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|    alt.religion.christian.amish    |    Kickin' it REAL old school...    |    1,739 messages    |
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|    Message 464 of 1,739    |
|    AVERY NEWMAN to All    |
|    The Passion - FROM FAITH TO FREEDOM (55/    |
|    28 Aug 04 15:02:40    |
      [continued from previous message]              [11] Sadashiva was a great Tantric Preceptor who lived mainly in India and       Nepal. Even to this day the people living there revere him as the father of       human civilization. For more information, one may best consult the book, Namah       Shiva'ya Sha'nta'ya, by        Shrii Shrii Anandamurti.              [12] Human beings belong to the category of creatures which prefer to live       collectively as opposed to individually. However, the human sentiment for       collective living is not strong enough to resist narrow-mindedness and,       therefore, many clans and other        group-types have developed. Hence human social consciousness may best be       described as a demi-social mentality.              [13] These may be termed respectively as socio-sentiment minimitis and       socio-sentiment maximitis or socio-sentiment excellencio.              [14] Ordinary humanism is a form of extended nationalism. This must be       carefully distinguished from internationalism, which admits the existence of       separate nations and wants those nations to co-exist on a “live and let live”       basis. In addition, an        internationalist may also feel some concern for provision of the basic       necessities to all inhabitants of those nations. Internationalism, though, is       grossly impractical for, as soon as one discovers a particular nation       exploiting another (which is the        norm in today's world), one is compelled to oppose it and that very opposition       leads eventually to world war.              [15] Mark 10:21-22.              [16] Matthew 5:44.              [17] Such a love has also been the cause of many inter-creature conflicts,       with the result that human beings have wantonly tortured and destroyed       countless animals and plants. Even those animals and plants to which human       beings are attracted or indebted        have been constantly and cruelly mistreated.              [18] Matthew 22:37-40.              [19] Matthew 6:24.              [20] Luke 14:25-26.              [21] For a more thorough analysis of the symbiotic relationship between state       and church, please refer to Chapter 10 “State Church and Church State”.              [22] Exodus 21:24.              [23] An orthodox Jew and a fundamentalist Christian or Moslem would dispute       any reference to Moses as Preceptor. They prefer to recognize Moses as not       more than a prophet par excellence or a faithful messenger of God. Curiously,       while this attitude tends        to underrate the genius of Moses and his enormous contribution, for better or       for worse, in many fields of human existence, it has exactly the opposite       effect with respect to the teachings which would otherwise have been       attributed to Moses. By demeaning        the man Moses, his every teaching has been elevated to the status of being the       incontrovertible “word of God”. For reasons which will become more clear as       this book proceeds, the orthodox or fundamentalist viewpoint simply cannot be       accepted unless one        is ready to denigrate not just Moses but also God.              [24] It is not at all likely that Abraham introduced a monotheistic religion       as Jews understand Judaism today. More probably Abraham was tolerant regarding       the existence of other gods, declaring only that his god was the greatest of       them all. On the        other hand, Moses probably did introduce a so-called monotheism as the       religion of the Jews, but he was likely to have received his inspiration for       his “One God” from the Egyptian tradition rather than the Hebrew tradition.       Although the Old Testament        implies that Moses lived around the 15th Century B.C. (see 1 Kings 6:1), all       historians are agreed that he was born in the late 14th Century B.C. General       belief holds that Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt some time during the       reign of Ramses II (1304-       1237 B.C.). Ramses II was famous as a prolific builder of pyramids. If this       more-accepted analysis of history be taken as fact (and a calculation of time       based on the generations given in Chronicles would support the later date –       see, for example, 1        Chronicles 2:1-151, then Moses lived soon after the rule of Ikhneton, also       known as Amenhotep, the leader best known for his introduction of monotheism       in Egypt. Ikhneton reigned from 1379-1362 B.C., perhaps just thirty or forty       years before the birth of        Moses. Thus, the idea of Moses learning about monotheism from the Hebrews is       far less likely than his having learned it in some corner of the Pharaoh's       palace. This argument is amplified when one remembers that Moses was far more       committed to monotheism        than Aaron, his alleged brother and the apparently undisputed high priest of       the Jews, who constructed an idol of a golden calf for the Hebrews to worship       while Moses was still atop Mount Sinai, supposedly communing with the “One       God”. (See Exodus 32:1-6.       )              [25] Genesis 17:1-14.              [26] Exodus 3:17.              [27] The rite of circumcision was practiced by many peoples, including several       Semitic tribes other than the Hebrews. There are a number of theories       regarding its origin and function, but it is commonly accepted that as a       health practice for a desert-       based society, where water was scarce and bathing infrequent, circumcision       must have substantially benefitted both men and women.              [28] Genesis 13:16.              [29] When one is called to testify in a court of law, s/he is asked to swear,       with right hand on the Bible, that testimony given will be “the whole truth       and nothing but the truth”, presumably just as the contents of that sacred       book are taken to be the        whole truth and nothing but the truth.              [30] Genesis 1:1-2:3. Not all idols are made of clay, stone, metal or wood       –many idols exist purely within the realm of imagination. The Jewish God       presented in the Creation story is one such idol, for he clearly has far too       many human limitations to be        in fact the one formless, infinite Entity. If God did take a rest on the       seventh day, then who is it that administered this vast and complicated       Universe on that first Sabbath?              [31] Joshua 10:12-13.              [32] Matthew 17:1-9.              [33] Revelation 13:1-2.              [34] Matthew 3:13-17.              [35] Genesis 17:1-14.              [36] Exodus 3:1-10.              [37] Exodus 1:1-2:10.              [38] One further point in support of this hypothesis is the fact that Moses       apparently became a fugitive in his early life, allegedly due to his sympathy       for the Hebrews. (See Exodus 2:11-15.) For whatever reason, he evidently did       murder an Egyptian man        and was forced to flee, thus putting an end to any future which there might       have been for him before that incident in the royal household. Thereafter, if       Moses were to continue living in the manner to which he had been accustomed,       he was virtually        compelled to set up his own kingdom.              [39] For example: Exodus 4:14; Exodus 7:1-2; Numbers 20:7-8.              [40] Exodus 4:10-17; Exodus 6:12-13; Exodus 6:30-7:2. Many scholars claim here       that “uncircumcised lips” refers to the earlier self-admitted speech       obstruction of Moses. However, that seems illogical since God had already       replied to that problem by        allegedly sending Aaron with Moses to overcome this drawback. Thus, why would       Moses bring up the same point once again? It seems more logical here to assume       that Moses was raising a wholly new objection – one that God apparently chose       to ignore, implying        that the question of circumcision was unimportant, at least in the special       case of Moses. Of course many people must have known that Moses was       uncircumcised, and it seems that Moses had no intention of submitting to this       ritual surgery. His excuse: “I        told God twice about my condition, but God never seemed to be concerned about       the point”.              [41] Exodus 4:24-26.              [42] Joshua 5:5-9.              [43] Genesis 17:14.                     [continued in next message]              --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05        * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)    |
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