Post by hyperborean on Aug 27, 2008 23:58:03 GMT
Let's talk about religion by not talking about religion.
I'm reading this odd article about pagan, "harmony in nature" or "god in nature."
It's here: www.realitysandwich.com/building_religion
And...
"Such pagan harmonic theosophies were a clear and present danger to the Church and its project of social control. Harmonic ideals, often represented by the Pythagorean pentagram or Hebrew hexagram, were cast by the Church as evil pagan symbols and associated with satanic worship, witchcraft and occult rituals."
...which I thought was funny, because instead of the accepted western culture's version or image of "Satan" or Lucifer or whatnot, most of that symbolism was derived from Pythagorean philosophy...
In essence: people now and days are so damned lost! Lost from the reality of history. This reminds me of this passage from Nietzsche's Twilight Of The Idols:
HOW THE "REAL WORLD" FINALLY BECAME A MYTH
The History of an Error
1. The real world–attainable by the wise, the pious, the virtuous man; he dwells in it, he is it. (The oldest form of the idea, relatively sensible, simple, and convincing. A transformation of the sentence, "I, Plato, am the truth.")
2. The real world–unattainable for now, but promised to the wise, the pious, the virtuous man ("to the sinner who repents"). (Progress of the idea: it grows more subtle, more enticing, more incomprehensible–it becomes a woman, it becomes Christian.)
3. The real world–unattainable, indemonstrable, unpromisable; but even merely thought of–a consolation, an obligation, an imperative. (At bottom, the same old sun, but shining through mist and skepticism. The idea grown elusive, pale, Nordic, Königsbergian. )
4. The real world–unattainable? At any rate, unattained. And being unattained, also unknown. Consequently, not consoling, redeeming, or obligating: how could something unknown obligate us? (Gray dawn. The first yawnings of reason. The cockcrow of positivism.)
5. The "real world"–an idea no longer useful, not even an obligation–an idea grown useless, superfluous–consequently, a refuted idea: let us abolish it! (Bright daylight; breakfast; return of bon sens and cheerfulness, Plato blushes for shame, all free spirits run riot.)
6. We have abolished the real world. What world is left? The apparent world perhaps? But no! with the real world we have also abolished the apparent world! (Mid-day; moment of the shortest shadow; end of the longest error; high point of humanity; INCIPIT ZARATHUSTRA.)
(Twilight of the Idols Ch. 4)
So, where do we, in humanity, go from here? I just sort of wanted to spark this discussion, I didn't really intend to go anywhere with it...
I'm reading this odd article about pagan, "harmony in nature" or "god in nature."
It's here: www.realitysandwich.com/building_religion
And...
"Such pagan harmonic theosophies were a clear and present danger to the Church and its project of social control. Harmonic ideals, often represented by the Pythagorean pentagram or Hebrew hexagram, were cast by the Church as evil pagan symbols and associated with satanic worship, witchcraft and occult rituals."
...which I thought was funny, because instead of the accepted western culture's version or image of "Satan" or Lucifer or whatnot, most of that symbolism was derived from Pythagorean philosophy...
In essence: people now and days are so damned lost! Lost from the reality of history. This reminds me of this passage from Nietzsche's Twilight Of The Idols:
HOW THE "REAL WORLD" FINALLY BECAME A MYTH
The History of an Error
1. The real world–attainable by the wise, the pious, the virtuous man; he dwells in it, he is it. (The oldest form of the idea, relatively sensible, simple, and convincing. A transformation of the sentence, "I, Plato, am the truth.")
2. The real world–unattainable for now, but promised to the wise, the pious, the virtuous man ("to the sinner who repents"). (Progress of the idea: it grows more subtle, more enticing, more incomprehensible–it becomes a woman, it becomes Christian.)
3. The real world–unattainable, indemonstrable, unpromisable; but even merely thought of–a consolation, an obligation, an imperative. (At bottom, the same old sun, but shining through mist and skepticism. The idea grown elusive, pale, Nordic, Königsbergian. )
4. The real world–unattainable? At any rate, unattained. And being unattained, also unknown. Consequently, not consoling, redeeming, or obligating: how could something unknown obligate us? (Gray dawn. The first yawnings of reason. The cockcrow of positivism.)
5. The "real world"–an idea no longer useful, not even an obligation–an idea grown useless, superfluous–consequently, a refuted idea: let us abolish it! (Bright daylight; breakfast; return of bon sens and cheerfulness, Plato blushes for shame, all free spirits run riot.)
6. We have abolished the real world. What world is left? The apparent world perhaps? But no! with the real world we have also abolished the apparent world! (Mid-day; moment of the shortest shadow; end of the longest error; high point of humanity; INCIPIT ZARATHUSTRA.)
(Twilight of the Idols Ch. 4)
So, where do we, in humanity, go from here? I just sort of wanted to spark this discussion, I didn't really intend to go anywhere with it...
