Religious Knowledge Thread - Page 22

GrayMouser · 04-26-2003, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Gwaimir Windgem
Does anyone here know if the practice of Eastern or East Indian religions/philosophies/lifestyles (Buddhism, Hinduism, Shintoism, Taoism, etc.), whether ancient or modern, contained any form of sacrifice?

Ancient Chinese religion certainly had animal (and possibly human) sacrifice, but it died out as part of official Confucianism.

"Taoist" folk religion still practises what could be considered a form of sacrifice, here in Taiwan anyway. Farmers and local temples compete to see who can raise the fattest pig (like, too fat to even stand up) to offer at festivals for whatever deity.

The pig is killed with appropriate rites and blessings, but not publically. It's then cooked and displayed- the god or goddess consumes the 'essence' and the lucky worshippers tuck into the rest.

Food offerings are made to ancestors and 'hungry ghosts' on the fifteenth of every lunar month- same deal, the spirits inhale the essence- it's quite weird to walk past McDonalds and Burger King and see stacks of Cokes and fries with incense sticks stuck in them.

People also burn ghost money so the ancestors will have a little cash to spend, but inflation in the infernal realms has gotten so bad that the government is trying to persuade people to burn ghost credit cards instead, to cut down on pollution. Some traditionalists argue that the ancestors wouldn't know how to use a Visa Gold Card, but others point out that the newer arrivals can explain it to them.

congressmn · 04-26-2003, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Insidious Rex
was that a joke?

hey does anyone know anything about rastafarianism?

i checked the damn dictionary, doesn't have the word. Rasberry is closest i can get to.

congressmn · 04-26-2003, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by GrayMouser

People also burn ghost money so the ancestors will have a little cash to spend, but inflation in the infernal realms has gotten so bad that the government is trying to persuade people to burn ghost credit cards instead, to cut down on pollution. Some traditionalists argue that the ancestors wouldn't know how to use a Visa Gold Card, but others point out that the newer arrivals can explain it to them.

O woh they sacrisifizin money?

in thailand they burn cars, a porche here a lambhorgini there...fully loaded too mind you.

Wonder what the Markets are like in heaven/Hell. I am sure they are a little more diverse than here. I Would rather just send the money, but I don't, which currency? is the question that comes to my mind.

Millane · 04-27-2003, 11:07 AM

Quote:

i checked the damn dictionary, doesn't have the word. Rasberry is closest i can get to.

how old is your dictionary coz it isnt that old (50 years maybe?)

Quote:

I believe it's Jamaican too. I just so happened to stumble across something about it the other day. I believe that it is, in essence, Christianity, with Haile Selassie (sp?) as the Messiah, rather than Jesus Christ. I also think they call God 'Jah'. From what I've heard, they're pretty anti-white as a whole, considering the white civilisation to be "Babylon", probably from Revelations, but maybe from the Old Testament. Also, I believe it supports the use of marijuana as a kind of mind-expanding, spiritual-experience inducing smoke.

Very good except Haille Selassie is Jah...
i know a bit about the Rastafari so ill say what i can... First off the smoking of marijuana is used as Rasta's beleive it brings them closer to Jah and they use it to cure colds...
Haille Selassie was the Emporer of Ethiopia and his previous name was Ras Tafari. his symbol was a ring with the Lion of Judah (which he gave to Bob Marley) and i dont know the exact reason but it had something to do with representing Selassie was king over all people just as the Lion was king of the jungle, Selassie was a christian himself but no one knows his thoughs on Rastafari. the Rasta's said that God wasnt supposed to know he ws God. When he died the Rastas thought it was just an attempt to break there spirit. Now they beleive that he is waiting at the top of Mount Zion until the promised day where he shall lead his people back to Ethiopia... as for White-hate well the Rasta's are basically equal rights campaigners we all know about the oppression of Blacks in Africa and they try and bridge the economic gap b/w blacks and whites and the literacy rate and other things too i guess...
the Red, Yellow and Green often used to represent the Rasta religion depicts Green=Vegetation of Ethiopia, Red=Blood shed and Yellow=Wealth of Ethiopia... The dreads are grown with a beard and represent the Lion of Judah and a last form of rebellion against the white man...
its pretty late were i am so i dont know if that made sense...

Millane · 05-04-2003, 09:37 AM

ive just got a question about Heaven... was it what most Christians beleive it to be now before Plato or did Plato essentially create heaven (which means Tolkien might not be considered fantasy in another 2500 years) i dont sorta understand what heaven was before Plato... anyone care to explain?

Gwaimir Windgem · 05-04-2003, 04:44 PM

Sorry to be ignorant, but what did Plato say about heaven?

Aralyn · 05-04-2003, 04:47 PM

Plato didn't create heaven. GOD did.

Gwaimir Windgem · 05-04-2003, 06:16 PM

I quite agree.

Aralyn · 05-04-2003, 06:19 PM

Good
I was replying to Millane's Plato question

Millane · 05-05-2003, 06:44 AM

Quote:

Plato didn't create heaven. GOD did.

sorry its sorta a hard question to phrase... i wasnt meaning who the christians beleive created heaven (which is obviously God) i was meaning did Platos ideas make heaven what it is today... its really just a question of what heaven was like about 500 years b.c. Im referring to Plato's Trancendental Reality anyway ill go into Transcendental Reality tommorrer...

Insidious Rex · 05-07-2003, 01:29 PM

anyone know anything about the dead sea scrolls and their significance to judaism/christianity?

Elfhelm · 05-07-2003, 04:50 PM

Sure. 40-odd books were deleted from the Bible. They were thought destroyed. Some of those were found in Qumran (?) a cave in Israel and are called "The Dead Sea Scrolls". In 1945, 13 more were found in a cave called Nag Hammadi. We now have many of the original texts that were once only known to the first Christians, caled the Gnostics (those who know).

As it happens, these texts contain references to other texts that were removed from the Old Testament. You might want to also check out the Septuagint and the Pseudepigraphia, I think they are called.

Anything that didn't fit Emperor Constantine's simplified version of Christianity, basically Synoptic Gospels and Epistles in the New Testament and Prophetic works from the Old Testament, were purged, and a lot of people were killed to make it so.

The moral of the story, for Constantine as for Mao Tse Tung is, book-burning is good politics, but in the end some secret copies will be found. I hope they find the Priestess Sappho's full length marriage ritual poetry someday, too, but it was burned by Gregory Nazienen when the entire Library of Alexandrian went up in flames.

Anyway, the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Mary, of the Nag hammadi scrolls, should be checked out first. Other Gnostic and Apochryphal works require assistance understanding since they are as cryptic as Revelations.

Insidious Rex · 05-07-2003, 04:59 PM

Fascinating. Oh that reminds me have they been able to make any head way with the ossuary they found last year or so that supposedly belongs to Jesus's brother?

***Jonathan*** · 05-07-2003, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Insidious Rex
Fascinating. Oh that reminds me have they been able to make any head way with the ossuary they found last year or so that supposedly belongs to Jesus's brother?

Read about the Ossuary Of Jesus’ Brother here.

Elfhelm · 05-07-2003, 07:38 PM

I heard it was damaged in transit. Haven't heard anything since. There's a crack across the inscription now.

Gwaimir Windgem · 05-07-2003, 07:54 PM

The Gnostics taught that salvation came from hidden knowledge, right?

Legolas_Frodo_Aragorn · 05-07-2003, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Millane
ive just got a question about Heaven... was it what most Christians beleive it to be now before Plato or did Plato essentially create heaven (which means Tolkien might not be considered fantasy in another 2500 years) i dont sorta understand what heaven was before Plato... anyone care to explain?

how do we even know that there is a heaven? if it is created by
g-d...then how do we know that there is one? who has proof of it or spoken to g-d?

but i guess thats one of the reasons why people beleive in g-d so much tho...to give them something to beleive in life after death

TinuvielChild · 05-07-2003, 09:05 PM

I have a question for L_F_A - why do you say "g-d"?

Legolas_Frodo_Aragorn · 05-07-2003, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by TinuvielChild
I have a question for L_F_A - why do you say "g-d"?

some weird belief of mine that what ever supreme being i beleive in is too holy to write.......

markedel · 05-07-2003, 11:21 PM

A common practice among orthodox Jews-check the 3rd commandment for details.

05-04-2003, 09:37 AM	#425
Millane The Dude Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: at the altar of my ego Posts: 1,685	ive just got a question about Heaven... was it what most Christians beleive it to be now before Plato or did Plato essentially create heaven (which means Tolkien might not be considered fantasy in another 2500 years) i dont sorta understand what heaven was before Plato... anyone care to explain? __________________ Ill heal your wounds, ill set you free,

05-04-2003, 04:44 PM	#426
Gwaimir Windgem Dread Mothy Lord and Halfwitted Apprentice Loremaster Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Thomas Aquinas College, Santa Paula, CA Posts: 10,820	Sorry to be ignorant, but what did Plato say about heaven? __________________ Crux fidelis, inter omnes arbor una nobilis. Nulla talem silva profert, fronde, flore, germine. Dulce lignum, dulce clavo, dulce pondus sustinens. 'With a melon?' - Eric Idle

05-04-2003, 04:47 PM	#427
Aralyn FloraAzul Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Anywhere as long as there is a library in a one mile radius of here Posts: 751	Plato didn't create heaven. GOD did. __________________ Atheism: A Non-Prophet Organization Yet many shall be amazed when they see Him-yes even far off foreign nations and thier kings; they shall stand dumb-founded, speechless in his prescence. For they shall see and understand what they had not seen before-Isaiah 52:15a Civil War- 498,332 dead WWI-116,708 dead WWII-407,316 dead Korean War-54,246 dead Vietnam War-58,665 dead Persian Gulf-372 dead War on The Unborn=35,000,000 dead and counting

05-04-2003, 06:16 PM	#428
Gwaimir Windgem Dread Mothy Lord and Halfwitted Apprentice Loremaster Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Thomas Aquinas College, Santa Paula, CA Posts: 10,820	I quite agree. __________________ Crux fidelis, inter omnes arbor una nobilis. Nulla talem silva profert, fronde, flore, germine. Dulce lignum, dulce clavo, dulce pondus sustinens. 'With a melon?' - Eric Idle

05-04-2003, 06:19 PM	#429
Aralyn FloraAzul Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Anywhere as long as there is a library in a one mile radius of here Posts: 751	Good I was replying to Millane's Plato question __________________ Atheism: A Non-Prophet Organization Yet many shall be amazed when they see Him-yes even far off foreign nations and thier kings; they shall stand dumb-founded, speechless in his prescence. For they shall see and understand what they had not seen before-Isaiah 52:15a Civil War- 498,332 dead WWI-116,708 dead WWII-407,316 dead Korean War-54,246 dead Vietnam War-58,665 dead Persian Gulf-372 dead War on The Unborn=35,000,000 dead and counting

05-07-2003, 01:29 PM	#431
Insidious Rex Quasi Evil Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Maryland, US Posts: 4,634	anyone know anything about the dead sea scrolls and their significance to judaism/christianity? __________________ "People's political beliefs don't stem from the factual information they've acquired. Far more the facts people choose to believe are the product of their political beliefs." "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

05-07-2003, 04:50 PM	#432
Elfhelm Marshal of the Eastmark Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 1,412	Sure. 40-odd books were deleted from the Bible. They were thought destroyed. Some of those were found in Qumran (?) a cave in Israel and are called "The Dead Sea Scrolls". In 1945, 13 more were found in a cave called Nag Hammadi. We now have many of the original texts that were once only known to the first Christians, caled the Gnostics (those who know). As it happens, these texts contain references to other texts that were removed from the Old Testament. You might want to also check out the Septuagint and the Pseudepigraphia, I think they are called. Anything that didn't fit Emperor Constantine's simplified version of Christianity, basically Synoptic Gospels and Epistles in the New Testament and Prophetic works from the Old Testament, were purged, and a lot of people were killed to make it so. The moral of the story, for Constantine as for Mao Tse Tung is, book-burning is good politics, but in the end some secret copies will be found. I hope they find the Priestess Sappho's full length marriage ritual poetry someday, too, but it was burned by Gregory Nazienen when the entire Library of Alexandrian went up in flames. Anyway, the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Mary, of the Nag hammadi scrolls, should be checked out first. Other Gnostic and Apochryphal works require assistance understanding since they are as cryptic as Revelations. __________________ cya

05-07-2003, 04:59 PM	#433
Insidious Rex Quasi Evil Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Maryland, US Posts: 4,634	Fascinating. Oh that reminds me have they been able to make any head way with the ossuary they found last year or so that supposedly belongs to Jesus's brother? __________________ "People's political beliefs don't stem from the factual information they've acquired. Far more the facts people choose to believe are the product of their political beliefs." "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

05-07-2003, 07:38 PM	#435
Elfhelm Marshal of the Eastmark Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 1,412	I heard it was damaged in transit. Haven't heard anything since. There's a crack across the inscription now. __________________ cya

05-07-2003, 07:54 PM	#436
Gwaimir Windgem Dread Mothy Lord and Halfwitted Apprentice Loremaster Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Thomas Aquinas College, Santa Paula, CA Posts: 10,820	The Gnostics taught that salvation came from hidden knowledge, right? __________________ Crux fidelis, inter omnes arbor una nobilis. Nulla talem silva profert, fronde, flore, germine. Dulce lignum, dulce clavo, dulce pondus sustinens. 'With a melon?' - Eric Idle

05-07-2003, 09:05 PM	#438
TinuvielChild Padawan Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: The Barony of Carolingia Posts: 2,176	I have a question for L_F_A - why do you say "g-d"? __________________ There are only four questions of value in life: What is sacred? Of what is the spirit made? What is worth living for? What is worth dying for? The answer to each is the same: ONLY LOVE. Dance as though nobody's watching. Sing as though nobody's listening. Dream as though you'll live forever. Live as though you'll die tomorrow. EIDRIORCQWSDAKLMEDDCWWTIWOATTOPWFIO and proud! FRODO LIVES!!!!!

05-07-2003, 11:21 PM	#440
markedel 'Sober' Mullet Frosh Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Queen's Posts: 1,245	A common practice among orthodox Jews-check the 3rd commandment for details. __________________ "Earnur was a man like his father in valour, but not in wisdom"

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