MarkostheGnostic said:

Not only is it becoming evident that the Hebrew myths which comprise the Pentateuch (Five Books of Moses) are derived from ancient Egyptian civilization (check out spell number 125 of the Egyptian Book of the Dead to see an origin of Hebrew morality); and that Moses (an Egyptian name like Thutmose) may well have been an Egyptian - possibly even the heretic pharoah Akhenaton the Egyptian monotheist - banished with followers [the Exodus]), but inasmuch as Judaism is the root of Christianity, it is imperative to look at Christian myths as having Egyptian roots, via Judaism.

As I have repeated ad nauseum on these forums, Literalist Christians (Fundamentalists in general, in Judaism and Islam as well) behave like madmen because, like madmen they fail in basic reality testing. That is to say, they cannot distinguish between myth and physical events. This confusion occurs for complex reasons - early childhood programming during developmental stages wherein logical thought has not yet appeared, the myths employ real geographical places (even if wrong in time or distance from recorded 'events'), failure to 'update' new religious programs across the lifespan, [Freudian] "wish-fulfillment" in the form of imaginary Heavens: 'Pearly Gates' or 'Celestial Virgins,' a lack of self-knowledge, fear of social ostracism, etc.

I have introduced here a pre-Christian, pre-Hebrew (e.g., Book of Daniel) scheme for Divine Jugement. The Heart, symbolizing the moral-ethical worth of a person is weighed on a scale against a symbolic feather of Maat - god of Justice. Now, be it understood that a polytheistic pantheon [all-god] merely breaks down the undifferentiated GOD into understandable 'divine principles' called gods and goddesses. It is not unlike present day worshipers of Jesus, Mary, the Father-God or saints.

The web site link explains the essential points of being found innocent or guilty, and being resurrected (after the paradigm of Osirus - the paradigm for all dead, dismembered [or crucified] god-men - of which there are several in history), or condemned to Hell (one's Heart being eaten by Ammit - the maw and bowels of Hell. Note that Hell amounts to non-existence, not endless torment from a sadistic deity). The archetype for Judgement and Resurrection is present in explicated form early on in human history. Jews and then Christians are heir to the same theme, which is mythic and therefore archetypal. Literalist Christians speak as though the New Testament scriptures are singularly unique in their message. The forms are of course unique, but the contents are universal. After all, if the New Testament embodies metaphysical Truth, and Truth is Eternal (a category of GOD alone), then the Eternal Truth certainly must pre-date any particular vehicle or tradition (Egyptian, Hebrew, Greek or other).

It seems to me that many Fundamentalist believers are simply ignorant of history. They are like adolescents who believe that THEY know something that us ancient elders do not know. Things about drugs or sexuality, being recently discovered by adolescents, in conjunction with inflated egos not based on any experience, creates know-it-all beings who can't be instructed or corrected because THEY know better! The opposite position would be a deep humility that is completely unacceptable. Since they know nothing about the experience of the elders, they construct their own adolescent world view complete with language, values and a common enemy - the grown-ups [elders].

Check out the beginning of this site if you will. It helps to put things into perspective, particularly when dealing with Fundamentalists and their adolescent-type egocentricity which claims uniqueness and a monopoly on Truth.

http://www.crystalinks.com/egyptafterlife.html

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Icelander said:

This one I'll check out. I imagine that those who are really in need of a look are forbidden by their religious convictions.

As a kid in Baptist Sunday school our teacher said that there was no excuse for wasting time reading anything that did not come from the church as Christian literature. There just wasn't enough time in life to waste on anything else. I never for got that. He had two of the hottest looking daughters I have ever seen. Woot! I never forgot that either.

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MarkostheGnostic said:

Cute, very cute.

However...I am on fire with the possibility of mistaken, mishapen Christianity splitting open like an ugly pupa, and a beautiful full-color butterfly emerging into Light and Space. It's patterns will be a unique combination of Egyptian, Hebrew, Greek, Latin and hopefully Indian contributions.

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MarkostheGnostic said:

Yes, from a Jungian perspective, all the myths DO come from the same source - the Collective Unconscious (or Archetypal Psyche). They are stylized and colored according to the individual culture. Take Yoruba religion for example (I've been to Yorubaland in the heart of Nigeria). When slaves were taken from West Africa, they took their religion with them. Those who were settled in Haiti among the French Catholics developed Voudun; those among the Catholic Spaniards in Cuba developed Santaria; those among the Protestant British in Jamaica developed Obeah. The entity which is Papa Legba in Haiti is Elegua in Cuba. Both are the 'messenger' deity that opens the gate to the world of spirits, and archetypally is the same deity in principle as the Egyptian Tehuti (Thoth), the Greek Hermes or the Roman Mercury. There are phenomenological parallels, of course, in other mythic systems.

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