Daniel 5:20 Narcissistic Personality Disorder
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Posted by Rodney Timmons on [03 May 2009 07:30PM]
rodney@sti.net Notify me about Responses? (yes)
I heard Daniel before I first saw him. His bellowing reproaches of a crowd of 40 to 50 Portland State students was difficult to miss, and conversely, the jeers and heckles of his audience easily matched his sermon in volume, enthusiasm and indignation. A cursory visit to this particular section of the University's park blocks quickly reveals why Daniel evokes so much rage among his listeners: He pulls no punches in his homily, making it clear that the 'arrogant assholes,' 'whores' and 'faggots' of Portland State University are going to hell if they engage in sin (which, to Daniel specifically means breaking any one of the 613 laws of the Torah). A statement of this severity inevitably leads to a flurry of questions, fueled by sarcasm, directed towards determining what exactly, in Daniel's eyes, is sin. As expected in nearly any secular campus in America, these questions often revolve around pre-marital sex, masturbation, and drunkenness, and as Daniel
rails against the practice of these things, those less inhibited members of his audience shout phrases such as 'I love sex!,' and 'I love beer!,' and indicate their disgust with the sweeping, violent jerks of simulated masturbation. For a moment, I am in middle school again, while insults are freely exchanged (Sinner. Asshole. Hypocrite. Fuckface.) and imitators of Daniel lampoon behind him with knuckles held low and shoulders hunched, doing their best impression of an ape. He is unfazed though, and has evidently learned that sometimes, the best way to deal with an insult is to completely ignore it, and preach on.
I first talked to Daniel over my black coffee and his caffeine-free Snapple. Every time I have seen him, and this day was no exception, Daniel has worn a polo shirt and blue jeans adorned with blue, hanging fringes called tzitzis. He has a full, red beard, slicked-back hair, and piercingly blue eyes centered by unusually small pupils. With no hesitation, Daniel takes the initiative in our conversation, justifying his fiery brand of street preaching by comparing himself to the Apostle Paul and by quoting scripture (he does this a lot) that relates to conversion. His purpose in life, it appears, is to convince the world that not only did Jesus Christ come to earth to suffer a sacrificial death, but to renew the Old Covenant, to make the laws of Moses more relevant and important than they had ever been before. To Daniel, the Christians of today are guilty of gross hypocrisy in that they condemn homosexuality, yet continue to eat pork; they denounce murder,
but mix fibers of wool and cotton. It seems no matter what question I ask, Daniel has an answer prepared. No matter how obscure and irrelevant a Levitical law may be, Daniel has applied it to his life, and though I find myself disagreeing with him often, I can't deny this: the guy is passionate about his faith. 'Public preaching is an ancient Jewish tradition,' he says, and in hindsight I realize that the only differences between this conversation and Daniel's sermons is that he isn't calling me names, isn't condemning me, and is using much lower volume. Interestingly, (as I will come to realize) Daniel loves to elucidate on his own holiness, a holiness that derives wholly from the application of the Torah's laws to his own life. He eats kosher, celebrates all Jewish holidays, and when the Jewish people once again hold control over the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Daniel will engage in animal sacrifice and the stoning of adulterers, homosexuals, and
witches.*
*It wasn't always this way with Daniel though.. Just seven years ago he was a self-ascribed non-denominational Christian, railing only against lives lived apart from Christ. Court records from the District of Oregon, dated September 12, 2001, indicate that Daniel's methods of proselytizing haven't changed much. Around this time, Daniel, with a small group of street preachers, had violated the public speech policy of the Oregon Arena Corporation (screaming at people in commons areas is evidently frowned upon) and had been barred from returning for a certain amount of time. According to eye witness testimony, 'Daniel preached so loudly that his voice could be heard over an African marimba band performing on a stage in the Commons. He flailed his arms about, called people in the area whores, and told them they were going to burn in hell. On another occasion, his preaching in a similar manner attracted a crowd that physically assaulted him. Plaintiff
Gathright also preached in the Commons, calling a woman a whore, a prostitute, and a daughter of Babylon, which incited a shouting match between him and the man escorting the woman.' Daniel and his equally zealous associates, citing freedom of speech abuses, filed a lawsuit against the OAC, and unsurprisingly, lost.
It was difficult, or should I say, impossible, to get him to stray from the topic of Messianic Judaism. While in my mind this was an interview, to Daniel it was an opportunity to proselytize, a chance to save yet another lost sheep who had strayed from the true teachings of Christ through the consumption of pork and the celebration of Christmas (a holiday steeped in pagan roots), among many, many other things. Even painful topics were occasions to preach, such as his divorce from his ex-wife Annika. Using this as an example of his unrelenting love of the Torah, Daniel essentially claimed that his separation from his wife was due to her unwillingness to accept his new found faith. Almost instantly, I had my suspicions that Daniel's version of events may not be quite as accurate as he purported them to be, and after learning the basic concepts of Daniel's theology, the name of his current synagogue, and enduring as much incidental spit as I could handle, I
bid Daniel goodbye with a firm handshake and a request that he preach again the next day.
His recollection of the following day's sermon, revealed through a post on his website, www.TorahandSpirit.com, raised more uncertainties about the accuracy of Daniel's memory. I had watched, with disappointment, Daniel's sermon that day. Moved by the Holy Spirit to preach love instead of hate, he expounded on the virtues of a deep, enduring adoration of Yahweh and of the rewards of living a life pleasing to God. There was little condemnation, little conflict, and none of the incendiary words Daniel seemed so comfortable doling out. The response was one of indifference. With no real reason to trade insults, Daniel's audience was subdued, apathetic and impartial. Some studied, others ate lunch, most wore smiles of incredulity and many shook their heads in disbelief. That night, I was forwarded Daniel's post concerning the day's events, and was filled with an unsettling feeling of perplexity. Daniel's post, titled 'I Can't Believe what Happened!' spoke of
an event of revival-like proportions: 'The crowd became very soberyou couldhear a pin drop, every eye focused on me and the Holy Spirit began to increase greatly The whole crowd of between 50-60 students were fixated on my words, and a hush settled over the entire campus. It felt as if we were inside a holy sanctuary.' Had I missed something? Whereas I saw indifference and apathy, Daniel saw reverence and revival. Where Daniel saw still, holy silence, I merely saw a crowd with no reason to get angry.
At this point I was extremely interested in seeing what sort of synagogue invited a man like Daniel into its fold, and so inquired for directions and service times to 'Lion of Judah,' one of the few Messianic Jewish congregations in Portland, Oregon. Daniel's response was a bit enigmatic, pressing the need to give me clear directions, then failing to give me directions at all. Two days later I saw this posted on his website:
Dear all,
Let it be known in public this day, 4/22/09, even the 27th of Aviv, on this 11th Omer -- the 4th day of the week --
Even though Jesus Christ of Nazareth used Derek's evil and wicked choices for the good, in that now that Rabbi Warren has cast me out of the synagogue, I have now found a much bigger and better Messianic Jewish congregation, led by a group of Godly elders and an awesome teacher Rabbi who is much more righteous than Warren Dean -- even though Yah used Derek's evil choices to produce this GOOD in my life --
Derek Alan Lee poisoned Rabbi Warren with lies against me, and caused Rabbi Warren to cast me out of the Lion of Judah synagogue.
Apparently, Derek Lee was a defiler of temples, a modern-day antichrist, and so on and so forth. I had no idea who Derek Lee was, but suspected that this accusation, given Daniel's behavior thus far, may have been a bit inflated. A simple Google search led to a trove of similar posts of almost disturbing proportions. Daniel often entered diplomatic, discussion-based Christian forums, and lit them up with forceful and demeaning posts, relegating all who disagreed to lives of wickedness and sin, and sharing his prayer that he may be able to 'smite all Torah breakers to the dust' and 'wash in their blood.' All appeals to peacefulness were met with aggressive, CAPS LOCKED rebukes, and, judging from the quantity and time of postings, there had been many, many sleepless nights.
______________________________________
Daniel was born in a small town in Texas, and some twenty years later, met his wife-to-be in an internet chat room. Soon after, they eloped, and Daniel found himself enrolled at GutenbergCollege in Eugene, Oregon. It's not at all surprising he left Texas. His family's church, the church he had grown up in, was recovering from a rift of epic proportions. Ken Jones, a preacher bordering on cult leader, stormed into Leander with the bravado of an Old West gunslinger and ripped Daniel's congregation apart. With accusations, condemnations, and near-harassment, Jones made it his mission to reveal any and all imperfections lurking within Trinity Christian Center, insisting members come forward during services and loudly confess their sins, however awkward or embarrassing they may be (masturbation, for instance). Apparently, Daniel didn't make the cut, and despite his insistence that Ken Jones was, indeed, sinless and free from all moral blame, was 'cast out' of
the church he had belonged to for eighteen years.
It's curious as to how much of an effect Ken Jones had on the formulation of Daniel's own theology. While they both retain similar perspectives on the nature of sin (I am perfect, you are not), Daniel has divorced from his former hero, holding the Torah above Christ and himself above Ken Jones. Mr. Jones had choice words for Daniel's change of heart: I, J. K. Jones, want to set the record straight: Patrick Johnston and Brother Jed Smock are absolutely correct in their round condemnation of your perversion of Christianity in teaching that our obligation extends to all of the law of Moses. This is false doctrine. End of debate! It seems then, that in the respective theologies of Daniel and Ken, there is no room for cooperation. Both are sinless. Both are perfect. Both are going to hell.
The consequences of divisiveness are an ever-present reality in Daniel's life. At just thirty years old, he is engaged in a legal battle with Annika for full custody of six children, all under the age of eight, all named after various men and women of the Old Testament. By his own admission, or should I say boast, Daniel has been thrown in jail several times, has been physically assaulted, has been kicked out of churches, community groups and synagogues, has been brought before two judges, has received numerous, hateful e-mails from proponents of every denomination, faith and belief, and perhaps most tragically, has been estranged from his own mother. While some may be tempted to reevaluate their tactics in light of such pain and conflict, Daniel is undaunted:
So, I can say without a doubt, that whatever I am doing, it certainly must be effective or else I would not be causing so many religious devils to rise up against me.
I take this as a big encouragement.
Within the normally passive confines of the park blocks, Christians often quote scripture at Daniel. They vainly appeal to whatever trace of affability still exists in him, trying to make him understand that salvation does not lie in blue fringes and New Moon festivals, that crying 'faggots are fit to be burned' to a group of impressionable college students is the most effective way to alienate your entire listening audience. But given the circumstances, I fear they may be wasting words, and worse, they may be encouraging Daniel to even more aggressively press forward towards the culmination of his 'Great Portland Revival,' a revival that simply does not exist. The truth is, Daniel has been diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder, and given this knowledge, I often wonder who Daniel truly hopes to exalt during his sermons. Does Christ compel him to endure such negative repercussions? Or is it rather a need for attention? A need that resounds so
forcefully that the collective anger of a crowd is preferable to insignificance? No matter how much one may beg, plead, rebuke or coerce, a person so hopelessly assured of their own self-importance, so bound by the ritual and legality of law will only hear the inane and uneducated babblings of one in league with the Devil, of one fast approaching the lake of fire.
But I have to believe that somewhere beneath all those layers of judgment, accusation and paranoia, a good man still exists. There are those moments, rare as they may be, when the condemner in Daniel abates, when for one singular, marginally divine moment, a flash of true compassion appears in those intense, sky-blue eyes, and I see not Daniel the divider, but Daniel the father, husband and son. The true tragedy of this story is that Daniel, in the name of a man of peace, has sown enough dissension to thoroughly relinquish his claim to those labels; to be barred from the enormous value inherent in those roles.
Like the rising tides of a waxing crescent, Daniel's fervor for spirituality rhythmically explodes at certain intervals, and as the luminosity of a full moon eventually turns to black, so too will Daniel's zeal. A pattern that has occurred and reoccurred in his life will again become painfully apparent. Daniel will convince himself of a glaring, personal failure, will fall into depression, will live in sin, will have a poignant experience with God, will be reborn, and will again live a life of blamelessness and moral perfection; that is, until he sins again. The problem with a doctrine of sinlessness is that eventually, the inevitable truth will rear its ugly head, and one will be faced with a horrible choice: either accept your imperfection, or deny its existence.
Repent Daniel I do this out of hope that you will see
Yeshua ate with sinner and drank wine he love them, you hate them, and you yourself can't keep Torah
I've seen the Daniel that was broken and that's the Daniel that could be.
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Daniel 5:20 Narcissistic Personality Disorder
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Posted by Halacha on [05 May 2009 05:48AM]
In Reply to: Daniel 5:20 Narcissistic Personality Disorder posted by Rodney Timmons on [03 May 2009 07:30PM]
From the DSM-IV, page 661.
'Diagnostic criteria for 301.81 Narcissistic Personality Disorder
A pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:
(1) has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements)
(2) is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love
(3) believes that he or she is 'special' and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions)
(4) requires excessive admiration
(5) has a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations
(6) is interpersonally exploitative, i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends
(7) lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others
(8) is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him or her
(9) shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes'
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Narcissistic Personality Disorder
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Posted by Dave Bronstein on [03 May 2009 07:57PM]
In Reply to: Daniel 5:20 Narcissistic Personality Disorder posted by Rodney Timmons on [03 May 2009 07:30PM]
dave_bronstein@yahoo.com Notify me about Responses? (yes)
Didn't think Lee would allow a psychiatric evaluation. Hope the authorities are aware of his mental aberration and its ripple effects. Any new girl (Wife #2) should be made completely aware of this man's background.
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Narcissistic Personality Disorder
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Posted by anon on [04 May 2009 06:59AM]
In Reply to: Narcissistic Personality Disorder posted by Dave Bronstein on [03 May 2009 07:57PM]
he was required by the state.
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Narcissistic Personality Disorder is REPEALED
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Posted by Daniel John Lee on [03 May 2009 07:56PM]
In Reply to: Daniel 5:20 Narcissistic Personality Disorder posted by Rodney Timmons on [03 May 2009 07:30PM]
firebrand4@hotmail.com Notify me about Responses? (yes)
According to the very psychologist that DHS appointed over me, Vanda told the court last Wednesday, that I DO NOT have a narcisstiic personality disorder.
Furthermore, the author of this article is lying. He himself sent me a personal email telling me how awesomely effective I was on the day he says I was delusional, and said he was 'impressed by the crowd's reaction.'
So, this author is a liar, Rodney.
Rodney, you really do love plunging head long into hellfire, don't you?
Yah rebuke you, you fallen devil, for I will not.
Love,
Apostle Prophet Sinless and Revival Fire filled
Daniel Lee
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Narcissistic Personality Disorder is REPEALED
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Posted by Halacha on [04 May 2009 09:45AM]
In Reply to: Narcissistic Personality Disorder is REPEALED posted by Daniel John Lee on [03 May 2009 07:56PM]
Narcissistic Personality Disorder cannot be 'repealed'. Repealed has to do with legislation and laws, not mental illnesses.
Gee, I see you haven't changed a bit, Daniel. That's too bad. I would have thought the past two years would have made you change a little bit.
Kay
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