Front Door

Would you open your front door for him? Would you invite him into your life? And mind and dreams? And in the end act alike? Would you've accepted Jesus as a prophet when you would have lived 2,000 years ago? Sure?

In retrospect it's easy to "see" who the true and false prophets were in history. In retrospect! What about the todays that are not lived yet and are not frozen into history? What to do with our present-day prophets who claim they "see" the end of time? Would you open your door for him or her? And in the end act alike?

What to do with Ronald Weinland? Is he a false prophet? The end of time did not come on September 29, 2011. Less than 3 months is left to May 27, 2012. Another false prophecy? Are you sure? Do we have to worry about: Greece in/out the EURO, killing fields in Syria, democracy in Egypt, next music CD of Madonna, holiday to Spain in July or ...?

What to do during the next 3 months? If I mock Weinland and his 'Church of God, Preparing for the Kingdom of God' (COG-PKG) I'll get cursed with "terminal diseases". After May hundreds of millions will die. According to the FAQ, his church is focused on helping those who are "genuine" in their desire to "follow and obey" God. We have to repent our false beliefs and practices, obey His ways of life and keep the Sabbath holy. "Finally, all must come to understand that there is only one true baptism in life whereby one can be forgiven of all sins. There is one true baptism into God’s one true Church, just as there is only one true Almighty Eternal God. Those who want to be baptized and desire to be begotten of God’s spirit must read and follow the instruction given."

In other words, Do We Need to Get Baptized into Weinland's COG-PKG?

How to get prepared for December 20-23, 2012? NASA has since 2007 received more than 5,000 questions from the public on this subject. Some asking whether they should kill themselves, kids and pets. 400 of those questions were answered (source). Should we Build a Spaceship and Fly Away from planet Earth - trying to escape?

• Collision or near-miss with a large planetary object (Nibiru)?
• Alien invasion?
• Being destroyed by a giant supernova or super-massive black hole?
• Geomagnetic reversal?

What's my point? Of course I'm teasing you :) ... there's no scientific proof for the doomsday scenarios above.  My real personal pleasure was puzzling on all those predicted end of time catastrophes. I looooooooooove puzzling. This is my point: Scientist are Prophets too. Making false and true predictions.  Only in retrospect we can tell which predictions were right and wrong. Who do I have to follow? What to do next?  

Fish

For christmas I went to my church. I can't remember when I was last there - other than a few funerals. Christmas 2010? It was busy. We were forced to sit in the side aisle. Diagonally in front of me a window high with three overlapping circles.

For Christians this triquetra is the symbol for the Blessed Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

Saturday I saw for the first time that two overlapping parts represent the symbol of a 'fish'. In Greek 'fish' is 'Ichthys': an acronym for 'Iesous CHristos THeou Yios Soter'. Translated in English as 'Jesus Christ God's Son and Saviour'. Do you see the 3 fish too - I coloured one of them blue? 

One image. And a lot of secrets for those who have the eyes to "see":

• Blessed trinity. 3 circles and 3 fish
• Message of acronym 'Ichthys'. Jesus is the son of God and our saviour 
• Identification. Distinguish Christian friends from foes. A friend knows what the fish represents
• Invitation. Jesus wants you to be a fisher of men
• Plenty. Multiplication of loaves and fish to feed the multitude  
• Trust. Follow Jesus and he will to take care for fish (with a coin in its mouth) to pay for ...
• ... - there must be more

Los Reyes Magos

In a few days we will celebrate Jesus' birthday. Again. [Footnote] 

Remember the story? Pregnant Mary and Joseph travelling to Bethlehem. No place to sleep. Cold night. Jesus born in a barn. Visiting shepherds. Couple of days later the arrival of three wise kings, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

In Dutch the '3 Wise Kings' are named the '3 Wijzen en/ of Koningen uit het Oosten'. Translated in English '3 Wise Men and/ or Kings from the East'. Last week I discovered something strange. Strange to me. In Spanish these 3 men are called 'Los Reyes Magos de Oriente'. Translated in English the 'Magos Kings from the East'. In Spanish these three Kings (Reyes) from the East are 'Magos': wizards, magicians or wise men. They have added a connotation of sorcery or magic. Very strange to my Dutch ears. New to me!

Back to the sources. What does the Bible say - in the New Revised Standard Version? Gospel of Matthew 2: 1-12 [bold added by JD] 

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." (...) When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 

The quote above is the only source in the Bible giving an account of some 'wise men' paying homage to the new king of the Jews. There were three gifts but this source doesn't tell that there were three men. They could have been kings but that's not for sure. They were "wise men". The original Greek text speaks of 'magos'. These 'magos' visited Jesus.

What are 'Magos'? Who were they? They were Zoroastrian priests. As part of their religion these priests paid particular attention to the stars. They were astrologists. People who think that there's a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world. Their practice of predicting seasons, events and people's lives made them not only wise but wizards and magicians too.

Quote Wikipedia on 'Magi':
The word mágos (Greek) and its variants appears in both the Old and New Testaments. Ordinarily this word is translated "magician" in the sense of illusionist or fortune-teller, and this is how it is translated in all of its occurrences except for the Gospel of Matthew, where it is rendered "wise man".

Summarized. Who visited Jesus a couple a days later? 'Magos' from the East paying homage to Jesus and offering him three gifts. 'Magos' who themselves observed the star of Jesus. A star that they followed until it stopped over the place where Jesus was. I guess the translator in Dutch and English were afraid that we could not carry the (painful?) truth that young Jesus was visited by illusionists or fortune-tellers. The 'magos' had to be wise. 'Magos' as scientific astronomers and not vague astrologists.

What a lovely treasure :) to unfold. Remember my image of last week: "language is for me like a handful of stones"? Don't you think so too?

Footnote. Better: In a few days "we" - people inspired by the Christian culture - will celebrate Jesus of Nazareth's birthday. Not all individuals of species 'homo sapiens' join this party. More exact, most people on planet Earth don't celebrate Jesus Christ's birthday. Nor Christmas. 

History of Religion (Maps-of-War). Footnote The Netherlands 1990-2010

What do you think of this? Five thousand Years Religion on Planet Earth in 90 seconds: Brief history of most well-known religions 3000 BC-2000

I loved the brief or big picture. The religions that are born, grow up, get older, much older. And die? At the same time I realized it's only focused on the "mainstream" religion of people and countries. Always there must have been people who believed something else. Not mainstream but smallstream.What happened to them in all those centuries?

In The Netherlands the picture above is since 20 years no longer valid. In #nl the mainstream religion is "no religion". 44% of the Dutch say in 2009 that they no longer belief in God. Better: they are not registered in a "formal" religion. 

Index. 'Geen kerkelijke gezindte' = no religion; 'Katholiek' = Catholic; 'Hervormd' = Dutch reformed church; 'Gereformeerd' = reformed churches; 'PKN' =  Protestant church in The Netherlands; 'Overige gezindten' = other religions.

Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek 'Terugblikken: een eeuw in statistieken' (December 2010)

Looking for a Prince (m/f) on a white horse? You are looking for Jesus!

Let me tell you a fairytale. Once upon a time a group of people living in Judea worshiped a being bigger than life. They called Him: JWH (speak out 'Jaweh'). The source of  Life, Love and Death. He gave birth to everything: birds, bees, crops and human beings as well. He also toke care for their souls after death: if you had lived your life "good" you went to "paradise" if not you went to "hell". This group of people tried to live by His rules as good as possible but  still once in a while crop failure, being beaten in a war, earthquakes and other disasters. What went wrong? Answer: they must have interpreted His wishes of how to live a "good life" wrong!  What next? Wait on the "messiah" - the one and only messenger from Him - who could tell this "group of Judea" or "us people" how to live correctly in this life and by doing so earning the entrance to "paradise".

Time went by. Generations of "us people" were born, lived and died. Lots of people claimed that they were the "messiah". All of them proved to be false. On first of January year 0 - what a strange data isn't it? - an "us people" baby was born. He was called Jesus from Nazareth. He was the son of a carpenter. He grew up, went to school, went to church and had a good time with his friends. He was able to cure ill. He was able to listen well and talk with authority. A group of  "us people" knew and claimed that Jesus was the messiah. From then on "us people" was divided in two groups. One group who claimed that Jesus was not the messiah. And who are still waiting for the real messiah. Let's call them 'Jews'. One group who know for sure that Jesus was the messiah. Let's call them 'Christians'. ('Christ' is the greek word for 'messiah').

Time went by. Generations of "us people" were born, lived and died. Let's focus on the 'Christians' group of "us people". Generation after generation life was slowly getting less harsh. Suddenly (it took a couple of hunderd years) lots of these christians realized that they were perfectly well able to live their lives without the need of Him. They did not believe in Santa Claus. They did not believe in Jesus as the messiah nor in God as the source of Life, Love and Death. They claimed that He was dead!

This is were the fairytale ends. The christians needed for practicing their religion Jesus, God, churches, holy books, priests, rules of how to live correctly, holy days and so much more. In a metaphor: it was a big building! A building that formed the cities we live in. That formed the groups we live in. That formed how we treat other human beings and other groups. That formed our calender. That formed our seasons. That formed our schools, journals and magazines. It even formed how we live our individual lives: dreams, fears, sense of life, urge for perfection, how we treat other people and so much more. It even formed how we respond to people who get killed or get homeless in an earthquake in Haiti.

Still there? What's my point? God is dead. Jesus is dead. The big building of christianity  is very alive. In recent times we replaced 'God' by 'Love' and 'Jesus' by the 'Prince on the White Horse'. Listen to all the love songs. Watch all the talkshows and feel-good movies. Smell in your favourite pub or restaurant. A lot of  "us people" look for their white Prince (m/ f) on a horse. The One and Only who make it possible to live Life. The One who Understands all the smiles and tears, dreams and fears. The One who will make Live Perfect.

To summarize all the above. Big building of christianity is very alive in recent western society. God = Love. Jesus = Prince (m/f) on a White Horse.

How about you: are you looking for a White Prince (m/ f) on a Horse?

99 names we all are very familiar with

Read this long list! Most Gracious, Most Merciful, Sovereign, Most Perfect, Source of Peace and Safety, Granter of Security, Guardian. Still there? Self Sufficient, Irresistible, Tremendous, Creator,  Rightful, Fashioner of Forms, Ever Forgiving, All Compelling Subduer, Bestower, Ever Providing, Opener, All Knowing, Straightener, Munificent, Abaser, Exalter, Giver of Honour, Giver of Dishonour, All Hearing, All Seeing, Arbitrator, Utterly Just, Gentle, All Aware, Forbearing, Magnificent, All Forgiving, Grateful, Sublimely Exalted, Great, Preserver, Nourisher, Bringer of Judgment, Majestic, Generous, Watchful, Responsive, Vast. Patience :) we are almost halfway. Wise, Loving, All Glorious, Raiser of The Dead, Witness, Real, Dependable, Strong, Steadfast, Protecting Friend, All Praiseworthy, Accounter, Originator, Restorer, Giver of Life, Bringer of Death, Ever Living, Self Subsisting Provider of All, Finder, Illustrious, One, Unique, Eternal, All Able, Dominant, Expediter, Delayer, First, Last, Manifest, Hidden, Patron, Self Exalted, Most Kind, Ever Returning, Avenger, Pardoner, Compassionate, Owner of All Sovereignty, Generosity, Equitable, Gatherer, All Rich, Enricher. Only 9 left! Defender, Harmer, Benefactor, One Who Creates the Light, Guide, Incomparable, Ever Enduring, Heir, Infallible Teacher and Knower, Timeless.

Sounds familiar these names don't they? It's the names we give our lover when we are fallen-in-love or are in love. The sweet and sour of love - it's not always perfect. Just pick a random lovesong and I bet you'll find a name in the above list of 99 that resembles it.

The funny thing about the 99 names is that they don't point at our lover. They point at the 99 names of Allah. Allah? Yep, the mono-theistic God of the Muslims. Strange isn't it? I'm personally convinced that the names of JWH, God and Allah are not given to humanity by Him via a holy book but are given by human messengers to Him. Given to Him. Not the other way around. Messengers, messiahs or profets who gave their mono-theistic God names they were familiar with by personal experience. It's the experience all 'homo sapiens' share and know about by personal experience when we are fallen-in-love.

Nothing can compete to fallen-in-love. Lover = God = One. 1 step further, nothing can compete to a distant and unreachable Love. Question: is there something that can?

Democray. It's a mono-theistic religion. History proves in the end it's: or belief in "our" God or extinct & die.

Let me first say this. I’m always fascinated on religion, on what the Book or books say, how texts are interpretated etcetera. Always fascinated and full of wonder! They are my others in whose mirror I look at myself and who tell me who I am.

A few weeks ago I filled in a test on ‘What’s your religion?’ My testresult: I’m an “atheist”. The result doesn’t surprise me but ... it’s only part of my opinion. I don’t believe in a jewish JWH, a christian God, or a moslim Allah. For me no mono-theistic religion! Why? Because it can’t explain the pluriformity of the human experience concerning God, gods and religion in general. For me religion in general is an invention of the species ‘homo sapiens’. One way or another a lot (most?) human beings need some external “being” to give their lives direction and meaning.

What do I believe? There is no God. There is no external “being” that created the world, that gave humanity “devine laws”. We are made out of tiny little elements when we are born and collapse piece by piece when we die. That’s all. We survive as species by reproduction: kids who become parents themselves etcetera. For me there’s no reason why we do need God or gods. It’s a dream. It’s an illusion. It's a human made construction.

What do I believe? I believe in the species ‘homo sapiens’. We do whatever we do -it’s just as simple as that- trying to survive as individual, as family, as group and as species. For me Democracy is another mono-theistic religion. We invented it! There is no ‘democratic inborn faculty’ in us. Democray is groupthinking and groupacting. Mono-theistic religions are dangerous because it's followers hate non-believers, non human at all or others. At first it always starts the smooth way, the non-believers are "invited" to step into their "perfect way of life" too. When there is too much hesitation slowly more group pressure. And in the end? History proves in the end it's: or belief in "our" God or extinct & die.

Surprise! Human morality is based on our innate morality and not on religion. Religion is not the rock. Our innate morality is.

5th of october 2009

Read article Marc Hauser's 'Morality without religion'. It contains more details on the empirical "evidence" that religious believers and atheists and agnostics share the same moral faculty. All human beings share the same moral faculty that guides our intuitive judgments on right and wrong. Our own nature, our own human moral faculty is the source of our species morality. Religion is not necessary for judging what is right or wrong. We don't need God!

29th of september 2009
Do we need religion to behave good? Answer: NO we are born with a universal sense of right and wrong. Our inborn moral sense is the rock of all our human behaviour. The rock on which religions are built on. Shocking - to me it is? Who says so? Well ... it's not something I invented or dreamed last night. It's "proven" by serious (still ongoing) science by Marc Hauser. Do you want to participate? Fill in The Moral Sense Test.

28th of september 2009

Translation quote from dutch into english (by JeanD99):

"Hauser' research [to the innate human morality] brings up lots of questions, and often outrage. "Yes, it's an issue everyone has an opinion on," he laughs. People in religious circles are generally not very happy with him. "I have shown that atheists have the same moral scores as deep believers" says Hauser. It seems undeniable that religion is based on our innate morality and that religion doesn't found our morality.

It doesn't matter who they are, is Hauser' clear message. Even psychopaths have the same scores in the Moralitytest. That is very recent research. Hauser also shows that our intuitive moral judgments are not based on emotions. "From psychopaths we know that they hardly feel anything while doing terrible things. But they know what is right and wrong. Their scores don't diverge. ""

 
Original quote from Liesbeth Koenen in dutch. NRC Handelsblad, 26th of september 2009 in article 'De intuïtieve mensenmoraal'.

"Hausers onderzoek [naar de menselijke aangeboren moraal] roept wel meer vragen op, en ook nogal eens verontwaardiging. "Ja, het is een onderwerp waar echt iedereen iets van vindt", lacht hij. In gelovige kringen is men meestal niet erg blij met hem. "Ik heb laten zien dat atheïsten dezelfde morele scores hebben als diepgelovigen", zegt Hauser. Het lijkt hem daarom niet onaannemelijk dat onze aangeboren moraal als bodem onder religies dient, in plaats van dat het geloof die bodem aanbrengt.

Het maakt niet uit om wie het gaat, blijkt Hausers boodschap. Zelfs psychopaten vullen de Moralitytest niet anders in. Dat is heel recent onderzoek. Het laat volgens Hauser ook zien dat onze intuïtieve morele oordelen niet op emoties gebaseerd zijn. "Van psychopaten weten we dat ze bij allerlei vreselijke dingen heel weinig voelen. Maar ze weten wel wat goed en fout is. Hun scores wijken niet af.""