Mod+ 254. HOWARD STORM TRANSFORMED BY NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE

You don't need art expertise to recognize a mushroom Gabe. I have barely offered much at all. Like I said there is a lot of ground to cover.
I can gladly supply more, but we also have to look at the broader scope of religion it is not limited to Christianity.

You can keep the historical Jesus. All that can be said is that it is tied into the very origins and the relics are still around today in plain sight. What It means can be your choice.

I'd be interested in you starting a thread on this.
 
I don't believe Christianity is lacking in philosophical rigour or spiritual scope, and lots of smart people agree.

I agree and that really would be a ridiculous claim. I'm beginning to think everybody on the forum should be required to take a series of courses on comparative mythology! I can't remember the exact quote or philosopher (I'll try and look up later) but I remember the essence of it: that is, the great success and resonance of Christianity is that it can appeal to both the naive mind, while at the same time contain the deepest insight and mystery for the most erudite mind. Seems like people get a little too focused on the former and don't realize the latter.

A few courses of comparative mythology would help bring the latter into focus. Of course, I am only joking on the courses ... I make a general rule not to expect too much from an Internet Forum. If I did, I would be constantly let down by some of the frequent portrayals of Christianity I come across
 
yada yada... we got to get to the bottom of the "wacky Christian" thing.

I think many of us aren't even sure what you're referring to as "wacky". I assume you're not referring to the Bible, or Christian literature, in general, per se, but rather the social constructs that have been built up around Christianity over time? But, I'm really not sure. If it actually is the content of the Bible, etc. ... I think may follow Gabriel's lead and begin to despair over the direction of the forum myself
 
I think many of us aren't even sure what you're referring to as "wacky". I assume you're not referring to the Bible, or Christian literature, in general, per se, but rather the social constructs that have been built up around Christianity over time? But, I'm really not sure. If it actually is the content of the Bible, etc. ... I think may follow Gabriel's lead and begin to despair over the direction of the forum myself
despair not... just find a NT scholar or Christian Apologist author who can straighten me out re Atwill and Acharya.
 
despair not... just find a NT scholar or Christian Apologist author who can straighten me out re Atwill and Acharya.

I tend to not rely on NT scholars as they're too focused and commited to just the NT. I'm not familar with Christian Apologists, but the name alone sounds like someone too emotionally invested in something. As far as Atwill and Acharya, I would need to listen to your podcasts again.

My suggestion would be to get a reputable person with comparitive mythology background on here (but not one of those trendy "new-age" sounding "mythicists") . Unfortuantely, all the ones I have read and enjoyed (Joseph Campbell, Alan Watts, Heinrich Zimmer, Erich Von Neumann, Carl Jung, Mercia Eliade, Jane Harrison, etc) are all dead. I'll try and see if I can find a suggestion for someone that could actually participate in a podcast w/o the use of a medium.
 
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Yeah, I must say I enjoyed the thread on the Acharya. There were some good arguments on both sides. But some things just don't seem to budge. It is difficult to deny the reacuring themes. I don't think astrotheology can be ignored.
 
I'm not familar with Christian Apologists, but the name alone sounds like someone too emotionally invested in something.

It's an unfortunate term, though surprisingly it's actually a formal one from what I understand. I've seen Christian philosophers refer to their work as apologetics.
 
I'd be interested in you starting a thread on this.

Need a bit of time, already wasted to much. Anyway one more, I would love to get a good copy of this one, it is in St Michaels italy I think I am not sure. It is astounding. Jesus is holding the fly agaric center place, with a strangely gesturing finger towards himself. Nothing is accidental in religious iconography it all has hidden meaning. He is also surrounded by mushrooms.

The cover of the Book "Failed God". I don't agree with the sentiments of this book at all.
upload_2014-9-30_5-8-19.jpeg
 
Sorry, I know this is off topic. It's my thing I suppose. But check this out also 12th century. Sometimes they are hidden others.... ah not too much. All the eyes are focussed on Christ's weird looking legs.
Amanita%20mushroom%20and%20Jesus.png
Cool. I love this stuff. What is this piece? Where's it from?

What is the guy on the bottom right holding?
 
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Cool. I love this stuff. What is this piece? Where's it from?

What is the guy on the bottom right holding?

It is called "Christ and the Twelve Apostles". The painter is unknown. It is in the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, Barcelona, and dated to the 12th century.

What's he holding? Haha, well it gave me a laugh. pretty funny.

Other mushrooms are hidden around the apostles feet disguised amongst the folds in the robes. It is an attempt to encode them and to not be so obvious. But clearly the artist focuses all attention to jesus's legs and the folds of his robe. So not too subtle at all.
 
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Beautiful stuff, thank you.

Thank you as well for the reminder that Plato documented an NDE.

It's interesting to see NDEs may have moved people toward a sense of moral realism and post-life consequences for immoral actions. An arc of justice, as MLK Jr would say, rather than an instantaneous shift into what many (most?) people would agree on - slavery is bad, rape is bad, etc.

If we accept the hypothesis that NDEs influenced theological convergence, the instances of cultural filtering bring to mind two possibilities:

1) Evolutionary wiring triggered something in the brain that puts on a display of Heaven/Hell in accordance with the subject's morals and religion.

2) Something - God, the Unbroken Wholeness, Mind@Large, The Dharma - is pulling humanity along toward a moral evolution but cannot necessarily pull people too far beyond their cultural conditioning.
 
Thank you as well for the reminder that Plato documented an NDE.

It's interesting to see NDEs may have moved people toward a sense of moral realism and post-life consequences for immoral actions. An arc of justice, as MLK Jr would say, rather than an instantaneous shift into what many (most?) people would agree on - slavery is bad, rape is bad, etc.

If we accept the hypothesis that NDEs influenced theological convergence, the instances of cultural filtering bring to mind two possibilities:

1) Evolutionary wiring triggered something in the brain that puts on a display of Heaven/Hell in accordance with the subject's morals and religion.

2) Something - God, the Unbroken Wholeness, Mind@Large, The Dharma - is pulling humanity along toward a moral evolution but cannot necessarily pull people too far beyond their cultural conditioning.

2)
I am afraid that mental institutions, over the ages, have housed many with a "6th" sense, who found the cultural environment aggressive in squashing their experiences.
 
This NDE is interesting due to several reasons: 1) Its from an Anesthesiologist, 2) He was basically an atheist and discusses the experience in an objective dispassionate manner.3) He's from India and discusses how his NDE diverged from his religious background and possibly why that occurred and how it converged into a deeper understanding of all religions and surprise, NO JESUS. 4) He experienced hell first,which is really quite subjective since it varies person to person, but is real nonetheless and is experienced as a transformative event. 5) He talks about his revelation that consciousness is not our brain. Worth a listen and you can explore his other you tube videos. Maybe he expounds further:
 
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