Cane Ridge
and Babylonian Parallels
The low level of church attendance before Cane Ridge and after is used to prove its worth. However, it is a fact that my inlaws came in through the Ohio River and my ancestors came in with Daniel Boone selling (and selling and reselling) land in the Lexington area. There was a huge influx of people who had not become attached to churches because few existed. Therefore, the before and after count of church members cannot be attributed solely to Cane Ridge.
Long after Cane Ridge, Barton W. Stone and his followers followed little of what the Restoration Movement under Campbell later became. Therefore, Cane Ridge was never the mainstream of the restoration movement. It was made up of dejected Calvinists trying to find a way to extend salvation to more than the predestinated. While older, Stone's movement is considered a tributary to the stream of Campbell.
Throughout history, beginning in Babylon, what happened at Cane Ridge was more closely identified with witchcraft or possession by Satan than with pure Christianity. This article looks at comments of the traveller and Historian, Layard, to see some parallels.
The "exercises" did not start at Cane Ridge and were not started by Barton W. Stone. Building on the revivalistic work of James McGready, Richard McNemar states that the spread of the revival began in Christian and Logan Co., Kentucky and in the Spring of 1801, had reached Mason Co., Kentucky. Beginning at Flemingsburgh in April, moving to Cabin Creek, where a camp meeting was held, then Concord, in Bourbon County, by the last of May and Eagle Creek in Adams Co., Ohio in the beginning of June. There were meetings in quick succession at Pleasant Point, Kentucky; Indian Creek, in Harrison county (July); Cane Ridge, near Paris, Bourbon county (August).
The so called religious revival at Cane Ridge involved loud vocal hymns and the effects were quite identical to Devil worship described by Layard. The Barton W. Stone movement (largely enveloped by the Campbell movement) led to instrumental music in many churches and to charismatic exercises in others. Churches of Christ were affected by but never a part of the Stone movement. For instance, many "Disciples" later moved into Weslyan churches such as the Pilgrim Holiness Church.
Charity makes us look for the good which came out of Cane Ridge and similar charismatic outbreaks and there was probably much. However, not all observers were from sympathetic writers and honesty makes us look for danger signs perhaps just over the hills. The bad seems to be honored and is increasingly thrust upon churches not in the "buying" mood under the false banner that Barton W. Stone was the true father of the Restoration Movement and he, so they say, was into the "Holy Spirit" and "exercises" and his wing of the restoration movement added instrumental music and choirs.
Of course, observers noted that Barton Stone never got into the exercises but had to, initially, defend them because he had traveled to find the secret and had turned it loose in the spooky woods of Cane Ridge. And, of course, Barton Stone, like many other Restoration leaders thought of the Holy Spirit as the Mind of God and not a "little person (God) in the big person (me). Click Here fore the details
After the fires burned themselves out most Biblically trained churches moved away from the "exercises" and some attributed them to Satan or to evil spirits.
"The prophets of God were not like the raving Pythoness of heathen temples, nor are the saints of God converted into whirling dervishes by an influence which is the author. There can be little doubt that Paul would have severely reprobated such scenes as frequently occurred during the revival of which we are speaking.
"He would have said to the people substantially what he said to the Corinthians. If any unbeliever or ignorant man come to your assemblies and hears one shouting in ecstasy, and another howling in anguish; if he sees some falling, some jumping, some lying in convulsions, others in trances, will he not say ye are mad?" (Hodge, History Presbyterian Church quoted in Barton W. Stones' Biography, p. 368, 369)
There were Cane Ridge and Babylonian Parallels in that both were contrived efforts by the "authorities" to try to make up for the imagined lack of God and His Word:
At Cane Ridge: "To some extent they were contrived, both by those who exhorted and by those who listened and responded.
<>Certain techniques, which ministers conscientiously learned, helped push audiences toward an ecstatic frenzy.
Certain hymns, certain tunes worked better than others.
Certain repeated and familiar verbal images, those with great resonance for an audience, worked better than others. In many of the greatest revivals the spark was a type of confession--the telling of what had happened to oneself there or at an earlier revival.Some ministers learned the most evocative ways of telling their stories. Several sermonic devices -- timing, phrasing, pauses, and above all the display of intense feeling--worked." (Conkin, Paul, Cane Ridge America's Pentecost, p. 106, U ofWis.)
In all ancient tradition, Satan, Lucifer or whatever you call him gave man musical instruments to worship him so that people forget God and his Word.
Of the Transmission of the Art of Playing the Harp, that is to say of Music and Singing and Dancing. For more of the Babylonian origins of music Click Here.
Some of the following might describe the degenerated state of the huge revivals which followed Cane Ridge. In fact, they had to be abandoned because they encoraged more evil than good as roudy, blaspheming youth, prostitutes and liquor salesmen took control. As always, the effect whether from sexual fertility rituals, wine, music or preacher-induced enthusiasm, was believed to be the effect of the "gods." The ancients knew that the god was Satan and his agents while modern revivalists pretend that the Lord Jesus Christ is in these dances of death:
"Yobal (Jubal). (Note: Jubilee or "a blast of trumpets" is from Jubal which means "to lead with triumph or pomp.") and Tobalkin (Tubal-Cain), the two brethren, the sons of Lamech, the blind man, who killed Cain, invented and made all kinds of instruments (or metal weapons) of music.
"Yobal made reed instruments, and harps, and flutes, and whistles, and the devils went and dwelt inside them. When men blew into the pipes, the devils sang inside them, and sent out sounds from inside them.
"Tobalkin made cymbals, and sistra, and tambourines (or drums). And lasciviousness and fornication increased among the children of Cain, and they had nothing to occupy them except fornication--now they had no obligation [to pay] tribute, and they had neither prince nor governor--and eating, and drinking, and lasciviousness, and drunkenness, and dancing and singing to instruments of music, and the wanton sportings of the devils, and the laughter which affordeth pleasure to the devils, and the sounds of the furious lust of men neighing after women. And Satan, finding [his] opportunity in this work of error, rejoiced greatly, because thereby he could compel the sons of Seth to come down from that holy mountain. There they had been made to occupy the place of that army [of angels] that fell [with Satan], there they were beloved by God, there they were held in honour by the angels, and were called "sons of God," even as the blessed David saith in the psalm, "I have said , Ye are gods, and all of you sons of the Most High." Ps. 82:6 (In Rev 18 the craftsmen and musicians will go with Babylon).
Satan came into the musical instruments as well as the people so that the musical instruments were often the idol itself:
And when he played on them, Satan came into them, so that from among them were heard beautiful and sweet sounds, that ravished (raped or enchanted) the heart. -- Second Adam and Eve 20:3 Click for more.
There were Cane Ridge and Babylonian Parallels in the darkness, the flickering lamps and campfires, the terror of the enemy perhaps lurking not far away, not yet subdued like the animals of Nimrod fame. The feeling of personal helplessness and women forced into insecurity permitted by "church" with little Biblical foundation made the hair stand up on the back of the neck when the hymns floated in and out of the shadows where God and the dead were supposed to be close. However sincere the promoters, this was not the restoration movement to restore New Testament Christianity.
Perhaps, the only pure gnostics still practicing their religion live in Iraq where Babylonian religion began, right off the Ark. They are Mandaeans who tell the story of God breathing a soul into Adam, a less-than-human being who couldn't find a wife among the animals. The soul picked to indwell Adam was Hiwel Ziwa and she was disgusted with him and demanded terms. She, like the women in Amos, wanted conditions to be like that of heaven:
"Hiwel Ziwa returned and told them (the House of Life) and brought back a letter . It would not open, but spoke, and promised that the House of Life would give all that the Soul had asked. So the Soul (Nishimta) entered the body of Adam and he stood erect and talked, and Hiwel Ziwa taught him reading and writing, how to marry, how to bury the dead, how to slaughter a sheep, and all knowledge. Ruha saw this, and she wished that she might have her race, her people, and her portion. She came to Adam son of Adam, and killed a sheep, and took its skin and made a drum, and of its bones she made a flute, and she and her children the Seven (planets) played and sang and danced. Ruha went to Adam son of Adam and said to him, 'Come, amuse yourself with us!' and he went. Liwet (Venus) made herself like a beautiful woman, and Adam son of Adam took her and became the father of children. Ruha, too, disguised herself as Hawa, and went to Adam, and Adam went into the water with her (i.e. performed purifications after cohabitation). When they reproached him afterwards, saying, 'Did you not see how big she was in the water?', he replied that he had known nothing, for she employed sorcery.
Note: My dog has been playing with an old deer bone for about four years. I kept looking at it and desided that it would make a good flute. I cleaned it out, ground a mouth hole, drilled some holes and, yes it works. Such a bone is "pierced" and probably "died of itself" and was, therefore, polluted or pierced gave rise to the word for flute, flute player, pollute or prostitute.
Layard picks up where ancient stories end and brings us up to the date of 1854 where he saw these same Chaldean people worshiping musically
Layard begins:
"As the twilight faded, the fakirs, or lower order of priests, dressed in brown garments of coarse cloth, closely fitting to their bodies, and wearing black turbans on their heads, issued from the tomb, each bearing a light in one hand, and a pot of oil, with a bundle of cotton wicks, in the other. They filled and trimmed lamps placed in niches in the walls of the courtyard, and scattered over the buildings on the sides of the valley, and even on isolated rocks and in the hollow trunks of trees. Innumerable stars appeared to glitter on the black sides of the mountain, and in the dark recesses of the fores
"As the priests made their way through the crowd, to perform their task, men and women passed their right hands through the flame, and then devoutly carried them to their lips, after rubbing the right eyebrow with the part which had been purified by the sacred element. Some, who bore children in their arms, anointed them in like manner, while others held out their hands to be touched by those who, less fortunate than themselves, could not reach the flame.
"The lamps are votive offerings from pilgrims, or from those who have appealed to Sheikh Adi in times of danger or disease, and a yearly sum is given to the guardians of the tomb for oil, and for the support of the priests. They are lighted every evening as long as the supplies last. In the daytime the smoked walls mark where they are placed; and I have observed the Yezidis devoutly kissing the blackened stones.
"About an hour after sunset the fakirs, who are the servants of the tomb, appeared with platters of boiled rice, roast meat, and fruit. They had been sent to me from the kitchen of the (Page 185) holy edifice. The wife of Sheikh Nasr also contributed some dishes toward the repast.
"As night advanced, those who had assembled - they must now have amounted to nearly five thousand person - lighted torches, which they carried with them as they wandered through the forest. The effect was magical; the varied groups could be faintly distinguished through the darkness; men hurrying to and fro; women, with their children, seated on the house-tops; and crowds gathering round the peddlers who exposed their wares for sale in the court-yard.
"Thousands of lights were reflected in the fountains and streams, glimmered among the foliage of the trees, and danced in the distance. As I was gazing on this extraordinary scene, the hum of human voices was suddenly hushed, and a strain, solemn and melancholy, arose from the valley. It resembled some majestic chant which years before I had listened to in the cathedral of a distant land. Music so pathetic and so sweet I had never before heard in the East. The voices of men and women were blended in harmony with the soft notes of many flutes. At measured intervals the song was broken by the loud clash of cymbals and tamborines; and those who were without the precincts of the tomb then joined in the melody.
"I hastened to the sanctuary, and found Sheikh Nasr, surrounded by the priests, seated in the inner court. The place was illuminated by torches and lamps, which threw a soft light over the white-walls of the tomb and green foliage of the arbor. The sheikhs, in their white turbans and robes, all venerable men with long gray beards, were ranged on one side; on the opposite, seated on the stones, were about thirty cawals (Preacher-Musicians) in their motley dresses of black and white - each performing on a tambourine or a flute. Around stood the fakirs in their dark garments, and the women of the orders of the priesthood arrayed in pure white. No others were admitted within the walls of the court.
(Note: the restricted communion by the Presbyterian priests dispensing their little metal tokens is believed to have motivated many new arrivals to get the sign so they might be accepted for communion even though they were already accepted by God. It is tough to be an outsider!)
Note: these people sang to Jesus but they were really worshiping the Devil. A lot of both was probably taking place at Cane Ridge because many were spectators with nothing better to do. Only 800 to a thousand were considered church members. (Preacher-count went higher).
"The same slow and solemn strain, occasionally varied in the melody, lasted for nearly an hour; a part of it was called (Page 186) "Makam Azerat Esau," or the song of the Lord Jesus. It was sung by the sheikhs, the cawals, and the women; and occasionally by those without. I could not catch the words; nor could I prevail upon any of those present to repeat them to me. They were in Arabic (Note: similar to the unknown tongues of Isa 28 and 1Cor 14) ; and as few of the Yezidis can speak or pronounce that language, they were not intelligible, even to the experienced ear of Hodja Toma, who accompanied me: The tamborines only interrupted at intervals the song of the priests.
Note: I have tried desperately hard to think about Jesus when the musical worship team is "speaking in tongues" with hands flailing and words hidden in harmony. It cannot be done.
"As the time quickened they broke in more frequently. The chant gradually gave way to a lively melody, which, increasing in measure, was finally lost in a confusion of sounds. The tamborines were beaten with extraordinary energy; the flutes poured forth a rapid flood of notes; the voices were raised to their highest pitch; the men outside joined in the cry; while the women made the rocks resound with the shrill tahlehl.
"The musicians, giving way to the excitement, threw their instruments into the air, and strained their limbs into every contortion, until they fell exhausted to the ground. I never heard a more frightful yell than that which rose in the valley. It was midnight. The time and place were well suited to the occasion; and I gazed with wonder upon the extraordinary scene around me.
Note: history shows that these charismatic rituals were intended to or accidentally drove the "worshipers" into musical ecstasy which gives rise (through endorphins) to fight, flight or sex. This was not present in the actual ceremony.
"I did not marvel that such wild ceremonies had given rise to those stories of unhallowed rites, and obscene mysteries, which have rendered the name of Yezidi an abomination in the East. Notwithstanding the uncontrollable excitement which appeared to prevail among all present, there were no indecent gestures nor unseemly ceremonies. When the musicians and singers were exhausted, the noise suddenly died away; the various groups resumed their previous cheerfulness, and again wandered through the valley, or seated themselves under the trees.
Note: like their ancient ancestors, the charismatic "exercises" produced by music was their way of making sure that Satan was honored because Christ did not finish his work on earth.
"They believe Satan to be the chief of the Angelic host, now suffering punishment for his rebellion against the divine will; but still all-powerful, and to be restored hereafter to his high estate in the celestial hierarchy. He must be conciliated and reverenced, they say; for as he now has the means of doing evil to mankind, so will he hereafter have the power of rewarding them. Next to Satan, but inferior to him in might and wisdom, are seven archangels who exercise a great influence over the world; - they are Gabrail, Michail, Raphail, Azrail, Dedrail, Azrapheel, and Shemkeel. Christ, according to them, was also a great angel, who had taken the form of man. He did not die on the cross, but ascended to heaven.
"They hold the Old Testament in great reverence, and believe in the cosmogony of Genesis, the Deluge, and other events recorded in the Bible. They do not reject the New Testament, nor the Koran; but consider them less entitled to their veneration. Still they always select passages from the latter for their tombs, and holy places. Mohammed they look upon as a prophet; as they do Abraham, and the patriarchs.
"They expect the second coming of Christ, as well as the (Page 190) reappearance of Imaum Mehdi, giving credence to the Mussulman fables relating to him.
Note: Like the Babylonian religious team of priests, musicians, soothsayers and even prostitutes, the Yezidis have:
"The Pirs, or saints, are most reverenced after the great sheikh, or religious head of the sect. They are believed to have the power, not only of interceding for the people, but of curing disease and insanity. They are expected to lead a life of great sanctity and honesty; and are looked up to with great reverence. They are not confined, I believe, to any particular fashion of dress. The only pir I knew was one Sino, who was recognized as the deputy of Sheikh Nasr, and had suffered imprisonment in his stead.
Note: the musical instruments are magical devices and the hymns are like speaking in tongues. That is, they are written in an "unknown tongue" and have to be memorized by the singers. The "audience" need not know the true meaning.
"(Page 193) The Sheikhs are next in rank. They are acquainted with the hymns, and
are expected to know something of Arabic, the language in which the hymns are written. Their dress should be entirely white, except the skull-cap beneath the turban, which is black.
<>As servants of Sheikh Adi, they are the guardians of his tomb, keep up the holy fires,
and bring provisions and fuel to those who dwell within its precincts,and to pilgrims of distinction.
They always wear round their bodies a band of red and black, or red and orange plaid,
as the mark of their office; with it they bind together the wood, and other supplies which they bring to the sacred edifice.The women carry the same badge, and are employed in the same services. There are always several sheikhs residing in the valley of Sheikh Adi.
They watch over the tomb, and receive pilgrims; taking charge in rotation of the offerings that may be brought, or selling the clay balls and other relics.
Note: the preachers are more musical performers than teachers. They have trouble getting their work done without magical instruments and chants or hymns. However, this is all just "speaking in tongues."
"The Cawals, or preachers, appear to be the most active members of the priesthood. They are sent by Hussein Bey and Sheikh Nasr on missions, going from village to village with the symbol of the bird as teachers of the doctrines of the sect.
They alone are the performers on the flute and tambourine; both instruments being looked upon, to a certain extent, as sacred.
I observed that before, and after, using the tambourine they frequently kissed it, and then held it to those near them, to be similarly saluted. They are taught singing at a very early age, are skillful musicians, and dance occasionally at festivals.They usually know a little Arabic, but barely more than necessary to get through their chants and hymns.
All ancient people believed or pretended that the gods lived inside of instruments and the sounds were the gods speaking. David wanted to awaken his lyre to awaken the Dawn and these psalms were suppressed later. Catholics baptized bells and people still "dedicate" organs. Click for a list of examples.
"The Fakirs are the lowest in the priesthood. They wear coarse dresses of black, or dark brown cloth, or canvas, descending to the knee and fitting tightly to the person; and a black turban, across which is generally tied a red kerchief. (Page 194) They perform all menial offices connected with the tomb, trim and light the votive lamps, and keep clean the sacred buildings.
Note: In the book Second Adam and Eve Genun is a composite of Jubal, Jabal, Tubal-Cain and Naamah. Satan picked out Genun because of his youth and taught him wine making, songs, instruments and choirs to seduce the holy Sethites:
And when he played on them, Satan came into them, so that from among them were heard beautiful and sweet sounds, that ravished (raped or enchanted) the heart. -- Second Adam and Eve 20:3
Then he gathered companies upon companies to play on them; and when they played, it pleased well the children of Cain, who inflamed themselves with sin among themselves, and burnt as with fire; while Satan inflamed their hearts, one with another, and increased lust among them. -- Second Adam and Eve 20:4
Satan also taught Genun to bring strong drink out of corn; and this Genun used to bring together companies upon companies in drink-houses; and brought into their hands all manner of fruits and flowers; and they drank together Second Adam and Eve 20:5
Layard then continues his trip and enters some of the Yezidis villages and found that they were the pillaged and pillagers. Always with musical instrument and weapons in hand they were ready to murder any "invaders." This, too, fits the tale of Jubal and his Babylonian counterparts.
This is not unlike the history of most religious revivalism
Thus did Genun multiply sin exceedingly; he also acted with pride and taught the children of Cain to commit all manner of the grossest wickedness, which they knew not; and put them up to manifold doings which they knew not before. Second Adam and Eve 20:6
Then Satan, when he saw that they yielded to Genun and hearkened to him in every thing he told them, rejoiced greatly, increased Genun's understanding, until he took iron and with it made weapons of war. Second Adam and Eve 20:7
Then when they were drunk, hatred and murder increased among them; one man used violence against another to teach him evil, taking his children and defiling them before him. Second Adam and Eve 20:8
"We have seen that enthusiasm and fanaticism, in their wildest shapes, have attended them--that jealousy, envy, hatred, evil surmisings, bitter revilings, heart-burnings, unholy schism and strifes, have followed close in their train--that spiritual pride, censoriousness, a Pharisaic disposition, and a spirit that trusts too much in suggestions, impulses, and consequently, that underrates the word of God, is always associated with them." (Stone Biography, p. 384)
"Divisions in the churches accompanied and followed the Great Awakening. The more ardent preachers of the revival had sharp words for those ministers whom they deemed unconverted. Whitefield occasionally spoke caustically of those who did not follow him. Others were even more vehement. On the other side were many, both clergy and laity, who were alienated by the emotional excesses, were angered by the denunciations of the more ardent itinerant preachers... 'New lights' 'Old lights' in Presbyterian and Congregational churches often separated into distinct units." (Latourette, p. 960).
"While there were examples of church groups which increased in numbers and strength as a result of the appearance of glossolalia, more usually friction and divisive factions developed. In extreme examples, up to one-third of the congregation stopped going to church and/or dropped their formal membership." (John P. Kildahl , p. 66 The Psychology of Speaking in Tongues, Harper and Row).
"When God had withdrawn, as abruptly as he had come,
his place was-again, quite literally-taken by Satan.
Exaltation was succeeded by suicidal despair...
There were no more conversions, but the people who survived the experience were calmer and more joyful than they had been before the Awakening,
or so Edwards would have us believe." (Armstrong, Karen, A History of God, p. 324).
Cane Ridge is frequently lusted after by those who would like the "kingdom to come with exhilaration" as if empowered by wine from a new wineskin. We are told that a lot of this happened at Cane Ridge and many converts lost their religion when they couldn't get past the "watering holes" always on the outskirts of many revivals or on the way home.
Cane Ridge and Babylonian Parallels do not mean that Cane Ridge served no useful purpose for some. However, it is as lost to the modern world as the towers of Babel. We should not concern ourselves with artificial ways of trying to "bring the worshipers into the presence of God."
Or goal should always be to go beyond the restoration movement "fathers" and back to Jerusalem and Christ. Don't overshoot and land in downtown Babylon.
Cane Ridge #3 You are Here
Counter 9.04.06 3:04p
