Rev. Erudite Redneck, B.S., B.S., M.A., M.Div.

:)

Always happy to raise the intellectual level of the conversation with Star Wars quotes, YouTube vids, and/or Weird Al lyrics. LOL
 

LOLOLOL. In the mail just now came The Christian Century magazine. It fell open to a cartoon.

There's a bearded dude sitting at a table writin' on a papyrus scroll; he has a halo over his head. There a palm tree and a camel in the background. A guy is looking over some of his writing and is saying, "Quit worrying about corroborating your sources -- it's not as if anyone's going to take all this literally."
 

LOL. Excellent.
 

LOL. So does this mean that Jesus and Herschel Walker are fellow sufferers of dissociative identity disorder?
 

I believe in at onement, a.k.a. reconciliation to God through Jesus. There are hundreds of religions and sects that believe the spark of God in each of us will be reconciled to that Dazzling Darkness, that unnameable, that is God. And that an Avatar, such as Jesus, or Quan Yin, or Olofi, or Obatala, will provide the connection to God. But I don't believe that Jesus was slaughtered like a sheep to provide a blood sacrifice for all time to overcome original sin. Why, well I don't believe in original sin. That's a construct of the Roman Church to appease the needs of its Fathers to provide for syncretization with the surrounding Pagan practices. So there would be no need to pay off Jehovah for something that wasn't there. Now as for my own sins, that's different matter. Even then I don't believe a "human blood sacrifice" is necessary to reconcile me to God (plain old Faith will do just fine). If I did so think, then I would have more fun as an Aztec than as a Christian. No, human blood does not make me and thee and God at oneness. If it did then Jehovah really was BaEl.
Of course, I really don't think the "Old Testament" is a testament about Christianity anyway. The continuity is convoluted and contrived.

So the concept of "atonement" as preached in many places today, naw it doesn't fit. If it did it would be like worshiping in a slaughter house.

As Niezsche has said, Christianity is a Slave's Religion that grew out of a small sect with in judaism. Sort of like the "One God" religion of the slave race of Cylons. We just keep adding shit on to it. Now it is covered with so much gratuitous orthodox tatterings that we can't see what is at the center anymore.

But originally, "They had a Plan".
 

ER, now remember you said you wanted to get your comment count up.
 

Hey, nothing you said has offended me. 'Member, I'm gettin' to know Sophia!
 

I wonder how some of the American Indian tribes syncretized the missionaries' Jesus with the Great Spirit of their own traditions? Stuff is probobly out there. A retired gentleman, who isn't two days past a weekly deadline with a bunch of grunt-work editing, should look into that! :-)
 

Your "Gaitherian Theory" link is broke. Is that as in, the Gaithers?
 

"So does this mean that Jesus and Herschel Walker are fellow sufferers of dissociative identity disorder?"

Faboo references, Nan. Football and Psychiatry. Lovin' it!

Come to think of it, some would construct those as religions, eh?

Can we syncretize Scientology?

ER, Ich glucklicherweise woll mit dein Schwerikeiten auf die Deutschkentnisse-muttersprache zu mir Helfen sich arbeiten

(I happily-like would with your difficulty upon the (fem.) Germanspeakingmothertongue to of mine help offer work.)
 

Dan, works for me. ??? Yes, the Gaither's "There's Just Something About that name." Sometimes, that's all I'm preprared to profess. Most times, actually.

Doc, Stoppen with Germanen. My head will exploden! :-)
 

ER re Jesus as an Indian:
Off the top of my head I only know two. The Mandan used The First Man and the Cheyenne used Sweet Medicine in that way. But both of those tribes were highly influenced by Catholic missionaries. Tribes under Catholic influence probably had more of such.

Protestants don't allow much in the way of syncretization, like zero, so those tribes under their influence had to dump everything and start over with the Protestant versions, or take their original spiritual understandings underground.

Doc: "Can we syncretize Scientology?"

Voo Doo?
 

DeSmet(sp?) comes to mind.
 

You mean De Smet the Black Robe of the Crow?
As a syncretized Christ or as a syncretizer of Christ?
 

How about the Virgin of Guadalupe and Wovoka?
 

De Smet: I just meant as a Catholic missionary to the Northern Plains tribes.

Oh, Wovoka, talk about syncreticism. Big time.
 

Just discovered your blog. As a recovering former bible thumper I am looking forward to spending some time here! Thanks!!
 

Welcome, Bryan!