Sir Darius the Clairvoyent

Daniel, it is really not an attack on you or your faith, it is a (limited) summary of a book written by a very well respected academic. Can we agree on a few points, like: - judaism developed from Paganism - divinity is often used in plural form in OT - Yahwe is described quite antropromorphic at times And in regards to the piece If pottery, i do not see the problem. This would be pre judaism, and it is not exactly a wealth of archelogical evidence of the religion of the levant in this period. It is valid for you to point out that I dont understand hebrew, so much might be lost to me, but the author from Oxford has a pretty good picture of the religions of the near east in this time period.

I found this video interresting. Sounds very «non-dual» to me:

@Mark Foote what do you think about the qaulity of the content as a whole?

I am not familiar with buddhism, so i can not comment on how factual this creator is, but i do love his content and I think he does great job. Hope you might find it enlightening and entertaining as well:

This is an edited post i made on another forum, but i belive i can make it relevant. I listened to a podcast about one of nietzches lectures on pre-platonic philosophy. The reason he used this term, instead of the more common pre-socratic, was that before Plato, philosophy was not yet a dicipline. It was a bunch of unique «searchers/explorers/seekers of knowledge,» presenting their own view of the world, and not like later philosophy, often described as «a bunch of fotnotes to Plato.» This i found very interresting, because it led me to think that true and valuable understanding comes from one true self, not social programming or books. It is more about forgetting then learning. Everyones fav pre-platonic philosopher, Heraclites, encaptures this well. His emphasis on Logos, witch to me seem almost identical to the Dao, for one thing. His idea of fire as the fundemental element, symbolizing the unity of all and how everything is in constant flux. Funny thing is he lived in the 6th century bc (i belive), somewhat around the time of the historical Buddha. I am way to ignorant on eastern philosophy, but these qoutes from heraklit seem pretty «oriental» to me: Heraclitus, a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher, is known for his cryptic and profound aphorisms. His work survives only in fragments, quoted by later authors. Some of his most famous quotes include: " And then we have the famous inscriprition from Delphi: Know thyself The two following texts i have shared probally 2-3 times before, so forgive me: Hymn to Zeus, Cleanthes ca. 200bc Chapter •Three Metamorphoses,• from Thus spoke Zarathustra, Nietzche

I must correct myself here, the etymologi of yule is: Certainly! Here's the translation of the previous answer regarding the etymology of "jul": "The word 'jul' has a fascinating etymological history that traces back to ancient traditions and languages. The Swedish word for Christmas, 'jul,' originates from the Old Norse word 'jól,' which refers to the midwinter season. 'Jól,' in turn, has its roots in the Proto-Germanic '*jehwlą', meaning 'festivities' in plural, and even further back to the Proto-Indo-European '*yekə-', meaning to joke or play. These terms reflect the historical and cultural significance of Christmas as a time for celebration and festivities. The ancient Nordic tradition of celebrating 'jól' was centered around the winter solstice, long before the arrival of Christianity in Scandinavia. These celebrations were characterized by sacrificial meals and grand feasts, also linked to the Norse god Odin. Although modern Christmas has Christian elements, like the celebration of the birth of Jesus, many of the ancient customs continue to influence Nordic Christmas celebrations. For more detailed information, you can visit [Wiktionary](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/jul), [Transparent Blog](https://blogs.transparent.com/swedish/swedish-jul-a-christian-tradition-with-pagan-roots/), and [Etymologeek](https://etymologeek.com/swe/jul)." (ChatGPT) BUT, i did find some fun facts about the tradition and Odin being Linked to Santa: Odin, a central figure in Norse mythology, has an intriguing connection to Christmas and the ancient celebration of the Winter Solstice known as Yule. Odin was regarded as a gift-giver and associated with many aspects of the Yule celebration. According to tradition, he rode his eight-legged horse, Sleipnir, across the sky, leaving gifts for those who had been good throughout the year. This is seen as an early inspiration for the modern Santa Claus. Yule was also a time for renewal and rebirth. The Winter Solstice marked the darkest day of the year, and after this, the sun began its journey back toward the earth, symbolizing a rebirth of the land. This theme of renewal and new beginnings was celebrated by the Vikings. The celebration of Yule also included Yule trees and the use of evergreen decorations, which held symbolic value in Norse mythology. The Yule tree was seen as a representation of Yggdrasil, the world tree connecting the various realms in the Norse universe. The use of Yule trees and other evergreen decorations became popular during Winter Solstice celebrations and continued into modern Christmas festivities. The importance of gift-giving during Christmas has also been linked to the Three Wise Men's gifts to baby Jesus, although the connection between these two traditions is primarily circumstantial. However, the gift-giving tradition during the Winter Solstice has retained its significance in the holiday. In addition to Odin, other Norse gods like Frigg and Thor were also associated with Yule. For instance, a central aspect of the Yule celebration, the Yule log, was often lit with a piece of wood from Thor's sacred oak tree, symbolizing... For more detailed information on these traditions, you might consider exploring sources related to Norse mythology and the history of Christmas traditions. (also chatgpt)

poor ken-guru got destroyed recently in the artic circle

Well, i disagree. It is not judgemental, but more practical, as you say, but it differs from common conceptions in that there is no «dont mastrubate because god says so.» edit: and more importantly it does not goes against nature, but embraces it.

Like concepts of «all-nature» or «cosmic law»? Makes perfect sense to me, i even think it is undeniable. Trying to quiet the mind or meditate on a higher power does as well.

On the cosmic/natural law: and the hymn to Zeus: https://dailystoic.com/cleanthespoem/ meditations, aurelius

But even with the existence of god, what makes gods sense of morality objective? Does he even have a sense of morality? The people who claim to have divinley inspired scriptures about gods morality, differs wildley

So, we know both jews and muslims were polytheitw until about 300bx and 650 ad (please correct men If im wrong. Basically all of Europe was pagan until 400ad, with the last to fall being the baltics in the 13tj century i belive. Question is, what influence did the pagan traditions of these regions has on the religions as we know them today?

Sure. He is an author i see, anything you would like to reccomend? searched him up on YouTube, and started this: havent finished, but the point that Yahwe and NT God is not the same? Yes i would agree.

Good evening good folks. Id assume you have considered it, so what made you decide to not go ahead with it?

I often ponder about how strange thinking is. This inner monologeu. Why would there be a need to talk to oneself? Are we the thinker, or the observer of thoughts? i am strugling expressing my self, but i just find it bizarre. Any thoughts?

That was based on the excerpt exclusivley. But that religions have been used as a tool for controll is not a revolutionary concept, is it?

Thank you, very interresting. It makes me wonder… that it kind of looks like a conciouss hoax/social engineering and a tool for control. What do you think?

But Daniel, how can i tell myself something i dont allready know?

I love that author. I think he has an amazing ability to create an immersive world. Me myself, am now reading meditations (Aurelius), and am planning on rereading "Steppenwolf" (Hesse) and "the alchemist" (coehlo). Came to think about it, I might want to read Siddharta as well (also by Hesse). In addition to that, I ordered a version of the poetic Eddas (Norse poetry about gods, heroes, creation, and proverbs among other things).

I agree, it is fine. It is the case for all religions and myths, and they can still carry great depth and value. But think about it. Judaism didnt evolve in a vacuum. The region was dominated by Persia and hellenistic kingdoms for centuries before and while the torah was put together. Monotheism predates judaism. Greek philosophy was dominant in the eastern mediteranian. Genesis and the flood myth dates back to sumeria. Why are you so opposed to judaism being influenced by other traditions? No culture exists in a vacuum. The people who became jews where ones polytheistic. If your argument is that they werent yet jews because of that, then i can accept that argument.

Do you belive in «the chosen people»? Do you think judaism is special? If so, how?

@Daniel nothing personal, but i wonder, do you belive everything in jewish scripture is historically correct?

Also, in «the immorality key,» the authors argues that the wine or blood of Christ, refers to the wine of dionyousus and his cult. Furthermore, If you look at the first paragraph of John: The Word Became Flesh 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a] it. It becomes way more «mystic» if you keep in mind that it was written in greek, and «word» would be replaced with logos. To the greeks, logos was some sort of divine reason, a cosmic law that guides all things.

I am not sure exactly what occult entails, but i know there are some speculation about the gospel of mark involving a mystery tradition: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00393389508600159 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secret_Gospel_of_Mark