Go to God as The Universe as an Organism
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I wrote about this article in my blog. I've linked to you through my Peopl
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posted by
christis
on August 25, 2008 at 1:51 AM
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Excellent! I'll read this again, Xeno, found it very informative.
posted by
Bhaskar.ing
on August 2, 2008 at 1:24 AM
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I'll paste in this ...
... from what you wrote:
Yet there is barely anything outside of the Old Testament that tells that Jerusalem was a thriving metropolis at the time of King David or Solomon.
What I find interesting about your sentence is that you point at what science, historians, believers, non-believers etc. have quarrelled about in hundred of years ('cause this was long time ago - and who knows?) - and it is that: it is written in the Bible, and only in the Bible (the old testament). Science, archaeologists, historians have more and more come to that the Bible is a mix of fiction and reality and, what's written in the Bible has roots in the facts that, for many reasons, the time needed a belief system - and writers wrote from other sources (lent/stole) for making a new religion with fiction figures and fiction happenings etc.
We can find the sources in The Torah from sources from the Mesopotamia time (6th century BC - but also 5th and 4th century BC), from the Sumerian writings (also in clay tablets) about their belief systems and gods. It exists much Babylonian literary works from this Sumerian time - but - Vedaerne, from India, may also come into account, and possibilities of influence from China. We know The Bible has its sources from The Torah and The Koran from The Bible.
It's much to know about all this, but I just wanted to point at some "facts" that more and more is reckoned as facts because of the investigation outside religious scriptures in this area.
Thanks for your article - it much exciting to know about - 
posted by
ggXpress
on July 30, 2008 at 1:48 PM
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Just some thoughts around the subject
Theories abound about the true origin of the Torah and other Old Testament books that are usually used as sources for a lot of the history of some areas. That is, who wrote which books and when and just how factual they in fact were. There are various clear discrepancies in dogma and history between these books which indicate that some may not belong as truly representing the same inspiration and tradition (besides the natural progression of religious ideas traceable in time). That obviously doesn't make their influence on their readers any less real. The who is who of today that most people, believers and others, accept is also not necessarily the case. One theory (which I have admittedly not researched properly yet, but am considering worthwhile giving some time to since the same story comes from two otherwise unconnected sources) that I find particularly interesting is that, according to some, when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem, the last people who protected the Temple, were not from the tribe of Judah or Benjamin, and actually not even Israelites, but Edomites (descendants of Esau (I'm not sure this is the correct english translation for Jacobs' twin)) or someone else. This puts an interesting spin on the possible history of those that are currently claiming to be the actual descendants of Jacobs' sons, Judah and Benjamin, the Jews. This information may well turn out to be anti-semitic propaganda (misinformation) but it makes me wonder. We are now almost 2 millennia away from that time and a lot of what actually happened throughout this time to these tribes that lived around Jerusalem around 70AD is supported by their own? historians only, which makes it far less "objective", if you like, than would be the case if it was supported by others too. One possible scenario that comes to mind here is that one group of people stole another groups myths, history and ideas to try and build their own power-base on a model that they have seen working rather well before the Romans destroyed it. I'm not taking sides or making any claims here and am not anti semitic in any way, but I like truth and certainty, and there are a lot of questions that have dubious and non-verifiable at this time "official" answers from the various parties involved. What we all know is: Religion gives power and often power corrupts. Many with such power to wield do so for unwholesome purposes. This is a major theme throughout the New Testament and other histories from various cultures. I thought you may find this interesting?
posted by
AardigeAfrikaner
on July 29, 2008 at 1:27 AM
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