[Greek] ψηλαφάω (psēlaphaō), [Latin] palpare, [Latin] tractare, [Latin] temptare, [French] toucher, [French] essayer, [German] prufen: to handle, to grope about, to manipulate, to touch, to search for; Lk.24:39, Acts 17:27, Heb.12:18, 1Jn.1:1
The notion of gaslighting comes from the 1944 noir movie Gaslight. Gaslighting is manipulating (emotionally or psychologically abusing) someone. This tactic seeks to make someone question oneself or to deny one’s reality.
Background information:
The 1944 movie Gaslight:
Where is the origin of the term gaslighting? The wife (Ingrid Bergman) sees a flickering gaslight in the house. The husband (Charles Boyer) manipulates his wife (Ingrid Bergman) in thinking that she is going crazy.
How does the husband convince his wife that she is going crazy? The husband claims that he went away somewhere. In actuality, he is searching for something valuable to her in the attic. When he turns on the light in the attic, the gaslight in the house flickers. She sees the gaslight flickering. He claims the flickering gaslight is a product of her imagination. She knows what she sees, but her husband convinces that she is going crazy.
Greek Hellenism: This term means to feel about, to grope, to touch, and to test.
Aristophanes’ Ecclesiazusae 315: I woke up and hunted in the darkness for my shoes.”
Aristophanes’ Peace 691: “Formerly we only directed our business by groping in the dark; now we shall only deliberate by lamp light.”
Plato’s Phaedo 99b: “Whoever talks in that way is unable to make a distinction and to see in reality a cause is one thing and a thing without a cause is quite another thing. Most people, when they give the name of cause of the latter, are grouping in the dark, and are giving it a name that does not belong to it.”
Old Testament: This term means to grope, to feel, and to stroke.
Gen.27:22: “So Jacob moved up closer to his father Isaac [with failing eyesight]. When Isaac felt him, he said, ‘Although the voice is Jacob’s, the hands are Esau’s'”
New Testament: This term means to touch, to grope, and to try to find.
“Look at My hands and My feet, that it is Myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.” Lk.24:39
Jesus seeks to prove to His disciples that He is not just Spirit. Jesus asks for food to indicate to His disciples that He has a physical body.
“So that people might seek God, even perhaps grope for Him and find Him, though indeed He is not far from any one of us. Acts 17:27
Seeking out (groping for God): Acts 17:22-31
- Paul appeals to the Athenians’ religiosity.
- The Athenians construct an altar to an ‘Unknown God’.
- God does not dwell in human made sanctuaries.
- God gives life and breath to everyone.
- God is not far from anyone of us.
- We are too God’s offspring.
- God’s divinity cannot be contained in idols, stone, or art.
- God overlooks ignorance but demands repentance.
“What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we looked upon and touched with our hand concerns the Word of life.” 1Jn.1:1
This hearkens back to Judas kissing Jesus, the disciples touching Jesus’ nail wounds, and Thomas touching Jesus’ wounds.
How the Modernists gaslight the Church and the laity:
- That the Church’s ecclesiology (how it acts in the world) has changed. The Traditional Latin Mass must go.
- That the Church must become a synodal Church made in the image of man.
- Those who favor Tradition are “backward looking”, “have a disease of nostalgia”, and are “rigid”.
- The Traditional Latin Mass impoverishes. The Novus Order Mass rejuvenates.
- Vatican II has become a great renewal for the Church.
- Reform and renewal of the Church are necessary.
- The Modernist would prefer empty churches to cathedrals full of people who reject the New Mass.
- That continued interest in the Traditional Latin Mass is causing division. One must get with the program and love the New Mass.
- If you criticize Pope Francis, then you are schismatic. This becomes a new heresy of “hyper-papalism”.
“The emperor has no clothes”==> “President Biden no longer has the physical and mental capabilities necessary to be President of the United States.”
- This is a situation where “no one believes, but everyone believes that everyone else believes.”
- This is a situation that everyone is afraid to criticize something, but it is apparent that it exists.
- Jill Biden continues to insulate, indulge, and placate her husband from his physical situation and reality. Could this be elder abuse??
- The political operatives, politicians, and media, sycophants and propagandists have been gaslighting the public in stating that President is physically and mentally fit.
- The recent presidential debate has helped to “remove the curtain” in exposing many lies (statements) and President Biden’s physical condition.
- What has been publicly revealed [about President Biden] can no longer be covered up, “politically spun”, or unseen.
- Find any evidence to indict your political opponent.
- Rig (tip the scales) of the presidential selection process. Continue to protect and hide a mentally and physically diminished presidential candidate.
- Continue to lie and mislead about a presidential candidate physical abilities.
- Risk being exposed for covering up a feeble presidential in a debate. Risk having to explain why you lied, misled, and acted like a sycophant in support of your nominee.
- Risk propping up an feeble candidate against a strong opponent. Risk losing in a landside electoral loss.
- Risk facing the backlash from Democratic, Progressive, and Liberal supporters. Further losing trust in the media and political establishment.
Etymology: This Greek verb psao means to touch. The Greek verb aphao means to manipulate. The Latin verb palpare means to strike and to flatter. The Latin verb tractare means to haul, to drag, to handle, to manage, and to discuss. The Latin verb temptare means to touch, to test, and to urge.
Conclusion:
Palpable, palpitations, traction, tract, tempt, temptation, touch, essay, proof
Aristophanes illustrates the notion of walking (feeling about) in darkness.
Plato illustrates the notion of ignorance or obliviousness.
Paul appeals to the Athenians’ religiosity as a means to help them understand God.
Update: In Finland a prosecutor sought to charge a pro-life Finnish politician for hate speech for quoting scripture! Does that also mean that God is hateful?
It is also not surprising that Pope Francis is also supportive of Fr. James Martin’s efforts to normalize homosexuality. Fr. James Martin was excitedly “doing cartwheels” right after Fiducia Supplicans. Fr. James Martin is already blessing same-sex couples!
Pope Francis, claiming that he knows better, states that Jesus’ Church must be remade into a worldly synodal Church in the image of man. Pope Francis is just following through on this Modernist agenda to finish what Vatican II started.
The Democrats, while claiming to protect democracy, are destroying democracy by rigging the Democratic nominee selection process and by removing Trump off the ballot. Yet Trump is the threat to democracy.
The Vatican sycophantic “pope-splainers” continue to defend Pope Francis when he gets into trouble.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal: “The Biden administration is enforcing immigration laws.”
Nancy Pelosi: “There’s never been a question about Democrats’ commitment to securing the border.”
President Biden says the border problem is the Republicans’ fault.
Jill Biden continues to be seen helping President Biden to walk. Jill Biden helped President off the debate stage. Jill Biden is seen praising President Biden like a toddler for answering all the questions in the debate!
More and more valid attention will now be put on Jill Biden for potential elder abuse. Why is Jill Biden continuing to put her husband through all this scrutiny and criticism??
The curtain has been revealed. President Biden has become a feeble president. The public finally knows what the media and political insiders have already known.
Fiducia Supplicans: Pope Francis equates this general blessing with a specific blessing for same-sex couples. Pope Francis is gaslighting in mixing and conflating these two different types of blessings.
The media and Democratic political establishment have been gaslighting the American public about President Biden for so long. This has been revealed from the debate and “cheep fake” videos! ☺☺☺ For many months, President Biden’s sycophants (“Biden-splainers”) and supporters have been telling other that Biden is physically and mentally fit. “Nothing to see here, folks!”
Saying that President Biden did poorly in the debate because he had a cold or because he was “jet-lagged”. President Biden even said as much in the interview.
Father James Martin: “The Church accepts homosexuality as a practice and that the traditional teachings of the Church (and natural law) on the subject can be cast aside.” (FR. JAMES MARTIN IS SAYING THAT ST. PAUL WAS WRONG ABOUT HOMOSEXUALITY! Does this mean applying two different standards of morality? Does this mean homosexuality is not a sin? This is Fr. James Martin gaslighting about the Church’s teachings on homosexuality. This is evil! Yet, there is no mention of criticism from Pope Francis. Shocker!
Bishop Strickland was removed for having the audacity to state traditional Catholic teachings. Yet the Jesuit Fr. Rupnik, credibly accused of sexually abusing nuns, is still being protected by the Vatican. Again, punishing your ideological enemies.
New heresies: Hyper-papalism and “doctrine of the Holy Father”: if you criticize Pope Francis, you are in schism. The Vatican’s “pope-splainers” are out in full force explaining and using verbal “gymnastics” to defend Pope Francis’ heretical teachings, statements, and documents.
Archbishop Vigano, criticizing Pope Francis heretical actions, has now been excommunicated. Rather than those who act heretically, Pope Francis only seems to go after his ideological enemies, NOT those who are actually heretical! It is as if we are living in an upside-down bizarro post-Christian world.
Greater efforts are being made to protect seminaries (and seminarians) from the corrupting influences of “evil” Catholic podcasters and social media. They believe that they must protect these seminarians from being afflicted with the “mental illness of becoming a Trad.” This speaks to the current spiritual battle between traditional (conservative) Catholics and Modernists.
“Liberal Catholics are the worst enemies of the Church.” Pope Pius IX
“All the evils of the world are due to lukewarm Catholics.” Pope Pius V
Here is more backstory of the 1944 movie Gaslight https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ibAG-f8L2I