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This is www.acurioustraveler.com/origin_of_religion_p_2 ORIGINS OF SOME JEWISH and CHRISTIAN BELIEFS by Wesley M. Wilson, BS, MBA, JD CONTENTS OF THIS PAGE 2, THE 2ND OF 3 PAGES Website P. 2: Reincarnation; Evil Spirits, Death & Hell; Sacrifices; Birth of Jesus; Early Christian Beliefs; Evolution of Christian Beliefs REINCARNATION Some religions, including Buddhism and Hinduism, believe in an almost endless round of reincarnation after death, instead of, or in addition to, a paradise or hell after death. Ancient Hindus, in the early Vedas, believed that upon death, the soul would go into another world. Later Veda stories and the Upanishads developed a belief in reincarnation. Anyone’s status in the next reincarnation is determined by his/her karma--the accumulation of good and bad acts. Many traditional people around the world also believe that when a person dies, the soul inhabits another person, animal, or object. Australia’s Aborigines believe that upon death, some spirits will be reincarnated, others will find a home up in the sky. Many people believe that proper living will result in being reincarnated in a desirable form, improper living will result in reincarnation in an undesirable form. The location of the future lives is usually in the same general geographic area. Some Buddhists believe that a person may reach a level of spirituality called nirvana. Some Hindus believe they may reach a level of spirituality called moksha. When those stages are reached, there may be no more reincarnations. Tammuz, the main god in a religion very popular in the Middle East from 3,000 BCE or before, until at least the time of Jesus, was resurrected each year, unlike Jesus who is said to have had only one resurrection. The Jewish religion also incorporated resurrection for Israelites, in the Book of Ezekial and The Book of Daniel [Dan.3:9-29]. Islam believes that upon death each person will be raised from the dead, and judged according to a record of his good deeds and another record of his bad deeds. After the judgment the faithful go to Paradise and the nonbelievers go to hell. Does the soul carry with it a memory of events in past lives? If yes, how is the substance of that memory carried and transmitted? There have been many stories of a small child who reports in great detail events in a past life of someone who died recently or long ago. That memory of a past life, if it exists, apparently disappears by age five or six. However, some adults who have been hypnotized have apparently reported details of what appears to be a past life. Are those claimed memories of events in a past life only figments of our imagination--our amazing brain? Are they like our dreams, which are completely unrealistic? Some Buddhists believe that all of us have had one or more past lives, but we cannot remember what those lives were. How can it be proven that we had or did not have past lives? Is the soul capable of temporarily inhabiting a somewhat physical form, such as a ghost? If someone is reincarnated as something undesirable, are all future reincarnations something undesirable? What good deeds can an ant, cockroach, or spider do so it can be reincarnated as a handsome, intelligent human being? If an individual is reincarnated as a weed, or a tree or rock, without a brain or intelligence, what good deed can it do? Is it likely that a Buddhist may be reincarnated as a Hindu, or may a Hindu be reincarnated as a Buddhist? If a Buddhist or Hindu is reincarnated as someone who does not believe in reincarnation, such as a Christian, does that end the cycle of reincarnation? If so, is being a Christian something undesirable? EVIL SPIRITS, DEATH and HELL Primitive man believed that evil spirits cause harm to anyone who disobeys a particular standard code of conduct. Many acts are designed to prevent harm from evil spirits. For example, Russians believed that if you spit and threw three pinches of salt over your left shoulder, you could keep away evil spirits. Shaman in many countries sprinkle salt around an area to purify it. Bones of a horse or steel knife may be buried near the threshold of a home, or tea leaves are sprinkled in the yard, to protect it from evil spirits. Many Europeans put a sprig of St. John’s Wort or a birch limb above the door to prevent evil spirits from entering the home, or they leave Christmas decorations up all year to keep them out. They hang round glass "witches balls" in windows to deflect and keep out witches and evil spirits. They ring church bells to drive away evil spirits. Trucks in India have an eye painted near each headlight to see and keep away evil spirits. My book, Curious Customs and Bizarre Beliefs Around the World, describes conduct designed to keep away evil spirits. Shaman advise people how to keep away evil spirits. Some religious leaders advise that fear of evil spirits is only a superstition, but the real danger is that the soul may go to Hell, that the Devil will get control of a person and his/her soul. Many religions have a Devil, Satan (meaning "the adversary"), Lucifer, or Hell to scare the people into obeying the teachings of the religious leaders. Islam has a Devil or Lucifer, as well as angels. Ancient Greeks believed that the god Hades ruled the Underworld, as Zeus ruled in heaven. Ancient Babylonians believed in an Underworld, beneath the primordial ocean. Ereshkigal, sister of Ishtar, the goddess of fertility, was the queen of the Underworld. She had an insatiable appetite for sex. When the war god, Nergal, entered her Underworld, she copulated with him for six days, but she remained unsatisfied. The Underworld was guarded by seven gates. At each of the seven gates, anyone entering had to take off an item of clothing, representing that person’s earthly attributes. When they finally reached the Underworld, they found eternal darkness, and Ereshkigal. We are not told what happens when a female human dies; females had a low status in most ancient cultures, including the culture of the Israelites. Jesus’ disciple Timothy said that women should listen and learn quietly and submissively; they should not teach men nor have authority over them. [Tim.2:11-14] Even today, females have only a minor role as leaders in all religions. Man created or discovered religions, for the primary benefit of males. How can any intelligent female be a believer or follower of any religion? Many sects of Buddhism have statues of fierce-looking "protectors" to protect the temples. The Gelugpa or Yellow Hat sect believe that Yamantaka, one of their protectors, weighs the soul of the deceased. He determines whether the soul will go to heaven or hell. This belief reminded me of the beliefs of Ancient Egyptians, and of some Christian sects. The Jewish and Christian Devil, Satan, or Lucifer is also much like Ahriman, the god of evil, in Zorastrianism. It was the main religion when Jews lived in Persia and Babylon. Zoroaster (Zara-ushtra) probably lived in Persia in the Seventh Century BCE, but he modified a much earlier popular religion. Satan was not an important figure in the Old Testament. However, God is said to have permitted Satan to persecute Job, a prosperous and pious man, to test his loyalty to God. Job remained faithful despite all kinds of "bad luck" for himself and his family. [Old Testament, Book of Job] When I visited Job’s Tomb, on Qara Hill near Salalah, Oman, I learned that he is also considered to be an important prophet in Islam. Most of the important people in the Old Testament are also important in Islam. The ancient Jews saw existence as a constant battle between good and evil. In the New Testament’s Gospels, Satan becomes a real threat, a danger. Some analysts say that the writers of the Gospels suspected that the evil Jewish leaders were responsible for the death of Jesus, that Satan defeated God. Jesus’ disciple Luke reported that Jewish priests made accusations against Jesus before Pilate [Luke:23:4,5], and the Jewish crowd made accusations against him before Herod, resulting in the crucifixion of Jesus. [Luke 23:18] Pope John Paul II has recently warned skeptics that the devil is still very active. For anyone possessed by the devil he advocates exorcism by making the sign of the cross, laying on hands, sprinkling holy water, and ordering the devil to leave the possessed person. Shamans have for thousands of years used similar procedures to get rid of evil spirits. Is Christianity one form of shamanism or superstition ? Man has for eons of time associated evil with serpents, dragons, goats, and other creatures. The New Testament connects the serpent or dragon with Satan. [Revelations 12:9, 20:2, Romans 16:20]. The serpent is mentioned in Genesis as being in the Garden of Eden, it tempted Eve to eat forbidden fruit. [Gen.3:1-5] In a myth popular in ancient Persian, Feridun slayed the great dragon, Azhi Dahaka. Hebrews believed that on the fifth day of creation, a great sea monster Leviathan, the enemy of light, was subdued. [Job 41:1] They probably copied that belief from the Babylonians, who believed that Marduk slayed a dragon, representing the sea, to create the earth and sky. Ancient Phoenicians believed that Lotan was a monster with seven heads. It was killed by Anat. Ancient Egyptians believed that a great serpent, Apep, lay in wait in the Underworld to ambush the sun god, who brought light. Ancient man almost everywhere feared the dark nights. Ancient Hebrews believed that Lilith was a demon who disturbs the night. She was part serpent but the owl was her sacred creature. The tomb of Ramses VI in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings shows the long serpent-like body of goddess Nut, swallowing stars, in an attempt to turn night into day. The Devil, in drawings made in the Middle Ages, also resembles the Greek god of forests and pastures, Pan, part human, but with hoofs like an animal. Mithraism, the popular religion in the early Roman Empire, believed that during the life of man, evil was constantly tempting man away from good deeds. Evil was symbolized by a serpent and a scorpion. Most traditional or primitive people believed in a life in the "other world" for the soul after death. I have visited many ancient tombs in China, Egypt, Greece, Bulgaria, Russia, Greenland, Italy, the Mayans and Incas of the Americas, and elsewhere. Things that may be useful for the deceased in the next life were often buried with the body. They include food, water, cooking pots, jewelry, weapons, horses, boats, wives, concubines, servants, soldiers, and various things believed to have magical power. In many European countries, a candle is lit when someone dies, to send away any evil spirits. Candles are still waved over a corpse in Scotland. In Bulgarian churches, when candles are lighted for the living they are also lighted for the dead. Some people believe that a corpse should be taken out of the house feet first. Various things are put into the tomb to keep the ghost happy, or to prevent it from escaping. In Senegal, until recently, the dead were buried in the hollow trunk of a baobob tree. My guide pointed out human bones in a big baobob. In Hindu India and Nepal, a body is burned and the ashes are swept into a river. In Tibet, Mongolia, some other Buddhist countries, and among followers of Zorastrianism, many American Indians, and others, a body is often left for vultures, never buried. Many traditional peoples, especially in Africa, Asia, and descendants of Asians--the Native Americans, believe that it is wrong to disturb the soil by tilling it or by putting bodies into the earth. They were hunters and gatherers, unaware that they could grow more food by tilling the soil. SACRIFICES The belief that an animal or human must be sacrificed to protect the living has existed among most pagan and other religions. It was common among Jews and other Semites in Western Asia long ago that during times of danger to the country, the king’s son was sacrificed for the people as a whole, as a ransom to avenging demons. For example, Jews believe that Abraham offered his son Isaac as a sacrifice [Genesis 16:1-16] . Muslims believe that Abraham offered his first-born son, Ishmael, by his concubine, Hagar, to be sacrificed. Many wars have been fought, and hundreds of thousands of innocent people have been killed, over this disagreement. Much later, Jesus was said to be sacrificed for everyone. It was common in many cultures, from Africa’s Carthage to South America, Central America, and the Pacific islands, to sacrifice a child or a young woman-- preferably a virgin, to appease the gods or to get a good harvest. Sometimes a captured enemy was sacrificed. When I was in Carthage, Tunisia, I saw many of the big urns used to sacrifice children. I saw similar urns used to sacrifice children in the high Andes Mountains of Peru. Ancient Jews are believed to have sacrificed children by throwing them into the flames, in honor of the god Moloch. The books of the Bible’s Torah are full of examples of sacrifices and offerings, which seem cruel, primitive, and superstitious to many of us now. People in many cultures considered a person selected to be sacrificed, to be divine, a god or goddess. They were treated well until their last day. Among the Mayans of Mexico and Central America a male to be sacrificed often had his choice of mating with many females. In Phoenician mythology, popular in the Middle East, the god Baal was killed by Mot, the god of death and the Underworld. However, the supreme god, El, learned in a dream that Baal would be resurrected. Baal was resurrected, like Jesus much later. When cannibals ate the flesh of the "divine victim" they believed they were partaking in the body of their god, as many Christians believe they are partaking in the body of Jesus during communion. Are such Christians really cannibals? When I traveled in the Amazon, I learned that some cannibals believed they preserved the memory of a friend by grinding his bones and eating it, mixed with other food. I interviewed former cannibals in Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu, who said they ate the body of an enemy warrior to get his strength, as well as to get revenge. Aztec priests in Mexico, Brahmans of ancient India, some Christians, and other peoples believed that by magic (the doctrine of transubstantiation) bread could be consecrated, thereby turning it into the body of their god. The practice of the Christian communion is probably much older than Christianity. Are Christians who practice communion really honoring cannibalism? When an important building was begun or completed it was common to sacrifice animals. When Solomon completed the Temple in Jerusalem he is said to have sacrificed over 1,000 oxen, 1,000 rams, and 1,000 lambs. [1 Corin. 29:21]
Maaula, Syria, church altar with a ledge to catch sacrificial blood; after 323 AD, new altars could not have ledges for blood THE BIRTH OF JESUS Ancient Egyptians, Syrians, and many others, had a great celebration honoring the birth of the sun, or nativity. It was held on the day the sun starts to lengthen the day, December 21--the 25th under the ancient calendar. On that day, the priests and people shouted "the virgin has arrived!" Mithraism, the leading religion in the Roman Empire at the time of Jesus, honored their virgin goddess, Mithra (Mithras) on that day. Christians, forced to keep a low profile, adopted that date as the birth date of Jesus, as well as many practices and beliefs of Mithraism. Early Christians were persecuted in the Roman Empire. Believers in almost any strongly-entrenched religion discourage the practice of any competing religion, they often even kill the opposition. Romans celebrated the Saturnalia in late December to celebrate the winter solstice. The festival began around December 21. It was celebrated with feasts, fun, drinking, sex, and the unwrapping of the statue of Saturn, the sun god. The statue of Saturn was unwrapped. Mithraism was the main religion in the Roman Empire when Jesus was born. The birthday of Mithra, their main god, was celebrated on December 25 by the giving of presents. In much of Europe, presents are given on December 5 or 24. Most experts say that Jesus was not born in December, but early Christians had to keep a low profile. They chose the date of the Romans’ main holiday for their main holiday. Many experts also believe Jesus was born four years before the time we recognize as the beginning of the Christian era. In the Fourth Century, December 25 was officially adopted as Christmas, for the birth of Jesus. Most neutral experts believe that Jesus did not want to start a new religion, he only wanted to reform Judaism. However, Paul, Peter, and other disciples knew they were establishing a new religion. Jesus believed he was a Messiah and king of the Jews. Boxing Day is the first weekday after Christmas. Until recently in Great Britain, presents were given on Boxing Day. Christmas ends in many countries on Epiphany, honoring the visit of the Maji (three wise men), and the baptism of Jesus, seven days old, with a feast. Epiphany is also called the "Feast of the Three Kings," and the "Feast of the Lights." It is usually celebrated January 6, but sometimes on the first Sunday after Christmas. Many pagan religions had popular feasts on the night of January 5 and 6. Yule is another name for the celebration of Christmas. In Europe it was common to burn a Yule log at Christmas. Superstitious beliefs gave much power to the Yule log. In Albania before the Hoxha government, ashes of the Yule log were spread in the fields, to make the land fertile. In Serbia, Yugoslavia, some people carried a little of the ashes with them, to protect against lightning. The English kept a little of last year’s Yule log to light this year’s Yule log. The French kept a little of the Yule log under the parent’s bed to protect the house and farm from all kinds of catastrophes in the coming year. The French traditionally eat goose on December 25 because geese are said to have witnessed the birth of Jesus. EARLY CHRISTIAN BELIEFS
Job 's tomb, near Mirbat, Oman; he died before the 5th Century BC E Jesus added to the Jewish beliefs the suggestion that love and respect should also be part of religion, and tolerance for enemies. He advocated the golden rule, "Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You." Five centuries earlier, Confucius had advocated "Do not do to others what one does not wish to be done unto." Confucius also said "Within the four seas, all men are brothers," a doctrine that Jesus later advocated. After Jesus died, Christians became less and less tolerant of any opinion that did not agree with that of the church leaders. Emperor Constantine in 324 founded Constantinople or Byzantium (now Istanbul, Turkey); it began as the center of the Christian church in the East. In the Council of Nicaea, 325 AD, Arius of Alexandria and his many followers believed that Jesus was not eternal, but he was a superior being created by God the Father and Jesus was inferior to the Father. They also believed the Holy Spirit was inferior to both. The majority of church bishops agreed with Arius, but Emperor Constantine overruled them, by deciding that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are of equal importance--The Holy Trinity. Some 46 years later the Christian Emperor Theodosius destroyed the Great Library of Alexandria, because it included some books that did not agree with the official doctrines of the church. This began more than a thousand years of burning of any books that may question any doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church. Some experts believe the destruction of the Library at Alexandria delayed progress by 1,000 years. Does religion have to encourage ignorance and stifle learning? Soon after the Council of Trent, 1545-1563, the Roman Catholic Church began to compile a list of books that Catholics were forbidden to read, because they did not wholly support the Church’s doctrines. In 1966 when the Index of Forbidden Books ceased to be law, some 4200 books were on the list. By being unable to read the books, many of which were written by great thinkers, Catholics were left far behind, in their attempt to stifle opposition and progress. Until the 1960s the Roman Catholic Church in Boston continued to ban books, but this often gave a sexy book favorable publicity, increasing it sales. In the Council of Ephesus, 431 AD, the majority of the church leaders disagreed with Nestorius, bishop of Constantinople. The Nestorians believed that Jesus was not equal to his Father--they believed that Mary was the mother of Christ, not God. The Coptic Christian Church, popular now in Egypt and other countries of the Middle East, largely follows that belief of the Nestorians. In the Council of Nicaea, 787, the Roman Catholic Church insisted that images--statues and pictures--of Jesus and Mary be venerated, as the real person is venerated. The Eastern Orthodox Church permits icons--pictures and images, but does not venerate them as it venerates the person. [The Islamic religion, new at that time, strongly rejects any images of statues of religious figures. However, Muslims soon learned to develop mosques that are beautiful, with wonderful use of colored tiles.] The church split into the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox branches in 1054, with somewhat different beliefs. Roman Catholic Church leaders became corrupt, with many ways to collect money and land. Pope Boniface VIII, in 1302, issued a Bull, then having the effect of law, stating that the salvation of anyone depended upon his/her total submission to the pope’s authority. Thus, the pope claimed to have power equal to the Christian God--he claimed to be Christ on Earth. Some kings did not acknowledge such supreme authority, and French soldiers imprisoned that pope temporarily. He soon died. The Inquisition attempted to stop any schism within the church, to squelch any reformers, to control, torture, or kill anyone who dissented from the beliefs or practices of the church leaders. Martin Luther, beginning in 1517, successfully but reluctantly led a big split. Earlier reformers had, for the most part, been imprisoned, tortured, and killed by church leaders. Many European kings agreed with the reformers, because the kings wanted some of the power formerly held by the pope. They also wanted more control over the great wealth, in land and buildings, owned by the church. Luther improved the German language and, with help, translated the Bible into the language of the people. The Bible had been available only in Hebrew, Latin and Greek, which few people except priests could read. Religious leaders usually like to have exclusive access to their god or gods, to enhance their own power and authority. For example, Ancient Egyptian priests kept their rites and temples secret, accessible to only a few. Education and the ability to read and write became more common in Europe, and Gutenberg’s printing press made copies of the Bible readily available around 1456 to a large number of people. Some popes, including Clement XI, in 1713, condemned the reading of the Bible--they wanted the church leaders to retain exclusive control. Laymen were prohibited from reading the sayings of Jesus. The Roman Catholic priests lost their exclusive control over Christian religion. Europe was waking up from a deep sleep in the Dark Ages, when knowledge was held back by the Church for centuries. Only 17 years after Luther began the split of churches from the church in Rome, Henry VIII led churches in Britain to split from the Roman Catholic Church, in 1534. Britain‘s King James, in 1611, had the Bible translated into common English. EVOLUTION OF CHRISTIAN BELIEFS Early Christians were warned not to engage in the seven deadly sins, also called the capital sins, namely pride, avarice, lust, anger, gluttony, envy, and sloth. Today we encourage each person, especially females and members of minority groups, to take pride in herself/himself and the group. Avarice is now encouraged, greedy billionaires are respected in the US, some even use their money to get elected to a political office or to persuade other voters. They hire public relations experts to build a fictitious aura around a candidate who may actually be incompetent for public office, or to vote for or agree to a policy that is harmful to the majority, but that benefits primarily the rich and his other friends. Lustful movie stars, politicians, and others are honored, and some magazines encourage young women to be lustful. The USA has a higher percentage of gluttons--fat people--than any other country. Many of us envy someone who is better looking, wealthier, or more popular than we are. We are more slothful than ever before--nearly four-fifths of us do not get enough exercise. If Jesus were reborn today, would he recognize any of the practices and beliefs of modern Christians? To the best of my knowledge, Jesus was a moral person. However, after his death, many his followers, including many "Christians" today, are highly immoral. Christian political leaders start wars and bomb and torture others, whether Christian, believers in other religions, or non-believers. In the USA, conservative or "right-wing" Christians try to impose their beliefs and practices upon others. They believe that a fetus a few weeks old is more important than any female, and that the fetus must be protected, even though the female risks serious harm or death and she is very young or the victim of rape or incest. Since she "sinned," she must be punished by being required to deliver a baby. This follows the archaic religious belief that all sex, except between a married couple who want a baby, is sinful Some Muslims believe that if a female is raped, even though not her fault, she must be punished. Sometimes her father and brothers have a duty to kill her! Her "sin" causes all members of her family to lose respect. An unmarried virgin female is considered to be merely property in some cultures. If she loses her virginity for any reason, that property is greatly reduced in value. In the past, and today among primitive people, priests performed ceremonies and recited spells to make the sun shine, the rain fall, the seasons to change, animals to be abundant for hunters and fish for fishermen, and for plants to grow and bear fruit. Traditional people believe that each important crop has a goddess to protect it. In Europe the Corn-mother was widely honored, on Pacific islands, the yam is honored, with a big festival at harvest time. Gradually, religion was substituted for their magical theories, they developed gods and goddesses. Many people, from Syria to Greece and Italy, worshipped Adonis, who was wounded by a wild boar and died. His sacred red blood is said to cause spring vegetation. Another legend is that Adonis was the lover of Aphrodite. When Adonis goes to the Underworld, vegetation dies, as in winter. When he reappears, spring and vegetation return. The anthropologist, Sir James George Fraser, believed that Adonis and Lebanon’s Baal (god of weather and agriculture) may be the same, and Aphrodite, Astarte, and Ishtar may be the same--the goddess of love. The annual festival of Adonis, held in many places, included women in mourning, wailing over the death of Adonis. Each spring a festival honored his rebirth. Fraser believes that the Christian rites of Easter has been adopted from the rites honoring the fall and rise of Adonis. Fraser points out that Bethlehem means "the house of bread," and Jesus said he was the "bread of life." The Morning Star was believed to guide the goddess Astarte, it was also the star which guided the wise men to Bethlehem to see baby Jesus. Fraser also describes practices of the Cybele cult in Rome, at the time of Jesus’ birth it was very popular. It was common for priests to sacrifice a bull on Vatican Hill, near today’s St. Peter’s basilica. The blood was believed to be for the remission of sins. Fraser concluded, in The Golden Bough: "The ecstatic frenzies, which were mistaken for divine inspiration, the mangling of the body, the theory of a new birth and the remission of sins through the shedding of blood, all have their origin in savagery, and they naturally appealed to peoples in whom the savage instincts were still strong." Another popular religion in the Middle East worshipped Tammuz, god of fertility and agriculture. His death was celebrated by a festival and crying. Three days after his death he was resurrected. The rock covering his tomb was rolled aside, like Jesus much later. When I visited the Temple of Baal (also called Bal or Bel), Balbek, Lebanon, I learned that an animal was washed with holy water, then sacrificed. Jewish synagogues used holy water to determine if a wife had been unfaithful--a priest required that she drink it, mixed with dirt from the floor of the synagogue. [Numbers 5:17] This method of proving guilt or innocence is ineffective and unscientific, but in a modified form, it was used in Europe through the Middle Ages. Holy water was common long before the Jewish and Christian religions were developed. Blood is also believed to have special power. The Temple of Ishtar in Mari, Syria, has a typical ledge to catch blood. Rome’s Capitoleum was a site for the worship of Mithras, with statues of three gods and an altar for sacrifices of a bull. Inside, people drank holy water and ate consecrated bread. Later, Christians adopted these pagan practices. Early Christian altars, like one I saw in Maaula, Syria, had a trough to catch blood, and a corner, where it dripped into a hole in the ground, to enrich the soil, so crops would grow better. As Christianity began to eliminate some of the earlier "pagan" practices, the use of altars with a trough to catch blood was prohibited, in the Council of Nicaea, 325 AD When the Spanish invaded Latin America, they wisely merged local religions with Christianity. For example, the San Francisco Cathedral, built in Quito, Ecuador, in 1535, has a statue of Mary stepping on a snake, a symbol of evil. The Company of Jesuits Church, built in 1605 in Quito, has the Inca’s symbol of the sun above the entrance. The Saint Thomas Church in Chichicastenango, Guatemala, has always permitted Mayans to swing buckets of incense and chant prayers to Mayan gods on the steps of the church. I noticed that at sunset they swing the same buckets of incense to honor their ancient Mayan gods.
St. Tomas Church, Chichicastenango, Guatemala, Indians burn incense, and a few hours later use same buckets of incense for their traditional gods Sir James George Fraser believed that the "Oriental" religions, becoming popular in Europe by the Sixth Century, caused people to think primarily of the spiritual, to breed contempt for the present life, to look forward to a great future eternal life, and to bring on the dark Middle Ages for 1,000 years. Other experts believe the destruction of the "pagan" great library of Alexandria by Christian Roman Emperor Theodosius in 371 AD caused Europe to be held back at least 1,000 years! The Greek philosopher Pythagoras, in the Sixth Century BCE, believed that the Earth is round. Most Europeans believed that Earth is flat, until the last 500 years or so. Islamic astronomers, like Uleg Bek in Fifteenth Century Samarkand, earlier astronomers in Beijing, Mayans in Central America, Incas and their predecessors in South America, and others studied the stars in great detail, and learned that Earth is round. Bek, in his observatory, catalogued 1,018 stars, and the length of the solar year, accurate within 58 seconds. Ancient Egyptians and Mayans developed calendars more accurate than our calendar. Astronomy was used mainly as a guide to the seasons, weather, and when to plant crops or to celebrate feasts or holidays. Europeans, who believed only in doctrines of the Church, were far behind Asians in scientific studies. In 1543 AD, Nicolaus Copernicius, a Pole, wrote that the Earth revolves around the sun. Galileo, of Italy, after many observations with his new telescope, in the early Seventeenth Century, agreed with Copernicus. Galileo found that the Earth and other planets revolve around the sun. This conflicted with the views of the Church, which said the Bible states that the Earth is the center of the universe. The Roman Catholic Church believed Galileo had committed heresy, imprisoned him in 1633, and forced him to stop publicizing the truth. Finally, nearly 400 years later, a church commission in 1984 found that Galileo was correct. Science slowly developed in Europe, despite the doctrines and beliefs of an ignorant, superstitious, and backward Church hierarchy. In the mid-Fifteenth Century, the Dominicans, or preaching friars, once the most powerful, were on the wane. In England, a rich and religious country, they were called the Black Friars. Their bitter enemies, the Franciscans, became the most powerful.
*Pompillius Numa, 8th-7th Century BCE, was the 2nd legendary king of Rome, credited with formulation of the religious calendar and nearly all of the earliest religious institutions--the Vestal Virgins, cults of Mars, Jupiter, Romulus, and the office of pontifex maximus. The most terrible torture has resulted because those tortured are different because of their religious beliefs. During the eight Crusades, from 1096 to 1270 AD, Roman Catholic Christians went to the Middle East to fight the Muslims and to drive them from the "Holy Lands," Jerusalem and nearby areas. Sometimes the Crusaders failed to get there, so they killed any Orthodox Christians and Jews they could find. In the Fourth Crusade, 1203, European Christians sacked Constantinople, killed Orthodox Christians, and raped their nuns. Perhaps one of the most cruel crusades was the Children’s Crusade, in 1212 AD. Boy and girl orphans from all over western Europe were sent to fight the Muslims. Few children returned--they died of hardships, battle deaths, or were made slaves by the Turks. Europeans learned during the Crusades that there were great civilizations in the East, and some merchants and cities, including Venice and Genoa, became rich, by trading with both crusaders and Muslims. Venetians ruled part of the area conquered by Crusaders, and tried to require the Eastern Orthodox Church to become subservient to the Roman Catholic Church. During the Inquisition, Twelfth through Sixteenth centuries, the Roman Catholic Church had religious police, similar to those that the Taliban recently had in Afghanistan. In the Inquisition, anyone who made statements criticizing beliefs or acts of the Church hierarchy was likely to be tortured and killed, even if he confessed. It was immaterial that most of those tortured were, in fact, innocent. Anyone suspected of having heretical thoughts was tortured until he/she confessed. [In the USA, the "Patriot Act, passed by Congress in a moment of temporary insanity after 9/11/01, copies the Inquisition.] Spain‘s Escorial has many of the horrible instruments used by "good" religious police to torture those who disagreed with any of the views of the current pope and Church hierarchy. I saw many of those instruments of torture, but my guide said many others are "too cruel to be viewed by modern man." During the Middle Ages an evildoer could often escape from Satan and be given absolution by a priest if he confessed. It was normal practice to torture a person suspected of evil to get a confession, even if he were innocent. In those days, everyone had to attend church on Sunday, sitting in the usual place; the wealthy who tithed generously had the most desirable places. The Pope issued a Bull in 1484, which had the effect of law, and resulted in many innocent but odd or eccentric women throughout Europe being charged with being a witch. They were then tortured, burned alive, or otherwise punished. The Pope relied upon ancient folklore written into the Old Testament, which states that anyone who engages in fortune-telling or sorcery, or interprets omens, or engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or functions as a medium, or psychics, or who calls forth the spirits of the dead, is "an object of horror and disgust" and the Lord will "drive them out." [Deut. 18:10-12] The Old Testament also states that "anyone who acts as a medium or psychic must be put to death by stoning." [Lev. 20:27] There have many wars between "good Christians"--Roman Catholics and Protestants, or Roman Catholics and Orthodox. One of the worst was the Thirty Years‘ War, 1618 to 1648, which devastated what is now Germany, and much of Europe. It is natural that kings like to control the main religions within their country. Kings also wanted to get the great wealth in land, buildings, and other property then held by the Church. Thus, many kings supported Protestant groups that wanted to escape from control by and the power of the pope and the Roman Catholic Church. If there is a personal god who weighs the good and bad things that anyone does, can he/she control the wars that "good Christians" are often fighting? Why doesn’t he/she stop all wars? Does God like wars and their killing, torture, rape, and other suffering? The Jewish Jehovah told Jews to kill their enemies and steal their land, so long as the killers and thieves supported Jehovah. If there is more than one god, are all gods like that? Is there a personal god who listens to the prayers of the six and one-half billion people on this planet? Moses said he did not have time to listen to the few thousands of Jews living then, he told the people to go to their 12 tribal leaders with their problems. Mahou, the supreme god of Voodoo, declared that he did not have time to listen to his thousands of followers, he told them to take their troubles to one of his three assistants. If there is a personal god, can he/she understand the billions, speaking hundreds of languages? The usual answer of religious zealots is "he is God, he is all-knowing and can do anything." So, we are expected only to believe, not to think! Young children in the US, Latin America, and much of Europe are told there is a real Santa Claus, who brings presents to good children. As they grow up, children learn that it is only a delightful fairy tale. Are all religions like a child's belief in Santa Claus? Do soldiers on each side, who cruelly kill or torture the enemy soldiers and civilians, both go to heaven or hell? One of my best friends, then in Germany, was required to fight in the Nazi's army. He said that many German soldiers prayed that their enemy would be killed rather than themselves. As a sailor, later soldier, for the USA, I know that many prayed that the Nazi enemy, not themselves, would be killed. If there is a god, does he listen to anyone? If there is a god, where was he/she on September 11, 2001? Is there any god who cares what any man does on planet Earth? The followers of all of the major religions have had massive wars and killings of those with whom they disagreed. Buddhism is now considered to be a peaceful religion, but two of the most Buddhist countries, Thailand and Burma (Myanmar), had some 52 wars against each other in a period of three centuries. Cambodia, Tibet, Ladakh (northern India), and Bhutan, all Buddhist countries, have also had many wars against each other. Vietnam remained strongly Buddhist during the wars of about 1950 to 1972. It has also had many wars with its Buddhist neighbors. Some sects of Buddhism have had terrible wars against other sects. During the lifetime of the Prophet, Mohammed, and for many years thereafter, Muslims made many converts to Islam, who chose the new religion rather than to be killed. There have also been many wars between Shiites, Sunnis, and other sects of Islam. The great Hindu epic, Ramayana, has many delightful stories, but it also tells of many horrible wars between Hindus. In China, a militant group of Christians, the T’ai-pings, tried to overthrow the dynasty that ruled in China. Their leader, Hung, believed that he was a son of God, the brother of Jesus. At least 20 million Chinese were killed in the rebellion in the 1850s and 1860s. Christianity acquired a warlike reputation in Asia. In the USA, one of its most aggressive warlike presidents, George W. Bush, is a "good Christian," although he has caused the horrible deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. In the Middle East, people have long believed in djinns (jinns), sometimes nature spirits, sometimes evil demons. King Solomon was said to rule many djinns with the help of his magic ring. He is said to have ordered them to build the Temple on Mount Moriah and many gardens and palaces. [1 Kings:6; Ency. Americana Vol.16:93] If Mohammed the Prophet lived today, would detect many changes in Islam in the 41 countries with an Islamic government, and in other areas. Islam recognizes as important many of the people in the Old Testament and New Testament. Islam has a Paradise, and a Hell, ruled by Iblis. He is similar to the Christian Devil or Satan. Islam recognizes at least four angels or good spirits, and many djinns, or demons--those who do not believe in Islam. The Islamic angels have wings, like the Jewish and Christian angels, and the much earlier Persian angels. Mohammed reported seeing an angel with four heads. But has anyone made a verifiable report of seeing an angel? The hafaza are a type of guardian spirit, protecting Muslims from demons. Some Muslims believe in Houris, women who provide the dead with sexual pleasure for a 72 hour period. When that time is up, a man’s virginity is said to be renewed. "Virgin’ is interpreted broadly in religions; a woman may have a child, but remain a virgin. The American Heritage Dictionary has several definitions of virgin, including "[A] chaste or unmarried woman, a maiden" and "[A]n unmarried woman who has taken religious vows of chastity." This is www.acurioustraveler.com/origin_of_religion_p.2.htm Cur. Cust. P. 4 |
