Hey, that actually looks really plausible! I subscribe to the not-too-different school of thought that says early humans' psychotic audio hallucinations were likely interpreted by them as personal gods speaking to them.
Earliest religions endorsed the existance of many gods. With the rise of agrarian society power structures based on property wealth disparities, leaders started to insist that their people adopt the ruler's personal hallucination...er...god. In classic circular reasoning, kings could now use the god they personally chose as an excuse to claim their subjects had no choice but to accept the ruler's "sovereignty." Pick your god, then tell your subjects that god picked you. Win-win for despots everywhere! As the imposed notion of God became entrenched, in Judeo-Christian-Islamic societies and the ruler could no longer choose his own diety outright, he nevertheless found it useful to declare himself head of the religion, a la Henry VIII, or he could politically appoint church leaders loyal to him. So the claim to total control to define what said god stands for remained intact. But by this paradigm, it still goes back to people basing their lives around hallucinations.
Don'tcha just love closed logic systems? "I know God is God, because the voice in my head gave me a personal revelation!"
you know that last bit is specifically condemned by the Bible eh
@bbyrd009 Probably, but which part specifically? The Bible contradicts itself in many places, giving contradictory directives. It thereby gives cover for believers widely divergent interpretations.
@MikeInBatonRouge "Probably, but which part specifically?"
"because the voice in my head gave me personal revelation," and really even "i know God..." which i can Quote some vv for those if you like
"The Bible contradicts itself in many places, giving contradictory directives. It thereby gives cover for believers widely divergent interpretations."
i might ask for an example here, and we could see, or i could also provide some and agree with you, but id like to suggest a diff perspective, that being that the Bible gives them enough rope to hang themselves, if they are hypocrites, thereby revealing themselves to you!
But for starters anyone telling you that Jesus died for our sins does not yet understand, and has not read the Bible for themselves, where that cannot be Quoted; No son of man may die for another's sins see, plain as day
@bbyrd009 It is just not the case that "...anyone telling you that Jesus died for our sins...has not read the Bible for themselves, where that cannot be Quoted; 'No son of man may die for another's sins'"
I know plenty of fundamentalists who have read the Bible cover to cover and repeatedly ( eg: My 82 year old father never skips a day of personal 'Bible study,) and yet fail to make connections or else explain them away. Your expample, for instance, is easily dismissed by them claiming Jesus was son if Mary but not Joseph and therefore not "of man." This despite him elsewhere being referred to as the son of man. That is just one contradiction.
As for listening to the voice in one's head, the Bible has many references commanding people to "hear the voice of God and obey." ( Deuteronomy 13:4,) "heed the spirit of truth, who will tell you the things to come" ...(John 16:13), "If you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in rebellion," ....(Hebrews 3:15), etc. etc. Tons of room for interpretation, and there are countless hucksters stepping forward to tell anyone who will hear them just what they want them to believe God is saying.
However, it also promotes prayer and belief in the notion that the dialogue a person cooks up in their own head equals "the voice of God." And yes, there are a few admonishments for believers to try to be careful that they are "properly discerning the voice of the Lord," but it is a recipe guaranteed to give license to anyone wanting to claim heavenly stamp of approval for their own magical thinking internal dialogue or even auditory hallucinations.
It is all about culling the non believers!!!
What religion is that about? I am not familiar with rock worshippers.
How literal of you. I'm sometimes too literal, I think it's one of my less admirable character qualities.
i guess it was bronze, and those who knew the secret of how to make it were called "priests"? "Bronze Age Collapse" can tell you more. The comic is cute, but a fail imo