Having (almost) completed the course, I would like to give you the opportunity - in addition to the formal evaluations you should complete for all courses - to give me immediate feedback.
What have you found most interesting in the course of our study so far?
Since the focus of my education is addressing spiritual trauma and helping people find healing of their spirits through discovering what really works for them, I have spent some time evaluating what I have learned in terms of spirituality and the way it has developed through the civilizations we have studied. My observations come from my own struggles to find spirituality that is real and to come to terms with my own Christian upbringing and the devastating effects it has had on my life. I am seeing the issues of spirituality as part of the encompassing issues facing our world today. I am acutely aware that my views on religion and my experience on religion are mine. Anyone who is thinking I am “selling” something couldn’t be farther from the truth. It is the “selling” of religion to others that is another part of the problem. I am learning so much that confirms what I have suspected all along and I am also coming to terms with the whole idea of looking at history. At my age you would think I had already addressed these things, but I have not. It is difficult to look at the history of human beings and not wonder what happened to common sense. I wonder what they were thinking in a lot of what was happening. What happened to the wisdom they had acquired from the ancients? I also wonder why we are facing the issues we are facing when we have such vivid examples of what not to do. If I can figure it out, why can’t our leaders? I see the positives and they are great. But, I also see what should be changed, especially when it leads to the suffering of other beings. I am not ignoring the wonder and beauty of our world; I am looking at what can be done to make the bad better. I am discussing it, looking at it and trying to understand what the problems are so they can be solved. How to integrate solutions is also a challenge. Study is necessary, too. I think that is probably my main goal in my studies and my chosen vocation. To help heal our world in whatever way I can.
The most interesting things I learned in this course are the ways that humankind has evolved spiritually and how we have developed religions to give form to our beliefs. It is most interesting how we managed to diverge from the truth and simplicity of our understanding that we are of the earth and of the spirit. The essence of this knowledge is captured in ancient traditions and in many sacred books before the time of religion came to be. A return to the simple truths are necessary for us to start healing our world because if we do not respect and reverence her, the Earth our Mother, as a living being who supports our lives and gives us life, we will not care what we do to her and that endangers all life. Turning back to a simpler spirituality and taking care of our Earth, we will heal and once again begin to treat all life with respect. This course has convinced me that my beliefs are right on. Love is the point and being loving is the purpose. Anything less, is, well you can plainly see the results, as our history shows, of what happens when we depart from the fundamental truths of life here.
Finishing chapter 9 and 10, I would add that I was profoundly moved and saddened to find out about the “creation” of Christianity. I was so indoctrinated to believe that Christianity was original and the one true religion and that all things Jesus were exactly as were stated in the Bible, that it was almost impossible to consider any other alternative to it as valid for my life. It took a total burnout for me to consider breaking from it and when I did, I discovered the dupe I had been sold. These chapters bring home the dupe very clearly. I know the whole thing is a hoax and the extent of this hoax has had absolutely devastating results on the entire world. The deification of an avatar or to make factual things that are not based in reality a law or a tenet that must be believed by “a leap of faith” causes many mentally unstable reactions in the psyche.
For instance, believing that Jesus was born of a virgin, is not logical and does not fit with what we know are the natural laws. I do not believe that such a thing happened. To believe that Jesus was the Son of God, although it sounds really incredible and wonderful, is not based in the reality of what we understand about Spirit and what Spirit can do in the temporal plane. It is true that praying to Spirit by any name is praying and a return of same measure comes back to you by the spiritual principle of our relationship to Spirit as spirits, but to understand prayer, spell-working, meditation, etc. in terms of spirit is more congruent with how Spirit works with us. No matter who you address as God, your heart is still addressing the supreme energy of Love. That is what gets answered. I figured that out when I began to ask the Goddess, St Frances and other named Spiritual figures for help in their perspective areas of expertise. I think it is not possible for the created dogma of religious thought to be congruent with reality and thus, it creates a pseudo reality that, according to quantum thinking, you have because you believe it. You miss out on the peace, balance, love and possibility of being simple, and connected to nature and to Spirit in that reality. Learning how Spirit works without religious trappings is extremely challenging when you have been indoctrinated so intensely like I was. It has taken years for me to detoxify from Christianity. It is taking me much time to dig deeply into the inner places and root out the fallacies and wrong thinking and to discard it, replacing it with the true Earthly/Spiritual understanding. The religious thinking, since it was actually a government, is also integrated into Western Civilization. How the thinking operates in the lives of its participants is like a spider that looks for specific information in the Internet. Its tentacles reach into every corner looking for the specific address needed and it is integrated into the fabric of the Internet. So it is with religion in Western thought. The whole thing is woven into our culture and so much of the Roman way is also working with it, like it was in the beginning. I am detoxifying from it as well. In my opinion this education has brought me into an understanding that all that we live by is part of the dupe and we have lost the meaning and beauty of our world. I want it back and I am going to do my part to influence positive change in the flawed thinking that most of us don’t realize we are living in, toward truth and to heal. We must realize how much we need to develop global community and a serious program of preservation for our living planet.
The departure from Earth/Spirit centered living to the fabricated formation of religious dogma and its resulting separation of humankind from nature has cost us so much. In the name of the religions and their created gods, the holocausts of species, races, female persons, cultures and more have left us with the troubles we face each day. I know nothing is perfect. Mankind has had many issues with how he deals with his brothers and sisters and how he deals with his world. I am saying we are intelligent beings and are fully capable of realizing where change needs to occur. Our religions are probably the most important influence on our laws and what we do to participate in destruction or our world on multiple levels. Not including the population that just doesn’t care and is not religious, who act out unacceptable activities, greed is a human condition, but to consider what influence the religious dogma has had on the thinking of its people and what that has caused as a result upon our world is quite intense. We see our world suffering, the people, the animals and the land being devastated by false primacies and beliefs about reality and the fundamental acceptance of greed as the under garment of life. Religions, from what I can see in these discussions in our text, are unhealthy, cause mental instability and are destructive constructs created to control and take from the people and the land. Under their precepts, tremendous crimes against most life-forms have been perpetrated. By religious degree, certain of mankind believe that they have the right to do their will without regard for the future or other’s rights to exist, too. I can’t imagine what the world would be like if the women had been able to take their place as the holders of the traditions, the keepers of the land and the respected counselors of the men. What would it be like if all humankind still reverenced the Earth and kept her strong for the future of all life? I am sure there will always be problems, but maybe the destruction and greed that are considered “acceptable” today would not have been condoned.
Power, control, greed and other negative mindsets are intoxicating and I think we are all vulnerable to the same bad decisions we see our corporate, government and other leaders making. I believe it is a conscious choice to make the right decisions and that the each of us must decide what we will accept in ourselves, given any temptation. It is interesting that the choices made by the Church leaders have had such a profoundly negative impact on our world. Although there are many good things, I think they are tainted with wrong thinking, fallacies and untruths. I think a simple truthful, honest, real response to life in the context of reality is the best we could have and I think we have lost that in many ways through these religious constructs we think are true and real when they are not.
What have you found least interesting in the course of our study so far?
The least interesting thing I have learned is not possible to say. I find all the things I studied and learned about to be essential to my education. I value the fact that I am of a mind to receive this knowledge because when I was younger, I had no interest in any kind of history at all. I avoided it. Now, I see how important it is to look at mankind’s history so each of us can see how and why it went the way it did. Maybe we can learn to be better as we see how we failed and maybe we could keep the good we achieved, delete the bad or change it for the better and to continue to develop more good. It is sure that humankind is fallible, but it is also sure that some of us really try to make sense of things and to do what is the loving thing to do to help our world heal. We are a growing minority and I hope we will become a vast majority before it is too late.
Was this a rewarding learning experience? Yes.
What made it a good experience?
The subject matter was informative. It was rich in facts and not wordy. The books used were wonderful. The assignments were very interesting and fun to do. The discussions, the essays and the portfolio were all great. I enjoyed a subject I didn’t expect to like and came away from this course much more open to learning in this area of academia. The focus on the humanities, arts etc, was just right for me to learn the history presented. I liked the way I got lots of information about the peoples of ancient times along with the wonderful contributions they made to the humanistic tradition.
The experience in writing was exceptional as the exercises gave me opportunity to improve my writing skill as well as my knowledge of the material. Great critiques!
Was this not a rewarding learning experience?
Certainly, there is nothing not rewarding about it! It was a very positive and good experience and has inspired me to be open to other opportunities to explore the humanities as my education progresses. Maybe in Psychology, the humanities will play a role in looking at the past to make the future better. I believe it will.
Personally, for me, the amount of work in this course was much more than I usually have for courses like this. But, it was much richer than other courses, too. So, the amount of work verses time did cause me some difficulty, but because I felt it was worth it, I did everything I could to give it my best. It was, however, a lot of work!
Saturday, November 22, 2008
The Difficulty with Islam
1.What are the basic theological principles of Islam?
“Islam means “submission to God’s will”. When Muhammad was visited by the Angel Gabriel who commanded him to proclaim his role as the prophet of the one and only Allah (Arabic word for “God”), Muhammad declared himself the final messenger in a history of religious revelation that had begun with Abraham. With little success in Mecca where he was born in 570, Muhammad abandoned his native city, with 70 Muslim (“those who submit”) families, and emigrated to Medina-a journey known as the hijra (emigration). He returned to Mecca, conquered it and destroyed the idols in the Kaaba (a sanctuary in Mecca that housed the previous god’s of the Arabic people) and kept the black stone (ancient meteorite) and assumed spiritual and political authority, forming a theocracy similar to the Hebrew Kings” (Fiero 46-47).
Like the Christian religion, Islam was a religion born as a military and a government, which conquered, destroyed and took political authority over Islamic lands. There is a mention in our text about the infidel (a non-believer is a person who is not a Muslim), whose destiny is to be sent to the burning fires. I believe there is mention about getting points for killing them as well. Militant Islam is a great threat to the peace of other lands, since, like Christianity, they are suppose to go out and spread their religion. Islam is particularly zealous about spreading their religion with the use of a militant element, which is a command of their religion. In my mind, any religion that actively tries to intrude on the rights of others, to manipulate and convince them to join their particular religion, even unto torture and killing, is not right nor is it healthy. It is not appropriate to invade other’s homes and lives with religious dogma that is not asked for. To assume that any Religion has a corner on the truth is incorrect and dangerous. Actually, none of them do.
Although Islam doesn’t have dogma, they do have their beliefs and are told to actively try to get others to convert to the point of a military action. And, when people do not want their brand of religion, they are seen as lost or infidels, doomed to end up in the fires of hell! In my relationship with Spirit, I can tell you that I do not believe that Spirit would operate this way. In fact, I do not think Spirit is in any of these religions. But for the hearts of the people who genuinely are seeing a connection with Spirit, they are empty. It is the heart that reaches to Spirit, not the contrivance within which the person happens to be seeking Spirit in. However, these contrivances of religious form hinder the free flow of Spirit to individuals trapped within them. No person has to make anyone believe as they do because we are all individually responsible for our own spirituality. It should be made illegal to invade other’s privacy about spiritual matters. If that were so, the Indians would not have jumped over the cliffs to their deaths out of sheer despair of their forced entrapment in the Christian religion. This could be true of Islam or any other religion that presupposes they have the truth and no one else does and they have to tell them what to believe about God and pretty much force it on them. It is just not OK with me.
“Islam was identical to the God of the Jews and Christians, offering deliverance. I was impressed with how similar the two religions are. The basic theological principles of Islam are found in the Five Pillars of Muslim religious practice: 1) The message of Muhammad to all people was, “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God.” (Confession of faith) 2) Recitation of prayers five times daily, 3) Charitable contributions to the welfare of the Islamic community, 4) Fasting from dawn to sunset during the sacred month of Ramadan (during which Muhammad received his calling), and 5) The hajj (pilgrimage) to the holy city of Mecca and to the kaaba, making the ritual procession to circle it 7times, at least one time in the Muslim’s life” (Fiero 47)
Islam, unlike Christianity, has no dogma and liturgy. It is a very simple religion, concise and to the point. Anyone can practice Islam, but it takes a lot of work to practice Christianity because of the amount of dogma and details of liturgy. Whether it is complicated or not, a militant, governmental religion is unhealthy and leads to problems down the road. Spirituality has nothing to do with religion, government or the military. In fact it really has no connection to anything temporal except that all living things have spirits and that these spirits are here to learn through this medium to be more like Creator. This planet is "boot camp" for the spiritually growing! I am not sure why these religions are so appealing because once you figure out that they are contrivances of man for the purpose of some agenda or goal, you realize that what you are seeking isn’t in them. It’s in you! Any religion that is so confused as to claim to be a military/government/political authority over the people, isn’t offering spirituality. They are offering their brand of religious, political and military control over you, which you might better follow if you want to live.
2.What functions do the Quran and Hadith perform in Islam?
The function of the Quran (recitation) is to consolidate the beliefs and practices of Islam. “The Quran is the Holy Book of Islam, the Muslim guide to spiritual and secular life. It contains 114 chapters (suras) that reveal the nature of God and the inevitability of judgment and resurrection. The Quran is the supreme authority and fundamental source of the Muslim creed, rituals, ethics and laws and it gives guidelines for worship and specific moral and social injunctions for everyday conduct. It supports equality between men and women before God, but it also describes men as being a “degree higher than women.” Women were also required to veil their bodies from public view. The Quran calls all Muslims to undertake Jihad, aggressive religious struggle, “holy war”, and requires them to put everything into attaining spiritual and religious perfection, including militant defense and spread of Islam. Islam is both a religion and a government. The Quran is considered the eternal and absolute word of God. It is chanted and its contents are considered so holy that it is untranslatable. Written in Arabic, many non-Arabic-speaking Muslims learn the language. It is the foundation for all Islamic sciences, law and astronomy, as well as the primary text for the study of the Arabic language” (Fiero 47-48).
“The Hadith is a compilation of Muhammad’s sayings and deeds compiled after his death. Both the Hadith and the Quran together provide the all-embracing code of ethical conduct known as the sharia (“the path to follow”) Spiritual supervision continues to lie in the hands of prayer leaders (imams) and scholars trained in Muslim law (imullahs) whose duty it is to interpret the sharia” (Fiero 50).
Islam unified the tribal population of Arabia and spread to East Asia, Africa and the West in militant expansion into the Islamic Empire. It was very large and had a high membership among its populations that were conquered. At this point, one doesn't have to wonder why!
Fiero, Gloria K. The Humanistic Tradition Book Two. New York: Mc Graw Hill, 2006. (pg. 46-47, 50)
“Islam means “submission to God’s will”. When Muhammad was visited by the Angel Gabriel who commanded him to proclaim his role as the prophet of the one and only Allah (Arabic word for “God”), Muhammad declared himself the final messenger in a history of religious revelation that had begun with Abraham. With little success in Mecca where he was born in 570, Muhammad abandoned his native city, with 70 Muslim (“those who submit”) families, and emigrated to Medina-a journey known as the hijra (emigration). He returned to Mecca, conquered it and destroyed the idols in the Kaaba (a sanctuary in Mecca that housed the previous god’s of the Arabic people) and kept the black stone (ancient meteorite) and assumed spiritual and political authority, forming a theocracy similar to the Hebrew Kings” (Fiero 46-47).
Like the Christian religion, Islam was a religion born as a military and a government, which conquered, destroyed and took political authority over Islamic lands. There is a mention in our text about the infidel (a non-believer is a person who is not a Muslim), whose destiny is to be sent to the burning fires. I believe there is mention about getting points for killing them as well. Militant Islam is a great threat to the peace of other lands, since, like Christianity, they are suppose to go out and spread their religion. Islam is particularly zealous about spreading their religion with the use of a militant element, which is a command of their religion. In my mind, any religion that actively tries to intrude on the rights of others, to manipulate and convince them to join their particular religion, even unto torture and killing, is not right nor is it healthy. It is not appropriate to invade other’s homes and lives with religious dogma that is not asked for. To assume that any Religion has a corner on the truth is incorrect and dangerous. Actually, none of them do.
Although Islam doesn’t have dogma, they do have their beliefs and are told to actively try to get others to convert to the point of a military action. And, when people do not want their brand of religion, they are seen as lost or infidels, doomed to end up in the fires of hell! In my relationship with Spirit, I can tell you that I do not believe that Spirit would operate this way. In fact, I do not think Spirit is in any of these religions. But for the hearts of the people who genuinely are seeing a connection with Spirit, they are empty. It is the heart that reaches to Spirit, not the contrivance within which the person happens to be seeking Spirit in. However, these contrivances of religious form hinder the free flow of Spirit to individuals trapped within them. No person has to make anyone believe as they do because we are all individually responsible for our own spirituality. It should be made illegal to invade other’s privacy about spiritual matters. If that were so, the Indians would not have jumped over the cliffs to their deaths out of sheer despair of their forced entrapment in the Christian religion. This could be true of Islam or any other religion that presupposes they have the truth and no one else does and they have to tell them what to believe about God and pretty much force it on them. It is just not OK with me.
“Islam was identical to the God of the Jews and Christians, offering deliverance. I was impressed with how similar the two religions are. The basic theological principles of Islam are found in the Five Pillars of Muslim religious practice: 1) The message of Muhammad to all people was, “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God.” (Confession of faith) 2) Recitation of prayers five times daily, 3) Charitable contributions to the welfare of the Islamic community, 4) Fasting from dawn to sunset during the sacred month of Ramadan (during which Muhammad received his calling), and 5) The hajj (pilgrimage) to the holy city of Mecca and to the kaaba, making the ritual procession to circle it 7times, at least one time in the Muslim’s life” (Fiero 47)
Islam, unlike Christianity, has no dogma and liturgy. It is a very simple religion, concise and to the point. Anyone can practice Islam, but it takes a lot of work to practice Christianity because of the amount of dogma and details of liturgy. Whether it is complicated or not, a militant, governmental religion is unhealthy and leads to problems down the road. Spirituality has nothing to do with religion, government or the military. In fact it really has no connection to anything temporal except that all living things have spirits and that these spirits are here to learn through this medium to be more like Creator. This planet is "boot camp" for the spiritually growing! I am not sure why these religions are so appealing because once you figure out that they are contrivances of man for the purpose of some agenda or goal, you realize that what you are seeking isn’t in them. It’s in you! Any religion that is so confused as to claim to be a military/government/political authority over the people, isn’t offering spirituality. They are offering their brand of religious, political and military control over you, which you might better follow if you want to live.
2.What functions do the Quran and Hadith perform in Islam?
The function of the Quran (recitation) is to consolidate the beliefs and practices of Islam. “The Quran is the Holy Book of Islam, the Muslim guide to spiritual and secular life. It contains 114 chapters (suras) that reveal the nature of God and the inevitability of judgment and resurrection. The Quran is the supreme authority and fundamental source of the Muslim creed, rituals, ethics and laws and it gives guidelines for worship and specific moral and social injunctions for everyday conduct. It supports equality between men and women before God, but it also describes men as being a “degree higher than women.” Women were also required to veil their bodies from public view. The Quran calls all Muslims to undertake Jihad, aggressive religious struggle, “holy war”, and requires them to put everything into attaining spiritual and religious perfection, including militant defense and spread of Islam. Islam is both a religion and a government. The Quran is considered the eternal and absolute word of God. It is chanted and its contents are considered so holy that it is untranslatable. Written in Arabic, many non-Arabic-speaking Muslims learn the language. It is the foundation for all Islamic sciences, law and astronomy, as well as the primary text for the study of the Arabic language” (Fiero 47-48).
“The Hadith is a compilation of Muhammad’s sayings and deeds compiled after his death. Both the Hadith and the Quran together provide the all-embracing code of ethical conduct known as the sharia (“the path to follow”) Spiritual supervision continues to lie in the hands of prayer leaders (imams) and scholars trained in Muslim law (imullahs) whose duty it is to interpret the sharia” (Fiero 50).
Islam unified the tribal population of Arabia and spread to East Asia, Africa and the West in militant expansion into the Islamic Empire. It was very large and had a high membership among its populations that were conquered. At this point, one doesn't have to wonder why!
Fiero, Gloria K. The Humanistic Tradition Book Two. New York: Mc Graw Hill, 2006. (pg. 46-47, 50)
How Did Christianity Get So Strong, Spread So Far and Last So Long Until Today?
The Christian Identity
The formation of the early Church and its development are key factors in the formation of the Christian identity. Almost from its beginning, the Christian faith began to form alliances with government. “Byzantine emperors formed firm alliances with Church leaders and worked to create an empire that flourished into the mid-fifteenth century” (Fiero 17). The backdrop upon which Christianity formed was during the decline of Rome when the last emperor of Rome helped to build the “new faith”. Constantine issued the Edict of Milan in 313, which proclaimed religious tolerance and moved the seat of power from Rome east to Byzantium renaming it Constantinople: the “New Rome.” Christianity was legalized and proclaimed the “religion of the empire”. This put Christianity in a position to develop Church hierarchy, dogma (prescribed doctrine) and liturgy (rituals for public worship). From these the Christian identity began to take shape. Business startup was initiated. The Church fathers worked on formulating the language of the new faith to bring unity of belief and practice to the Christian people. During this time art contributed meaningful symbolism and nurtured the spiritual needs of the masses. Many of the symbols used came directly from Greco-Roman culture. Some even came from Egypt, such as, Isis’ rosette, which is the Egyptian Goddess in her regenerative roll.
“Church Leaders in the West took from Rome the Latin language, the Roman legal system (Became the basis for Church canon law, and Roman methods of architectural construction” (Fiero 17). As the form of administration took shape, the Church grew in power and the Christian identity was closely related to how the people would relate to their Christian leadership. The leadership assumed a significant roll over the people because of its emerging governmental form, its supreme control over the land and its function. “Rome’s administrative divisions were retained and transformed into archbishops overseeing provinces, bishops overseeing dioceses, and priests overseeing parishes. Rome became the administrative center of the “new faith” when the authority in Constantinople and Antioch contested their primacy and the Bishop of Rome, Leo the Great, put up the “Petrine Doctrine” in which the pontiffs (popes who are the temporal representatives of Christ) claimed inheritance of their position as successors to Peter, the First Apostle and principle evangelist of Rome” (Fiero 17). The Roman Catholic Church took control of the government as the Roman Empire crumbled away. All of Western Christendom was patterned after the Imperial Roman Empire. This resulted in the first vital achievement in forming the Christian identity: a “FUCTIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE HIERARCHY WAS ESSENTIAL TO THE SUCCESS OF THE “NEW FAITH” AND THE FORMULATION OF A UNIFORM DOCTRINE OF BELIEF” (Fiero 17). The Christian now had a hierarchy of leadership, which gave structure to his or her understanding of the “chain of command” within which he or she could function. This framework set the stage for the fleshing out beliefs, practices, mission, goals, etc.
To formulate the dogma of Christianity, the first Ecumenical council was called by Emperor Constantine and met in Nicaea in 325. Church leaders discussed the beliefs that would be standardized in the new faith and by a consensus of opinion they developed the Nicene Creed, which states the beliefs of Christianity. “THE NICENE CREED STANDS AS THE TURNING POINT BETWEEN CLASSICAL RATIONALISM AND CHRISTIAN MYSTICISM: CHALLENGING REASON AND THE EVIDENCE OF THE SENSES, IT EMBRACES FAITH AND THE INTUITION OF TRUTHS THAT TRANSCENDED ORDINARY UNDERSTANDING AND ANTICIPATES THE SHIFT FORM HOMEOCENTRIC CLASSICAL WORLDVIEW TO GOD-CENTERED MIDIEVAL WORLDVIEW” (Fiero 18). Now the Christian had a set of doctrines that contained the main tenets of Christianity and he or she could now refer to it as a basis of faith and rhetoric when necessary. This meant that all Christians would be able to converse within an agreed upon set of beliefs that outlined exactly what they stood for and who they were in it. Identity was becoming clearer as the necessary parts were formulated for the people to believe in and do.
Contributions to Christian dogma and liturgy were to be formulated by the community of Benedictine Monasticism. The Essenes in the West practiced asceticism long before Jesus was born and these practices formed the basis of the ascetic branch of Christian practices of the new faith. The earliest Christian monastics pursued the ascetic lifestyle of self-denial and were known as the desert fathers and mothers, as they spent their time in the deserts in fastings, living in poverty and keeping celibacy. This lifestyle was instituted by Bishop St. Basil and is still followed by the Eastern Church. Chaos set in as the last remnants of Classical civilization disappeared. Plato’s academy closed in Athens, and Educational facilities were disappearing. “The impulse to retreat from the turmoil of secular life” (Fiero 18), its uncertainty and its dangers “was intense” and people needed to find peace. The Western monastics offered sanctuary from the confusion, gave partakers a simple solution to their troubled lives and a place to feed and nurture their spiritual needs. They took vows of poverty, chastity and obedience to the governing abbot or father, the first of whom was Benedict of Nursia. He instituted a balance of work with religious study and prayer, in which the motto “sound mind and sound body” was the religious program: ora et labora. This was part of the Christian identity, to deny the self, and this lifestyle became a doctrine of the faith. Christians were known as “holy” when they lived this way.
I have to wonder why we were placed in such a beautiful, rich world to love, care for, enjoy and to be happy in; if we “have to” go through such denial to be spiritual. I don’t think this is what Spirit has in mind. Balance and diversity are key realities on Earth. Being here in joy would be more like the Spirit that I understand would intend for us.
“Monastics and Church fathers regarded Women as sinful and dangerous objects of sexual temptation and the Church prohibited women from holding positions of authority in The Church” (Fiero 18), but they gladly allowed them to become nuns! Women who practiced the ascetic life style were often taken into the homes of Aristocratic women to form Benedictine nunneries and were given religious education. Intellectuals found refuge and they offered women an alternative to marriage. Interestingly, there were twice the numbers of women as men. This segment of Church practice formed extremely strong Christian Identities for women as well as for men. In the Catholic Church, as new facets of vocations developed, the Christian identity broadened into different specific vocations within the Church umbrella of activities. Different Christian identities could now be cultivated, depending on one’s place in Christendom.
How sad to see the loss of the true purpose of man and woman and the natural equality balanced with difference.
“Priests, or regular clergy, played increasingly important roles in Western intellectual history. As the Greek and Roman sources of education dried up, people did not learn to read and write, so it was left in the hands of Benedictine monks and nuns, who hand-copied volumes and preserved the history and the literature of the past in their monasteries” (Fiero 18). The Christian identity is also closely tied to music, art, missionary work, bible scholarship, Christian mysticism, and Church reform. All of these were part of the Monastics Christian identity. A certain way to do these things made it specifically Christian and identity was strictly developed within these frameworks as they were fashioned by the Church leaders. Just about everything that was necessary for the Church to function as a complete government was influenced by Christian dogma and the formulation of new constructs to accommodate new needs. The Church calendar was developed by Dionysius Exiguus. It was designed to outline the liturgical year, especially main events such as Easter, Christmas, etc. in the life of Christ. This is the calendar still used today. The calendar outlined what was to be done in the liturgy of the Church year and it repeats and repeats and repeats and repeats until I had to quit because it was just too much repeating without any real meaning to me.
Latin Church Fathers were four of the most important Latin scholars to participate in formation of Christian dogma and liturgy. They lived in the fourth and fifth centuries. The first was Jerome. He translated the Hebrew Bible and the Greek New Testament into Latin, the Church’s chosen language. This volume became known as the Vulgate, which became the official Bible of the Roman Catholic Church. Jerome did not hesitate to pull from all sources of Greek and Rome, and freely “Plundered the spoils of classicism and Hebraism to build the edifice of a new faith” (Fiero 19).
I can appreciate the keeping of history and writings of the past, but it seems pretty arbitrary to put a volume together and decide to make it the Divine Word of God. It has never been brought home so clearly that the bible is a compilation of works written by members of human kind and to ascribe anything more is perhaps ludicrous; at least to the educated of mind, in my opinion. However, the influence on the Christian identity that this one book has had is profound. Everything in this book is ascribed as Divinely Inspired and is there for the Principle of thought for all Christians. This book provides the framework within which most of the Christian identity is contrived or formulated. I can attest to this experience. I was born and raised a Christian and remained so for many years, until I finally came to the end of it and realized it just wasn’t working for me in my life. It was hard to leave, but I did. But, as a Christian, and as you read the Bible and immerse yourself in it, you become what it is, the Christian according to it. Whatever the book means to any individual; pastors, priests, etc. insure that there is some kind of unity of belief within their boundaries of whatever church you are in and, make no bones about it, he is in control. In my experience it is a narrow belief system that offers a structure and basis for life that is void of the female principle, is limited in acceptance of others who are different and is demanding of the practitioner to live up to the expectations of the Church. It has been said that religion is the opiate of the people and thought this may be a colloquialism; it is certainly true of my experience with it. It made it easy for me to give up my control of my life, to Jesus and the Pastor or Priest. I didn’t have to be responsible to much of an extent as my spiritual food was spoon fed to me, and not knowing any better, I thought it was meat! I had to be attentive to the rules and be exactly what was required to be accepted, any deviations, and I was out! It was easy to be rejected and to get “disciplined”, especially since I was definitely a witch trapped in a Christian’s mindset. I came to realize that I am an earth-path spirit and that is where I belong. But, aside from the form of Christianity laid out by the church, a real Christian is like its Avatar-Jesus. I find nothing of the dogma or religious ritual that resonate truth, but as you understand Quantum reality, you have what you believe, and I did. I was fully engaged with a Devil who was almost as strong as God and who sometimes was “allowed” to test me and it was hell on Earth! Now, I put negative energy under my feet to be transformed into healing energy to help heal the Earth. Which do you like better? It is clear that Christian identity is extremely tied into the Bible very strongly and is limited by it.
The second was Ambrose. “He drew on Greek, Hebrew, and Southwest Asian traditions to formulate Christian doctrine and liturgy and wrote many Christian hymns for congregational use after the music styles of the eastern Mediterranean chants and Hebrew psalms” (Fiero 19). The word use of, “God as the ‘Light of Light,’” is directly from the cult of Mithros and Plato’s analogy between God and the Sun.
Many words and concepts used were from Greek and Roman literature and religion. No matter how you cut it, it seems that Christianity was fashioned from the pagan trappings, knowledge and beliefs of the pre-Christian world. It may seem correct and nice, but in truth, you can fashion a religion in the same way as did the “Church Fathers.” And, I suspect it might turn out just as good as or better than the fashioning of Christianity. All of mankind’s civilizations that we have studied seem to ascribe equality with God upon their leaders. It is an interesting phenomenon. Again, the Pope is ascribed with divine power and station. I always wonder how a human being could somehow become deified when a leader and not as a man anywhere. It does not make sense to me and I don’t ascribe to it. Respect is all I owe a leader.
The hymns and Church music I use to sing for masses and services was very beautiful and quite filled with dogma. I love to sing and write my own songs and I use to write scripture songs to sing at masses and services. I was never a Christian that felt any particular commitment to any denomination and thus I spent time in many of them, including the Catholic Church where I wrote a Latin Mass and many special songs for the mass. I did a lot of music ministry for these different churches. The strange thing is, I had an anointing on my music that was unmistakable. But, I use to wonder why no one noticed it and why the church seemed unresponsive to the beautiful way in which the scripture was sung. I know it was good. But when I met the Goddess and heard her song, I was captured and I ran to her. She helped me to validate my femaleness in divinity, and this helped me to begin to accept my femaleness. I even go so far now to enjoy wearing a dress and doing some of the female rituals of normal women. When I sang to the Goddess and God, I noticed the anointing became a much larger sphere and not a confined “boxed in” area. I felt a profound difference in the presence of Spirit, which was much stronger and more alive. It was then I began to suspect that I’d been lied to about who Spirit is and how Spirit works. I was right and I cannot un-know what I now know about spirituality. The trappings that date back to the Roman Empire have been preserved for all these centuries in this religion. I wonder what that says about our growth as human beings in relation to Spirit. Have we indeed devolved spiritually as well as in other ways? It is a good question. I think I have discovered the inconvenient truth of the Spirit!
The third was Gregory the Great. His work was vital to the development of the Church Government, which sent out missionaries to aid the spread of the new religion. Gregory’s work extended temporal authority of the Roman Church over the land and the people. He organized liturgical music for the use of the Church in liturgy.
It fascinates me that this “new faith” was developed into a government! I don’t think that it was what Jesus had in mind. Much of Christian doctrine has been taken from the literature and beliefs of pre-Christian civilization and it drastically departs from the understanding that we are part of nature and she is what enables us to live. Caring for our world has lost its place in our lives. I attribute much of this flawed thinking to dogma in the Christian faith. It appears that all of the things that make up this religion have been borrowed or fabricated to meet a specific need and agenda that doesn’t have much to do with the Spirit of Love. I think it is the most amazing hoax I ever saw. How centuries of mankind have allowed themselves to be plagued with its propaganda and control is amazing. I guess there is a payoff for believing this stuff because now that I know Spirit, I am amazed at how long I languished in this religious prison and how I could be duped like this. How could I not see the fallacy of it? Better late than never. I see it now. Don’t think I have not been angry about how much of my life I spent going in circles with this dogma, trying to make sense of it and trying to find meaning and power in it. I don’t think any of it has much to do with Jesus or Creator. I gave it the best shot any one could give and it just isn’t real. According to our text, it was formulated, crafted, decided, developed and agreed upon what it was going to be. It isn’t close to the truth, even though there are many truth’s in it. But those truths’s I would have learned in any religion. It’s the dogma that tears at the heart of the soul and spirit. There is no way I believe that Spirit desires us to live in such a contrivance of who Spirit is and what Spirit wants. It seems pretty clear that the thing most needed and wanted by Spirit is Love. Make it the point and you don’t really need religion, you can develop your own expression of spirituality without all the confusion, control, guilt and fear.
Augustine, the fourth Latin Church Father, had the most profound and influential role in the development of dogma and liturgy. He wrote treatises on the nature of the soul, free will, the meaning of evil and the Confessions. Confessions orates Augustine’s lifelong conflict between his love of earthly pleasures “lower self” and his love of God, “higher self”, and is one of the most scrutinizing autobiographies ever written. His concepts of duality, analogy and allegory produced Christian dogma describing such concepts as: 1) physical vs. spiritual satisfaction 2) the dualistic model of the human being as the locus of 2 warring elements, the “unclean body” and “the purified soul” along with the Pauline promise that the sin of Adam would be cleansed by sacrifice of Jesus. Much of his writing is reminiscent of the Neoplatonist duality of matter and spirit, and other Greco-Roman writings and concepts of humanist philosophers. 3) He developed his idea that there are three temptations of the soul: lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the lust of the ambition of the world (pride of life) and 4) devised the concept of heaven and earth: “wise men live according to man”-world before Jesus and the heavenly city and the spiritual realm-where human beings live according to divine precepts as the destiny of those who embrace the “New Dispensation of Christ”. 5) His rationalism of evil as perversion of good created by God, 6) his defense of a “just war”, and 7) his description of history as divinely ordered (fundamental to Christian philosophy of history) is very different from any thinking before him. He wrote about the dualistic model of reality- matter and spirit, body and soul, earth and heaven, Satan and God, state and Church and more. His conceptualization of reality, spiritual truth and other dogma of Christianity became the basis of Western religious thought. His conception of the visible world (matter) as the matrix where God’s message is hidden and is the imperfect revelation of divine order is in duality with the invisible world (spirit) which is the message and is perfect. He brought in strong elements that became the allegorical character of Christian culture. He believed that through Scripture along with all natural and created things, the invisible order must be discovered. He proposed that the Bible was a symbolic pre-figuration of Christian truths, that history was a cloaked message of divine revelation and that a single image assumes various meanings within the language of Christian faith.
We all have a choice in adopting a worldview. We have a choice in developing a spiritual connection. We have choice in all that we do and believe. My question is why would any sane person believe that mankind is sinful and that women were especially sinful and dangerous? Why would any sane person buy into the concept of sin and the old man, or lower self or higher self or any of that jargon? Do you realize that a whole bunch of Christian dogma, rhetoric and propaganda has been perpetrated upon us by this one man? So much of the “understanding” of what a Christian is and what is believed is tied into this kind of mental ruminating about things that are only opinions! Millions have suffered and been killed over this stuff! Didn’t Jesus talk about love as being the point? I am not saying that there is no value in Christianity. Some people find it works for them. I am only discussing my experience, my opinion and my choices and have no agenda to push them on anyone else. In fact, I don’t care if anyone agrees with me or not because this is my personal struggle with spirituality not anyone else’s. So there is no need to get defensive about this because you can own your own spirituality regardless of what I think or what anyone else thinks. I see it as simple. I am too tired to contemplate all this stuff , to try to make it work in my life (been there done that, done) and I have reached the point that I want to spend my last years on this planet in simple spiritual truth. I don’t think it needs to be this complicated and demanding on the stressed human being today. The Christian Identity has been influenced strongly by these writings. What are we doing to ourselves? Why would you want to believe this if you could just be in peace, contentment and joy with Creator and Nature? What about simple, loving relationships. Has this “new faith” made human relationships better? I don’t think so; certainly not in my life. Judgment, rejection, control, authoritative abuse and over powering of others, condemnation, scripture whipping, debasing, demonizing, etc. of others is not my concept of love. So, what is this stuff? In my opinion it is mental illness touted as valid for an agenda. I guess you can say at this point I do not appreciate the imposition of religion on me and the results of its dogma in my life. In fact, at this point in my life, I am quite …. Well, you can imagine my colorful explicatives!
One thing I have learned from my battle with food and being overweight, if you give it power, it has power over you and boy it seems pretty powerful!! So, I choose to let it go, to just be and rest my weary mind. Although it helps to write and think about my experience and to analyze what I now understand, it doesn’t change the fact that I am no longer there and I do not need to remain there. I choose to move on and I am going to be very glad when this chapter comes to a close. I don’t like discussing religion because I do have very strong feelings about it, but I won’t shrink away, either, when it comes up and I won’t hold back my feelings and thoughts in fear of offending, because if engaged, I am entitled to my opinion and not one person has to agree with me. And that’s OK with me. The only thing I need be concerned about is my acceptance of the religious choices of others and their right to them. As long as all people can let each other be, then it is not important that my way be the right way or the wrong way, because in truth, it is only right for me and no one else. So let the snowflakes fall in all their unique variety!
To address Augustine’s mental state when he was doing his “work for the Church”, I would have to say that as far as mental health goes, these dogmas are very destructive and are very far from what is actually our reality. Again, though, if you believe them, according to quantum thought, you have them. I know that was true for me. I suffered in these dogmas because I could not reconcile them to inner truths’ I instinctively knew, yet could not name or understand at the time. I only knew they were incongruous with what I experienced in nature. There was peace, love, contentment, goodness, happiness, connection to Spirit and Earth, and beauty and wonder were my delight. I gave all this up to become a practicing Christian, and all that went away. My heart grieved for my simple place where I felt right and whole. After too many years, I have abandoned these mind pretzels for the simplicity of nature, Spirit and me. I let love be the main thing, the point, and I am learning how to protect my soft heart from predators. It is wonderful to be home.
The Christian identity is set within the boundaries and structure formulated by the Church Fathers of the Roman Catholic Church and those things added to them over time until now. All brands of Christianity come from this place. Although there are flavors of Christianity and their identities are flavored within that, the basic tenets of Christianity solidify them into a basic identity that is built on giving one’s life to Christ, being a servant to and obedient to Christ and his authority on Earth, women are under the authority of a man, and man has dominion over the Earth and pretty much does what he wants, etc. Christians are obedient and faithful to the Word of God, the Bible, and all that is in it.
My identity as a Christian consumed my whole life and being. I was passionate about being used by God and doing the will of God, which I still don’t know what they mean by that. It was never simple and I never was good enough. My dilemma reminded me of my mother. I tried so hard to be part of the church, but I was never really part of any of it and I was easily thrown away by the authority. I found jealousy toward my music and I was always eased out of participating. I guess they must have sensed my spirit wasn’t like theirs. I went to Bible school for three and a half years and studied all the time when I wasn’t in bible school. I was involved in church but I always felt as if my being there was tolerated and that at any time I could be asked to leave somehow. It happened every time. A point would be reached when I knew I would be eased out or put in a position where my only choice was to leave. This caused much grief and loss.
As a solitary, I am much more content and satisfied with my spiritual path. I think this is the way I was meant to be. It’s OK that I am alone and I feel better not having to worry about my acceptance by others in a religious context. I am also sure that each Christian has their own Christian identity but it is always the same basic belief system. I like being the only person with my individual expression of spirituality. Different is good. It is one of Spirit's favorite parts! Diversity or Bust!
Fiero, Gloria K. The Humanistic Tradition Book Two. New York: McGraw Hill, 2006. (pg. 17-21)
The formation of the early Church and its development are key factors in the formation of the Christian identity. Almost from its beginning, the Christian faith began to form alliances with government. “Byzantine emperors formed firm alliances with Church leaders and worked to create an empire that flourished into the mid-fifteenth century” (Fiero 17). The backdrop upon which Christianity formed was during the decline of Rome when the last emperor of Rome helped to build the “new faith”. Constantine issued the Edict of Milan in 313, which proclaimed religious tolerance and moved the seat of power from Rome east to Byzantium renaming it Constantinople: the “New Rome.” Christianity was legalized and proclaimed the “religion of the empire”. This put Christianity in a position to develop Church hierarchy, dogma (prescribed doctrine) and liturgy (rituals for public worship). From these the Christian identity began to take shape. Business startup was initiated. The Church fathers worked on formulating the language of the new faith to bring unity of belief and practice to the Christian people. During this time art contributed meaningful symbolism and nurtured the spiritual needs of the masses. Many of the symbols used came directly from Greco-Roman culture. Some even came from Egypt, such as, Isis’ rosette, which is the Egyptian Goddess in her regenerative roll.
“Church Leaders in the West took from Rome the Latin language, the Roman legal system (Became the basis for Church canon law, and Roman methods of architectural construction” (Fiero 17). As the form of administration took shape, the Church grew in power and the Christian identity was closely related to how the people would relate to their Christian leadership. The leadership assumed a significant roll over the people because of its emerging governmental form, its supreme control over the land and its function. “Rome’s administrative divisions were retained and transformed into archbishops overseeing provinces, bishops overseeing dioceses, and priests overseeing parishes. Rome became the administrative center of the “new faith” when the authority in Constantinople and Antioch contested their primacy and the Bishop of Rome, Leo the Great, put up the “Petrine Doctrine” in which the pontiffs (popes who are the temporal representatives of Christ) claimed inheritance of their position as successors to Peter, the First Apostle and principle evangelist of Rome” (Fiero 17). The Roman Catholic Church took control of the government as the Roman Empire crumbled away. All of Western Christendom was patterned after the Imperial Roman Empire. This resulted in the first vital achievement in forming the Christian identity: a “FUCTIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE HIERARCHY WAS ESSENTIAL TO THE SUCCESS OF THE “NEW FAITH” AND THE FORMULATION OF A UNIFORM DOCTRINE OF BELIEF” (Fiero 17). The Christian now had a hierarchy of leadership, which gave structure to his or her understanding of the “chain of command” within which he or she could function. This framework set the stage for the fleshing out beliefs, practices, mission, goals, etc.
To formulate the dogma of Christianity, the first Ecumenical council was called by Emperor Constantine and met in Nicaea in 325. Church leaders discussed the beliefs that would be standardized in the new faith and by a consensus of opinion they developed the Nicene Creed, which states the beliefs of Christianity. “THE NICENE CREED STANDS AS THE TURNING POINT BETWEEN CLASSICAL RATIONALISM AND CHRISTIAN MYSTICISM: CHALLENGING REASON AND THE EVIDENCE OF THE SENSES, IT EMBRACES FAITH AND THE INTUITION OF TRUTHS THAT TRANSCENDED ORDINARY UNDERSTANDING AND ANTICIPATES THE SHIFT FORM HOMEOCENTRIC CLASSICAL WORLDVIEW TO GOD-CENTERED MIDIEVAL WORLDVIEW” (Fiero 18). Now the Christian had a set of doctrines that contained the main tenets of Christianity and he or she could now refer to it as a basis of faith and rhetoric when necessary. This meant that all Christians would be able to converse within an agreed upon set of beliefs that outlined exactly what they stood for and who they were in it. Identity was becoming clearer as the necessary parts were formulated for the people to believe in and do.
Contributions to Christian dogma and liturgy were to be formulated by the community of Benedictine Monasticism. The Essenes in the West practiced asceticism long before Jesus was born and these practices formed the basis of the ascetic branch of Christian practices of the new faith. The earliest Christian monastics pursued the ascetic lifestyle of self-denial and were known as the desert fathers and mothers, as they spent their time in the deserts in fastings, living in poverty and keeping celibacy. This lifestyle was instituted by Bishop St. Basil and is still followed by the Eastern Church. Chaos set in as the last remnants of Classical civilization disappeared. Plato’s academy closed in Athens, and Educational facilities were disappearing. “The impulse to retreat from the turmoil of secular life” (Fiero 18), its uncertainty and its dangers “was intense” and people needed to find peace. The Western monastics offered sanctuary from the confusion, gave partakers a simple solution to their troubled lives and a place to feed and nurture their spiritual needs. They took vows of poverty, chastity and obedience to the governing abbot or father, the first of whom was Benedict of Nursia. He instituted a balance of work with religious study and prayer, in which the motto “sound mind and sound body” was the religious program: ora et labora. This was part of the Christian identity, to deny the self, and this lifestyle became a doctrine of the faith. Christians were known as “holy” when they lived this way.
I have to wonder why we were placed in such a beautiful, rich world to love, care for, enjoy and to be happy in; if we “have to” go through such denial to be spiritual. I don’t think this is what Spirit has in mind. Balance and diversity are key realities on Earth. Being here in joy would be more like the Spirit that I understand would intend for us.
“Monastics and Church fathers regarded Women as sinful and dangerous objects of sexual temptation and the Church prohibited women from holding positions of authority in The Church” (Fiero 18), but they gladly allowed them to become nuns! Women who practiced the ascetic life style were often taken into the homes of Aristocratic women to form Benedictine nunneries and were given religious education. Intellectuals found refuge and they offered women an alternative to marriage. Interestingly, there were twice the numbers of women as men. This segment of Church practice formed extremely strong Christian Identities for women as well as for men. In the Catholic Church, as new facets of vocations developed, the Christian identity broadened into different specific vocations within the Church umbrella of activities. Different Christian identities could now be cultivated, depending on one’s place in Christendom.
How sad to see the loss of the true purpose of man and woman and the natural equality balanced with difference.
“Priests, or regular clergy, played increasingly important roles in Western intellectual history. As the Greek and Roman sources of education dried up, people did not learn to read and write, so it was left in the hands of Benedictine monks and nuns, who hand-copied volumes and preserved the history and the literature of the past in their monasteries” (Fiero 18). The Christian identity is also closely tied to music, art, missionary work, bible scholarship, Christian mysticism, and Church reform. All of these were part of the Monastics Christian identity. A certain way to do these things made it specifically Christian and identity was strictly developed within these frameworks as they were fashioned by the Church leaders. Just about everything that was necessary for the Church to function as a complete government was influenced by Christian dogma and the formulation of new constructs to accommodate new needs. The Church calendar was developed by Dionysius Exiguus. It was designed to outline the liturgical year, especially main events such as Easter, Christmas, etc. in the life of Christ. This is the calendar still used today. The calendar outlined what was to be done in the liturgy of the Church year and it repeats and repeats and repeats and repeats until I had to quit because it was just too much repeating without any real meaning to me.
Latin Church Fathers were four of the most important Latin scholars to participate in formation of Christian dogma and liturgy. They lived in the fourth and fifth centuries. The first was Jerome. He translated the Hebrew Bible and the Greek New Testament into Latin, the Church’s chosen language. This volume became known as the Vulgate, which became the official Bible of the Roman Catholic Church. Jerome did not hesitate to pull from all sources of Greek and Rome, and freely “Plundered the spoils of classicism and Hebraism to build the edifice of a new faith” (Fiero 19).
I can appreciate the keeping of history and writings of the past, but it seems pretty arbitrary to put a volume together and decide to make it the Divine Word of God. It has never been brought home so clearly that the bible is a compilation of works written by members of human kind and to ascribe anything more is perhaps ludicrous; at least to the educated of mind, in my opinion. However, the influence on the Christian identity that this one book has had is profound. Everything in this book is ascribed as Divinely Inspired and is there for the Principle of thought for all Christians. This book provides the framework within which most of the Christian identity is contrived or formulated. I can attest to this experience. I was born and raised a Christian and remained so for many years, until I finally came to the end of it and realized it just wasn’t working for me in my life. It was hard to leave, but I did. But, as a Christian, and as you read the Bible and immerse yourself in it, you become what it is, the Christian according to it. Whatever the book means to any individual; pastors, priests, etc. insure that there is some kind of unity of belief within their boundaries of whatever church you are in and, make no bones about it, he is in control. In my experience it is a narrow belief system that offers a structure and basis for life that is void of the female principle, is limited in acceptance of others who are different and is demanding of the practitioner to live up to the expectations of the Church. It has been said that religion is the opiate of the people and thought this may be a colloquialism; it is certainly true of my experience with it. It made it easy for me to give up my control of my life, to Jesus and the Pastor or Priest. I didn’t have to be responsible to much of an extent as my spiritual food was spoon fed to me, and not knowing any better, I thought it was meat! I had to be attentive to the rules and be exactly what was required to be accepted, any deviations, and I was out! It was easy to be rejected and to get “disciplined”, especially since I was definitely a witch trapped in a Christian’s mindset. I came to realize that I am an earth-path spirit and that is where I belong. But, aside from the form of Christianity laid out by the church, a real Christian is like its Avatar-Jesus. I find nothing of the dogma or religious ritual that resonate truth, but as you understand Quantum reality, you have what you believe, and I did. I was fully engaged with a Devil who was almost as strong as God and who sometimes was “allowed” to test me and it was hell on Earth! Now, I put negative energy under my feet to be transformed into healing energy to help heal the Earth. Which do you like better? It is clear that Christian identity is extremely tied into the Bible very strongly and is limited by it.
The second was Ambrose. “He drew on Greek, Hebrew, and Southwest Asian traditions to formulate Christian doctrine and liturgy and wrote many Christian hymns for congregational use after the music styles of the eastern Mediterranean chants and Hebrew psalms” (Fiero 19). The word use of, “God as the ‘Light of Light,’” is directly from the cult of Mithros and Plato’s analogy between God and the Sun.
Many words and concepts used were from Greek and Roman literature and religion. No matter how you cut it, it seems that Christianity was fashioned from the pagan trappings, knowledge and beliefs of the pre-Christian world. It may seem correct and nice, but in truth, you can fashion a religion in the same way as did the “Church Fathers.” And, I suspect it might turn out just as good as or better than the fashioning of Christianity. All of mankind’s civilizations that we have studied seem to ascribe equality with God upon their leaders. It is an interesting phenomenon. Again, the Pope is ascribed with divine power and station. I always wonder how a human being could somehow become deified when a leader and not as a man anywhere. It does not make sense to me and I don’t ascribe to it. Respect is all I owe a leader.
The hymns and Church music I use to sing for masses and services was very beautiful and quite filled with dogma. I love to sing and write my own songs and I use to write scripture songs to sing at masses and services. I was never a Christian that felt any particular commitment to any denomination and thus I spent time in many of them, including the Catholic Church where I wrote a Latin Mass and many special songs for the mass. I did a lot of music ministry for these different churches. The strange thing is, I had an anointing on my music that was unmistakable. But, I use to wonder why no one noticed it and why the church seemed unresponsive to the beautiful way in which the scripture was sung. I know it was good. But when I met the Goddess and heard her song, I was captured and I ran to her. She helped me to validate my femaleness in divinity, and this helped me to begin to accept my femaleness. I even go so far now to enjoy wearing a dress and doing some of the female rituals of normal women. When I sang to the Goddess and God, I noticed the anointing became a much larger sphere and not a confined “boxed in” area. I felt a profound difference in the presence of Spirit, which was much stronger and more alive. It was then I began to suspect that I’d been lied to about who Spirit is and how Spirit works. I was right and I cannot un-know what I now know about spirituality. The trappings that date back to the Roman Empire have been preserved for all these centuries in this religion. I wonder what that says about our growth as human beings in relation to Spirit. Have we indeed devolved spiritually as well as in other ways? It is a good question. I think I have discovered the inconvenient truth of the Spirit!
The third was Gregory the Great. His work was vital to the development of the Church Government, which sent out missionaries to aid the spread of the new religion. Gregory’s work extended temporal authority of the Roman Church over the land and the people. He organized liturgical music for the use of the Church in liturgy.
It fascinates me that this “new faith” was developed into a government! I don’t think that it was what Jesus had in mind. Much of Christian doctrine has been taken from the literature and beliefs of pre-Christian civilization and it drastically departs from the understanding that we are part of nature and she is what enables us to live. Caring for our world has lost its place in our lives. I attribute much of this flawed thinking to dogma in the Christian faith. It appears that all of the things that make up this religion have been borrowed or fabricated to meet a specific need and agenda that doesn’t have much to do with the Spirit of Love. I think it is the most amazing hoax I ever saw. How centuries of mankind have allowed themselves to be plagued with its propaganda and control is amazing. I guess there is a payoff for believing this stuff because now that I know Spirit, I am amazed at how long I languished in this religious prison and how I could be duped like this. How could I not see the fallacy of it? Better late than never. I see it now. Don’t think I have not been angry about how much of my life I spent going in circles with this dogma, trying to make sense of it and trying to find meaning and power in it. I don’t think any of it has much to do with Jesus or Creator. I gave it the best shot any one could give and it just isn’t real. According to our text, it was formulated, crafted, decided, developed and agreed upon what it was going to be. It isn’t close to the truth, even though there are many truth’s in it. But those truths’s I would have learned in any religion. It’s the dogma that tears at the heart of the soul and spirit. There is no way I believe that Spirit desires us to live in such a contrivance of who Spirit is and what Spirit wants. It seems pretty clear that the thing most needed and wanted by Spirit is Love. Make it the point and you don’t really need religion, you can develop your own expression of spirituality without all the confusion, control, guilt and fear.
Augustine, the fourth Latin Church Father, had the most profound and influential role in the development of dogma and liturgy. He wrote treatises on the nature of the soul, free will, the meaning of evil and the Confessions. Confessions orates Augustine’s lifelong conflict between his love of earthly pleasures “lower self” and his love of God, “higher self”, and is one of the most scrutinizing autobiographies ever written. His concepts of duality, analogy and allegory produced Christian dogma describing such concepts as: 1) physical vs. spiritual satisfaction 2) the dualistic model of the human being as the locus of 2 warring elements, the “unclean body” and “the purified soul” along with the Pauline promise that the sin of Adam would be cleansed by sacrifice of Jesus. Much of his writing is reminiscent of the Neoplatonist duality of matter and spirit, and other Greco-Roman writings and concepts of humanist philosophers. 3) He developed his idea that there are three temptations of the soul: lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the lust of the ambition of the world (pride of life) and 4) devised the concept of heaven and earth: “wise men live according to man”-world before Jesus and the heavenly city and the spiritual realm-where human beings live according to divine precepts as the destiny of those who embrace the “New Dispensation of Christ”. 5) His rationalism of evil as perversion of good created by God, 6) his defense of a “just war”, and 7) his description of history as divinely ordered (fundamental to Christian philosophy of history) is very different from any thinking before him. He wrote about the dualistic model of reality- matter and spirit, body and soul, earth and heaven, Satan and God, state and Church and more. His conceptualization of reality, spiritual truth and other dogma of Christianity became the basis of Western religious thought. His conception of the visible world (matter) as the matrix where God’s message is hidden and is the imperfect revelation of divine order is in duality with the invisible world (spirit) which is the message and is perfect. He brought in strong elements that became the allegorical character of Christian culture. He believed that through Scripture along with all natural and created things, the invisible order must be discovered. He proposed that the Bible was a symbolic pre-figuration of Christian truths, that history was a cloaked message of divine revelation and that a single image assumes various meanings within the language of Christian faith.
We all have a choice in adopting a worldview. We have a choice in developing a spiritual connection. We have choice in all that we do and believe. My question is why would any sane person believe that mankind is sinful and that women were especially sinful and dangerous? Why would any sane person buy into the concept of sin and the old man, or lower self or higher self or any of that jargon? Do you realize that a whole bunch of Christian dogma, rhetoric and propaganda has been perpetrated upon us by this one man? So much of the “understanding” of what a Christian is and what is believed is tied into this kind of mental ruminating about things that are only opinions! Millions have suffered and been killed over this stuff! Didn’t Jesus talk about love as being the point? I am not saying that there is no value in Christianity. Some people find it works for them. I am only discussing my experience, my opinion and my choices and have no agenda to push them on anyone else. In fact, I don’t care if anyone agrees with me or not because this is my personal struggle with spirituality not anyone else’s. So there is no need to get defensive about this because you can own your own spirituality regardless of what I think or what anyone else thinks. I see it as simple. I am too tired to contemplate all this stuff , to try to make it work in my life (been there done that, done) and I have reached the point that I want to spend my last years on this planet in simple spiritual truth. I don’t think it needs to be this complicated and demanding on the stressed human being today. The Christian Identity has been influenced strongly by these writings. What are we doing to ourselves? Why would you want to believe this if you could just be in peace, contentment and joy with Creator and Nature? What about simple, loving relationships. Has this “new faith” made human relationships better? I don’t think so; certainly not in my life. Judgment, rejection, control, authoritative abuse and over powering of others, condemnation, scripture whipping, debasing, demonizing, etc. of others is not my concept of love. So, what is this stuff? In my opinion it is mental illness touted as valid for an agenda. I guess you can say at this point I do not appreciate the imposition of religion on me and the results of its dogma in my life. In fact, at this point in my life, I am quite …. Well, you can imagine my colorful explicatives!
One thing I have learned from my battle with food and being overweight, if you give it power, it has power over you and boy it seems pretty powerful!! So, I choose to let it go, to just be and rest my weary mind. Although it helps to write and think about my experience and to analyze what I now understand, it doesn’t change the fact that I am no longer there and I do not need to remain there. I choose to move on and I am going to be very glad when this chapter comes to a close. I don’t like discussing religion because I do have very strong feelings about it, but I won’t shrink away, either, when it comes up and I won’t hold back my feelings and thoughts in fear of offending, because if engaged, I am entitled to my opinion and not one person has to agree with me. And that’s OK with me. The only thing I need be concerned about is my acceptance of the religious choices of others and their right to them. As long as all people can let each other be, then it is not important that my way be the right way or the wrong way, because in truth, it is only right for me and no one else. So let the snowflakes fall in all their unique variety!
To address Augustine’s mental state when he was doing his “work for the Church”, I would have to say that as far as mental health goes, these dogmas are very destructive and are very far from what is actually our reality. Again, though, if you believe them, according to quantum thought, you have them. I know that was true for me. I suffered in these dogmas because I could not reconcile them to inner truths’ I instinctively knew, yet could not name or understand at the time. I only knew they were incongruous with what I experienced in nature. There was peace, love, contentment, goodness, happiness, connection to Spirit and Earth, and beauty and wonder were my delight. I gave all this up to become a practicing Christian, and all that went away. My heart grieved for my simple place where I felt right and whole. After too many years, I have abandoned these mind pretzels for the simplicity of nature, Spirit and me. I let love be the main thing, the point, and I am learning how to protect my soft heart from predators. It is wonderful to be home.
The Christian identity is set within the boundaries and structure formulated by the Church Fathers of the Roman Catholic Church and those things added to them over time until now. All brands of Christianity come from this place. Although there are flavors of Christianity and their identities are flavored within that, the basic tenets of Christianity solidify them into a basic identity that is built on giving one’s life to Christ, being a servant to and obedient to Christ and his authority on Earth, women are under the authority of a man, and man has dominion over the Earth and pretty much does what he wants, etc. Christians are obedient and faithful to the Word of God, the Bible, and all that is in it.
My identity as a Christian consumed my whole life and being. I was passionate about being used by God and doing the will of God, which I still don’t know what they mean by that. It was never simple and I never was good enough. My dilemma reminded me of my mother. I tried so hard to be part of the church, but I was never really part of any of it and I was easily thrown away by the authority. I found jealousy toward my music and I was always eased out of participating. I guess they must have sensed my spirit wasn’t like theirs. I went to Bible school for three and a half years and studied all the time when I wasn’t in bible school. I was involved in church but I always felt as if my being there was tolerated and that at any time I could be asked to leave somehow. It happened every time. A point would be reached when I knew I would be eased out or put in a position where my only choice was to leave. This caused much grief and loss.
As a solitary, I am much more content and satisfied with my spiritual path. I think this is the way I was meant to be. It’s OK that I am alone and I feel better not having to worry about my acceptance by others in a religious context. I am also sure that each Christian has their own Christian identity but it is always the same basic belief system. I like being the only person with my individual expression of spirituality. Different is good. It is one of Spirit's favorite parts! Diversity or Bust!
Fiero, Gloria K. The Humanistic Tradition Book Two. New York: McGraw Hill, 2006. (pg. 17-21)
Friday, November 21, 2008
How Did Christianity Get Started?
I have strong feelings about my experience with religion. Christianity, being a religion, had a serious effect on my life until the last several years when I departed from it to discover my spiritual healing and mental well being. I do not want to offend anyone, but here I am able to express my feelings about my experiences and observations on topics I address. My feelings may reveal that I haven't evolved past some of my pain, but they also reveal a great deal of thought about what I have been through in my spiritual journey. In the end, it will all be left behind and only the love I have tried to give will matter. However, talking about these things helps to work them through and as I evolve, I am sure my feelings will evolve as well. But, for now, this is where it is at.
“The background out of which Christianity emerged was very interesting to me. Our text states, “Both as a religious faith and as a historical phenomenon, Christianity emerged out of three distinctly different cultural traditions: the Greco-Roman, Near Eastern (West Asia) and Hebraic. The factors that contributed to the evolution and rise of Christianity as the religion that would become the largest of the world’s faiths” are discussed below. (Fiero p.4, bk. 2) The most interesting discovery I found was that Christianity was considered an imitation of Mithraism by the Romans, which was strikingly similar to Christian beliefs and practices. The religions shared the same ideas: the man-god hero, ritual baptism, a communal meal, and a promise of deliverance from evil. These features of religious beliefs existed well before the birth of the Christian man-god Jesus who was considered Messiah by many.
“Ancient pagan religious rituals marked seasonal change and celebrated seed-time and harvest.” (Fiero p. 4 bk. 2) This is the basis of religious evolution. All religions “borrow” specific rites or celebrations from the ancient practices and from this basis of ancient human thought about spirituality. The Earth, survival and the sky were the main things in the life of early humans and thus all religious thought started from this point. Mankind’s concern for a life after death and the immortality of the soul/spirit caused the development of religious symbolism and thought. All spiritual understanding or misunderstanding springs from these basic concerns. How do we, as humans, relate to our world and the spirit we know is within us? Why are we here? What are we suppose to do? What is God’s will? Hmmm-big questions! All of the attempts of the different philosophies and religions center on these higher concerns. The basic reality is, we want to believe in something greater than ourselves. “Reason and philosophies, like Stoicism and neoplatonism, the many gods of the Romans/Greeks traditions, creeds and cults readily accepted by the Romans, and the deified theocratic Roman Emperors did not promise retribution in the afterlife or reward of eternal life. In fact, there was wide spread social, political and economic unrest, which fed the rising distrust of reason and fueled the impulse toward mysticism” in the search for more meaning. (Fiero p. 4 bk. 2)
“Near Eastern religious mystic cults existed in Greece, Egypt and Southwest Asia that were less intellectual and much more personal than the philosophies of the day. The promise of personal immortality was the central feature of the mystery cults whose initiation rituals were secret.” (Fiero p. 4 bk. 2) Isis worship was a strong and powerful cult along with other god-cults that “have a heritage dating back to Neolithic times, in which the agricultural societies celebrated seasonal change by means of symbolic performances of the birth, death and rebirth of gods and goddesses associated with the regeneration of crops.” (Fiero p.4 bk. 2) The birth, growth, death and resurrection of the Sun-God are an ancient theme dating back to prehistory. Again, “the ritual baptism, the communal meal, which can include consuming the flesh and/or blood of the deity worshipped, significantly predates the birth of Jesus, the Christian Messiah. The mood of religious longing that characterized the late Classical era was intense: (Fiero p. 5 bk. 2) as shown in a sample writing to Isis where she is attributed with all that mankind needs and desires of life. She is the great One, the Protector, the Earth Mother, etc. She is deified greatly and intensely in the poem on pg. 5. Bk. 2)
“One of the oldest religious philosophies of the ancient world, Zoroastrianism, also had a man-god hero, Mithra, who was associated with light, good, and fertility of the land through the ritual sacrifice of a Sacred Bull, and where devotees looked forward to spiritual well-being and everlasting life.” (Fiero p. 5 bk. 2) “Mithraism featured strict initiation rites, periods of fasting, ritual baptism and communal meal of bread and wine. Mithra’s followers celebrated his birth on December 25, just after the sun’s “rebirth” at the winter Solstice. This religion also excluded women, as many male dominated religions did and still do today, but Mithraism became the favorite religion of the Roman soldiers who emulated Mithra’s heroic self-discipline and was the chief rival of Christianity.
The Romans allowed spiritual practices of any religion as long as they did not challenge the authority of Roman imperial cult or threaten the security of the Roman state.” (Fiero p. 5 bk. 2) How fascinating is this? I wish I had been introduced to this information when I was in high school. Maybe I would have chosen the Earth paths sooner. But, the stronghold that Christianity had on me was powerful. The guilt and fear kept me bound to the doctrines and dogma well past its usefulness as a spiritual path. In fact, I have never found it that useful compared to the peace and contentment in my spirituality that I feel and have now. If Christianity is original, how is it that there are so many similar expressions of the same spirituality in existence before this religion ever existed? The fact is that it is not original and in fact it is just another religion fashioned to accomplish the agenda of men. It is sure that women didn’t fashion the religion as women are pretty much excluded from most all participation in the religion. I found it pretty frustrating. I think I am more like Lilith who was independent and strong.
“Judaism is the oldest living religion in the Western world but differs from all other cults and religions of the period because of its strongly ethical bias, its commitment to monotheism and its exclusivity that emphasizes a special relationship, covenant, between God and the Jews, the “Chosen People.” As Alexander the Great expanded the Empire, the Jews were “Hellenized” and by the 2nd Century B.C.E., a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures appeared as the “Septuagint”, (meaning it was translated by 72 scholars in 72 days). This is the first known translation of a sacred book into another language.
The Jews made their homeland in the Roman province of Judea. But when Imperial taxes and loyalty to Rome were demanded of them, the conflict resulted in the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem and an assault on the city. The Romans renamed the land “Provincial Syria Palaestina” and the Jews did not return there until 1948, when the independent state of Israel was formed. There was significant unrest in Judea and conflicts over interpretation of the “bible” The Sagducees and the Pharisees disagreed on what the Messiah would do or who he would be; male, of course.
The Essenes, monastic communities near the Dead Sea, practiced asceticism-strict self-denial and self-discipline. They believed in immortality of the soul and ultimate release from the body. They believed in a coming teacher of truth who would appear at the end of time. The Dead Sea Scrolls include some of the oldest fragments of the Hebrew Bible along with scriptures that forecast a future apocalypse. Along with self-proclaimed miracle workers, the climate of intense religious expectation was extremely receptive to the appearance of a charismatic leader.” (Fiero p. 6 bk. 2)
It is interesting that the scene was set on all fronts for the “next wave of innovative religiosity and the charismatic leader”. It seems that the meaning that was found in being connected to the earth and the spirit characterized by the practices of the ancients in relation to seasons, production and survival has gotten lost. The age of reason and then of religion seems to have carried mankind away from his/her roots in the natural world to a reality that is now quite disconnected from the Earth, caring for her and living a simple spirituality. I find it distressing that the events have led us to the place where we face almost insurmountable problems as a result of steering so far off course from who we are and who we are meant to be.
Perhaps the real challenge is how do we find ourselves in our world today and how can the history of our race help us heal our world? It is certain that one key is realizing we were caretakers and we once reverenced the Earth as our Mother. We were spiritual and didn’t have to figure out how to be spiritual. Sure there are imperfections, but can we utilize the good knowledge to help us now, keeping the good and changing that which doesn’t serve us anymore? The past is a mirror, which can teach us how to do better or we can just ignore it and keep going the way we are going and see what happens. The future scares me sometimes because of what is happening to our planet, how we live and abuse each other so much and how we fight in pointless wars. There are many lessons here. I am glad I took this course. Again, I am grateful.
The evolution of these ancient rites and the integration of them into the main religions of today surprised me. I did not know just how influential these ancient practices were on Christianity and on other main-stream religions of today. From what I was taught, Christianity was original and “from God”. But, I clearly see that it is another form of belief taken from ancient understandings but void of their meanings. For me, Christianity is harmful in many ways to our world today. In my experience, the disregard of the Earth as Mother, the lack of concern for our environment because “we are to be fruitful and multiply and subdue the earth”, and other such beliefs are not congruent to caring for our world and each other, including all life forms. Religion can give license to "perpetrators" who justify their actions with religious dogma. Many times pieces of truth are adhered to with militant attitudes while the rest of the truth is ignored. Maybe this is a human trait. Maybe it is convenient. Maybe it is a mistake. What ever it is, the point is that without grounded, contextual truth, we are doomed to have the problems we find ourselves in today. I have found Christianity quite controlling and destructive, especially where women are concerned, with no female deity to relate to except Mary, which is the hidden goddess of paganism. I have found that all organized religions are pretty much patterned the same. I do not think they are healthy. I am relieved that I figured this out for myself and became a solitary pagan Earth path practitioner with my own tradition. Perhaps in time, I will find others to share with in meaningful ways.
This chapter dramatically confirms that Christianity became what it is as a result of what was before it. In my opinion, this is narrow, fear based and lacks respect for people outside it. It makes no acknowledgement of women as equal partners with men, but different.They are subservient to them. Different is good. Strong is good. In my opinion this religion does not foster such characteristics in women. My experience of being in this religion was that it was destructive to my spirit, my emotions and my thinking and I am glad I left it. It is not for me and does not work in relation to what I believe reality is about. If the Christian religion works for some people, I believe that they have the right to be in the religion that makes them happy. I expect the same respect from them. I don't want to be treated as "the lost" and get "ministered" to. I want to be treated as a whole person with the same rights that they enjoy. In no way do I want to be invaded and infringed upon with their dogma. I am not at all interested in returning to a religion that was so destructive for me.
A friend once told me that Christianity is for those who are meant to be Christian. It is not for those who are not intended to be Christian. For those who are destined for a different path, whatever that may be, it is important that what is chosen is what works for each person. We are all individually responsible for our spirituality and no one has the right to tell us what that should be. I believe that whatever path you choose, the intention and motivation of the heart is what makes the difference in your path to Creator. It is up to each person to decide what that is for them.
Fiero, Gloria K. The Humanistic Tradition Book Two. New York: Mc Graw Hill, 2006. (pg.4-7)
“The background out of which Christianity emerged was very interesting to me. Our text states, “Both as a religious faith and as a historical phenomenon, Christianity emerged out of three distinctly different cultural traditions: the Greco-Roman, Near Eastern (West Asia) and Hebraic. The factors that contributed to the evolution and rise of Christianity as the religion that would become the largest of the world’s faiths” are discussed below. (Fiero p.4, bk. 2) The most interesting discovery I found was that Christianity was considered an imitation of Mithraism by the Romans, which was strikingly similar to Christian beliefs and practices. The religions shared the same ideas: the man-god hero, ritual baptism, a communal meal, and a promise of deliverance from evil. These features of religious beliefs existed well before the birth of the Christian man-god Jesus who was considered Messiah by many.
“Ancient pagan religious rituals marked seasonal change and celebrated seed-time and harvest.” (Fiero p. 4 bk. 2) This is the basis of religious evolution. All religions “borrow” specific rites or celebrations from the ancient practices and from this basis of ancient human thought about spirituality. The Earth, survival and the sky were the main things in the life of early humans and thus all religious thought started from this point. Mankind’s concern for a life after death and the immortality of the soul/spirit caused the development of religious symbolism and thought. All spiritual understanding or misunderstanding springs from these basic concerns. How do we, as humans, relate to our world and the spirit we know is within us? Why are we here? What are we suppose to do? What is God’s will? Hmmm-big questions! All of the attempts of the different philosophies and religions center on these higher concerns. The basic reality is, we want to believe in something greater than ourselves. “Reason and philosophies, like Stoicism and neoplatonism, the many gods of the Romans/Greeks traditions, creeds and cults readily accepted by the Romans, and the deified theocratic Roman Emperors did not promise retribution in the afterlife or reward of eternal life. In fact, there was wide spread social, political and economic unrest, which fed the rising distrust of reason and fueled the impulse toward mysticism” in the search for more meaning. (Fiero p. 4 bk. 2)
“Near Eastern religious mystic cults existed in Greece, Egypt and Southwest Asia that were less intellectual and much more personal than the philosophies of the day. The promise of personal immortality was the central feature of the mystery cults whose initiation rituals were secret.” (Fiero p. 4 bk. 2) Isis worship was a strong and powerful cult along with other god-cults that “have a heritage dating back to Neolithic times, in which the agricultural societies celebrated seasonal change by means of symbolic performances of the birth, death and rebirth of gods and goddesses associated with the regeneration of crops.” (Fiero p.4 bk. 2) The birth, growth, death and resurrection of the Sun-God are an ancient theme dating back to prehistory. Again, “the ritual baptism, the communal meal, which can include consuming the flesh and/or blood of the deity worshipped, significantly predates the birth of Jesus, the Christian Messiah. The mood of religious longing that characterized the late Classical era was intense: (Fiero p. 5 bk. 2) as shown in a sample writing to Isis where she is attributed with all that mankind needs and desires of life. She is the great One, the Protector, the Earth Mother, etc. She is deified greatly and intensely in the poem on pg. 5. Bk. 2)
“One of the oldest religious philosophies of the ancient world, Zoroastrianism, also had a man-god hero, Mithra, who was associated with light, good, and fertility of the land through the ritual sacrifice of a Sacred Bull, and where devotees looked forward to spiritual well-being and everlasting life.” (Fiero p. 5 bk. 2) “Mithraism featured strict initiation rites, periods of fasting, ritual baptism and communal meal of bread and wine. Mithra’s followers celebrated his birth on December 25, just after the sun’s “rebirth” at the winter Solstice. This religion also excluded women, as many male dominated religions did and still do today, but Mithraism became the favorite religion of the Roman soldiers who emulated Mithra’s heroic self-discipline and was the chief rival of Christianity.
The Romans allowed spiritual practices of any religion as long as they did not challenge the authority of Roman imperial cult or threaten the security of the Roman state.” (Fiero p. 5 bk. 2) How fascinating is this? I wish I had been introduced to this information when I was in high school. Maybe I would have chosen the Earth paths sooner. But, the stronghold that Christianity had on me was powerful. The guilt and fear kept me bound to the doctrines and dogma well past its usefulness as a spiritual path. In fact, I have never found it that useful compared to the peace and contentment in my spirituality that I feel and have now. If Christianity is original, how is it that there are so many similar expressions of the same spirituality in existence before this religion ever existed? The fact is that it is not original and in fact it is just another religion fashioned to accomplish the agenda of men. It is sure that women didn’t fashion the religion as women are pretty much excluded from most all participation in the religion. I found it pretty frustrating. I think I am more like Lilith who was independent and strong.
“Judaism is the oldest living religion in the Western world but differs from all other cults and religions of the period because of its strongly ethical bias, its commitment to monotheism and its exclusivity that emphasizes a special relationship, covenant, between God and the Jews, the “Chosen People.” As Alexander the Great expanded the Empire, the Jews were “Hellenized” and by the 2nd Century B.C.E., a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures appeared as the “Septuagint”, (meaning it was translated by 72 scholars in 72 days). This is the first known translation of a sacred book into another language.
The Jews made their homeland in the Roman province of Judea. But when Imperial taxes and loyalty to Rome were demanded of them, the conflict resulted in the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem and an assault on the city. The Romans renamed the land “Provincial Syria Palaestina” and the Jews did not return there until 1948, when the independent state of Israel was formed. There was significant unrest in Judea and conflicts over interpretation of the “bible” The Sagducees and the Pharisees disagreed on what the Messiah would do or who he would be; male, of course.
The Essenes, monastic communities near the Dead Sea, practiced asceticism-strict self-denial and self-discipline. They believed in immortality of the soul and ultimate release from the body. They believed in a coming teacher of truth who would appear at the end of time. The Dead Sea Scrolls include some of the oldest fragments of the Hebrew Bible along with scriptures that forecast a future apocalypse. Along with self-proclaimed miracle workers, the climate of intense religious expectation was extremely receptive to the appearance of a charismatic leader.” (Fiero p. 6 bk. 2)
It is interesting that the scene was set on all fronts for the “next wave of innovative religiosity and the charismatic leader”. It seems that the meaning that was found in being connected to the earth and the spirit characterized by the practices of the ancients in relation to seasons, production and survival has gotten lost. The age of reason and then of religion seems to have carried mankind away from his/her roots in the natural world to a reality that is now quite disconnected from the Earth, caring for her and living a simple spirituality. I find it distressing that the events have led us to the place where we face almost insurmountable problems as a result of steering so far off course from who we are and who we are meant to be.
Perhaps the real challenge is how do we find ourselves in our world today and how can the history of our race help us heal our world? It is certain that one key is realizing we were caretakers and we once reverenced the Earth as our Mother. We were spiritual and didn’t have to figure out how to be spiritual. Sure there are imperfections, but can we utilize the good knowledge to help us now, keeping the good and changing that which doesn’t serve us anymore? The past is a mirror, which can teach us how to do better or we can just ignore it and keep going the way we are going and see what happens. The future scares me sometimes because of what is happening to our planet, how we live and abuse each other so much and how we fight in pointless wars. There are many lessons here. I am glad I took this course. Again, I am grateful.
The evolution of these ancient rites and the integration of them into the main religions of today surprised me. I did not know just how influential these ancient practices were on Christianity and on other main-stream religions of today. From what I was taught, Christianity was original and “from God”. But, I clearly see that it is another form of belief taken from ancient understandings but void of their meanings. For me, Christianity is harmful in many ways to our world today. In my experience, the disregard of the Earth as Mother, the lack of concern for our environment because “we are to be fruitful and multiply and subdue the earth”, and other such beliefs are not congruent to caring for our world and each other, including all life forms. Religion can give license to "perpetrators" who justify their actions with religious dogma. Many times pieces of truth are adhered to with militant attitudes while the rest of the truth is ignored. Maybe this is a human trait. Maybe it is convenient. Maybe it is a mistake. What ever it is, the point is that without grounded, contextual truth, we are doomed to have the problems we find ourselves in today. I have found Christianity quite controlling and destructive, especially where women are concerned, with no female deity to relate to except Mary, which is the hidden goddess of paganism. I have found that all organized religions are pretty much patterned the same. I do not think they are healthy. I am relieved that I figured this out for myself and became a solitary pagan Earth path practitioner with my own tradition. Perhaps in time, I will find others to share with in meaningful ways.
This chapter dramatically confirms that Christianity became what it is as a result of what was before it. In my opinion, this is narrow, fear based and lacks respect for people outside it. It makes no acknowledgement of women as equal partners with men, but different.They are subservient to them. Different is good. Strong is good. In my opinion this religion does not foster such characteristics in women. My experience of being in this religion was that it was destructive to my spirit, my emotions and my thinking and I am glad I left it. It is not for me and does not work in relation to what I believe reality is about. If the Christian religion works for some people, I believe that they have the right to be in the religion that makes them happy. I expect the same respect from them. I don't want to be treated as "the lost" and get "ministered" to. I want to be treated as a whole person with the same rights that they enjoy. In no way do I want to be invaded and infringed upon with their dogma. I am not at all interested in returning to a religion that was so destructive for me.
A friend once told me that Christianity is for those who are meant to be Christian. It is not for those who are not intended to be Christian. For those who are destined for a different path, whatever that may be, it is important that what is chosen is what works for each person. We are all individually responsible for our spirituality and no one has the right to tell us what that should be. I believe that whatever path you choose, the intention and motivation of the heart is what makes the difference in your path to Creator. It is up to each person to decide what that is for them.
Fiero, Gloria K. The Humanistic Tradition Book Two. New York: Mc Graw Hill, 2006. (pg.4-7)
“Is freedom essential to the good life?”
I can choose to see things from another point of view and use my imagination and what I have learned about Greek culture to discuss the topic, "Is Freedom Essential to the Good life?" I will imagine myself to be someone from the time. I’d like to be an Athenian man.
OK, just because I am a woman doesn’t mean I can’t dream!! I think I would make a better man than I do a woman. I am too independent, strong willed, opinionated, and bold to really be acceptable in a male dominated society; especially one that has virtually stripped women of status equal with men, from the ancient times until now, and has made it an uphill fight to gain our rights back in just the past 50 to 100 years. Remember when women had papers in the 1800’s? Remember when we had no rights and couldn’t vote, participate in the government or own land? Well, the white man dominates no more! Let the races come forth and unite on the plateau of equality! OK, glad I got that out!
Freedom is absolutely essential for a good life!
First of all, being a woman in a position of co-leadership in a matriarchal society would be my ideal choice. But, since that is not really a possibility in the Greek, Roman or Chinese culture, I would like to be a man in the Greek culture living in Athens at the time of the "Golden Age" of Athens. I’d like to be the kind of man who is in a position of authority and who has influence on government and legal persona. The reason this is desirable is because I could be a positive influence in guiding the direction of my city and country. I would like to have a good wife who is strong, wise and loving. She would be my partner, not my servant. I like the idea of her being strong. I would listen to her. So, from here I will tell how I would be a man in Athens, Greece.
I live in Athens, a small city-state among some 200 in our land. We can walk around Athens in a few hours. Athens is an incredible place, clean and bright, with many amazing buildings, temples and shrines. I live in a magnificent home with my wife. We have gardens and many trees around the city. My home is comfortable and lavished with much art and sculpture. I collect beautiful things to enjoy in my home.
My people are deeply concerned for the quality of human life. We value the prowess of the intellect and promote the roll of each person to keenly hone his skill for his part in the destiny of our community. (Women do not participate in such.)The creative arts, our stories and literature and our religious beliefs celebrate the wonder that is man. The interests of the people, each (male) person, are considered important. We nurture humanism to its pinnacle of achievement; the development of which has been the thread throughout the ages that has strongly influenced all which has come after us. We are a mighty and happy people. From our beginnings our worldliness and our robust optimism marks our Hellenic culture. We are proud of the frescoes that adorn our palaces. Fine sculptures, elaborate vases and bowls and many other wonders of our rich talents flourish in my world. Writings such as the Iliad and the Odyssey are familiar and have become our national poems. The Epic of Gilgamesh and other historical tales keep alive our history.
I have a great love for and study the history and knowledge of the Gods. Our religion has its roots in the cultures of Crete and Mycenae and our pantheon has developed into a complicated, intricate and elaborate mythology. The Gods are immortals who intervene in our lives. Zeus the sky god, Hara, his wife, Apollo god of light, medicine and music, Athena goddess of wisdom and war, Aphrodite goddess of love, beauty and procreation, Dionysus god of wine, and Poseidon god of the sea are all familiar and part of my daily life. I love them and enjoy them so much. My wife and I both attend many festivals celebrating and honoring the gods. I spend time studying and learning about the gods in the Theogony (the birth of the gods), which tells how the gods came to be and their genealogy. The gods we worship are like us in many ways and they have their problems. I sometimes go to the foot of Mount Olympus to ponder, pray and rest. I am not so comfortable with the sacrifices of animals and humans in our rituals, but our gods do not tell us how we should be. We decide what is right. We find favor with the gods when we do what they wish. I have great favor with the gods and my life goes well.
We do not see the point of sacred scripture or doctrines, but we love our freedom of intellectual inquiry which expands our understandings. My wife and I travel to the Oracle of Delphi, the shrine of Apollo, the center of the universe and the “navel” of the earth, to worship, to learn and to meet others who come to hear the priestess of Apollo who sits on the tripod over the fissure in the rocks and utters all manner of prophecy and mystical wisdom in a state of ecstasy. It is a wonder to us.
I live during the “Greek Golden Age”, which is the time between 480 and 430 B.C.E. Our people experience one of the most creative times in the history of the world. Our mood is confident since we overcame the Persians and we feel the spirit of vigorous chauvinism, which has ushered in this age of drama, philosophy, music, art and architecture that now flourishes in abundance in Athens. We are the most cosmopolitan in all of Greece. We enjoy one of the most unique governments, a Democratic government, forged by Solon, an enlightened one, who put civic responsibilities in the hands of the people. All is done for the common good. Pericles is one of our most prominent citizens and holds a primary place in our government (but he causes a lot of hostility that eventually causes the end of our wonderful life here). He “Glorified” Athens with his many improvement programs. I enjoy the liveliness of our people. We all feel part of our government. Life is good and we are free. “The heroic idealism of the Iliad has bloomed into civic patriotism!” Unfortunately, my society is quite male oriented and women, children, resident aliens, and slaves do not qualify as citizens. But, I do listen to my wife when she has something to say to me about it all. She is very wise.
We are surrounded with amazing gifted people. Homer writes many literary, historical and other such essays. Aesvhylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes are playwrights who write many kinds of dramas. Aristotle is a very famous philosopher. Socrates is a humanist intellectual. There are so many others who live among us and teach us with their words of wisdom that I cannot name them all. They entertain us, make us think in debates and give us insight into the ways of the gods and life. They recall our history, make us laugh with great humor, compel us to cry with deep sadness and are part of the vast amount of talent in our small population of about 250,000. All in all, I am a happy man with a happy woman living amongst some of the happiest people in all the land. The air of creativity seems electric all around me. Every day a new wonder is to be known.
In perhaps the “freest” city in the known world at that time, Athens offered great freedom to many of its people (mostly male). I believe that freedom is essential for a good life. As you can see from all the development of a multitude of talents, abilities, crafts, vocations etc, freedom allows a maximum benefit of both a positive attitude, the availability of materials through trade, and the motivation to explore the self in relation to the world, the self and others. It is important that people feel good about where they live, feel free to explore their world, create with places to do so, and to be free to actually accomplish their dreams. Athens was a place where the extreme in creativity, in the arts and the self, developed beyond normal because of the freedom and happiness the people felt in the way they were governed and the way they lived. Victory over the Persians didn’t hurt their morale, either! Freedom opens doors that other more oppressive governments cannot open for their people.
Freedom was great in Athens for the men, but not to women, children and slaves. I wonder how they felt. I can’t imagine I’d be happy in that position, but maybe because I was raised with the oppression upon me, I might not notice it as much as I do now. Knowing me, if I was as I am now, I would probably be killed or I would start a revolution for the other 2/3 of the population of Athens! The more controlled people are, the less they feel like creating. We do not see many women creators among the greats of Athens. Oppression in any form will stunt creativity and happiness. Truly, freedom is the way mankind and all living things are meant to live.
Final statement:
Yes, I think this would have been a good time to live. I have all I need to be happy. I think that if I possessed the spirit I now have, during a life in this time, I might have been quite an influence on the course of human history because I would have sought equality, partnership and mutuality among the sexes, the races and the classes. I would have talked about caring for the earth and keeping her healthy for the future. I would have been part of a movement to learn how to integrate this belief into the pantheon of the gods I believed in. I think today, the gods have great meaning for me and because I am open to knowing the true spirit that is in all, I can understand the gods and learn much from the lessons they teach. Perhaps I might even have been able to save us all from the male dominated society with men and women sharing equally in the process of life on the planet. (What a great fantasy!)
Wouldn’t it have been great to thwart that infectious self-centeredness that has spoiled so much for everyone and to be able to influence the thinking of the time toward respect for all life and each other? What an interesting idea to ponder. How could any of us not have helped change the future of mankind if we realized how important it was to make that change from male domination to mutuality, from power over others to respect for one another and from aggression to assertion. Clearly, the world was hard then and has remained hard to this day.
Because of a dominating male, the Golden Age of Athens came to an end and what could have been the birthplace of people sharing their government and their lives in a mutual way, did not get a chance to blossom. I think the women and children would be the next thing to move into the lime light if I were living in that time as a man with the same spirit I possess now and with the knowledge of how wonderful mutuality is. At least I would have opened the door to it and perhaps women would have been heard. Whether a man or a woman, I can dream of such changes and hope for them now. Being a woman, could also be an advantage as I become credentialed, educated and able to be heard in meaningful ways. This course is opening my eyes.
OK, just because I am a woman doesn’t mean I can’t dream!! I think I would make a better man than I do a woman. I am too independent, strong willed, opinionated, and bold to really be acceptable in a male dominated society; especially one that has virtually stripped women of status equal with men, from the ancient times until now, and has made it an uphill fight to gain our rights back in just the past 50 to 100 years. Remember when women had papers in the 1800’s? Remember when we had no rights and couldn’t vote, participate in the government or own land? Well, the white man dominates no more! Let the races come forth and unite on the plateau of equality! OK, glad I got that out!
Freedom is absolutely essential for a good life!
First of all, being a woman in a position of co-leadership in a matriarchal society would be my ideal choice. But, since that is not really a possibility in the Greek, Roman or Chinese culture, I would like to be a man in the Greek culture living in Athens at the time of the "Golden Age" of Athens. I’d like to be the kind of man who is in a position of authority and who has influence on government and legal persona. The reason this is desirable is because I could be a positive influence in guiding the direction of my city and country. I would like to have a good wife who is strong, wise and loving. She would be my partner, not my servant. I like the idea of her being strong. I would listen to her. So, from here I will tell how I would be a man in Athens, Greece.
I live in Athens, a small city-state among some 200 in our land. We can walk around Athens in a few hours. Athens is an incredible place, clean and bright, with many amazing buildings, temples and shrines. I live in a magnificent home with my wife. We have gardens and many trees around the city. My home is comfortable and lavished with much art and sculpture. I collect beautiful things to enjoy in my home.
My people are deeply concerned for the quality of human life. We value the prowess of the intellect and promote the roll of each person to keenly hone his skill for his part in the destiny of our community. (Women do not participate in such.)The creative arts, our stories and literature and our religious beliefs celebrate the wonder that is man. The interests of the people, each (male) person, are considered important. We nurture humanism to its pinnacle of achievement; the development of which has been the thread throughout the ages that has strongly influenced all which has come after us. We are a mighty and happy people. From our beginnings our worldliness and our robust optimism marks our Hellenic culture. We are proud of the frescoes that adorn our palaces. Fine sculptures, elaborate vases and bowls and many other wonders of our rich talents flourish in my world. Writings such as the Iliad and the Odyssey are familiar and have become our national poems. The Epic of Gilgamesh and other historical tales keep alive our history.
I have a great love for and study the history and knowledge of the Gods. Our religion has its roots in the cultures of Crete and Mycenae and our pantheon has developed into a complicated, intricate and elaborate mythology. The Gods are immortals who intervene in our lives. Zeus the sky god, Hara, his wife, Apollo god of light, medicine and music, Athena goddess of wisdom and war, Aphrodite goddess of love, beauty and procreation, Dionysus god of wine, and Poseidon god of the sea are all familiar and part of my daily life. I love them and enjoy them so much. My wife and I both attend many festivals celebrating and honoring the gods. I spend time studying and learning about the gods in the Theogony (the birth of the gods), which tells how the gods came to be and their genealogy. The gods we worship are like us in many ways and they have their problems. I sometimes go to the foot of Mount Olympus to ponder, pray and rest. I am not so comfortable with the sacrifices of animals and humans in our rituals, but our gods do not tell us how we should be. We decide what is right. We find favor with the gods when we do what they wish. I have great favor with the gods and my life goes well.
We do not see the point of sacred scripture or doctrines, but we love our freedom of intellectual inquiry which expands our understandings. My wife and I travel to the Oracle of Delphi, the shrine of Apollo, the center of the universe and the “navel” of the earth, to worship, to learn and to meet others who come to hear the priestess of Apollo who sits on the tripod over the fissure in the rocks and utters all manner of prophecy and mystical wisdom in a state of ecstasy. It is a wonder to us.
I live during the “Greek Golden Age”, which is the time between 480 and 430 B.C.E. Our people experience one of the most creative times in the history of the world. Our mood is confident since we overcame the Persians and we feel the spirit of vigorous chauvinism, which has ushered in this age of drama, philosophy, music, art and architecture that now flourishes in abundance in Athens. We are the most cosmopolitan in all of Greece. We enjoy one of the most unique governments, a Democratic government, forged by Solon, an enlightened one, who put civic responsibilities in the hands of the people. All is done for the common good. Pericles is one of our most prominent citizens and holds a primary place in our government (but he causes a lot of hostility that eventually causes the end of our wonderful life here). He “Glorified” Athens with his many improvement programs. I enjoy the liveliness of our people. We all feel part of our government. Life is good and we are free. “The heroic idealism of the Iliad has bloomed into civic patriotism!” Unfortunately, my society is quite male oriented and women, children, resident aliens, and slaves do not qualify as citizens. But, I do listen to my wife when she has something to say to me about it all. She is very wise.
We are surrounded with amazing gifted people. Homer writes many literary, historical and other such essays. Aesvhylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes are playwrights who write many kinds of dramas. Aristotle is a very famous philosopher. Socrates is a humanist intellectual. There are so many others who live among us and teach us with their words of wisdom that I cannot name them all. They entertain us, make us think in debates and give us insight into the ways of the gods and life. They recall our history, make us laugh with great humor, compel us to cry with deep sadness and are part of the vast amount of talent in our small population of about 250,000. All in all, I am a happy man with a happy woman living amongst some of the happiest people in all the land. The air of creativity seems electric all around me. Every day a new wonder is to be known.
In perhaps the “freest” city in the known world at that time, Athens offered great freedom to many of its people (mostly male). I believe that freedom is essential for a good life. As you can see from all the development of a multitude of talents, abilities, crafts, vocations etc, freedom allows a maximum benefit of both a positive attitude, the availability of materials through trade, and the motivation to explore the self in relation to the world, the self and others. It is important that people feel good about where they live, feel free to explore their world, create with places to do so, and to be free to actually accomplish their dreams. Athens was a place where the extreme in creativity, in the arts and the self, developed beyond normal because of the freedom and happiness the people felt in the way they were governed and the way they lived. Victory over the Persians didn’t hurt their morale, either! Freedom opens doors that other more oppressive governments cannot open for their people.
Freedom was great in Athens for the men, but not to women, children and slaves. I wonder how they felt. I can’t imagine I’d be happy in that position, but maybe because I was raised with the oppression upon me, I might not notice it as much as I do now. Knowing me, if I was as I am now, I would probably be killed or I would start a revolution for the other 2/3 of the population of Athens! The more controlled people are, the less they feel like creating. We do not see many women creators among the greats of Athens. Oppression in any form will stunt creativity and happiness. Truly, freedom is the way mankind and all living things are meant to live.
Final statement:
Yes, I think this would have been a good time to live. I have all I need to be happy. I think that if I possessed the spirit I now have, during a life in this time, I might have been quite an influence on the course of human history because I would have sought equality, partnership and mutuality among the sexes, the races and the classes. I would have talked about caring for the earth and keeping her healthy for the future. I would have been part of a movement to learn how to integrate this belief into the pantheon of the gods I believed in. I think today, the gods have great meaning for me and because I am open to knowing the true spirit that is in all, I can understand the gods and learn much from the lessons they teach. Perhaps I might even have been able to save us all from the male dominated society with men and women sharing equally in the process of life on the planet. (What a great fantasy!)
Wouldn’t it have been great to thwart that infectious self-centeredness that has spoiled so much for everyone and to be able to influence the thinking of the time toward respect for all life and each other? What an interesting idea to ponder. How could any of us not have helped change the future of mankind if we realized how important it was to make that change from male domination to mutuality, from power over others to respect for one another and from aggression to assertion. Clearly, the world was hard then and has remained hard to this day.
Because of a dominating male, the Golden Age of Athens came to an end and what could have been the birthplace of people sharing their government and their lives in a mutual way, did not get a chance to blossom. I think the women and children would be the next thing to move into the lime light if I were living in that time as a man with the same spirit I possess now and with the knowledge of how wonderful mutuality is. At least I would have opened the door to it and perhaps women would have been heard. Whether a man or a woman, I can dream of such changes and hope for them now. Being a woman, could also be an advantage as I become credentialed, educated and able to be heard in meaningful ways. This course is opening my eyes.
"Pax Romana" was Relative Peace in Rome
It is interesting to me that the “Pax Romana” became “a period of peace” in the archives of history because I found a surprisingly large amount of information on the kinds and amounts of conflict that went on in the Empire under Augustus. I suppose that peace is relative because things were much worse before and after this period of time. Augustus must have been a very powerful man to bring so much order resulting in a flourishing legal, social, cultural and economic experience to the Empire.
A.What was the Pax Romana?
The Pax Romana is a Latin term for “the Roman Peace”. It is used to describe the time (between 27 B.C. and 180 A.D.), when “Rome was at its greatest extent with the conquests of Trajan” (Wikipedia). It refers to “the long period of relative peace and minimal expansion by military force” (Wikipedia). “Octavian (was a Roman army general (imperator) usurped the throne from Mark Antony and Cleopatra and gained the approval of the senate to rule for life. He was given the title Augustus (the Revered One) by the Senate.” (Fiero p. 156) “He called himself “the first citizen”, shared legislative power but retained the power to veto any new law. He was a military dictator. (Fiero p. 133) When Augustus took the throne, “his reign ushered in and established an era of peace and stability.” (Fiero p. 133) He brought the empire to its “Glorified Prime”. This was “the period which refers mainly to the great Romanization of the Western world.”(Home Page: UNRV)
B.What policies and practices enable it to flourish?
Augustus felt that “it was important to establish border security, and find new pursuits for his 150,000 active legionaries.” (Home Page: URNV) “The Roman military frequently had to quell rebellions. Additionally, both border skirmishes and Roman wars of conquest happened during this period. (Wikipedia) “The Legions patrolled the borders with success, quelled frequent rebellions and had some major conquests. Even so, there were still many foreign wars.” (Home Page: URNV) For the enemies of Rome, the Pax Romana didn't signal peace or tranquility. The legions saw considerable action bringing previously un-pacified territory under control, spreading Roman influence in the Balkans, and attempting expansion in Germania. (Home Page: URNV) “As a result of the numerous foreign wars, Augustus was not finding new recruits easily. In a terribly unpopular, yet necessary move, he was forced to start drawing recruits from freedmen and even purposely freed slaves,” (Home Page: URNV) to again build up his dwindling military strength. “The strain on Roman manpower was beginning to be pushed to the extreme.” (Home Page: URNV) But new events of conflict unfolded “that forced Augustus to call for a complete end to Imperial expansion.” (Home Page: URNV)
“The internal empire was free from major invasion, piracy or social disorder and was relatively free of large scale power disputes.” (Home Page: URNV) Augusts put an end to the civil wars and brought the empire under his control. During the Pax Romana, “Roman commerce thrived, unhampered by marauding enemy troops.” (Wikipedia) “The interior of the Empire remained untouched by warfare. The Pax Romana was an era of relative tranquility in which Rome endured neither major civil wars, nor serious invasions or killings.” (Wikipedia) The Roman Peace prevailed throughout the Empire, and Rome enjoyed active commercial contact with all parts of the civilized world, including India and China. (Fiero p. 133)
“Augustus tried to arrest the tide of moral decay that had swept into Rome: in an effort to restore family values and the begetting of legitimate children, he passed laws (which ultimately failed in their purpose), to curb adultery and to prevent bachelors from receiving inheritances.” (Fiero p. 133) These laws were pretty harsh, allowing the killing of offenders. “The Roman legal system, which forms the basis of many western court systems today, brought law and order to the provinces. Rome’s most enduring accomplishments include the practical areas of law, language and political life. (Fiero p. 156) Augustus’ many projects and policies allowed the Pax Romana to flourish and develop in many positive ways breathing new life into the war torn Empire.
The Pax Romana was a time of artistic and literary productivity. The arts and architecture flourished, along with commerce and the economy.” (Home Page: URNV) “Sculpture, architecture and literature were commissioned. Augustus boasted that he had come to power when Rome was a city of brick and would leave it a city of marble (veneers of marble over brick in most cases).” (Fiero p. 133) “In a city blighted by crime, noise, poor hygiene and frequent scarcity of food and water, Augustus initiated many new public works, such as: three new aqueducts and 500+ fountains along with civic services such as a police force and a fire department.” (Fiero p. 133) “The Romans produced no original philosophy but cultivated Hellenistic schools of thought. Roman literature manifests a practical bias for factual information. The Romans gave the world its first encyclopedia, as well as, memorable biographies, essays, speeches, histories, letters, poetry, critical views of life through satirical verse (most original contribution by Rome to literature) and other artistic forms. Rome’s architectural and engineering projects, including the invention of the arch, techniques of concrete and brick construction, had far reaching influence on future civilization. To the classical style in architecture, the Romans contributed domed and stone-vaulted types of construction that enclosed vast areas of space. Rome borrowed Hellenic models in all of the arts, but the taste for realism dominated narrative relief sculpture, portrait busts and fresco painting. These genres disclose a love for literal truth that contrasts sharply with the Hellenic effort to generalize and idealize form.” (Fiero p. 156) Not only did Rome make life good for the people during Augustus’s reign, but the cultural genres flourished and preserved their accomplishments that are admired and used throughout the world today.
C. How did women and slaves fare during this period?
Women and slaves fared slightly better than their counterparts in Athens. Not many rights, not citizenship, voting, etc.
Works Cited:
1. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 10/14/08. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 10/16/08
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pax_romana
2. United Nations of Roma Victrix. 2002-2008. UNRV 10/16/08
http://www.unrv.com/early-empire/pax-romana.php
3. Fiero, Gloria K. The Humanistic Tradition. New York: Mc Graw Hill, 2006.
A.What was the Pax Romana?
The Pax Romana is a Latin term for “the Roman Peace”. It is used to describe the time (between 27 B.C. and 180 A.D.), when “Rome was at its greatest extent with the conquests of Trajan” (Wikipedia). It refers to “the long period of relative peace and minimal expansion by military force” (Wikipedia). “Octavian (was a Roman army general (imperator) usurped the throne from Mark Antony and Cleopatra and gained the approval of the senate to rule for life. He was given the title Augustus (the Revered One) by the Senate.” (Fiero p. 156) “He called himself “the first citizen”, shared legislative power but retained the power to veto any new law. He was a military dictator. (Fiero p. 133) When Augustus took the throne, “his reign ushered in and established an era of peace and stability.” (Fiero p. 133) He brought the empire to its “Glorified Prime”. This was “the period which refers mainly to the great Romanization of the Western world.”(Home Page: UNRV)
B.What policies and practices enable it to flourish?
Augustus felt that “it was important to establish border security, and find new pursuits for his 150,000 active legionaries.” (Home Page: URNV) “The Roman military frequently had to quell rebellions. Additionally, both border skirmishes and Roman wars of conquest happened during this period. (Wikipedia) “The Legions patrolled the borders with success, quelled frequent rebellions and had some major conquests. Even so, there were still many foreign wars.” (Home Page: URNV) For the enemies of Rome, the Pax Romana didn't signal peace or tranquility. The legions saw considerable action bringing previously un-pacified territory under control, spreading Roman influence in the Balkans, and attempting expansion in Germania. (Home Page: URNV) “As a result of the numerous foreign wars, Augustus was not finding new recruits easily. In a terribly unpopular, yet necessary move, he was forced to start drawing recruits from freedmen and even purposely freed slaves,” (Home Page: URNV) to again build up his dwindling military strength. “The strain on Roman manpower was beginning to be pushed to the extreme.” (Home Page: URNV) But new events of conflict unfolded “that forced Augustus to call for a complete end to Imperial expansion.” (Home Page: URNV)
“The internal empire was free from major invasion, piracy or social disorder and was relatively free of large scale power disputes.” (Home Page: URNV) Augusts put an end to the civil wars and brought the empire under his control. During the Pax Romana, “Roman commerce thrived, unhampered by marauding enemy troops.” (Wikipedia) “The interior of the Empire remained untouched by warfare. The Pax Romana was an era of relative tranquility in which Rome endured neither major civil wars, nor serious invasions or killings.” (Wikipedia) The Roman Peace prevailed throughout the Empire, and Rome enjoyed active commercial contact with all parts of the civilized world, including India and China. (Fiero p. 133)
“Augustus tried to arrest the tide of moral decay that had swept into Rome: in an effort to restore family values and the begetting of legitimate children, he passed laws (which ultimately failed in their purpose), to curb adultery and to prevent bachelors from receiving inheritances.” (Fiero p. 133) These laws were pretty harsh, allowing the killing of offenders. “The Roman legal system, which forms the basis of many western court systems today, brought law and order to the provinces. Rome’s most enduring accomplishments include the practical areas of law, language and political life. (Fiero p. 156) Augustus’ many projects and policies allowed the Pax Romana to flourish and develop in many positive ways breathing new life into the war torn Empire.
The Pax Romana was a time of artistic and literary productivity. The arts and architecture flourished, along with commerce and the economy.” (Home Page: URNV) “Sculpture, architecture and literature were commissioned. Augustus boasted that he had come to power when Rome was a city of brick and would leave it a city of marble (veneers of marble over brick in most cases).” (Fiero p. 133) “In a city blighted by crime, noise, poor hygiene and frequent scarcity of food and water, Augustus initiated many new public works, such as: three new aqueducts and 500+ fountains along with civic services such as a police force and a fire department.” (Fiero p. 133) “The Romans produced no original philosophy but cultivated Hellenistic schools of thought. Roman literature manifests a practical bias for factual information. The Romans gave the world its first encyclopedia, as well as, memorable biographies, essays, speeches, histories, letters, poetry, critical views of life through satirical verse (most original contribution by Rome to literature) and other artistic forms. Rome’s architectural and engineering projects, including the invention of the arch, techniques of concrete and brick construction, had far reaching influence on future civilization. To the classical style in architecture, the Romans contributed domed and stone-vaulted types of construction that enclosed vast areas of space. Rome borrowed Hellenic models in all of the arts, but the taste for realism dominated narrative relief sculpture, portrait busts and fresco painting. These genres disclose a love for literal truth that contrasts sharply with the Hellenic effort to generalize and idealize form.” (Fiero p. 156) Not only did Rome make life good for the people during Augustus’s reign, but the cultural genres flourished and preserved their accomplishments that are admired and used throughout the world today.
C. How did women and slaves fare during this period?
Women and slaves fared slightly better than their counterparts in Athens. Not many rights, not citizenship, voting, etc.
Works Cited:
1. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 10/14/08. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 10/16/08
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pax_romana
2. United Nations of Roma Victrix. 2002-2008. UNRV 10/16/08
http://www.unrv.com/early-empire/pax-romana.php
3. Fiero, Gloria K. The Humanistic Tradition. New York: Mc Graw Hill, 2006.
Sappho's Poems, Poem One - Deep Feelings.
The first of Sappho’s poems, in reading 1:19, is a very passionate description of how love paints pictures in our minds of the object of our love. A woman, most likely Sappho, tells of the man she is in love with using vivid, concise imagery. “I can’t speak – my tongue is broken”; (Fiero, Sappho pg. 120 lines 10 - 11). This poem speaks of very deep emotion that is felt to the core of her being unto a sense of death with the intensity of the rapture she feels over this man she loves. “…I turn paler than dry grass. At such times death is not far from me” (Fiero, Sappho pg. 120 lines16 - 18). Perhaps she is admiring a hero of battle or someone who has high qualities of goodness toward others, or a beautiful god-like man who is a leader or ruler.
I have felt this kind of passion and relate strongly to Sappho’s feelings about this man she loved. I do not think there is any thing more incredible than the passion of rapture a woman feels about a man worthy of such high feeling. She knows he is amazing, wonderful, a good man. “He is more than a hero, a god in my eyes…” (Fiero, Sappho pg. 120 lines 1-2). He must be beautiful, handsome and pleasing to her eyes. I know how that feels. It is rare to find someone who you feel this way about. I wonder if he returns her favor.
This poem reminds me of how I have felt about a man in the past and contributes to my thoughts and feelings by providing clearer meanings to my feelings, which I could not put into words. “I drip with sweat; trembling shakes my body…” (Fiero, Sappho pg.120 lines 15-16).
Sappho was of the Hellenic culture and wrote this lyric poem, which is meant to be sung by its self or accompanied by a lyre or other instrument. The expression of Classical style in this poem is very interesting in that the few words used convey so much emotion and feeling with great intensity. “…a thin flame runs under my skin;…” (Fiero, Sappho pg. 120 lines12 - 13). This poem is culturally significant because expression through art forms, such as poetry, is disciplined and timeless. Each culture and time period has its own forms of art that help us understand the development of human kind over the centuries. This is a beautiful example of lyrical poetry written in this time period (610-580 B. C. E).
Works Cited:
Fiero, Gloria K. The Humanistic Tradition Book One. New York: Mc Graw Hill, 2006. (Sappho pg. 120, first poem, lines 1 - 19)
I have felt this kind of passion and relate strongly to Sappho’s feelings about this man she loved. I do not think there is any thing more incredible than the passion of rapture a woman feels about a man worthy of such high feeling. She knows he is amazing, wonderful, a good man. “He is more than a hero, a god in my eyes…” (Fiero, Sappho pg. 120 lines 1-2). He must be beautiful, handsome and pleasing to her eyes. I know how that feels. It is rare to find someone who you feel this way about. I wonder if he returns her favor.
This poem reminds me of how I have felt about a man in the past and contributes to my thoughts and feelings by providing clearer meanings to my feelings, which I could not put into words. “I drip with sweat; trembling shakes my body…” (Fiero, Sappho pg.120 lines 15-16).
Sappho was of the Hellenic culture and wrote this lyric poem, which is meant to be sung by its self or accompanied by a lyre or other instrument. The expression of Classical style in this poem is very interesting in that the few words used convey so much emotion and feeling with great intensity. “…a thin flame runs under my skin;…” (Fiero, Sappho pg. 120 lines12 - 13). This poem is culturally significant because expression through art forms, such as poetry, is disciplined and timeless. Each culture and time period has its own forms of art that help us understand the development of human kind over the centuries. This is a beautiful example of lyrical poetry written in this time period (610-580 B. C. E).
Works Cited:
Fiero, Gloria K. The Humanistic Tradition Book One. New York: Mc Graw Hill, 2006. (Sappho pg. 120, first poem, lines 1 - 19)
Hellenistic School of Thought That Ran Away with the Mind
Which of the Hellenistic schools of thought do you find most appealing: Stoicism, Epicureanism, Cynicism, or Skepticism? Why?
“All four of these schools of thought placed the personal needs and emotions of the individual above the good of the community. They departed the search for universal truth, the Hellenic Quest.” (1)
Self centeredness was born! This self-centered attitude in favor of the well being of the individual over the well being of the community has strongly influenced the future of humanity. Today this behavior is the by-word of our world. I believe that if the Chinese and Indian values of teamwork, mutuality and community over the welfare of the individual, were taught and adopted, our world would drastically change for the better. For one to think of the self above the welfare of all is to threaten the survival of all. If we all do that, how can we find peace? We can see how this behavior has affected most people in our world, in our country and all around us. It is indeed two or even one dimensional thinking. It has no depth, either way you look at it.
Without the depth of spirit as an aspect along with the physical and the emotional self, the human being becomes incomplete. Because we are spiritual by nature, we need to include this in our personal development on all three levels. To leave out the spiritual is to make the world like a flat surface of cardboard. We live OK and me move OK but we cannot attach to the part of us we are denying. Perhaps we are just denying we are attached to spirit both in the world beyond and upon the Earth. Maybe avoiding it, not believing in it makes us less responsible and more able to justify our not so great self-centered choices and behaviors. It is certain that without that part of us functioning, we are just free floating through life with no attachments to anything, including right and wrong, until we die and return to the earth, never knowing our potential as spiritual beings. Hmmm. Fact or fiction?
Definitions from the text:
“Stoicism: believed that they could find complete peace of mind by practicing a doctrine of detachment. Taken to the extreme this idea can allow one to live in the worst conditions of circumstances. The Stoic’s goal was to bring the self into complete harmony with the will of nature, which was governed by an impersonal intelligence. The idea of universal equality was part of their beliefs.
Epicureanism: followed the Greek thinker, Epicurus (342-270 B.C.E.). He taught that happiness depended on avoiding all forms of physical access, a kind of moderation and detachment from over indulgence. They lived modestly and strove for perfect union of body and mind. Epicurus believed that the gods had no role in human life and that when you die; you go back into the Earth where your atoms were reused by nature. There was no after-life or spirit.
Cynicism: believed that spiritual satisfaction was only possible if one renounced societal values, conventions and material wealth.
Skepticism: they denied the possibility of knowing anything with certainty: they argued for the suspension of all intellectual judgment.” (1)
Each of these schools of thought has a piece that is appealing, but each lacks a comprehensive understanding of reality. It is like they went from three dimensional understanding to 2 dimensional or even 1 dimensional understanding! They have eliminated their depth. They are without balance and are stark in their limiting life-style.
The Stoic way tests patience by detachment from the positive and negative activities of life. I would call this two dimensional thinking because it has two positive elements. It is very appealing to me to bring my self into complete harmony with nature, but the will of an impersonal intelligence which governs nature does not appeal to me at all. Nature is a teacher and gives us blessings and comfort. It also can give us wisdom from its harsh realities. Equality is a good thing, but it must be in the spirit of understanding what the qualities of this equality are. What did they think it was? At least we would all be equally depressed! No depth.
The Epicureans follow a man who thinks a certain way. I believe Epicurus was a two dimensional thinker and has two positives to his idea. There is much to be said of moderation and it is a good quality to practice. Living modestly is good because it is amazing to realize how much stuff we can accumulate that we really don’t need! Simplicity is a stress reducing tool. It is curious how he could believe that the gods have no role in human affairs, but he may not have been exposed to the idea of spirit because the gods were not real to him. They are also persona that do have energy if you believe. But, because what you believe, you have the experience of it. So, if Epicurus did not believe, it makes sense that he had no experience of their influence in spiritual and magical matters. We all know that our bodies do return to the earth and our atoms are recycled. But what is the answer for where the consciousness goes? It’s like living one time and dying with no ties to any thing of the past or future. I wonder how they stayed out of depression. No depth.
The Cynic believes that you could get spiritual satisfaction only by renouncing the societal values, conventions and material wealth. This is a one dimensional form of thinking that leaves you with living in the woods or the streets. Maybe renouncing them still leaves you room to live in a nice place where you can live reasonably well. Without an understanding of what spirit is and what your personal purpose is, life is a series of pointless events that lead nowhere and then you die. In my mind I renounce civilization in favor of living closer to the Earth. But, that renouncement only goes as far as not loosing my air conditioning, my electric, my lights my stove, etc., and a place to sleep in my home. Maybe I could have renounced civilization and went to live in the wilderness somewhere when I was young, but in reality, it is difficult for me to do it now because of my age, my needs and my comfort in the present system. So, fantasy aside, this is not appealing to me. If this is all there is to life, I may have to get some Prozac! No depth.
The Skeptic denies the possibility of knowing anything for certain. This can cause a problem if you aren’t sure your food is on your plate! How far did they take it? When you suspend all judgment, as they believe you should, can you discern danger? What extreme is it taken to? In this belief system, a one dimensional mind pretzel, I cannot see how the mind can rest in anything because no peace can be found with that much analysis! This is not at all appealing to me. This kind of mind game might require lithium!
In closing, if I have only these 4 choices, and I could choose more than one, I would choose to live in the both the Stoic and the Epicurean camps. Each has equal appeal for a part of their beliefs, and each has a negative appeal for another of their beliefs. I like the idea of growing into harmony with nature. I like the idea of living simply. I like the idea of moderation and the freedom to let my remains go back to the Earth, But, I do not think I would survive well beyond that without my strong belief in and understanding of Spirit. Because neither believes that Spirit has a personal concern for all creation, believing instead that nature is an impersonal intelligence and the gods are not involved with creation, I would be left with choosing the good things and avoiding the bad things in each camp. Either way, if there is no spirit, there is no deep happiness for me.
These one or two dimensional “schools of thought” are like branches that have been cut from the tree and left to dry out. Then someone comes along and thinks they are the living tree! OK, now for the winner of the contest: I would have to choose Epicureanism because living in moderation and detachment from materialism would most likely give me the greatest possibility for a peaceful life. You have what you need but you’re not overwhelmed with excess. No one is trying to indoctrinate you in some religion and you can detach from many distractions in favor of peacefulness. Looking within to bring the body and mind into harmony is also a good thing that can lead to enlightenment because of the meditation that would be involved. It has the most hope for a spiritual awakening. Returning to the Earth seems right and normal when death comes.
Works Cited:
(1) Fiero, Gloria K. The Humanistic Tradition Book One. New York: Mc Graw Hill, 2006. (pg. 124)
“All four of these schools of thought placed the personal needs and emotions of the individual above the good of the community. They departed the search for universal truth, the Hellenic Quest.” (1)
Self centeredness was born! This self-centered attitude in favor of the well being of the individual over the well being of the community has strongly influenced the future of humanity. Today this behavior is the by-word of our world. I believe that if the Chinese and Indian values of teamwork, mutuality and community over the welfare of the individual, were taught and adopted, our world would drastically change for the better. For one to think of the self above the welfare of all is to threaten the survival of all. If we all do that, how can we find peace? We can see how this behavior has affected most people in our world, in our country and all around us. It is indeed two or even one dimensional thinking. It has no depth, either way you look at it.
Without the depth of spirit as an aspect along with the physical and the emotional self, the human being becomes incomplete. Because we are spiritual by nature, we need to include this in our personal development on all three levels. To leave out the spiritual is to make the world like a flat surface of cardboard. We live OK and me move OK but we cannot attach to the part of us we are denying. Perhaps we are just denying we are attached to spirit both in the world beyond and upon the Earth. Maybe avoiding it, not believing in it makes us less responsible and more able to justify our not so great self-centered choices and behaviors. It is certain that without that part of us functioning, we are just free floating through life with no attachments to anything, including right and wrong, until we die and return to the earth, never knowing our potential as spiritual beings. Hmmm. Fact or fiction?
Definitions from the text:
“Stoicism: believed that they could find complete peace of mind by practicing a doctrine of detachment. Taken to the extreme this idea can allow one to live in the worst conditions of circumstances. The Stoic’s goal was to bring the self into complete harmony with the will of nature, which was governed by an impersonal intelligence. The idea of universal equality was part of their beliefs.
Epicureanism: followed the Greek thinker, Epicurus (342-270 B.C.E.). He taught that happiness depended on avoiding all forms of physical access, a kind of moderation and detachment from over indulgence. They lived modestly and strove for perfect union of body and mind. Epicurus believed that the gods had no role in human life and that when you die; you go back into the Earth where your atoms were reused by nature. There was no after-life or spirit.
Cynicism: believed that spiritual satisfaction was only possible if one renounced societal values, conventions and material wealth.
Skepticism: they denied the possibility of knowing anything with certainty: they argued for the suspension of all intellectual judgment.” (1)
Each of these schools of thought has a piece that is appealing, but each lacks a comprehensive understanding of reality. It is like they went from three dimensional understanding to 2 dimensional or even 1 dimensional understanding! They have eliminated their depth. They are without balance and are stark in their limiting life-style.
The Stoic way tests patience by detachment from the positive and negative activities of life. I would call this two dimensional thinking because it has two positive elements. It is very appealing to me to bring my self into complete harmony with nature, but the will of an impersonal intelligence which governs nature does not appeal to me at all. Nature is a teacher and gives us blessings and comfort. It also can give us wisdom from its harsh realities. Equality is a good thing, but it must be in the spirit of understanding what the qualities of this equality are. What did they think it was? At least we would all be equally depressed! No depth.
The Epicureans follow a man who thinks a certain way. I believe Epicurus was a two dimensional thinker and has two positives to his idea. There is much to be said of moderation and it is a good quality to practice. Living modestly is good because it is amazing to realize how much stuff we can accumulate that we really don’t need! Simplicity is a stress reducing tool. It is curious how he could believe that the gods have no role in human affairs, but he may not have been exposed to the idea of spirit because the gods were not real to him. They are also persona that do have energy if you believe. But, because what you believe, you have the experience of it. So, if Epicurus did not believe, it makes sense that he had no experience of their influence in spiritual and magical matters. We all know that our bodies do return to the earth and our atoms are recycled. But what is the answer for where the consciousness goes? It’s like living one time and dying with no ties to any thing of the past or future. I wonder how they stayed out of depression. No depth.
The Cynic believes that you could get spiritual satisfaction only by renouncing the societal values, conventions and material wealth. This is a one dimensional form of thinking that leaves you with living in the woods or the streets. Maybe renouncing them still leaves you room to live in a nice place where you can live reasonably well. Without an understanding of what spirit is and what your personal purpose is, life is a series of pointless events that lead nowhere and then you die. In my mind I renounce civilization in favor of living closer to the Earth. But, that renouncement only goes as far as not loosing my air conditioning, my electric, my lights my stove, etc., and a place to sleep in my home. Maybe I could have renounced civilization and went to live in the wilderness somewhere when I was young, but in reality, it is difficult for me to do it now because of my age, my needs and my comfort in the present system. So, fantasy aside, this is not appealing to me. If this is all there is to life, I may have to get some Prozac! No depth.
The Skeptic denies the possibility of knowing anything for certain. This can cause a problem if you aren’t sure your food is on your plate! How far did they take it? When you suspend all judgment, as they believe you should, can you discern danger? What extreme is it taken to? In this belief system, a one dimensional mind pretzel, I cannot see how the mind can rest in anything because no peace can be found with that much analysis! This is not at all appealing to me. This kind of mind game might require lithium!
In closing, if I have only these 4 choices, and I could choose more than one, I would choose to live in the both the Stoic and the Epicurean camps. Each has equal appeal for a part of their beliefs, and each has a negative appeal for another of their beliefs. I like the idea of growing into harmony with nature. I like the idea of living simply. I like the idea of moderation and the freedom to let my remains go back to the Earth, But, I do not think I would survive well beyond that without my strong belief in and understanding of Spirit. Because neither believes that Spirit has a personal concern for all creation, believing instead that nature is an impersonal intelligence and the gods are not involved with creation, I would be left with choosing the good things and avoiding the bad things in each camp. Either way, if there is no spirit, there is no deep happiness for me.
These one or two dimensional “schools of thought” are like branches that have been cut from the tree and left to dry out. Then someone comes along and thinks they are the living tree! OK, now for the winner of the contest: I would have to choose Epicureanism because living in moderation and detachment from materialism would most likely give me the greatest possibility for a peaceful life. You have what you need but you’re not overwhelmed with excess. No one is trying to indoctrinate you in some religion and you can detach from many distractions in favor of peacefulness. Looking within to bring the body and mind into harmony is also a good thing that can lead to enlightenment because of the meditation that would be involved. It has the most hope for a spiritual awakening. Returning to the Earth seems right and normal when death comes.
Works Cited:
(1) Fiero, Gloria K. The Humanistic Tradition Book One. New York: Mc Graw Hill, 2006. (pg. 124)
Plato, Spirituality and Government
Avatars: The Dali Llama, Chief Joseph, Red Cloud, Jesus, Buddha etc.
I was totally fascinated with the reading on Plato. It is comforting to find out that people long ago knew what many of us know today: that only a person who understands the nature of reality and operates in the spirit, or forms, of true reality can lead in a selfless way, allowing for just and honest treatment. I was able to study Chinese and Indian medical systems at Everglades. Both of these bodies of knowledge opened my eyes to a way of thinking that changed me forever. I was also exposed to the Native American way, which added to my understanding of spiritual reality, or forms. I am amazed how much Plato and I agree. When studying Hindu medicine, I discovered the spiritual understandings they believed. They are very ancient and very real. I found myself not only seeing things in terms of what I experienced in the world, but I was beginning to see things in terms of these “new” truths. I believe these ancient understandings have influenced many civilizations. Taken in a holistic understanding of health and wellness, their beliefs about spiritual things also speak of a holistic view of the spirit. The body, mind, spirit connection is inseparable and to ignore one or limit one is to limit all of them. One affects the others.
I believe truth and justice can exist in the material world. I do not believe absolute truth and justice can exist in the material world, but I believe you can get pretty close to it. When a person functions in the world without spiritual enlightenment, it is natural for them to move from event to event in their lives and to respond to what is around them with their desires for the things that they want. This is called “free-floating” through life with no purpose and no goals. People generally will want things, many times, to fill needs that seem to be satisfied with material things. From the time we are born to the time we die, we are surrounded with things that are acquirable and bombarded with a constant din of “buy, buy, buy”. The business and acquisition of material things appears to fulfill us. But, in reality they don't. They just weigh us down with things we have to do something with and keep, clean, fix, etc.
What Plato said is true. Without someone coming along and taking the chains off our leg and our neck and helping us to rise and turn around to see the source of the light, we see only shadows of reality. Science proves that the spiritual world is more solid than the material world, more real than what we see and possesses. Eternal premises such at justice, truth, love, and other virtues, values and attributes are ideals that are spiritual in nature. Quantum thought is also a spiritual understanding based in Science. The two fields are becoming one, because one looks at the laws of the temporal and the other looks at the laws of the spiritual. They are mirrors of each other and speak of the true reality, where we all come from and where we all go. Like Plato, I understand that they are, as he calls them, forms or part of a perfect eternal reality. When you live as if material things are the truth and the only reality, you get lost in it and most times you are only concerned about what is in it for you. It is easy to get lost with all the trinkets out there!
I think that we all know what is good and what is right. The spiritual spark in us is attached to the spiritual forms or plane. It is attached to what created it, Spirit, however you see the eternal Supreme Being or Energy. Whatever you call it, there is a place where absolute justice and truth exist, but it is in the eternal plane not in the temporal one. Justice is about fairness. Laws are supposed to be about fairness and be used to protect people from those who would take advantage of them or force them to do their will. Truth is about what is right and what is good, which we all know inherently because we are part of the spiritual realm. I believe we are spirits in these bodies to learn how to be Creator to each other and to nurture and heal our world. What greater gift can you give than your love, your kindness, the truth and fair justice to another? We all feel clean and good when we do right and when we are treated fairly. Nothing undermines self worth quicker than unfairness (injustice).
Truth lines up with spiritual reality and justice lines up with spiritual understanding. The Native Americans chose their leaders on the basis of their spiritual development. Only those who were wise could lead the tribe. He must be willing to give his life for the well being of the tribe. He must be the servant of the people in all ways. He must do what is best for all. He looks for the greatest benefit for his people to bring health and happiness to them. He speaks the truth and is fair to everyone, seeking no advantage for himself. He has no agenda for himself. A self serving agenda would have poisoned his ability to think first of the people and the land. By caring for his people, he has everything he needs and is rich along with his people in love, care, fairness, survival and all that the people need to live well and be happy. Simplicity, living close to the Earth and caring for her, caring for each other and doing what was right for all was a matter of survival. It also allowed a high quality of life and the survival of the tribe without engaging in excessive materialism. It was their lifestyle.
In our country, there are many kinds of leaders who appear to be very much about their own hidden agendas. The state of this country has been sabotaged by these self seeking, greedy men and women who use power to take from the people and the land without regard or without giving back. The welfare of the people and the land that supports life is the last consideration by much of government. In this material reality there is a great golf between proper government and what we are now experiencing. Science and spirituality are coming together. Will the inhabitants of the Earth be able to let the wise lead us? Will humankind continue to allow the unenlightened to be our rulers?
The Indians say that the highest form of government is spirituality. I think that is what Plato was getting at. The only thing I find lacking in Plato’s thinking is that he limits the attainment of spirituality to education. Education alone is not enough. Something in us, that we can’t explain, is more real than anything else and causes us to seek after it. Properly attaching to spirit and attaining understanding of spiritual things is the only pursuit that fills that “God shaped hole” within us. Plato missed out on the way to get enlightenment by leaving out meditation and other disciplines that help us to become available to this eternal knowledge and connection. I think his inability to embrace the whole understanding he most probably learned from the Asians may be because of the influence of the society he lived in during his life. The fact that he found that truth and justice were spiritual principles, called forms, and that he believed that enlightenment through knowledge of spiritual reality, through education, were essential to be able to lead the people was quite amazing.
A question that comes to mind is how can you be truly spiritual and be involved in politics? Plato addresses this is his story about the cave and the light. He says that once you become enlightened, you really have no interest in attaining stuff, power or anything else in the temporal realm. He says that a person, who doesn’t want to rule because of the depth of spirituality possessed, should feel it a duty to rule because it is in the best interests of all concerned. I wonder if the status quo would allow the Dali Llama to rule the world instead of Bush and his One World Government cronies.
It doesn’t matter what you name things, the ideas of Plato are very close to Asian beliefs about our world. They mirror Native American ideals and they have elements of Quantum thinking beliefs. The fact is that truth and justice both have been diffused by the greed and self-serving agendas of many leaders and corporations. Their agendas are not in line with enlightened spiritual knowledge. Many of the choices that are being made are not for the benefit of the Earth or her people. But no matter how much you deny truth and pervert justice, they remain the same, convicting the abusers in their hearts because they, too, know what is right and what is good. They cannot escape that knowledge. They will be held accountable by them.
I was totally fascinated with the reading on Plato. It is comforting to find out that people long ago knew what many of us know today: that only a person who understands the nature of reality and operates in the spirit, or forms, of true reality can lead in a selfless way, allowing for just and honest treatment. I was able to study Chinese and Indian medical systems at Everglades. Both of these bodies of knowledge opened my eyes to a way of thinking that changed me forever. I was also exposed to the Native American way, which added to my understanding of spiritual reality, or forms. I am amazed how much Plato and I agree. When studying Hindu medicine, I discovered the spiritual understandings they believed. They are very ancient and very real. I found myself not only seeing things in terms of what I experienced in the world, but I was beginning to see things in terms of these “new” truths. I believe these ancient understandings have influenced many civilizations. Taken in a holistic understanding of health and wellness, their beliefs about spiritual things also speak of a holistic view of the spirit. The body, mind, spirit connection is inseparable and to ignore one or limit one is to limit all of them. One affects the others.
I believe truth and justice can exist in the material world. I do not believe absolute truth and justice can exist in the material world, but I believe you can get pretty close to it. When a person functions in the world without spiritual enlightenment, it is natural for them to move from event to event in their lives and to respond to what is around them with their desires for the things that they want. This is called “free-floating” through life with no purpose and no goals. People generally will want things, many times, to fill needs that seem to be satisfied with material things. From the time we are born to the time we die, we are surrounded with things that are acquirable and bombarded with a constant din of “buy, buy, buy”. The business and acquisition of material things appears to fulfill us. But, in reality they don't. They just weigh us down with things we have to do something with and keep, clean, fix, etc.
What Plato said is true. Without someone coming along and taking the chains off our leg and our neck and helping us to rise and turn around to see the source of the light, we see only shadows of reality. Science proves that the spiritual world is more solid than the material world, more real than what we see and possesses. Eternal premises such at justice, truth, love, and other virtues, values and attributes are ideals that are spiritual in nature. Quantum thought is also a spiritual understanding based in Science. The two fields are becoming one, because one looks at the laws of the temporal and the other looks at the laws of the spiritual. They are mirrors of each other and speak of the true reality, where we all come from and where we all go. Like Plato, I understand that they are, as he calls them, forms or part of a perfect eternal reality. When you live as if material things are the truth and the only reality, you get lost in it and most times you are only concerned about what is in it for you. It is easy to get lost with all the trinkets out there!
I think that we all know what is good and what is right. The spiritual spark in us is attached to the spiritual forms or plane. It is attached to what created it, Spirit, however you see the eternal Supreme Being or Energy. Whatever you call it, there is a place where absolute justice and truth exist, but it is in the eternal plane not in the temporal one. Justice is about fairness. Laws are supposed to be about fairness and be used to protect people from those who would take advantage of them or force them to do their will. Truth is about what is right and what is good, which we all know inherently because we are part of the spiritual realm. I believe we are spirits in these bodies to learn how to be Creator to each other and to nurture and heal our world. What greater gift can you give than your love, your kindness, the truth and fair justice to another? We all feel clean and good when we do right and when we are treated fairly. Nothing undermines self worth quicker than unfairness (injustice).
Truth lines up with spiritual reality and justice lines up with spiritual understanding. The Native Americans chose their leaders on the basis of their spiritual development. Only those who were wise could lead the tribe. He must be willing to give his life for the well being of the tribe. He must be the servant of the people in all ways. He must do what is best for all. He looks for the greatest benefit for his people to bring health and happiness to them. He speaks the truth and is fair to everyone, seeking no advantage for himself. He has no agenda for himself. A self serving agenda would have poisoned his ability to think first of the people and the land. By caring for his people, he has everything he needs and is rich along with his people in love, care, fairness, survival and all that the people need to live well and be happy. Simplicity, living close to the Earth and caring for her, caring for each other and doing what was right for all was a matter of survival. It also allowed a high quality of life and the survival of the tribe without engaging in excessive materialism. It was their lifestyle.
In our country, there are many kinds of leaders who appear to be very much about their own hidden agendas. The state of this country has been sabotaged by these self seeking, greedy men and women who use power to take from the people and the land without regard or without giving back. The welfare of the people and the land that supports life is the last consideration by much of government. In this material reality there is a great golf between proper government and what we are now experiencing. Science and spirituality are coming together. Will the inhabitants of the Earth be able to let the wise lead us? Will humankind continue to allow the unenlightened to be our rulers?
The Indians say that the highest form of government is spirituality. I think that is what Plato was getting at. The only thing I find lacking in Plato’s thinking is that he limits the attainment of spirituality to education. Education alone is not enough. Something in us, that we can’t explain, is more real than anything else and causes us to seek after it. Properly attaching to spirit and attaining understanding of spiritual things is the only pursuit that fills that “God shaped hole” within us. Plato missed out on the way to get enlightenment by leaving out meditation and other disciplines that help us to become available to this eternal knowledge and connection. I think his inability to embrace the whole understanding he most probably learned from the Asians may be because of the influence of the society he lived in during his life. The fact that he found that truth and justice were spiritual principles, called forms, and that he believed that enlightenment through knowledge of spiritual reality, through education, were essential to be able to lead the people was quite amazing.
A question that comes to mind is how can you be truly spiritual and be involved in politics? Plato addresses this is his story about the cave and the light. He says that once you become enlightened, you really have no interest in attaining stuff, power or anything else in the temporal realm. He says that a person, who doesn’t want to rule because of the depth of spirituality possessed, should feel it a duty to rule because it is in the best interests of all concerned. I wonder if the status quo would allow the Dali Llama to rule the world instead of Bush and his One World Government cronies.
It doesn’t matter what you name things, the ideas of Plato are very close to Asian beliefs about our world. They mirror Native American ideals and they have elements of Quantum thinking beliefs. The fact is that truth and justice both have been diffused by the greed and self-serving agendas of many leaders and corporations. Their agendas are not in line with enlightened spiritual knowledge. Many of the choices that are being made are not for the benefit of the Earth or her people. But no matter how much you deny truth and pervert justice, they remain the same, convicting the abusers in their hearts because they, too, know what is right and what is good. They cannot escape that knowledge. They will be held accountable by them.
Thoughts on Hinduism, perception of nature and the Western response
Since I live in the West and I was raised in the culture of Western Civilization, my spiritual journey has been turbulent. Struggling with the doctrines of Christianity and the lack of a female counterpart to the male God, I have battled the fear, guilt, shame and rejection that have been part of my experience of this religion. When I reached my spiritual bottom, I decided to leave Christianity, not knowing what I was going to do with the love I had for God and the desire I had to heal and love my world. I have always had a deep love and respect for the natural world. Eventually finding the Earth paths of Wicca and Native American spirituality, I was opened to learning more about what spirituality meant to me. I was able to reconnect to nature and to connect to spirit in a new way. Everglades University also gave me the opportunity to explore Chinese and Indian medicine systems and what principles they were founded upon. Our text has also given some insight into these spiritual and philosophical approaches to life.
One of the things that was troublesome to me was how Western religions tended to take a piece of the truth and run with it as if it were the whole truth. I have seen this done over and over. When embracing new Eastern understandings, this has also been the case. I went to Bible school for 3.5 years and learned how to research the meanings in the Bible. Most of the time, I was finding out that many of the things I thought meant one thing were not true, but meant something much different. To gain an understanding of the meanings of things usually meant that I had to first understand the context of the information, the culture in which it was expressed, the time it was expressed in and the person who was saying it. Unless one is able to study the Eastern religions and understand context, it is difficult to gain the full meanings of things. Many get an insight and forget that it is in a context of understanding. They run off with it as if it is the whole “cookie” when it is only a crumb from the whole “cookie”!
The wisdom of the Eastern religions touches the spirit where it is hungry and awakens a part of us that has been asleep: that part that connects to the earth and the spirit, the ancient understandings that are part of our unconscious memory of our past lives. I think that is why the impact that Wicca and Native American spirituality had on me was so profound. It touched my ancient self. This continues to be why the teachings of ancient India and ancient China also have great influence on my developing spirituality.
In not associating this wisdom with our Western religions, which are very different, we tend to think that we are leaving the God we have known and sinning. I was taught that Eastern religions were demonic, as was any religion outside of Christianity. This was not true. I found that the Eastern understandings of spirituality opened me up to a larger, loving Creator that was pure divine and pure love. The use of a monotheistic religion, in this case Christianity, had limited me and had kept me in a narrow way of thinking about my world and myself. Its understanding of God, sin, etc. had caused me much spiritual pain and damage. For me, it was not where I belonged.
Quantum thought embraces the understanding that all things are sacred, that the divine is present in all of creation and that we are all one in it, as does Hindu and Chinese religions. The teachings of Indian and Chinese spirituality give us a freedom and a responsibility toward ourselves and our world in joy and love for them. We are all connected. This understanding that all things in the natural world are divinely infused, gives us a sense of reverence for the Earth and each other. As you draw closer to this understanding, it makes the walls and the negative emotions fall away and you can enter into a harmonious relationship with the natural world, each other, yourself and all of creation. I see all humanity, the natural world and all its inhabitants as one family on Earth. Seeing the divine nature in everything compels us to respect all that has been created. Love becomes the main thing in our relationship with our world. We begin to see that all the sorrow and suffering is because there are those who do not know who they are or why they are here and, many times, do not want to know. Greed has motivated many of the sufferings of our world.
The Hindu medical system, which embraced spirituality as part of our health, is perhaps one of the oldest in the world. Studying it has shown me how advanced human kind was in those ancient times. The divine that is described is incredible and seems to validate all that we know in science and spiritual reality. The religious aspects give deep spiritual food to the soul and the spirit.
Wicca gave me the Goddess to relate to and she helped to heal my negative feelings about being female. This path has empowered me and brought me to a place where I could appreciate the divine principle of Eastern thought. The Native American spiritual understandings brought the reverence of nature and each other as all things are of spirit. Both of these paths are part of my spirituality and the Eastern concept of spirituality had deepened and enriched my spirituality. In adding spiritual knowledge to my life, being eclectic, I have become more balanced, open and compassionate.
The polytheistic understanding appears to be a “forerunner”, concept or form before gaining the knowledge that Spirit is in all things and is the Divine Principle. In a way, polytheism fragments the unity of the divine into persona that hold different aspects, abilities and relationships to each other and the world. It does not see the divine principle as permeating the created universe. Both pantheistic and monotheistic understandings are limiting to my mind because there is even a bigger more encompassing understanding in the Eastern thought of the Divine principle, which is in all things.
I like to view the different gods and goddesses as aspects of Creator or spirit beings that have specific abilities to help human beings in this "boot camp" of spiritual development.I often ask different spirit beings for help. It is amazing how you get answers from the spirit no matter who you address for help! It certainly blew my mind when I sang to the goddess and found a new level of the presence of spirit, both God and Goddess and a more clearer sense of the reality of Spirit. It has been interesting outside the Christian boundaries which held me captive for so long. I am much happier and I find that learning about the past really does give you new perspective on the present. Maybe the future can be different. Hinduism offers many insights that have been lost to Western thought. I feel grateful that I have been exposed to them and now will have the opportunity to explore this knowledge without fear, guilt, shame or any other negative emotions. Knowledge is power because ideas are revolutionary and that is probably why religions do not like their members to look too much in other directions. This is what the taboos are about, keeping ideas from making the people wise and leaving the fold. I think they forgot that our spirituality is as individual as each human being is because we each must find our own unique connection and purpose in love.
The ancient wisdom of India has had a profound and significant influence on my view of spirituality and of the natural world. Together, the spiritual paths I have embraced have given me the knowledge that we need to care for our Earth, care for and love all that lives on the Earth and, as healers, give healing to all that suffers. We are indeed one family!
One of the things that was troublesome to me was how Western religions tended to take a piece of the truth and run with it as if it were the whole truth. I have seen this done over and over. When embracing new Eastern understandings, this has also been the case. I went to Bible school for 3.5 years and learned how to research the meanings in the Bible. Most of the time, I was finding out that many of the things I thought meant one thing were not true, but meant something much different. To gain an understanding of the meanings of things usually meant that I had to first understand the context of the information, the culture in which it was expressed, the time it was expressed in and the person who was saying it. Unless one is able to study the Eastern religions and understand context, it is difficult to gain the full meanings of things. Many get an insight and forget that it is in a context of understanding. They run off with it as if it is the whole “cookie” when it is only a crumb from the whole “cookie”!
The wisdom of the Eastern religions touches the spirit where it is hungry and awakens a part of us that has been asleep: that part that connects to the earth and the spirit, the ancient understandings that are part of our unconscious memory of our past lives. I think that is why the impact that Wicca and Native American spirituality had on me was so profound. It touched my ancient self. This continues to be why the teachings of ancient India and ancient China also have great influence on my developing spirituality.
In not associating this wisdom with our Western religions, which are very different, we tend to think that we are leaving the God we have known and sinning. I was taught that Eastern religions were demonic, as was any religion outside of Christianity. This was not true. I found that the Eastern understandings of spirituality opened me up to a larger, loving Creator that was pure divine and pure love. The use of a monotheistic religion, in this case Christianity, had limited me and had kept me in a narrow way of thinking about my world and myself. Its understanding of God, sin, etc. had caused me much spiritual pain and damage. For me, it was not where I belonged.
Quantum thought embraces the understanding that all things are sacred, that the divine is present in all of creation and that we are all one in it, as does Hindu and Chinese religions. The teachings of Indian and Chinese spirituality give us a freedom and a responsibility toward ourselves and our world in joy and love for them. We are all connected. This understanding that all things in the natural world are divinely infused, gives us a sense of reverence for the Earth and each other. As you draw closer to this understanding, it makes the walls and the negative emotions fall away and you can enter into a harmonious relationship with the natural world, each other, yourself and all of creation. I see all humanity, the natural world and all its inhabitants as one family on Earth. Seeing the divine nature in everything compels us to respect all that has been created. Love becomes the main thing in our relationship with our world. We begin to see that all the sorrow and suffering is because there are those who do not know who they are or why they are here and, many times, do not want to know. Greed has motivated many of the sufferings of our world.
The Hindu medical system, which embraced spirituality as part of our health, is perhaps one of the oldest in the world. Studying it has shown me how advanced human kind was in those ancient times. The divine that is described is incredible and seems to validate all that we know in science and spiritual reality. The religious aspects give deep spiritual food to the soul and the spirit.
Wicca gave me the Goddess to relate to and she helped to heal my negative feelings about being female. This path has empowered me and brought me to a place where I could appreciate the divine principle of Eastern thought. The Native American spiritual understandings brought the reverence of nature and each other as all things are of spirit. Both of these paths are part of my spirituality and the Eastern concept of spirituality had deepened and enriched my spirituality. In adding spiritual knowledge to my life, being eclectic, I have become more balanced, open and compassionate.
The polytheistic understanding appears to be a “forerunner”, concept or form before gaining the knowledge that Spirit is in all things and is the Divine Principle. In a way, polytheism fragments the unity of the divine into persona that hold different aspects, abilities and relationships to each other and the world. It does not see the divine principle as permeating the created universe. Both pantheistic and monotheistic understandings are limiting to my mind because there is even a bigger more encompassing understanding in the Eastern thought of the Divine principle, which is in all things.
I like to view the different gods and goddesses as aspects of Creator or spirit beings that have specific abilities to help human beings in this "boot camp" of spiritual development.I often ask different spirit beings for help. It is amazing how you get answers from the spirit no matter who you address for help! It certainly blew my mind when I sang to the goddess and found a new level of the presence of spirit, both God and Goddess and a more clearer sense of the reality of Spirit. It has been interesting outside the Christian boundaries which held me captive for so long. I am much happier and I find that learning about the past really does give you new perspective on the present. Maybe the future can be different. Hinduism offers many insights that have been lost to Western thought. I feel grateful that I have been exposed to them and now will have the opportunity to explore this knowledge without fear, guilt, shame or any other negative emotions. Knowledge is power because ideas are revolutionary and that is probably why religions do not like their members to look too much in other directions. This is what the taboos are about, keeping ideas from making the people wise and leaving the fold. I think they forgot that our spirituality is as individual as each human being is because we each must find our own unique connection and purpose in love.
The ancient wisdom of India has had a profound and significant influence on my view of spirituality and of the natural world. Together, the spiritual paths I have embraced have given me the knowledge that we need to care for our Earth, care for and love all that lives on the Earth and, as healers, give healing to all that suffers. We are indeed one family!
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