Soren wrote on Jan 16^th, 2010 at 10:57pm:

You'd have to say that Christianity qualifies as the parody of monotheism... With it's three persons god, 'n all.

IMO, the history of religion goes something like this:

1. If you want to remember something of importance then the best way (for most people) to do so is to incorporate the instructions into a more understandable form, such as story with familiar characteristics.

2. Take for example, some relatively easy instructions on how to tie a few knots:

Granny Knot

- The rabbit comes out of the hole, runs around the tree, and then goes back into the hole.

Clove Hitch

- The rabbit comes out of the hole, over the hill, tunnels through the hill, and then goes back into the hole.

Fasty Doubleneck

- The rabbit meets the snake, and together they go into the hill and around te tree, and then into the lake.

...etc.

There are plenty of allegories used in knot tying, and they do get more complicated. Personally I alway hated the use of rabbits, trees, snakes, lakes and holes to simulate tying a knot. I don't even give a crap about tying knots.

3. The knowledge of how to tie a knot probably was of great importance several thousand (or hundred) years ago, but it would pale in comparison to the importance of knowing when to sow and when to harvest.

4. Enter the studious astrologists. They studied the movements of the planets and forecast with great accuracy the time to sow and the time to reap. There was probably no more important science than this in the history of humanity..IMO.

5. How did the astrologists instruct the farmers on how to best reap a harvest?  Did they show them maps of the stars and expect them to understand everything that they know, or did they attempt to explain it to them in more understandable terms?

6. IMO, they used allegories, just as we use today to remember a series of events.

7. Was Jesus Christ an allegory?

8. IMO Jesus Christ is an allegory of the sun, as clearly displayed by the sun behind him.

9. Does the story of Christ align with the movement of the planets, ie: when to sow and when to harvest?
There's plenty of evidence to say that  it does. And if it does, would this not be at least, if not more, valuable to human history than the way that we understand Christianity today?

10. Last commandment. There's probably more flawless analogies to be found between Chrisitianity and astrological studies than the one at the bottom here, but it's not a bad hint that it's about time that we opened our eyes to the realisation that Christianity (and all of it's offspring)  is merely an illogical twist on a once valuable science. Call me a Pagan if you like, but you will never be able to argue with reasonable logic.

http://members.cox.net/deleyd/religion/bibleastrology.html

Amadd wrote on Jan 17^th, 2010 at 2:18am:


Surely you mean studious astronomers.  The term studious astrologist is an oxymoron. Astronomers became astrologists when they started relating the movement of the sun through the zodiac and the interaction with the planets, with some kind of concept of destiny and how it was shaped.

OK, I realise that (for example) Isaac Newton liked to play at astrology and alchemy, and that lines of distinction were blurred, but what you are describing in point 4 above is a science, astronomy, and not a superstition (astrology)

NorthOfNorth wrote on Jan 16^th, 2010 at 11:13pm:


It is not three persons but three aspects of God. None the less Christianity and Judaism are Duelist faiths believing in both God the good being Jehovah etc.. and god the evil being the Devil. 

Sappho wrote on Jan 17^th, 2010 at 9:26pm:


We're getting way off topic here, but my original post was intended to be flippant anyway.

Christianity has the 3 in one, but then in the Catholic branch, you also have the Holy Mother who has a much higher significance as the main intercessor.

So we have Mum, Dad, the Kid, and the Ghost, and Satan who has of course turned to the Dark Side. Of course it was Dad who created evil and everything else. Go figure.

Apart from the major Deities, there is a whole pantheon of minor deities. In Christian tradition, Michael, Gabriel and friends on the bright side, together with Samael, Lilith etc on the dark side are really minor deities in the classical sense, but the definition of Deity itself is changed in Christianity.   

You make a very good and interesting point there Amadd. What you say made me instantly think of the beautiful cave paintings of Lascaux.