Relics of faith


Just what was revealed?

Okay, this is probably an example of where it is better to keep my mouth shut than to say anything at all.

It doesn't matter, I have to lay out the irony anyway.

In most Christian traditions, Saul of Tarsus wasn't a disciple of Jesus Christ, but he was called an apostle. This label has been disputed by some.

What is known is that Pauline Christianity almost totally displaced the versions that came before it.

There are several theories that suggest Paul wasn't exactly what he claimed. One of the most popular versions (and certainly the most fun to read) was laid out in Holy Blood, Holy Grail. It suggested that Paul was a Roman plant intended to derail the Christian movement. In fact, that book went as far to link him to a legend of the Liar.

According to many Gnostic beliefs, the god of the Bible isn't the Creator god, he's an egotistical ungrateful offspring who has supplanted his parents and stolen the worship of humanity.

There's also a strong argument that even in the early Christian Church, the Bishop of Rome wasn't supposed to assume primacy over all other bishops (and eventually Archbishops) to become the Pope.

So with all that in mind, I can't read a news article like this and keep a straight face.

Yes, it could absolutely be true and I would not want to disparage any beliefs.

However, from a certain point of view, it could just be the bones of a liar who set out to destroy a religious movement whose enemies dressed up in it's remains to seize power over the hearts and minds of mankind, all while serving a godling who had to depose his progenitors to be worshipped.

That's irony for you. And silliness too.

What's even more ironic is that the highly fragmented picture of Yeshua bin Joseph that has descended to us indicates pretty strongly that he was less interested in an established church (or temple in his case) and more focused on a direct connection to the Divine. With the exception of the writings attributed to Paul, most of the New Testament hints pretty strongly at this. Some of the other texts such as The Gospel of Thomas make it even clearer.

It wasn't about the history. It was about the experience. After all, one translation of gnosis is "knowledge from experience."

Which is why it catches the attention of a technopagan like me.

Let them have their claims and beliefs.

But there is a part of me that can't help smiling because the "authorities" have proved their enemies case for them. Even if I am not one of those enemies, I can still find it amusing. The difference between revelation and experience.

Live your own story. Make up your own mind. And find your own connection to the Divine.

Posted: Tue - June 30, 2009 at 03:48 PM
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