Jan 06, 2006 at 07:41:05 PM EST
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They might have gotten permission!

by Psyche on Fri Jan 06, 2006 at 03:48:54 PM EST
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One of the things I would note that should be investigated pronto is whether or not the people in question got formal permission to do this.

If not, that points to serious lapses in security--as noted, even when I worked at the Census Bureau (possibly the least-funded branch of the government other than the National Endowment for the Arts, not seen as a major terrorist threat, quite literally the only folks threatening were the militia nuts who didn't want to anonymously fill out the long form) non-employees not only had to sign in (showing legal ID) but had to go through metal detectors and any purses, etc. had to go through an X-ray machine, and electronic devices like phones, Palm-pilots, etc. had to be demonstrated...and the photo feature of phones turned off.  (Yes, just like what you go through in getting on a plane!)

And this is for what (in federal terms) is a relatively puny division of the Department of Commerce.  The fact that three people were allowed in--one of which is a member of a group that has had RICO investigations in past against them for terroristic threatening (and was being considered at one point for formal listing as a domestic terrorist organisation--yes, during Clinton's era, there was real talk of this, especially considering the relationship between Operation Rescue and Missionaries to the Preborn)--to a secured chamber of legislators and allowed to rub (again, thinking with the Homeland Security hat) God-only-knows WHAT on the chairs...

Yeah, that's just a weeeee bit of a security concern.

If they WERE given formal permission, on the other hand, this gives a completely different reason for concern.  This means that someone in charge of security of the Senate is likely a dominionist sympathiser, if not one of the Senators on the committee themselves.  (This is entirely possible.)  At least one senator is a member of the Assemblies of God, the denomination which two of the parties in question seem to be affiliated with (based on some background research on the Elim Bible Institute (which per its academic programs page may be linked with the Assemblies of God seminary, and both it and its parent church (Elim Full Gospel) may be either AoG or part of an AoG splinter group and has been specifically linked with the "Brownsville" nee Third Wave movement in that denomination; "Elim Full Gospel" is also a term almost exclusively used by AoG churches and seminaries, as sort of a "brand name"); the association of John Ashcroft with the church the ministers run (John Ashcroft is part of a multigenerational AoG family, and reportedly had a similar "annointing" ceremony done by none other than Clarence Thomas and his father (an AoG preacher) upon his nomination to the US Attorney-General; research on the National Community Church itself which--though it does not mention the links on its webpage--is  an AoG church; and the general practice of this sort of "annointing" being especially peculiar to the AoG and the churches spawned from it including Foursquare, Calvary Chapel and Vineyard).  Seeing as the Assemblies of God are one of the earliest groups documented as being involved in dominionism ("dominion theology" was essentially invented in the AoG and other pentecostal churches, and there is documentable dominionist activity dating from the 1950's via the Full Gospel Businessmen's Fellowship International and from the 1960's-1970's directly from the AoG itself--they were a founding partner in the Conservative Caucus, the first group that planned the hijacking of the Republican Party by dominionists) this is rather a bit of a major red flag.  (Those interested in hearing a history of the AoG and dominionism are directed to multiple replies and posts of mine.  Seeing as I grew up in one of the crucibles of dominionism within the AoG itself, I'm unfortunately a bit of an expert by necessity; I just hope I don't sound too much like I'm in need of a tinfoil hat at times!)

As I've also noted, this particular flavour of "annointing" is pretty much peculiar to the AoG and its descendant churches, and is often used as a specific form of cursing in the name of Christ (the oil is to have a territorial "link"--to basically "mark" the person as a target for prayers for good or ill).

by dogemperor on Fri Jan 06, 2006 at 08:20:22 PM EST
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