Contact us at: whispernthunder1@gmail.comWisdom from Granddad
~ Fox Northstar
All right, I have been pretty well behaved the
past few entries, but some things have
happened to me of late and opened a tirade
time. Since “common core” was introduced
(by Bush II), our education has lagged behind
that of that of the rest of the industrialized
world. Our government want only enough education for the masses to be able to operate the “machinery” and follow directions well enough to keep them rich and in power. But this is not the crux of my tirade, but merely a symptom.
When our ancestors first walked upright, we were all hunter gatherers. We knew something created the universe, but had no idea WHAT. To this day, that has never been satisfactorily answered. We believed every THING had a spirit, and that has survived in many cultures to this day. Now, the argument exists that spirit is energy, akin to George Lucas “force,” and I think he may be onto something there. No one can argue that all animals have energy as it is so obvious. The same could be said of plants as well, but it takes more time to see that. But what of stones and the earth? The earth is simpler to see ant time a volcano erupts, but what of stones? Everything on the planet is made from atoms, and science has proven that atoms have energy. If we return to the arguments spirit is energy, and atoms are energy it is a small step to stones have spirit.
Eventually, someone got the bright idea to write their beliefs down. While this sounds like a good idea, time has proven the opposite. When we pass our teaching orally, the evolve to the needs of the people and are adjusted accordingly for the audience. I know that teaching I share contain the same principles as those centuries ago, but I am sure I do not tell them the same way twice or the way they were told. So far, so good, and as it should be.
About 7000 years ago, someone started writing down their teachings. Sounds like a good idea, BUT once written, they were NOT allowed to be edited. This not only leaves them open to “interpretation” and removes the evolutionary process they need to remain relevant to the changing need of the people. The oldest I have found is the torah, but there are likely others in Asia I have yet to discover.
About 2000 years ago, a teacher called Jesus tried to amend the teachings to the needs of the people, and we all know the legend which go along with those stories that became the new testament, but I will get to that shortly. I believe he existed, either as an individual or an amalgam of several. There are just too many inconstancies for blind faith to anyone with a lick of sense. A teaching for questioning things still existed, and was the point. I believe, as with any humble teacher, he would be appalled at how he is perceived and that a religion has been built around him. Keep in mind, one of his most consistent teaching was humility, and no humble man want god-like status, or to be remembered as such. See where the hypocrisy starts to seep in? But wait, there’s more…
Now, let's address the “gospel.” Gospel is a corruption of Latin phrase for “good news.” When it morphed into “truth” and “the word of god,” was when the problems started. As so many believe the bible is gospel, the first definition fits nicely, considering all the good lesson contained there, but in NO way is the word of god. Remember it was written by MEN! Now let's delve into that.
Most folks do not realize that the old testament is a usurping of the majority of the torah, but heavily edited to suit the needs of those upstart christians. And it get worse, and historical research backs me up on this. None of the new testament was written until decades after the crucifixion, and I ask why for starters. Methinks Jesus survived and went incognito and lived out his days. None of it was written down during his lifetime as HE WOULD NOT ALLOW IT, having been persecuted and being a humble person. I think he was wary of what might develop, and time has proven that point ad nauseam.
When pen was put to parchment, I believe he has recently passed, which was decades after the cross. Granted, the stories where written by people who knew him but several factors come into play here, each leading to more skepticism than the last.
One of the best anti-bible arguments is the number of translations it has been through. Originally written in Aramaic, it was first translated into Greek, then Latin, through French on it ways to English. That’s four times minimum. As no language can be translated literally, there arises the problem of linguistic shift. That’s when you have to express intent but cannot do it “word for word.” As so few people then knew how to read and/or write, and where “interpretation” begins rear its ugly head. One cannot discount that the translator might not have had and agenda, either to “improve or enhance” the translation if not to change its meaning entirely. We will never know, we were not that, BUT one cannot rule it out completely.
As with all things, it didn’t take long for dissidents to appear. In the 6th or 7th century, some middle eastern folks split off when their teacher, Mohammed, challenged some of those translations and teachings. Supposedly he wrote those down and they evolved into the koran. As they still “held” the holy lands. Now good European christians could not tolerated that, so they began to launch crusades to liberate those lands from the infidels, which lasted centuries, had untold deaths, and continue to this day between Israelis and Palestinians. It was the first of the religious wars, and seems to continue. Answer this one-why is the main parish of “the” church in south central Europe and not the middle east? More hypocrisy! One cannot find too much fault for muslims and jihad, as they didn’t really start it. The downside from them, are the few who refuse to give it up, they carry too big a grudge.
After the crusades, the oppression of the catholic church created more dissidents, in the form of John Calvin and Martin Luther, which gave rise to the protestants. Even they can get along because when one group gets pi**ed at another, they just spin off another group, be it lutheran, calvinist, anglican, unitarian, presbyterian, baptist, episcopal and so on. That so reinforces my lack of confidence in ANY of them. They all are nothing more than tools created and used by the rich and powerful to contain and control the unwashed and uneducated masses. The process they use(d) is “indoctrination,” but the military calls it “brainwashing.” Chew on that one. And my lack of capitalization is purposeful, as for organized religion--well I have NO respect for any of them, and find most worthy only of contempt!
LEARN TO QUESGTION IT! THINK FOR YOURSELVES, don’t be a tool to be used by others…
The founding fathers guarantees freedom of religion, but that includes the right to have none whatsoever, freedom FROM religion. My tirade is leave me out of yours! I have my beliefs, and you, yours. They are a personal choice, and should remain so. Keep yours to yourself, because if you quote any bible passage or try to convert me, you will open a can of worms you will wish you hadn’t. In university, I took Comparative religions, mostly out of curiosity. What I learned, and I have retained to this day is the foundation of the above. Those who know me, and have watched or listened to me when a zealot gets after all will agree--I am your worst enemy, I have the ammunition to put you in your place, and make you look the fool you are. You had best be prepared as I have read the aforementioned books as well as the book of mormon. One cannot defeat an enemy without proper preparation….and I am THAT! And PROUD TO BE PAGAN!
As always, do your best to walk in balance. It ain't easy, I know, but I keep trying.