#ancient greeks before jesus i mean

[jaded-ghoster]

friendly reminder one of the greatest works of literature of all time was a self-insert catholic fanfic, dante x virgil shipping wars created the italian language

[perseidlion]

I'm new to the KAOS fandom, and I honestly love the way the show is riffing off myth.

I've seen some rumblings of some people thinking they're changing too much. But, uhhh, the show definitely never promised they'd be sticking close to myth by its whole *gestures broadly* deal. Also like...WHICH version of the myths? There are so many and they changed, sometimes drastically over time. KAOS is just really continuing the tradition of remixing these characters and the stories.

I feel like the people who are saying this takes it too far probably have a superficial understanding of Greek and Roman mythology. Cause if you really dig into it, these stories are weird, contradictory, raunchy, violent and tragic.

I was a Classics major for two years (before I decided I couldn't learn Latin or Greek which was required to study primary sources, so I switched majors.) And let me tell you, KAOS is VERY accurate to certain portrayals of the gods. Not all, of course, but many.

Zeus is absolutely a horndog dick who sleeps with all sorts of people and spreads his seed everywhere. I mean, he straight-up disguised himself as other people to have sex with their partners. Animals, too!

Hera is incredibly petty and vindictive and transforms people into all sorts of things as punishment. She was especially hard on any of Zeus' lovers she caught, or his kids from different mothers.

Everyone was doing adultery all the time.

Hades wasn't a meek corporate type, but he also wasn't a devil analogue as he often gets interpreted as in pop culture. He's definitely a big ole grump and doesn't seem to have a soft side, but he's not often portrayed as evil. Zeus is not God and Hades is not Satan. That's really applying a Judeo-Christian framework to Greek mythology.

The myth of Orpheus and Eurydice was always more about grief and not being able to let go than about the power of true love.

The gods gained obedience and worship through fear. They absolutely punished people who didn't worship they way they wanted them to.

The gods were a giant, powerful, highly dysfunctional family with lots of petty grievances and grudges.

The Greeks had no concept of gay or straight. They conceptualized sex and sexuality as acts, not an identity. They were more concerned about who was the passive person in a sexual encounter (for reasons of class and manliness) rather than what gender their partner was. So it makes sense that this modern retelling would have a similiarly open an undefined concept of sex and sexuality.

Greek myth is full of people who change genders or who swap back and forth through magic or prayer, or were both male and female at the same time. Caeneus in the show, is based on a real myth of someone AFAB who wished to become a man.

(sidenote: Misia Butler is so damned charming and handsome.)

It's also important to remember that the religion of the ancient Greeks lasted a very long time and changed over that time. There was also this really interesting dichotomy between the gods of plays and myths and the gods they worshipped in a religious context. That was one thing that is really hard to wrap your head around when you're studying Greek and Roman myth, especially when you're studying it alongside plays and epic poetry.

The gods of the stories who were being vengeful and petty and the gods they sacrificed to and worshipped were not the same - and they were. Sort of imagine it like Christian peoples' perceptions of Jesus vs Jesus in pop culture. Like, if you studied Dogma or Good Omens or something alongside the Bible and didn't distinguish between religion and pop culture, you'd definitely be confused.

So there are all these competing stores, some benevolent and holy, some raucous and scandalous. KAOS very ably continues in that tradition by remixing and recontextualizing the source material for a new audience.

They do some reaaalll weird thing with timelines, though! They squish together myth and pick and choose different versions and inspiration. But honestly that doesn't bother me because it's all done deliberately and not out of ignorance. They're changing what they've changed to serve the story.

Plus it's great fun. It's one of the most creative shows I've seen in ages. Go and watch it! As a bonus, it's also hella queer.

[sethshead]

Annual reminder that Jesus was not Palestinian and that Palestine as legally defined region did not exist at that time, nor did the Palestinian nation. This is empirically documented fact. Jesus was born a Jew and died a Jew in Roman Judea. If “Palestine” was used in some Greek texts to describe the region it was because of the Philistines (who aren’t Arab in origin) having lived here once. I’m now hearing people saying Christianity is Palestinian in origin. This is also sheer idiocy. Even if we allow for the fact that Jesus isn’t the progenitor of Christianity (again he died a Jew, his followers were all Jewish and they defined themselves as a sect of Judaism, not a new religion) and attribute the foundation to Paul and people of his generation, which I would say is true. Paul was born a Jew in Roman Judea and died 70 years before the region was renamed Palestine. Jesus and the founding of Christianity has everything to do with the Jews and zero to do with Palestine and Palestinians. And it goes without saying they have nothing to do with Arabs and Islam, except insofar as Islam tells it story with Jesus (and for that matter Judaism) being part of its origin story, which did not happen until the 600s. I will also point out that those western activists (historically clueless) who are making this claim are actually doing a great disservice to the Palestinian people. Why? Because they are inventing ancient Palestinian history that is easily refutable by fact, as I have just done. Given how easy it is to undermine such claims, when people who don’t know much about the region (but joined the river to the sea crowd because that’s what the cool kids do) learn the truth they will become skeptical about other claims made by Palestinians, some of which are true, some of which deserve acknowledgment. But the American left doesn’t care. They don’t actually care about the Palestinians. They are driven by Jew-hatred, and Zionism is the most convenient demon in their social justice arsenal. They will never help free Palestine. But what they will continue to do is endanger diaspora Jewry, which is their goal, or at least a means to their end. Such was also the case with the Arab regimes who opposed a Jewish state from the very beginning. They weren’t advocating for Palestinians, they were advocating for non Jewish state anywhere min the region. The left has constructed a binary opposition that undergirds their theology that pits the evil oppressive (((Zionists))) against the eternally oppressed Palestinians. Their construct is false, an eschatological theology and nothing else, with both “Zionists” and “Palestinians” being little more than constructs they have thrown together to advance their revolutionary (and profoundly anti-Western) agenda. But if they want to claim Palestinians as the progenitors of Christianity then, well, let me point out, that “Christianity” persecuted the Jews severely at least until the early modern era and in some parts of Europe far beyond that time, culminating in The Holocaust. So sure, you want to claim Jesus for Palestine, then you also acquire all the baggage that comes with him.

-- Jarrod Tanny

It’s all just another form of supersession.

[alatismeni-theitsa]

Hello, I am a queer/trans man who is starting a journey into Greek Orthodoxy, do you have any advice on where to start? Or things to keep in mind while practicing?

Hello! I might need a little bit more info here because if you have taken the decision to start a journey into Greek Orthodoxy you already "have started somewhere". So what more can I suggest?

Nevertheless, I have some advice for you on things to keep in mind regarding worship :)

The theology will be the same but the approach might depend on your country, even the parish. In Greece there is this attitude that the good Christian should not be judged by how many times they've stepped into the temple (temple = ναός , and that's the Greek more formal name to name a church building compared to "church" = εκκλησία) but by their personal relationship with God. Our lives can be busy so we might not be able to attend mass but we may establish a good relationship with God through prayer, fasting and being a good person.

Ofc going to church and taking communion are still significant deeds and can only give you blessings. The temple might be the "official" house of God but God is everywhere. Having a small altar/εικονοστάσι in your house can bring you closer to god while praying, through the familiar religious imagery and the practice of tending to the incense and the candle.

On the other hand, I feel like in countries like the US people are more religious, and they might attend church more often and build a community around it, so going to church can be synonymous with good worship.

Another theological point: The Trinity just means "God has appeared to us in three forms so far". It does not mean there are three gods. Water is still the same even if it's in the form of liquid, ice, or vapor. Father is God, Son is God, Spirit is God.

Orthodoxy doesn't care about the Original Sin. It's part of the Theology but it's considered symbolic and part of human nature (not a woman's nature, as Protestants/Evangelicals like to say for some reason). Orthodoxy doesn't care because this Sin was completely lifted from Humanity by Jesus Christ's death and resurrection. That Sin is gone, just like Death is gone.

Learning some Greek will give you more satisfaction in understanding the original text. Personally, I think it's very beautiful singing the hymns in Greek because the hymns were written in the Greek language in the beginning.

Attire-wise, no one will throw you out if you are dressed like you're going to the beach, but it's best advised to enter the temple in "respectable attire" aka something that you might wear while visiting relatives. Not something super formal, but just a "cared" appearance is appreciated because it's how you present yourself (literally) before God in His House.

Look at the hagiography, ask questions about the hagiography. The main purpose of the hagiography is to be a learning tool. From what I know many Greek Orthodox priests love explaining what each scene represents.

Have a respectful demeanor toward those who were there before you, the old geezers, the 3rd/4th generation ones. Do say your opinions, do defend your ideas and beliefs, but remembering you are "the new guy" will win more battles within the community. Being new doesn't make you less significant but, humans being humans, might feel threatened by any new member who insists they know better and might not consider their ideas. A slow and respectful pace might win the Greeks of Greece and the diaspora. Plus, Each religious community has its local, petty dramas and it's on you to navigate them.

You might encounter bigotry depending on the country and the parish. Greek Orthodoxy is the most ancient form of Christianity and has still kept followers with many old notions, including transphobia. But IMO if one knows the history of Christianity, they can see that many things are cultural. For example, there is just... direct ancient Hebrew law in the Orthodox Church: "A woman is not to wear male clothing, and a man is not to put on a woman’s garment, for everyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord your God." (Deuteronomy 22:5)

However, there's the more recent letter to Galatians 3:28 saying "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." This led many first Christians to believe that the ideal being was without sex, and they castrated themselves. The practice was outlawed relatively soon. All this to say that many directions of the church are purely cultural and are some are kept because of cherry-picking.

1 Timothy 2:9-10 says "Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works." Guess how many women in the Orthodox church keep the "no jewelry, no fancy hair, no costly attire" thing 😂 Orthodox temples can be proper fashion runways at times!

And let me not comment on "For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head." (1 Corinthians 11:6) It's never followed in Greek Orthodoxy especially by younger generations because people understood it's another form of misogyny. I think in time more and more people will identify and exclude the transphobic rhetoric in the church in a similar manner. (and there's a scripture which prohibits consuming blood which Greeks outright ignore in their cooking because they don't have the kosher way of draining blood from the animal in special ways 😂😂😂)

Besides, "Everything God Made, He Made with Wisdom" includes queer people. Not to mention: "For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7) Even out of context, it's clear how God sees people. Even in newer scripture, Christ says “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). "Αγαπάτε αλλήλλους" (Love each other) is the most important message Christ ever gave and it's the motto of the Orthodox Church. Christ never said "Do not be trans/gay" etc. Love reveals the Christian and Love is the Point of the religion as it is today.

Cultivating goodness inside you and doing selfless, loving good deeds is so important in the religion that even if - hypothetically - being trans is indeed a sin in the eyes of the Orthodox God, it won't even matter before the nature of your heart. Following Plato's philosophy, Greek Orthodoxy has come to separate the body from the spirit in its theology. It doesn't condemn the body but it gives the biggest importance to the spirit because the spirit is considered to be "truly you".

That's all I can think for now! My tags #greek orthodox and #greek orthodoxy might have more stuff that will interest you!

++++

[teecupangel]

Okay okay so.

Your thoughts on a Time Travel-ish fic where Desmond gets yeeted back to a little bit before Altaïr’s time and Bayek, Kassandra, Alexios, and f!Eivor become basically immortal bc of POE/Isu bullshit?

And then all the main characters after that become immortal bc of POE/Isu bullshit (including Desmond) so they’re just slowly gathering a bunch of immortal Assassin/some Templars and winging it til they hit the modern day era.

If you like to add a vampire spin to it, here’s the vampire idea a while back that does include a lot of main characters (but not all) getting turned into vampires.

Now, for this idea, let’s set up some things first.

Desmond is the primary immortal and nobody knows how it works.

They stop aging once they die and are revived for the first time.

There will always be a minute of death before their revival. (spawn rate)

Since we want to cover all main AC characters (although I love the fact that we didn’t include Basim in that list. Mirage isn’t out yet, Basim doesn’t count yet, I guess XD), I know you asked for Desmond being yeeted a little before Altaïr’s time so I’m hope you’re fine with Desmond being yeeted before or during Kassandra and Alexios’ time period. (I mean how 'little' is open for interpretations I say)

And how about we make this a little bit more interesting?

Desmond gets yeeted into the time of the Isus. To be more specific, he gets thrown into Minerva’s ‘temple’ during the final days before the Solar Flare.

He’s disoriented and maybe just ‘a bit’ traumatized because of the pain he felt when he activated the device so all he could do was try to understand what Minerva was saying.

About how she’s trying to save his life. That he must do what they all fail to do.

Find the true source of this anomaly, this singularity point that ensures a catastrophe hits Earth every few millennia regardless of what they do.

Because, and this is important, Desmond, even if you save the world from the Solar Flare, another catastrophe will happen. It is inevitable.

But you can find the reason why it has to be that way.

Desmond…

No matter what happens.

Never give up.

Keep looking.

I will do all I can to give you as much help as possible.

Good luck.

And Desmond falls asleep when Minerva pushes him into some kind of device that looked like a water bed.

When he wakes up, he finds himself staring at a confused-looking woman clad in armor.

The Layla Trilogy:

Desmond has no clue what this singularity point is meant to be but he assumes that he’s meant to find it now that he’s woken up… 2 millennia before his time, Jesus Christ.

Kassandra was just looking around the supposed ruins of Athena’s first temple. She believes he’s a demigod or a human turned demigod by Athena. She also thought he might even be Erichthonius but that idea was scrapped when Desmond showed her just how little he knows of the Ancient Greek world. He joins her because it’s not like he has any other clue and Kassandra traveling made it clear that he could cover more grounds if he stayed with her.

It’s because of Desmond’s intervention that Alexios (as Deimos) isn’t killed and the siblings’ relationship is rocky but Alexios stays with them in the Adrestria even if it usually comes down to Kassandra and Desmond making sure Alexios’ temper doesn’t get them into trouble. (Whether the other family members survive is your call).

In the end, it’s the whole Atlantis DLC that makes Kassandra and Alexios accidentally (or is it an accident, Minerva?) immortal. Desmond’s inclusion into the ‘vision’ screwed up the Isu tech and whatever is keeping Desmond immortal is copied into Kassandra and Alexios. They don’t realize it until later on when Alexios dies during a very fierce battle. Then a minute passed while Kassandra cradles her baby brother in her arms as she cries, Alexios opens his eyes and gasps loudly. Kassandra and Desmond would realize they’re immortal as well later on. No matter what they ask, Aletheia in the staff (Desmond doesn’t trust her one bit) doesn’t say anything at all. Desmond believes that their immortality might have been caused by one of the many POEs he had with him at the moment (he’s been hoarding every POE they find).

In this setup, Alexios would be Aya’s ancestor and it’d be more of a one-night stand that happened because Alexios was feeling a bit off that day and wanted some company. Whether they learn Aya is Alexios’ descendant is up to you. They meet Bayek during the Curse of the Pharaoh DLC while they were checking out the ‘curse’ and this is another case of Desmond’s immortality getting passed into Bayek while the POE is shrouding all of Thebes. Maybe even during the time they were in the Duat and Desmond is seeing people who haven’t even been born yet and that’s how he believed his desire to destroy the lies being shown to him caused Bayek to be infected by his immortality. They don’t know Bayek is immortal though but Bayek knows they’re immortal (maybe make one of them die in front of Bayek? They’ve become quite prone to risky actions because they know they can’t die) so when he realized he was immortal, he starts looking for them.

Eivor met them on the Isle of the Skye and Desmond’s immortality infects her during that time as well (maybe during the final confrontation with the POE?) but, as usual, they don’t know that yet. What happens is that Eivor returns to Ravensthorpe and the story continued until the end of AC Valhalla, maybe a few days later, Reda (who may or may not be an avatar of Minerva or her sage or something, the point is his immortality is not connected to Desmond’s… maaayybbee) introduces her to an old friend of his who is looking for someone who looks a lot like Randvi, a man going by the name Amun. At that point, Eivor already knows she’s immortal, Basim slicing her throat during their final confrontation was a dead giveaway, and Reda introduced them as ‘two people of similar circumstances’. They both realized that they’re immortals and Bayek (who Eivor knows as Amun) believes that the answer to their questions is with Desmond and the Spartan siblings (they’re not, they don’t even know they’ve been leaving immortals behind) so Eivor leaves Ravensthorpe to find Desmond and the other with Bayek, promising to come back once she has all the answers.

They finally catch up to Desmond and the others around late 1100s and Desmond doesn’t know how but he’s sure he’s the reason why they’re all immortals now. Without any other information, all they can do is be cautious and, later on, they decide that Desmond shouldn’t get too close to other people until they’re sure on how this entire immortality thing gets activated. Of course, that only means Desmond would feel bored (and maybe have bad reminders of his life on the Farm) so he was just walking a busy marketplace to take some time off his own spiraling thoughts, just looking around and that’s when he bumps into Altaïr.

Desmond’s Ancestors (Part 1):

Desmond didn’t even know Altaïr would be around these parts. Why would he? All he knew during this time was that Altaïr went with Maria to go travel, he didn’t know just how far the two had traveled during that time. Desmond desperately tries to get away because, fuck, there’s no way that he was going to mess up Altaïr’s life even if he desperately wants to because he has no idea what will happen to him if he messes Altaïr’s life so badly that Desmond Miles wouldn’t be born centuries from now. This only makes Altaïr interested in him and it ends with Desmond joining Altaïr and Maria in their travels, sorta forgetting to tell anybody else that he might have been half-kidnapped/half-went along with it?

So the current immortality gang is out looking for him while he’s making a life in Masyaf, becoming like an uncle to Altaïr’s children. Desmond keeps trying to tell Altaïr that Abbas is too dangerous to keep alive but Altaïr won’t listen, thinking that Abbas would not stoop as low as Desmond says, especially when the Apple doesn’t show him anything bad happening with Abbas. By this point, Desmond had told Altaïr everything so Altaïr know Desmond knows of a future but he insists that that future is no longer their future because they have changed things.

Altaïr and Maria still go with Darim to assassinate Genghis Khan but Desmond stays behind to keep an eye on Abbas. Unfortunately, this gets him captured and it’s only because of Desmond’s warning that Malik survived, taking Sef’s wife and children out of Masyaf on Sef’s orders while Sef stays behind to save Desmond. It ends in tragedy as Sef dies in Desmond’s arms instead even though Desmond begs for whatever is keeping him immortal to save Sef, to make him immortal as well. Desmond is taken deeper into Masyaf and tested on to find the reason for his immortality instead.

Altaïr’s return is heralded by a civil war between those who sided with Abbas and the Assassins Malik rallied. In the battle, Maria dies in Altaïr’s arms as well and, if you really want to hammer in the pain, Malik falls as well. When they finally took Masyaf back, Altaïr finds Desmond in the deepest part of Masyaf alive but… well… it’s not a pretty sight. Just as he frees a catatonic Desmond, Abbas stabs him from behind and Desmond snaps out of it, screaming as Altaïr falls into his arms. Remembering how Sef dies in his arms the same way breaks Desmond. Altaïr dies in his arms and revives a minute later, much to Abbas’ surprise. In the end, Altaïr kills Abbas and takes Masyaf back.

After the funerals are done and Masyaf starts healing, Altaïr tells the new mentor (Malik if he’s still alive or Darim if Malik is already dead) that he and Desmond are leaving Masyaf. That this place is simply too painful for Desmond right now and the only way he can heal is to be away from this place. The mentor agrees because they both know how much Desmond blames himself for the death of the people he and Altaïr loved. That not even Altaïr telling him it’s not his fault could reach him.

So they leave and a few days later the immortality gang reaches Masyaf but everyone is tight-lipped about what happened and if they know anyone that looks like Desmond (there were rumors that the people of Masyaf were experimenting on how to achieve eternal life and such). So it took them a long time for the mentor to confide what had happened (that’s fine with them though because they trust Desmond can take care of himself (oh boy) and they’re immortals, they have all the time they need) and the mentor isn’t sure where Desmond and Altaïr could be.

They’re in Monteriggioni. Of course, they’re in Monteriggioni. Desmond talked and showed Monteriggioni to Altaïr and his sons so Altaïr knew how much Desmond loved the town. They stayed there because Altaïr was hoping Desmond could heal there and Altaïr accidentally sorta-maybe bought the place while it was just a little thing and started expanding and stuff. They’re always known as descendants of themselves and they’re rumored to be brothers or cousins or something, anyway, the point is the town’s connection with the Assassins is a very hush-hush affair and the Italian Brotherhood grows with Altaïr’s assistance while Desmond just… does whatever he wants.

Desmond meets Ezio as a child when the Auditore family visits the town to pay their respect and Altaïr sees how happy Desmond is to play with Ezio and his siblings. He suggests that they vacation in Florence once in a while to visit the Auditores and Desmond agrees.

The Auditore execution doesn’t happen because Altaïr’s presence makes the Italian Brotherhood be more incognito. Giovanni is still loyal to Lorenzo (an ongoing headache of Altaïr’s) and he’s the mentor of the Italian Brotherhood while Altaïr has more of an advisory role but his connection to the other Assassins was great enough that he was able to coordinate a rescue mission when Giovanni was arrested. Federico and Claudia (who learned enough to fight in secret thanks to her Tio Desmond) were in the house and they got the others out while Giovanni stayed behind so he was the only one arrested and the Auditore family is given asylum in Monteriggioni.

Of course, the whole rescue plan had been in the making for a while now as a ‘last resort’ since Desmond told Altaïr what would happen and this pushes Ezio, Federico, and Claudia to join the Brotherhood in hopes of avenging what has happened to them.

Same thing happened as canon. The actions of the Italian Brotherhood (really, Ezio and his siblings) catch the attention of the immortality gang who finally catches up but they accidentally thought Ezio was the immortal with Desmond named Altaïr and that’s how Ezio learns about the whole immortality thing.

Ezio finds out he’s immortal after Rodrigo stabs him and he dies but revives. He believes his other siblings aren’t immortal though because he saw Minerva’s message for Desmond and it’s already changed. She’s speaking to Ezio and she tells him to “keep Desmond in check”. To make sure he remembers his mission. Ezio believes it’s not Desmond who gives immortality to random people but Minerva. That this immortality thing is something Minerva prepared to keep Desmond ‘safe’ and ‘focused’.

Desmond would have easily said that Minerva is going by a list of people Desmond cared about but he didn’t even know about Kassandra, Alexios, Bayek and Eivor before his death so that idea gets thrown out before it even fully forms.

Anyway, it ends with the immortality gang going on a newly refitted and upgraded Adrestia to start looking for this singularity point with Altaïr giving Monteriggioni to Petruccio who had been taking care of the finances and the little details for a while now. They stop by Constantinople as well and Ezio falls in love with Sofia, maybe he stays with her for a while and have two children? Idk. Anyway, the Auditore line continues…

Into the Kenway line…

Yeah, see that part one? Yeah, it’s because this got too long and I only answer/reblog on tumblr on a specific time frame to make sure I get things done. Sorry XD

I’ll get back to the others tomorrow (if work wills it) but if anyone wants to take a stab at this, feel free :)

(ngl, I was debating if I should make Malik/Maria/Darim and Sef immortal. I’m still on the fence with Malik being immortal. It would be a good angst fodder “Why you but not them?!!” kind of deal)

[something-in-the-seas]

Why I think Sol Invictus might actually be the overarching villain of the next saga (I blame Valhalla for this)

⭐️ Valhalla's release date being two weeks before Christmas and being described by so many as an "early Christmas present." Listen, we have never had anything in God of War released around Christmas before. Ever. And the release dates of these games always tie into mythology in some way: the Greek games releasing in March ties back to Mars, Ragnarok's release date of Wednesday ties back to Wednesday being Odin's day, even Valhalla coming out on a Tuesday is a reference to Tyr.

So, why is Christmas so important than? Well, December 25th, is the date of Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, the Birth of the Unconquerable Sun. It's a commonly held theory that the Early Church appropriated the date to make it easier to integrate Roman converts.

⭐️ Getting back to Christianity... we know it's confirmed in the God of War universe, we know the original ending of the Greek saga was going to be Kratos becoming one of the Three Wisemen. No way in hell are they touching Christianity with a ten foot pole, but that doesn't mean monotheism isn't going to be addressed. Jesus was drawn as Sol Invictus in Ancient Roman art, the depiction of Jesus having a halo came from Helios, Psalm 104:3 describes God as having a chariot...

"Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind." -Psalm 104: 3

Kratos isn't suplexing Jesus, but Sol Invictus could be a villain that is the closest we get to a Fallen Christ figure. All the Jesus parallels are right there:

Jesus refers to himself as "the light of the world" and goes on to say "whoever walks with me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12). Not quite exactly the same thing as Kratos using Helios' head as a flashlight, but Kratos did use him to light his way through the darkness to ultimately beat Zeus. His light also lit up the entire Underworld. Greece cannot survive without him.

In some translations of the Bible, Jesus is described as being raised up from the realm of Hades. Chains of Olympus is heavily, heavily referenced in Valhalla and what is the plot? Raising the sun- Helios- up from the Underworld.

Jesus, particularly his resurrection, was associated with the Phoenix (we'll get into that later).

Later on in the medieval era, Jesus would be described as descending into Hell before rising from the dead, which if the theory that the Roman gods are revived Olympians... where does Kratos take the head of Helios? Tartarus, the equivalent to Hell. In popular culture, Hell is usually always depicted as fire and brimstone, going off of Dante's Inferno and this passage of Revelation describing damned souls being thrown into a lake of fire. What seemingly has rivers of fire? Tartarus in God of War 3.

⭐️ We don't know what Athena's plan is, in fact, we don't know what the hell is going on with Athena at all. All we know is that she changed from wanting to save Olympus to being ready to sacrifice her entire family for the chance to rule on her own in a second. Monotheism. It could be just greed, but that's also so not Athena? I think her being a villain can work: I can believe ascending to a higher plan has changed her and that her priority is her new Ascended Council, but what do they want exactly? They definitely were involved with Odin's mask and the rift, they want Kratos to 'fulfill his destiny,' and then what?

⭐️ We know Rome exists in the God of War universe: the Norns speak Latin. While Athena/Minerva was still an important deity to the Romans (even if Ovid seemed to despise her), a lot of her significance as a god of war/strategy went to Ares/Mars and Bellona. Minerva was primarily a goddess of wisdom and crafts and only became a war goddess later on.

Minerva has an interesting history when it comes to Rome's push towards sun worship. Before Aurelian revived the cult of Sol Invictus, Emperor Elagabalus stripped Jupiter of his position as King of the Gods in order to give the title to the Syrian sun god, Elagabalus (Heliogabalus) instead. The Romans were already pissed, but the cherry on top was Elagabalus moving a statue of Athena/Minerva from the Temple of Vesta to be by Elagabalus' stone in a symbolic marriage that fell through after backlash.

There are theories that Sol Invictus is a combination of Elagabalus and Sol Indiges (the traditional Roman god of the sun), or that Sol Invictus was always Sol Indiges. It's hard to find information because most ancient writers were very, very bias and so much was lost over thousands of years. Anyway, a storyline of Sol Invictus over throwing Jupiter and having a connection to Minerva/Athena has precedence.

⭐️ Finally, there's the most damning piece of evidence... this line right here: "You think I'm afraid of a little fire? Don't threaten me with a good time, Kratos. Maybe I'll be infused with power and achieve my final form."

You know what mythological animal is infused with power and revived by fire? The phoenix. It's canonly seen in God of War 2 and after Kratos stabs himself with the Blade of Olympus in 3, the post credit scene has his blood seeping into a large engraving of a phoenix.

You know what the phoenix is also heavily associated with? The sun. Or, the God of the Sun. In Egyptian mythology, where the Phoenix originates, it's name is the Benu and instead of being an eagle or peacock, it's appearance is that of a heron. It's believed to be the ba (part of the soul) of Ra, but it's also associated with Atum and Osiris. There was significant reverence for the Benu at the Temple of Ra in the Egyptian city of Iunu, its Greek name being Heliopolis, "the City of the Sun." The Greeks took the concept of the Benu and associated their phoenix with Helios such as Herodotus when he first introduced the concept of the phoenix to the Greeks:

"There is another sacred bird, too, whose name is Phoinix (Phoenix). I myself have never seen it, only pictures of it; for the bird seldom comes into Aigyptos (Egypt) : once in five hundred years, as the people of Heliopolis say. It is said that the Phoinix comes when his father dies. If the picture truly shows his size and appearance, his plumage is partly golden and partly red. He is most like an eagle in shape and size. What they say this bird manages to do is incredible to me. Flying from Arabia to the temple of the Helios (the Sun), they say, he conveys his father encased in myrrh and buries him at the temple of Helios [i.e. in the temple of the Egyptian god Ra]. This is how he conveys him: he first molds an egg of myrrh as heavy as he can carry, then tries lifting it, and when he has tried it, he then hollows out the egg and puts his father into it, and plasters over with more myrrh the hollow of the egg into which he has put his father, which is the same in weight with his father lying in it, and he conveys him encased to the temple of the Sun in Aigyptos (Egypt). This is what they say this bird does." - Herodotus, Histories 2. 73 (trans. Godley) (Greek historian C5th B.C.)

Rome also associated itself as being like a Phoenix and had images of them on their coins. The phoenix is immortal, much like how the Romans envisioned their empire, constantly going through a cycle of death and rebirth. Maybe I'm just becoming Charlie Kelly but... idk... I feel like SSM is onto something.

[church-history]

No, the Easter Season Isn’t Pagan

One of the most common arguments people make against Christianity is that several essential elements of our faith come from ancient pagan religions. For example, there are many books that contend that the entire story of Jesus is more or less plagiarized from earlier pagan stories, and many argue that our most important holidays, such as Christmas and Easter, are simply recycled pagan festivals.

Since it is the Easter season, you might encounter more of these claims than at other times of the year, so let’s take a look at some of them. In particular, let’s look at three of the most common ways that people try to argue that Easter is really just a recycled pagan holiday, and when we do that, we will see that they are little more than smoke and mirrors.

First, we have the argument based on the etymology of our English word “Easter.” Many people say that it comes from the name of the old Germanic goddess Eostre, which supposedly shows that it is just a recycled version of an ancient pagan festival celebrating her. Now, I don’t know enough about the history of the English language to assess the etymological claim here, but even if it is true, this argument still has a huge, gaping hole: the early Christians didn’t speak English.

In the earliest centuries of the Church, Christians spoke Aramaic, Greek, and Latin, and in those languages (as well as all of the Romance languages I am aware of), the word for “Easter” actually comes from the word for “Passover,” the Jewish feast that falls around this same time (and this is exactly what we should expect, since the death and resurrection of Jesus is our new Passover). To take just one example, the Greek word for “Easter” is pascha, which is the exact same word they use for “Passover.”

This shows that even if our English word “Easter” does come from the name of a pagan goddess, that is not the origin of the holiday itself. Christians were celebrating the resurrection of Jesus long before the advent of the English language, so the name “Easter” came about well after the feast was instituted. Consequently, as the names for the holiday in those older, more relevant languages shows, its origin lies elsewhere. The potential etymological link between our English name for it and the goddess Eostre is simply a linguistic curiosity with no relevance whatsoever to the origin of the holiday or the truth of the resurrection.

Pagan Traditions

Another common argument you will often hear is that many of our favorite Easter traditions come from paganism. For instance, people point out that bunnies and eggs, which have nothing to do with the story of Jesus, come from paganism, so once again, Easter is essentially a pagan holiday. But just like the first argument, the logic here just doesn’t hold up.

This argument confuses the substance of the holiday with the way we celebrate it. Sure, we may have borrowed some customs from paganism and incorporated them into our Easter celebrations, but that doesn’t mean that the holiday itself is essentially a pagan feast or that the resurrection never really happened. This has nothing to do with the origin of the feast itself. It simply means that somewhere along the line, some Christians saw some pagan celebrations that they liked, and they chose to incorporate them into their celebration of an already existing Christian holiday.

Paschal Plagiarism

Finally, we come to the only argument that has any real chance of being more than just smoke and mirrors. Many people claim that the whole idea of Jesus’ resurrection was simply plagiarized from stories about ancient pagan gods and goddesses, so it never really happened. For example, they often point to the stories of Osiris, Adonis, and Attis, who, according to these claims, died and rose just like Jesus. Now, if these claims are true, and if the Christian belief in the resurrection of Jesus is just a cheap knockoff of these pagan stories, then yes, this argument would be very strong, and our faith would be in serious trouble. But is that the case?

Not at all. There are a few problems here. First, even if all of these ancient pagan gods were said to have died and risen, that does not prove anything. The mere fact that there is a similarity here does not mean that there is any causal relationship between them. Instead, there is a much more likely background for the Christian belief in the resurrection of Jesus: the Jewish belief in the resurrection of all the dead.

Already in the time of Jesus, the Jews believed that at the end of what they called “this age” (basically what we would consider normal human history), the dead would rise and get their bodies back (Daniel 12:2; 2 Maccabees 7:9, 11, 14, 23), and the first Christians believed that Jesus’ resurrection was simply the beginning of that general resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:12-23, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-16). Now, since Christianity grew out of Judaism, this is a much more likely background for our belief in Jesus’ resurrection than any pagan stories about dying and rising gods.

Real Parallels?

Moreover, once we start looking a bit more deeply at the alleged pagan parallels to Jesus’ resurrection, the argument becomes even less convincing. These stories are actually not all that similar to the Christian story of Jesus’ resurrection, and the vast majority of them come to us from sources that are later than the rise of Christianity.

For example, the story of the Egyptian god Osiris ends with Osiris becoming the ruler of the underworld, which is very different from a real resurrection. On the other hand, the Greek god Adonis became connected to a resurrection only after the rise of Christianity, so even if his story presents a real parallel to Christian belief, the influence goes in the wrong direction for the argument to work properly. His story was almost certainly influenced by Christianity, not the other way around.

source: https://catholicexchange.com/no-the-easter-season-isnt-pagan/

[into-the-very-fires-of-mordor]

hey! im curious about Christianity and whether or not i should follow the religion or not. I wanted to ask, what makes you religious? why do you believe?

Hi!

I am taking a pause from my break to answer this question! Also, fair warning, this is a bit of a long answer, so if you feel a bit overwhelmed by it all, the end of my post sums up what I think in a nutshell. Love and blessings to you, you wonderful human you!

First of all, I think it's wonderful that you're curious about Christianity! Thanks for being open, and thank you for reaching out! I appreciate you.

The main reason why I believe in Jesus is because Jesus loves me. The ancient Greeks have a word for the kind of love that Jesus gives, and it is Agape. Unconditional love. Jesus loves me. Jesus loves you too, right here, right now. From what I know about Jesus, He is so excited that you are curious about Him.

I feel things very deeply, so this unconditional and true love means the world to me. I also have high anxiety. When I remember to pray to Jesus - and let's be honest, I tend to forget, but when I do remember, I always end up feeling this gentle lifting of my own burdens. This lifting is a soft one, and I often don't notice it until I feel more steady. When I do feel better, I know it's from Him, because everything else I try doesn't ease my anxiety like He does. Overthinking is something I suffer from daily, and is one that Jesus often lifts whenever I ask for His help. He's a gentleman, so He will wait for my go ahead before helping me, but it's always so wonderful when He does. It's like He's been waiting for me to reach out for Him when I need help, and I love that I can turn to Him for support whenever I need it. And that's just my experience. Everybody encounters Jesus differently in their lives, but I have found that Jesus is awesome at meeting people where we are at, and speaking to us in ways that we can understand. This can be extra hugs and love for someone who values physical touch, or even guidance on where to go in life when someone feels really uncertain.

This is a big question, and it's a good one, it's just a bit hard to consolidate. I have a few solid reasons why I choose to follow Jesus and why I believe in Him, and we've just scratched the surface today. I love talking about Jesus - He's literally one of my favorite people and I'm so glad I follow Him. I would love to talk about this more with you and hear more of your story if you feel comfortable sharing. I'd love to talk more about this with you and we can discover the answers to your questions together!

And finally, I just wanted to say that your curiosity is such a beautiful thing. You are such a wonderful person. Jesus delights in you just for existing - He created you in your mother's womb, and He made you simply because He loves you and thinks you are worthy of life. And that's why I follow Him, because He feels the exact same way about me. <3

I hope this helps answer your questions, and please know that my virtual door is always open to talk about this and anything else you want to share. Thank you for reaching out, and I hope our friendship can grow as we talk about this and many more things. <3

[maryrebeccawrites]

My Childhood Crush is a Selkie

See all available chapters here.

Chapter Two: Sea Glass Memories

I had never allowed myself to imagine I would see Delmar Lennox again. Well maybe I had imagined it once or twice in the middle of the night or on a particularly boring day, but I had never allowed these fantasies to last for long.

As soon as he left eleven years prior, in my melodramatic teenage rage, I had taken everything he had ever given me and either burned it, donated it, or in the case of the many shells and rocks we had collected together on the shoreline, thrown them back to the sea along with all of my memories. I had never imagined that he would come back to shore, materializing out of everything I had tried to abandon.

He looked both remarkably changed and unchanged. The boy I had known had been shorter than me most of our lives and was barely an inch taller when we parted. I was quite statuesque myself, but now the young man before me was taller by about six inches. In nothing more than gray cotton shorts, I could see how strong and muscled his lean torso and limbs had grown.

Water droplets trickled down his pale skin. I remembered that during the summer, he often developed an uneven tan and a face full of freckles, but there was none of that now, like he hadn't been spending as much time outside. His short hair, however, was still black and unruly like wet, scattered rocks, and his eyes were just as clear and blue as they had always been, even in this darkness.

And something else was the same: he always wore a lot of jewelry. He had many bracelets and wristbands from various music festivals and concerts he had attended and rings he had found washed up on the beach, but around his neck, he only wore one thing. It was a simple leather cord with a very rare, small piece of turquoise sea glass in the middle.

I had given it to him for his thirteenth birthday. I had found the piece myself while we were out wandering the rocks of our hometown. I had felt like a pirate, discovering lost treasure. Red sea glass was considered more rare, but it wasn't as beautiful to me.

I tried not to stare too intently as the familiar jewel glistened in moonlight.

I couldn't tell if it was the similarities or the differences that made it all more difficult, or maybe it was just seeing them all thrown together.

I knew that he was also taking in the sight of me, and my skin flushed under his eyes, partly from anger. It took a lot of nerve to show up like this out of nowhere and look at me like that. I crossed my arms. He grinned at this and took another step forward. "Jesus, Di. I mean, you've always been pretty, but you look like a goddess."

I raised my chin a little. "True." My defiance and confidence only made him look more pleased.

I wanted to scream and run away like I'd seen some kind of monster, but his smile only deepened, and I felt pinned to the sand. "It is really good to see you," he said, stepping forward again, his voice a little lower. "What are you doing here?"

"Going for a swim, same as you," I said, trying to act unfazed as he stood only three feet in front of me. If I looked like a goddess, then he certainly resembled my male counterpart, like a masculine version of Venus rising from the sea. His handsome face was caught between youthful and rugged now, resembling some ancient Greek sculpture.

He let out his bright, confident laugh—the one that could be just a little mocking if he wanted, but it never was for me. "I meant, what are you doing here in Greyport? The swimming part is apparent."

"I live here now," I said reluctantly, and before I could try to extricate myself from this strange, humiliating situation, I heard the approaching engine of a boat and glanced over his broad shoulders to the water.

"Del!" exclaimed one of its occupants. It looked like one of the pontoons I had seen cruising around. It hovered a bit too close to the rock formation, but its passengers seemed incredibly unconcerned.

It wasn't a large pontoon, but from this distance and darkness, I could see that there were probably about two young men and two young women crammed on there, all of them in bathing suits with no life jackets, all of them holding beers. The only reason I could see anything was because they had a disco ball hooked up to the anchor light. It played over their faces with a dizzying number of colors.

The various people began calling out Del's name with more urgency. I realized that he must have jumped off that particular boat and just swam to shore. He had always been an excellent swimmer. People were alway trying to get him to join the swim team in middle school, but just like me, he hated chlorine swimming pools.

"I think your friends are looking for you," I said, deadpan, and he sighed, finally turning around to them. I wanted to use the opportunity to run away—to slink back in the shadows—but Del had stepped beside me to face them, and all of their eyes were on both of us.

"Hello!" called the guy at the helm. They had pulled the pontoon farther in, so I could see them fairly clearly now. Pretty soon they would unintentionally run aground. The helmsman had the same surfer look that Del had, with lots of shell bracelets and a corded necklace. "And who are you?" he asked me, tone full of interest.

Delmar crossed his arms, about to answer, but I answered first. "Diana."

"You leave us for five minutes, and we find you with a pretty girl," one of the women called, laughing, as if this were typical behavior. I bristled.

"I told you idiots that I'd come find you later," Delmar said, but he was smiling at them. It was a smile I had seen many times before—the one he had for other people. It was effortlessly charming, but there was just a little bit of an edge to it, like his perfect teeth could bite.

"Well, Diana," the helmsman said, and he put his cap on backwards for emphasis, nearly toppling in the process. "Will you please convince this deserting traitor to get his cute butt back here so we can go to a very fun party? And can you do that by just coming with us?"

"Afraid I'm not in a partying mood, but thanks so much for the tempting offer," I called back.

"Oh come on, Diana!" One of the young women—similarly attired—called. Why did they keep saying my name like we were all old pals?

"You look like you're dressed for a party," the helmsman said.

Del turned to me, and his smile was a little sheepish now, but it was all a part of the act. There was nothing apologetic in his eyes, not just for how jarring this all was, but for anything. There was nothing apologetic in his eyes for the last eleven years.

"You know, it could be fun. It would be a good way to catch up."

Someone on the pontoon began to play "I'm on a Boat" by T Pain, and everyone cheered. I winced at the cacophony.

A good way to catch up? In what universe?

"Oh sure, wasted twentysomethings boating around the harbor when a storm is due. Seems very chill," I quipped. "What could go wrong?"

His smile didn't falter. "I wouldn't let anything happen to you."

"Right," I said with surprising force, and his eyebrow furrowed, which only annoyed me more. "It may have been eleven years, but you haven't changed a bit. As usual, you just do what you want, when you want. Well maybe you'll do what I want for once and just go to hell."

The anger had burst out of me like a storm, and I spun around, snatching my shoes and my purse. I heard him calling after me, and then I heard him running after me.

"Just leave me alone," I snapped, and he stopped. I didn't look to see the expression on his face for long, but I saw a flash of that kicked puppy look he had so perfected. I didn't remember to put my shoes on before stepping onto the road. The gravel bit into my feet with every step. Hot tears began to spill down my face.

🌊🌊🌊

At work the next day, I felt like I was in an entirely different world. Sophie asked more than once if I was okay, but I just claimed to be hungover, which wasn't a complete lie. I hadn't gone swimming that morning, even though the storm had died down to a sprinkle, and that had never deterred me before. But the beach didn't feel like mine anymore. The past had somehow managed to contaminate it.

At first, there wasn't even a small part of me that considered telling Sophie what had happened last night. First of all, I wasn't really sure what had happened or how I felt about it, and second of all, I felt silly for being so affected over someone I hadn't spoken to in eleven years.

When I arrived home the previous night, I had tried to convince myself that I didn't care at all, but it didn't last for long. It was too exhausting to bury my thoughts of him. Instead of trying, I would mope for a few days, and he would eventually disappear again. He probably wasn't even staying for the entire weekend.

By the end of the day, with a few too many coffees and just the right number of chocolate chip cookies to fuel me, I was feeling a little more energized. "So, tell me more about your night.

"She speaks," Sophie said. We were caught in a bit of a rare lull, and the boredom was threatening to melt my brain. I had taken to dusting things that didn't really need to be dusted, and Sophie had finally been convinced to sit down and rest her legs.

"Well, I don't need to," I threatened, and she smiled.

"There isn't much more to report, honestly," Sophie said. "The sushi was delicious, and then we ended up not stealing the dinghy because the storm came a bit too soon, and we had a few too many mai tais. Then we just kind of drove around in the storm. It was one of those warm rains, you know? God, I love those."

"Me too," I said softly, because I did. And instead of experiencing it, I had been crying myself to sleep.

"I wish you had been with us," Sophie said, but she didn't say it in a casual, throwaway manner. She wasn't in the habit of saying things she didn't really mean, at least to me.

I laughed a little awkwardly. "I think tonight will be enough socialization for a lifetime."

She grinned. "Well you could have conserved some energy by not going on that seemingly fruitless date last night."

"Well at least dates with idiotic men require a lower level of brain function than conversing with your pretty, successful friends," I said.

She scoffed, and I was suddenly close to telling her what happened, but I couldn't quite do it. "You are one of my pretty, successful friends," she said, and I didn't bother to protest.

Then her eyes lit up, as if she were remembering something. "And oh my God, speaking of idiotic men and pretty, successful people, I ran into this guy I knew in high school, Quinn Hollaway. He's kind of a goofball, but we did choir together. He was one of the only jocks I could tolerate, you know? So I told him to come, and he's bringing some friends."

Sophie had traveled around even more than I had in her young life, and I often forgot that she grew up in this very town. Greyport wasn't a complete lost cause, but I was always surprised that she had decided to return when she could have done incredible things in New York City or Boston.

Then again, her parents still lived in her childhood home, and they had a good relationship with each other. Sometimes I wished that I had been born here, just an hour's drive north of my own hometown, so we could have gone to school together. But then I remembered that I had only one friend in high school, and Sophie had probably been fairly popular, especially if she was inviting former jocks to her housewarming parties.

"I really hope he brings—" she started to say, and the door opened. Ruth herself strolled in with a comically large umbrella. I could feel Sophie tense immediately. Ruth had a habit of popping in whenever she wanted to, which could be once a month or once a day.

"Hello girls," she said with a wide grin that didn't sit correctly on her beautiful face. Her piercing blue eyes took in the sight of us with one swipe from head to toe. Sophie's smiles were usually genuine, so it was a little difficult to watch her try to fake one, but she made a valiant effort.

I did not.

"Ruth," I said, as if I were cursing with a different four-letter word.

"Oh Di, how many times do I need to tell you to call me Ruthie?" she asked, that strange smile never leaving her lips. I winced.

"How are you today?" Sophie asked, her voice both casual and polite, but I could see the way her keen eyes tracked Ruth's movement around the shop.

"I'll be much better once I'm on that massage bed in Honolulu on Tuesday, let me tell you," she said, her eyes lingering a little too long on the mannequins. The shop was undeniably pristine despite the busy day, so she needed to choose her target well.

"Oh girls, I told you that we weren't doing mannequins anymore," she said, wrinkling her nose. "You remember my friend Roland saying they just give him the creeps."

Roland gives me the creeps, I thought, but Sophie shot me a warning look, as if she were reading my mind, which she was.

"Well we sold a ton of things off the mannequin during the sale—"

"Yes, the sale," Ruth said, her eyes lighting up. "Jessica down the street said it was an absolute madhouse here, and I'm not sure that's the appearance we want to display to the world." She pretended to mull this over for a moment. "Yes, I think that was our last one. But never fear, I'm sure the next idea you have will be simply inspired."

Sophie looked too shocked to say anything in response, her mouth opening and then closing.

I couldn't help myself. "You're so funny, Ruth," I said with a forced grin that was meant to look forced. "First you claimed that it was your idea to have the sale, and now that you don't like it anymore, it's her idea again. You sure know how to keep us on our toes! It's hilarious." Sometimes Sophie would look angry when I made such remarks, but right now, she just looked exhausted.

Ruth's brow furrowed as she tried to sort out the disconnect between my tone and my words. In the end, she decided to just

ignore me. I wasn't entirely sure how I hadn't been fired yet. I had made Sophie promise not to stick her neck out for me. I think Ruth may have simply taken some strange pleasure in being my boss.

"Well, I was just passing through, but let's talk later this week, just the two of us, shall we?" Ruth asked, not sparing me a glance until she was leaving. Finally, she offered us both a grating little wave before she was gone. It was often like this. She would be in the store for little more than a couple of minutes and leave in a whirlwind.

I turned to Sophie. "Sorry."

She shook her head, watching the space where Ruth had been. A few customers, all middle-aged women, came in. Sophie greeted them with her usual charm.

"Does she even realize how much money you made for her yesterday?" I whispered under my breath.

"Of course she does," Sophie said, keeping the smile plastered on her face. "But I don't want to talk about that right now. I want to get through this day, and then I want to get plastered at my new place with my friends. How does that sound to you?"

"Simply delightful," I said with a smile, although going to the party was, perhaps, the last thing I wanted to do. I would do it for her.

[atheist-mumblings]

Shout out to whoever coined the term Greasy Josh. I know I saw it in a tumblr post first, but it's been years and who knows if I'll ever come across the post again. I just really enjoy having enough religious upbringing to get that joke.

For those who don't get it: There's a belief that Jesus's name, in Hebrew/Aramaic, would have been Yeshua, and Jesus is a Latinization of the Greekification of this common Hebrew name. You might notice the close resemblance to the name Joshua, and for good reason, because Joshua is another Latinization of the same Hebrew name.

Christ comes from the Greek word kristos, meaning anointed, again put through the Latin mulcher. As in, anointed with oil on your head, face, etc. as many ancient religions through history have done to designate someone being of a particular calling or rank.

So Jesus = Yeshua = Joshua = Josh

And Christ = kristos = anointed = oiled

Aaaand I just realized it may have been Oily Josh as the term I saw before. But eh, greasy is also something you might say of someone with oily hair.

Plus saying Greasy Josh brings to mind some really interesting implications about the character Greasy Johnson in Good Omens, aka baby #3, who was booted from his birth family to make way for the antichrist. There's some fandom meta worth exploring there, but maybe not on this blog, lmao

[not-gwengracecameron]

"Mama, I just got attacked by a fucking rooster!" Gwen came bursting into the house.

"Mum's at work- wait what?" Grace looked up from feeding Lochan, who giggled as he smacked away the spoon for the eighth time. It spilt on his highchair.

Grace sighed, going to clean it up.

"You got attacked by a rooster? Are you sure it was a rooster?"

"No, it was a pig- Yes I got attacked by a fu-uh flipping rooster!"

"Jesus, who peed in your fruity pebbles?" Cameron said dryly, not looking up from his homework.

"The flipping rooster." Gwen huffed.

Grace stopped cleaning. "Cameron, where have you heard of a lot of rooster attacks recently?"

"no wher- oh fu-"

Gwen coughed, nodding to Lochan, who was now playing with his spilt food.

"Mum's pulled not one, not two, but three gods?" Cameron said, mouth agape.

"Not just gods, but Olympians."

"I mean, could be more." She looked at Lochan.

They stared at him for a moment. He stopped playing with his food as he stared back.

"What on earth-"

"Whatever. Right, when mum gets home, you gotta tell her." Grace said firmly.

"I literally came bursting in announcing it." Gwen deadpanned.

"Lucky you..." Cameron muttered.

"What the hell does that mean?"

"Nothing!"

"Yeah right-"

"Woah, woah. Stop." Gwen spoke up. "You're not going to fist fight each other in here. Mum gets home at 5."

"But it's a Saturday. She normally finishes later." Cameron pointed out.

"Bar shuts early today. Something about repairs."

"Oh, yeah- OH HOLY SHIT-" A rooster tapped the window.

'WATCH YOUR FUCKING LANGUAGE AROUND LOCHAN!"

Gwen facepalmed.

"S-shit." Lochan sputtered out before giggling.

"Did he-" Cameron tailed off.

"Yep. His first word was shit." Grace said quietly.

"Oh, Mum's going to murder us." Gwen whispered, staring at Lochan again.

The rooster tapped the window again.

"Motherclucker!"

Grace closed the curtains as the rooster tapping again more agressively.

"Okay, well, that rooster's damn determined." She sighed as it continued to tap.

Cameron suddenly stood up, went outside and swore at the rooster in ancient greek.

"Leave my sister the fuck alone you absolute fucking-"

"That's not English." Gwen was stunned.

"No. No it was not."

"Why the hell did I understand it?"

Grace stayed quiet for a second. "Mum can explain that one."

"Mum's going to have a lot to explain."

Tag list:

None yet but let me know if you would like to be added :)

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Michael Shermer

Published: Aug 9, 2023

There is arguably no better known set of moral precepts than the Ten Commandments. As an exercise in moral casuistry, in this essay, excerpted from my chapter on religion in my 2015 book The Moral Arc, let’s consider them again in the context of how far the moral arc has bent since they were decreed over three millennia ago. (The Ten Commandments are stated in two books of the Old Testament, Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:4-21. I quote from Exodus, King James Version.) In the next essay I shall reconstruct them from the perspective of a science- and reason-based moral system.

I. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

First, this commandment reveals that polytheism was commonplace at the time and that Yahweh was, among other things, a jealous god (see God’s own clarification in Commandment 2). Second, it violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution in that it restricts freedom of religious expression (“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”), making the posting of the Ten Commandments in public places such as schools and courthouses unconstitutional.

II. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.

This commandment is also in violation of the First Amendment’s guarantee of the freedom of speech, of which artistic expression is included by precedence of many Supreme Court cases (“Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech”). It also brings to mind what the Taliban did in Afghanistan when they destroyed ancient religious relics not approved by their Islamist masters. Elsewhere in the Bible, the word “idol” is synonymously used, with the Hebrew word pesel translated as an object carved or hewn out of stone, wood or metal.

What, then, are we to make of the crucifix, worn by millions of Christians as an image, an idol, a symbol of what Jesus suffered for their sins? The crucifix is a graven image of torture as it was commonly practiced by the Romans. If Jews today were suddenly to start sporting little gas chambers on gold necklaces the shocked public reaction would be as unsurprising as it would be unmistakable.

I the LORD thy God am a jealous God.

That might explain the genocides, wars, conquests, and mass exterminations commanded by the deity of the Old Testament. These humanlike emotions reveal Yahweh to be more like a Greek god, and much like an adolescent, who lacks the wisdom to control his passions.

The last part of this commandment—visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me—violates the most fundamental principle of Western jurisprudence developed over centuries of legal precedence that one can be only be guilty of one’s own sins and not the sins of one’s parents, grandparents, great grandparents, or anyone else for that matter.  

III. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

This commandment is once again an infringement on our Constitutionally-guaranteed right to free speech and religious expression, and another indication of Yahweh’s petty jealousies and un-Godlike ways.

IV. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Again, freedom of speech and religious expression means we may or may not choose to treat the Sabbath as holy, and the rest of this commandment—For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy—make it clear that its purpose is to once again pay homage to Yahweh.

Thus far, the first four commandments have nothing whatsoever to do with morality as we understand it today in terms of how we are to interact with others, resolve conflicts, or improve the survival and flourishing of other sentient beings. At this point the Decalogue is entirely concerned with the relationship of humans and god, not humans and humans.

V. Honor thy father and thy mother.

As a father myself, this commandment feels right and reasonable, since most of us parents appreciate being honored by our children, especially because we’ve invested considerable love, attention, and resources into them. But “commanding” honor—much less love—doesn’t ring true to me as a parent, since such sentiments usually come naturally anyway. Plus, commanding honor is an oxymoron, made all the worse by the hint of a reward for so doing, as in the rest of that commandment: “that thy days may be long upon the land which the lord thy God giveth thee.” Honor either happens naturally as a result of a loving and fulfilling relationship between parents and offspring, or it doesn’t. For a precept to be moral, it must involve an element of choice between doing something entirely self-serving and doing something that helps another, even at the cost of oneself.    

VI. Thou shalt not kill.

Finally, we get a genuine moral principle worth our attention and respect. Yet even here, much ink has been spilled by biblical scholars and theologians about the difference between murder and killing (such as in self-defense), not to mention all the different types of killing, from first-degree murder to manslaughter, along with mitigating circumstances and exclusions, such as self-defense, provocation, accidental killings, capital punishment, euthanasia, and of course war.

Many Hebrew scholars believe that the prohibition is against murder only. But what are we to make of the story in Exodus (32:27-28) in which Moses brought down from the mountain top the first set of tablets, which he smashed in anger, and then commanded the Levites: “Thus saith the lord God of Israel, put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor. And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.”

How can we reconcile God’s commandment not to kill anyone with his commandment to kill everyone? In light of this account, and many others like it, the sixth commandment should perhaps read thus: Thou shalt not kill—not unless the Lord thy God says so. Then shalt thou slaughter thine enemies with abandon.

VII. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Coming from a deity who impregnated somebody else’s fiancé, that’s a bit rich. However, the bigger issue is that this commandment, like all the others, is a blunt instrument that doesn’t take into account the wide variety of circumstances in which people find themselves. Surely grownups in intimate relationships can and should negotiate the details of their relationship for themselves, and one hopes that they’ll act honorably toward their partner out of a sense of integrity, and not because a deity told them to.     

VII. Thou shalt not steal.

Again, do we really need a deity to command this? All cultures had and have moral rules and legal codes about theft.

IX. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

Anyone who has been lied to or gossiped about can explain why this moral commandment makes sense and is needed, so chalk one up for the Bible’s authors whose insights here were spot on.

X. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his cattle, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s.

Consider what it means to covet something—to crave or want or desire it—so this commandment is the world’s first thought crime, which goes against centuries of Western legal codes. More to the point, the very foundation of capitalism is the coveting or desire for things and, ironically, it is Bible-quoting Christian conservatives who most defend the very coveting forbidden in this final mandate.

The late Christopher Hitchens best summed up the implications of taking this commandment seriously, in an April 2010 Vanity Fair essay: “Leaving aside the many jokes about whether or not it’s okay or kosher to covet thy neighbor’s wife’s ass, you are bound to notice once again that, like the Sabbath order, it’s addressed to the servant-owning and property-owning class. Moreover, it lumps the wife in with the rest of the chattel (and in that epoch could have been rendered as ‘thy neighbor’s wives,’ to boot).”

After demolishing the Decalogue in his inimitable style, Hitchens proffered his own list of commandments:

• Do not condemn people on the basis of their ethnicity or color.  • Do not ever use people as private property. • Despise those who use violence or the threat of it in sexual relations. • Hide your face and weep if you dare to harm a child.  • Do not condemn people for their inborn nature—why would God create so many homosexuals only in order to torture and destroy them? • Be aware that you too are an animal and dependent on the web of nature, and think and act accordingly.  • Do not imagine that you can escape judgment if you rob people with a false prospectus rather than with a knife. • Turn off that fucking cell phone—you have no idea how unimportant your call is to us. • Denounce all jihadists and crusaders for what they are: psychopathic criminals with ugly delusions. • Be willing to renounce any god or any religion if any holy commandments should contradict any of the above.”

Hitchens caps his list in summary judgment: “In short: Do not swallow your moral code in tablet form.”

Now, that is a rational prescription! In my next Skeptic column here I will offer my own “Provisional Rational Decalogue.” So you don’t miss it please consider subscribing below.

[thank-the-gods-im-bi]

My thoughts on the PJO Lightning Thief movie. Spoilers for the movie I guess. My commentary is funny to read with it because then you really understand what I mean! What a ride this was

1. “The politically correct term is satyr” Jesus it made me chuckle because of course the threw in the comment politically correct. Go off Grover I guess

2. How old is Grover if at 12 he’s 24 and when he looks 16-18 in the movie? I just got questions man how old is he?!?! Why doesn’t he have his horns yet?!

3. Low key I want to go to this camp cause it’s looks like fun for teens/adults

4. It’s kinda accurate at certain points. Like lines from the book. But at the same time wrong character

5. WHY IS GROVER SO GREAT??? PERCY SEEING ANNABETH AND ASKING DOR HER NAME AND GROVER GOES “Haaa! She’ll squash you like a bug” GO OFF MY MAN

6. Why does it look so cgi? And also WHY THE CRAP DID THEY IMMEDIATELY TAKE HIM TO CABIN 3???? LIKE YEA EVERYONE KNOWS HES A SON OF POSEIDON BUT HE STILL HAS TO BE CLAIMED

7. Also it’s supposed to be the summer and why he got pants and a heavy jacket on? Also how do they explain both Chiron, Percy and Grover missing from school cause they just fucking dipped

8. Yea let’s throw the guy with absolutely no lessons or absolutely anything like that into capture the flag! Also where the fuck is Clarisse?

9. God luke is hilarious! “That’s a sword that’s a sword!” God got me wheezing

10. Glad to know in both video adaptations the Percy’s trip and fall.

11. Why is annabeth out of breath and a genuine dick in the beginning? Like she did two steps forward and is breathing heavy! Was it cause she had to talk all mysterious and sultry? What was that for?!

12. THEY ALL LOOK LIKE THEY ARE IN THEIR 30’s BESIDES THE MAIN 4?! Why the campers so old?!

13. Logan Lerman was a great percy at the wrong time. I will stand by this

14. WHY DOES HADES LOOK LIKE SATAN WHAT WAS THE PURPOSE?!

15. THE CAMERA POINTING TO LUKE WHEN HADES WAS ASKING FOR THE BOLT THAT WAS SMOOTH AF

16. BARGIN WITH ZEUS?! WHAT THE HECK?!

17. Damn annabeth has been there for a while I imagine since she was 7 and never went on a quest yet. Who hates her in this movie?

18. WHY DOES LUKE HAVE A PC, MULTIPLE TV SCREENS AND AN XBOX/PLAY STATION? AND A ROOM TO HIS OWN?

19. How did Luke break into his dad’s house?!

20. Interesting take for Persephone. Also Persephone’s pearls?! Fucking weird

21. WHY IS THERE SO MUCH CUSSING?! They’ve said ass twice now!

22. GROVER IS KILLING IT ONCE AGAIN! Opening up the soda machine and screaming cause there’s rats and saying the health department needs to give this place a f! His actor is so good!

23. The Fucking JUMPSCARE at Aunty Ems

24. Medusa fucking slaying. You go creepy lady! Also Medusa hates autistic people. I know it’s rude not to look people in the eyes but I can’t help it!

25. THE FUCKING IPOD TO KILL MEDUSA ALSO WHY SHE MOVE LIKE THAT

26. “Son of Poseidon. I use to date your daddy” THE PUSHES THE STATUES ON TO HIM LIKE A DOMINO EFFECT WHATS HAPPENING DID THEY CONSUME DRUGS BEFORE FILMING BEFORE WRITING?!

27. THEY DROVE A TRUCK AT THEM WITH THEIR EYES CLOSED! They could’ve killed Percy!

28. Grover almost killing them in oncoming traffic

29. The water animation to heal people is kinda sick I won’t lie

30. “It’s forbidden… Zeus made a law that gods can’t see their mortal children” fuck off

31. Why did they keep the head? Why didn’t the mist cover up the Medusa head?

32. Why is everything in Ancient Greek? Like even just name plates

33. Did they really just hide in toilet stalls for hours? Instead of just sneaking back in?!

34”you’re going to kill the janitors?! Those are working class Americans!” Stay slaying Grover you are the best part of this movie

34.5 “their not dead just unconscious. We have 30 minutes come on!” NOT THE GUY YOU SHOT OFF THE LADDER AND FELL ON TO MARBLE MAN MIGHT BE DEAD

35. WHY DOES ANNABETH JUST FACETIME LUKE ON A COMPUTER?!

36. How many times did the janitor actors have to go over their lines together to say them in unison? Also they don’t fight the hydra till the second book

37. WHY DOES ANNABETH HAVE SO MANY WEAPONS AND WHERE IS SHE STORING THEM??? A cross bow, a bow and arrows, I want to say a sword but I could be wrong. Just so many weapons

38. How are they getting the money for the gas to go from New Jersey to Tennessee to then Las Vegas? That’s a lot of gas!

39. THE BEST SCENE IN THE WHOLE MOVIE THE POKER FACE SCENE I KNOW THEY WONT KEEP THE SONG IN THE SHOW BUT I WANT THEM TO

40. THEY PLAY TIKTOK BY KESHA TOO!

41. Never let Grover drive is the main point of the movie

42. “A giant storm cloud covers most North America… several states has issued an evacuation.” TO WHERE?! Where can they go?!

43. Charon(I hope I’m spelling it right) is such a mood I love him so much

44. “Thanks for telling me, man. You’re burning money. We’re in a recession. That’s treason!” WHEN WAS THIS MOVIE MADE. Please hold for a quick Google check. 2010?! It’s 14 years old?! I got siblings younger than this movie! No wonder this is a line!

45. Why is the underworld just the idea of hell? I mean come on. There are souls being burned and all are being tortured. That’s so wrong man

46. Persephone is kinda hot. Also she shouldn’t be there yet cause it’s THE SUMMER NOT THE WINTER but you know

47. Why does hades look like my uncle I don’t talk to. Ok I don’t talk to most of my uncles but on my dads side if that makes sense. When he’s in satan mode he looks like my stepmom

48. HADES WASNT DAMNED TO “HELL” HE WASNT PUSHED TO BE THERE. What the fuck?! It’s so Christian coded but in a bad way. There’s a good way and a bad way but this is a bad way.

49. I thought I could keep it in but the hellhounds scare me so Fucking much those aren’t hounds they are terrible beasts I don’t like them!

50. Hades being cruel and abusive is a tired trope. It’s so exhausting.

51. Grover being a big man is going to make me cry! But we all know why he wants to stay. Bow chica bow ow

52. How does sally know where the entrance to Olympus is?

53. Oh no! Luke is the lightning thief! Roll credits

54. Were Luke an Annabeth ever close? Cause they act like they don’t like each other or just barely tolerate each other

55. If they never went to Olympus for the winter solstice how did Luke steal it? I imagine a demigod in Olympus would cause so questions

56. I hate Luke and Percy’s fight. Terrible. Awful. Why is it here?

56.5. The only acceptable part is where Percy basically drowns Luke for a hot minute

56.5.5. Where did all the water go?

57. AGAIN HOW DOES SALLY JACKSON KNOW ALL THIS SHIT

58. The elevator and the scene of them going up to Olympus was sick af

59. They got 2 minutes to climb up 20,000 steps. Fucking good luck I guess

60. I like the visuals of how big the gods are to the mortals. Even if it was badly done. It visually is really good

61. Maybe don’t point the blade at the gods Percy!

62. Psh Athena saying I’m proud of you to annabeth? A mother saying that to her kid? Yea that has totally happen to me. Oh why am I crying? My roommate is cutting onions and there’s dust in my eyes

63. Haha! Percy got daddy issues! I certainly don’t know what that feels like. Sorry my roommate is starting to cut another onion

64. Maybe a little too early for this note but did they not give her the head of Medusa? Is gabe not dead?! Also not telling your mother you love her before leaving for the rest of the summer? Shame on you!

65. “First rule of battle strategy” maybe put your hair up so it’s out of your face! Come on annabeth that’s reckless!

66. I WAS WRONG SHES A FUCKING BADASS AND PLAUSIBLE DENIABILITY GOOD JOB PERCY AND SALLY!

Alright I just finished it. Those are my thoughts I want to do the second movie tomorrow cause I have work in the morning. But I’ll do it whether people read this one or not. I might do the hunger games movie too or something like that! It was a lot of fun!



[shammah8]

"Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him. If we disown Him, He will also disown us; if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself."

2 Timothy 2:11-13

THE MARTYRS HYMN

Paul is writing his last letter before execution addressed to his spiritual son, Timothy. New Testament scholars are convinced that Paul is quoting here an ancient Christian worship chorus or “hymn.” It is assessed to be one of the songs Christians sang as they were walking into the arena to face certain death. Paul himself may have sung this hymn when he was executed in Rome.

There is plenty of historical evidence that people of the pagan world were amazed at the courage and joy – often expressed in music – Christians exhibited when facing their death. Early church father, Tertullian was reportedly converted soon after first observing this exhibition of abnormal joyfulness. He later made the oft-quoted statement that “the blood of the martyrs is seed!”

The first couplet is powerful because it is in the Greek aorist tense which indicates a specific moment in the past. When Christ calls us, we die to sin and to ourselves. Therefore, the song begins, “We have already died with Him and we will therefore live with Him!” It goes on to proclaim that when we endure, we’ll reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will deny or disown us; but when we are faithless, He always remains faithful because it is a characteristic of His unchanging nature.

Korean Elder Kwan-Joon Park was called an “Elijah of Korea” or sometimes a “Daniel of modern times.” He died as a martyr for his faith in Christ and his opposition to the Japanese colonial rule during the Second World War when Korea was occupied by the Japanese Imperialists. The latter enforced Shinto worship on the Korean people.

On March 24, 1939, Elder Park went to Japan to protest against inhuman colonial policies of Japan. He walked into the 74th Imperial Diet of Japan. When the opening pronouncement of the lower house was made, he stood up from his seat in the visitor’s balcony and shouted, “This is a great mission of God, Jehovah’s great message!” Then he threw leaflets to the floor below exposing cruel abuse of Korean Christians by Japan and warning them of God’s imminent judgment and destruction of Japan as a result of her wrong doing and tyranny. They also explained the resistance against Japanese imposition of Shinto shrine worship upon Korean Christians.

Elder Park was arrested and sentenced to six years in Japanese prison. While serving his sentence he was martyred at the age of seventy. We don’t know if he sang. But one line from his last poem written during his imprisonment expresses well his firm resolution to die willingly for Jesus Christ: “Since Jesus died for me, I will die for Jesus!”

Response

Today I will resolve to live courageously even if it means facing death for Jesus who died for me. I will express my joy in living and dying for Him in every way – including singing!

Prayer

Lord, help me to be joyful even in the face of death knowing that You are always faithful.

© 2013 Open Doors International. Used by permission.

[pyramidmedia369]

The Unknown Origins of Christmas & Christianity

Original post: The Unknown Origins of Christmas & Christianity (pyramidmedia369.com)

There is a wide variety of artifacts below that detail the origins of the Christmas ritual. The information below will be quite alarming, because it can cause deep confusion depending on where you stand in your spiritual journey. There's a lot to uncover here. I'm only here to make you think. Lets get to it. 

We will address the following:

Christ-Mass

Saturnalia

Saturn Worship

ACTS 14:12 + GENESIS 11:5-9 in the Bible

Who is Nimrod? 

How does Nimrod tie to the story of Christ?

The original Virgin Mary story

The Winter Solstice

Christ-Mass & the start of Christianity

The word "Christmas" is a derivative of "Christ-Mass". With Mass being a common practice in Roman Catholicism, having a nature specific to certain dates for more than just astrological reasons. The roots of Christmas were first planted in ancient Rome with Saturnalia: the original ritual of Christmas. In 336 AD, Pope Julius I decided to call December 25th "Christ-Mass", in an effort to adopt and absorb the traditions of the pagan Saturnalia festival. This is just 11 years after the beginning of Christianity, which started in 325 AD by Constantine The Great at the Council of Nicea. At the CON, Constantine stated that religious peace could only occur if a single religion is imposed throughout the empire, therefore no one could leave the empire until they agreed on a Universal interpretation for Christianity. There were only 5 priests who disagreed with him. Therefore, the bible doctrine we read today was subjugated by votes. Meaning, the stories/scriptures they would or would not include in the bible had to be voted for by the Council of Nicea. Which is why 75 books were removed from the bible as Christianity was created. 

I wonder, why didn't Christianity evolve as its own semitic denomination? Yeshua (Jesus) was a Jew from the tribe of Judah by lineage, and the New Testament states his crucifixion was ordered by the Roman Catholic church. Why is Christianity a denomination of Catholicism, and not Hebrew customs? Weird. 

Saturnalia

Saturnalia was originally a celebration of the god 'Saturn', which would last from December 17th through December 25th. I do recommend that you research the nature of these festivals on your own. Before it was Jesus Christ's birthday, it was Nimrod's birthday and was widely celebrated similar to the way we celebrate Christmas. To the Romans, Nimrod was called Saturn; the Greeks called him Kronos; the Egyptians called him Osiris; the Phoenicians and Canaanites called him Baal. Interesting, isn't it? 

Saturn Worship

It's not just ancient Romania; Saturn does play an important role in our spiritual evolution for many different reasons. For starters, Saturn is associated as the Lord of Karma and Time. Honoring Saturn is not merely just a pagan practice, hence why the Hebrew Sabbath day is on Saturday, the day of Saturn. If you look up any Pre-Copernicus astrological facts, you will find that Saturn is revered as the highest heaven of all the planetary bodies. Yes, each planet is considered not just a god/goddess, but also a heaven and dimension. The energetic nature of these planets are described through the personification of said deities.

You can learn more about how the roles the planets played in the ancient pantheons of spirituality and astrology here: "How The Days Got Their Names?"

Saturnalia is an ancient Greco-Roman festival, which also explains why the Bible stories include characters/gods from Greek-Roman pantheon. For example..

'Acts 14:12' in the Bible

King James Version:

"And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker." 

New International Version:

"Barabas, they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker."

Mercury is the planet of communication, while Jupiter is the planet of rulership.  Barnabus and Paul were appointed these names because of the social role they were playing among their tribe and society. This means that at a point in time, astrology was highly implemented by the progenitors of these said religions.

Who is Nimrod? 

Nimrod is a son of Cush, grandson of Ham and great grandson of Noah. "He was a mighty hunter before (against) the Lord" - Genisis 10:9. He was rebellious to the God of the bible, YHWH/ENLIL. Nimrod was the architect and main builder of the Tower of Babel. In Sumerian language, this tower is called Etemenanki, "the stairway between heaven and earth". The purpose of this tower was initially built in dedication to Enlil's brother, ENKI, to go high enough to see the gods. It was built in a spot the Babylonians believed was the very center of our Universe. Rome, which is just Babylon in a different time, was the original city of Saturn. 

During the construction of the Tower of Babylon, the peoples of the earth remained undivided, with one language and culture. But this was against God's orders. Read Genesis 11:5-9, where it describes how God made the builders scatter and divided their languages and kept them from being able to understand one another. This led to the final destruction of the tower. 

How does Nimrod tie to the story of Christ?

After Nimrod's death (c. 2167 BC), his wife Semiramis promoted the belief that he was a god. She claimed that she saw a full-grown evergreen tree spring out of the roots of a dead tree stump, symbolizing the springing forth of new life for Nimrod. On the anniversary of his birth, she said, Nimrod would visit the evergreen tree and leave gifts under it. His birthday fell on the winter solstice at the end of December. This is how the Christmas Tree tradition originated. 

Traditionally, a yule log was burned in the fireplace on Christmas Eve and during the night as the log’s embers died, there appeared in the room, as if by magic, a Christmas tree surrounded by gifts. The yule log represented the sun-god Nimrod and the Christmas tree represented himself resurrected as his own son, Tammuz who is Horus/Heru. Remember, the names are different because of the languages used throughout different kingdoms.

This story can also be found in the Sumerian story, The Epic of Gilgamesh, who is also Nimrod, who is Horus, who is Heru, who is Hercules. This is where the word "HERO" comes from! Let's get back on topic now...

The original Virgin Mary story

Osiris's story is almost exactly the same, just a few details make it more of a different story in other cultures. Nimrod's story is only missing the details of how his wife Semiramis, who is Isis, was able to conceive this miracle child. This is how the concept of the Holy Trinity began.

Nimrod-Semiramis-Tammuz version:

"Nimrod's uncle Shem killed Nimrod and scattered his remains across the land. When his wife became pregnant five month's later, she proclaimed that she was made pregnant by the rays of the Sun, which was supposedly her husband Nimrod."

 Osiris-Isis-Horus version:

"But one night Set, hunting by the light of the moon, found the chest, and, recognizing the body, tore it into fourteen pieces, which he scattered up and down throughout the land. When Isis heard of this, she took a boat and gathered the fragments of Osiris's body. Wherever she found one, there she built a tomb and pieced Osiris back together, who was then brought back to life. At this moment, Isis conceived Horus who later avenged Osiris's death."

The Winter Solstice

Ironically, the Sun cycle dies for 3 days. Its cycle is renewed, and the Sun begins to rise again on the 3rd day. Sound familiar? Throughout these 3 days, the Sun is at its lowest point out of a complete 365-day year. On December 25th, the Sun moves one degree northward and is symbolically born again! 

"The New Testament stories are based on the initiation ceremonies and esoteric secrets including astrology and Sun worship that were performed and communicated in the Mystery schools of Sumer, Babylon, and Egypt. In modern times, they are performed in Freemasonry, Order of the Eastern Star, Rosicrucianism, Order of the Golden Dawn, Thule Society, etc. But they are presented as a literal story to fool the people; especially Christianity, Judaism and Islam." - David Icke

Conclusion:

So Nimrod's story is Osiris's story. Considering that Horus is an incarnation of Osiris, the Horus legend also belongs to Nimrod as well. I can see how the confusion begins for many of us. Because Nimrod was killed by his own uncle - and Horus sought revenge on his uncle Seth who killed his father, Osiris. I know you're like, "How did he kill the person that killed him?" LOL there's so many empty blanks to fill in!

The ancient story says Isis used the pyramid of Giza to draw Osiris's spirit down into his body once she put him back together, after being killed and dismembered by his brother Set. It is also said that the Egyptians used Orion's belt as a gateway aka portal to travel to Earth's dimension with the use of the Pyramid. These are the missing details in the other stories. I shall return!

Thank you for reading!

If you do not truly understand how the planets, ancient Gods, and humanity are all connected, please feel free to reach out to me and ask any questions you may have at questions@pyramidmedia369.com. I try to leave clues in my previous articles, but I understand information has to be organized based upon your questions and needs. - Phoenix Son

[zutraeumen]

The Second Course

Darkness fell. The restaurant, bay windows aglow with warm light from afar. Out here, amidst the water and trees, all was quiet save for the lonesome, distant call of a loon.

Adele was actually prepared for the next clap! of hands from the Chef, you would never catch her unprepared twice!

"Is he gonna keep doing that?" 

I fear so dear Margot.

This time, he didn't even wait for his customer's attention as he began another fancy monologue, "Bread has existed in some form for over twelve thousand years. Especially amongst the poor. Flour and water, what could be simpler? Even today, grain represents 65% of all agriculture. Fruits and vegetables? Only 6%. Ancient Greek peasants dipped their stale, measly bread and wine for breakfast. And how did Jesus teach us to pray if not to beg for 'our daily bread'? It is and always has been the food of the common man. But you, my dear guests, are not the common man. So tonight... you get no bread."

Now THAT was how you politely say 'fuck you' to the rich kids.

That was a devilishly wicked move and she loved it.

"He must be joking..."

"What?"

"It's gotta be a bit... wait, are you fucking serious?"

The worst part was, they still thought it was all in jest; a prank. Oh, how wrong the Chef proved them with his next words, "In this spirit, please enjoy the unaccompanied accompaniments."

Oh, this was better entertainment than South Park. 

Watching them looking incredulously at their plates and not even realizing the Chef had just made fun of them. The level of pretentiousness and obliviousness was best described in Tyler's words as 'next level'.

The plate itself and the small accompaniments resembled a painting pallet painters used for their colours, and instead of bread was a note that read: The bread you will not be eating tonight was made from a heritage wheat called red fife, crafted with our partners at the Tehachapi Grain Project, devoted to preserving heirloom grains.

Slipping a chewing gum secretly into her mouth, the amount of chatter doubled significantly at the outrageous course of events and her amusement rose to such an extent that she could almost forget that the Chef wanted to kill her. 

"This is insane," Felicity let the paper fall from her hands with a shake of her head.

"Hmmm... because the shit around the total absence of the bread is like, really good."

How could someone enjoy savoury oils and emulsions on their own when they couldn't stand without bread? George could, and Tyler as well, but he insisted it was part of a greater theme nobody of them could grasp. 

Strange of him to say that, it was almost as if he knew something the others didn't. But hey, this was Tyler we were talking about, he was the type who probably knew how Slowik liked his coffee in the morning.  

"I mean it's a little outrageous, isn't it?"

The blonde food critic leant back against her seat, "That's fiendish really. I mean he- he's always been keenly aware of food and its history of class I mean, as have I..."

"-Sure." Somebody shoot that sycophant in the head.

"... though I will say," she picked up her glasses once again, "that this emulsion does look slightly split."

At this point, the assassin wouldn't take anything seriously from that woman. That food critic was a joke. A woman insatiable, and so full of herself she had to criticize something to appease her own ego; as the one food critic who had discovered and later re-discovered the famous Julian Slowik.

What a bitch.

Madam Elsa thought so too, because it was only seconds before she abandoned her temporary post next to one of the hearths to put a whole ass bucket of orange, 'broken' emulsion in front of her, the very same one she had complained so viciously about. She looked so positively shocked that she couldn't even do anything else but take the L and push out a strained smile. 

"Um, excuse me." 

Madam Elsa was beckoned by Bryce to the larger table where the finance bros sat, "Is everything to your liking, sir?"

"Um, well, actually no, thanks for asking. I mean look, the food's great and we totally get the conceptual stuff but can we please get a little bread? Some gluten-free for my friend as well?"

"No."

Shit's about to get real. 

"No?" Bryce replied, surprised.

Madam Elsa dropped the friendly facade and levelled him with a gaze that very much told him she would not budge no matter how many times he asked.

At the shock of being denied twice in a row, the table shared a round of exasperated glances before Bryan found his voice again, "This is all very clever, and I didn't wanna pull this card, but you know who we are, right?"

Oldest trick in the book.

"Yes."

"You do? You know who we are?" Soren joined in, looking patronisingly at the lady butler. 

The maître d' continued to speak politely, as if she was speaking to children, "I know who you are."

Soren let out an irritatingly childish noise of disbelief from his tight-lipped mouth that further proved what a man-child he truly was.

"You know we work with Doug Varrick, right?"

"No, you work for Mr Varrick." The viper struck again. Yikes.

"Exactly so you know we all play on the same team so just, slip us a little bread, please."

"We won't tell a soul lady, I promise."

Their nerve was astounding. Entitlement at its finest. There was no way in hell they were getting what they wanted.

"No."

"Did you say no?"

"I said 'no', yes."

The tension deflated as they gave up, receding in their seats with equal expressions of undignified rejection. Adele smirked in triumph, served them right! But then the lady butler whispered something into Soren's ear and the man had gone paler than a white sheet in the matter of second. 

Adele would have paid money to know what Madam Elsa might have said to him. 

The Chef until then, presided over the kitchen with a downright menacing gaze, surveying both staff and customers until a loud, unexpected noise popped the bubble in the restaurant.

A glass was shattered and Slowik was onto it like a panther in waiting.

"You haven't touched your food." The Chef remarked to Margot, eyes devoid of passion. Where had that subtle malice gone?

"There is no food."

Hit the nail right on the head.

"No, this is food."

And then the chatter renewed and now there was no way she could continue listening in any more than that. Looking around to see if anybody would notice, Adele watched on as they talked and boy did it seem like Margot was telling him off. Tyler visibly fidgeted in his seat, mortified that he had somehow offended his idol.

Then a truly dour expression took over Chef's taut face, He half-smiled and half-grimaced. No one talked to him like this. Then he walked away. Tyler looked sick.

Adele had said it before and she would say it again, that woman had some guts to tell that to the head chef, even when she wholeheartedly agreed. The courses were horrendously empty of proper food and filled with superficial words that soured the mood to eat altogether.

And Adele was likely to get poisoned if she ever listened to her stomach- WHAT THE HELL WAS HE DOING HERE?!

The Chef suddenly stopped at her own table. Alarmed, she thought he would confront Adele the same way he did with Margot but he did no such thing. The patrician with clean-shaven cheeks, and trimmed brown hair completely disregarded her presence and gently lowered his forehead onto the madam's sitting with her. 

There was warmth, there was true affection in this act, but even such raw moments were over in but a fraction of a moment if one blinked too many times, and soon the Chef was back marching into the kitchen, overseeing the preparation of the next course.

"I want plating in three, my friends!"

"Yes, Chef!"