The Church has manipulated the truth and made of Jesus (Yeshua, Joshua, Issa, Y'shua) an idol, calling him the "Son of Zeus" from the time of Emperor ("Saint") Constantine and the Council of Nicaea.
Did Jesus (Saint Issa, Yeshua, Jehoshua) travel to India, Persia, and Tibet to continue his spiritual education outside of Bethlehem and the Nazarenes (vegan/vegetarians) and Essenes? Did he in fact, as Cayce reported during trance channeled readings, have past lives (rebirths) to develop the qualities he would need to become a Christ figure ("Messiah," Maitreya figure) in his most recent human life like some kind of Buddhist bodhisattva?
Was Jesus originally a Pagan god? | The Christ Series
(Spirit Science)
April 2, 2025: Why is it that before Jesus [the Christ, the Annointed One, the Nazarene] ever existed, stories about his nature existed for thousands of years?
Long before Christianity, the blueprint was already written.
This episode of The Christ Series explores the ancient Mystery School traditions of the Mediterranean world — spiritual schools [based around an entheogenic, psychedelic, hallucinogenic drug, according to Greek philologist and Bible scholar Dr. Ammon Hillman] that centered on dying and resurrecting godmen, sacred rituals of rebirth, and the quest for [ego death and] inner transformation.
From baptisms for Osiris in Egypt to Dionysus in Greece, Mithras [a Maitreya/Messiah figure once worshiped on the Vatican grounds in the Holy See in Rome] in Persia, and Attis in Asia Minor, the core themes now associated with Jesus that were already part of a much older spiritual tapestry.
The idea of a "divine incarnation" (avatar) is not unique to Jesus or Christianity but is found in Hinduism with Krishna, Buddhism with Svetaketu* (descending from the Tusitaheavenor celestial space world to be reborn as Prince Siddhartha) [Setaketu was the Bodhisatta (the Buddha-to-be) reborn in Tusita in his penultimate rebirth. Sp.i.161; MA.i.103], Zoroastrianism with Saoshyant, and the Egyptian solar deity Horus, who daily vanquishes darkness (Set).
Dive into how early Jewish thinkers, especially in Alexandria, encountered these traditions and began weaving them into a new story — one that would become Christianity.
But what emerged in those early days was not the rigid religion we know today. It was something mystical, symbolic, and deeply personal.
In the city-states that gave birth to Western civilization, entheogenic and/or psychedelic DRUGS and substances were an everyday element of a free society. Often, drugs were not just available, but vitally necessary for use in medicine, religious ceremonies, and war campaigns. Their proponents and users existed in all classes up to the emperor. Citing examples in myths, mysteries, medicine, and literature, Dr. Hillman shows how drugs have influenced and inspired... More
The Buddha is always spoken of as a kshatriya as if the Shakyas (Scythians) were part of the Old Vedic Religion or Brahminism
Before the Future-Buddha Shakyamuni was reborn on earth, he was reborn in a higher sensual heaven (the Kama Loka or "Sensual Sphere" world called Tusita or "the Joyful") as its ruler, Svetaketu (Pali Setaketu). There is a story in the Vedic Chandogya Upanishad that is the first time rebirth/reincarnation is mentioned in the Vedas and perhaps in all of the known writings in human history. In this story, Svetaketu returns home from studying. His childhood friends ask him what he learned about the afterlife, to which he replies that it was not part of his curriculum. They ask Svetaketu's father, and he also does not know, so they ask the king, who claims to have known all along and explains the concept of reincarnation. He adds that it is a common belief among the kshatriya (warrior, noble, administrative class) and from this belief, they draw their power (courage in battle) [2]. More
GUEST: Cambridge scholar of comparative religion Dr. Catherine Nixey is a classicist and journalist, author of The Darkening Age and her latest, Heretic: Jesus Christ and the Other Sons of God. She sits down with Mitch Jeserich, Letters & Politics, KPFA.org (Pacifica Free Speech Radio, Berkeley).
Heretic: Jesus Christ and the Other Sons of God: An Eye-Opening Account of Early Christian Divergence
Explore the Evolution of Jesus in Early Christianity: Author Catherine Nixey has 4.5 out of 5 stars with 4 ratings since Dec. 3, 2024. This is the #1 new release in historiography.
"A brilliant book." — The Times, Best of the Year.
"Heretictells a moreish intellectual story and shakes up your understanding of Western history. At the same time, somewhat improbably, it supplies at least one good joke per paragraph; you have to keep turning back to enjoy them again." ― The Economist, Best of the Year
From a celebrated Cambridge University classicist and author of The Darkening Age (“[a] ballista-bolt of a book”—New York Times Book Review), a biography of the many, diverse variations of Jesus who thrived in early Christian traditions — and how they were lost until just one “true” Christ survived.
Contrary to the teachings of the Church today, in the first several centuries of Christianity’s existence, there was no consensus as to who Jesus was or why he had mattered. Instead, there were many different Christs.
One [named Saint Issa] had a twin brother [named Saint James] and traveled to India [and ancient Hemis Gompa in Leh, Ladakh, Tibet]; another consorted with dragons [serpent Reptilians].
One particularly terrifying Christ scorned his parents and killed those who opposed him.
Moreover, in the early years of the first millennium there were many other saviors, many sons of gods [like the more popular Apollonius of Tyana] who healed the sick and cured the lame. But as Christianity spread, they were pronounced unacceptable – even heretical – and they faded from view.
The original meaning of "heresy" was positive and referred to thinking through and choosing a narrative from among those offered and argued for. The Church made "heretic" a horrible thing.
Comparative religion in the Christian church
Heresy: Jesus Christ and the Other Sons of God
An earlier hardcover of the book with a slightly different title came out on March 7, 2024, and has racked up 4.3 out of 5 stars with 200 ratings:
Heretic unearths the different versions of Christ [Kristos, one "anointed" with entheogenic drugs, according to American classicist Dr. Ammon Hillman] who existed in the minds of early Christians, and the process of evolution — and elimination — by which "Jesus" became the singular figure we know today.
“Heretic has the mother lode of tales too hot for Christendom. Nixey has carefully wrung out a number of apocryphal texts for scandal.” — Harper's Magazine
From a celebrated classicist [one who studies the classics] comes a group-biography of the many, diverse Jesuses who thrived in early Christian traditions — and how they were killed off until just one “true” [official single-Church narrative of] Christ survived [everything else being considered a blasphemous heresy even if it was true].
Contrary to the teachings of the Church today, in the first several centuries of Christianity’s existence, there was no consensus as to who Jesus was or why he had mattered [when he lived and was making trouble for the Temple].
Instead, there were many different Christs. One had a twin brother and traveled to India; another consorted with dragons; one scorned his parents and killed those who opposed him.
Why do we know so little about these early versions of Jesus? It is because, starting in the fourth century AD, the [Eastern] Orthodox form of Christianity that had become preeminent set about systematically wiping out every other variation, denouncing their gospels as apocryphal [of doubtful origin] and their followers as heretics [freethinkers who dare contradict the official story].
These unfortunate Christians lost their rights, their property, their churches [congregation sites] — in some cases, even their lives. [Burn them as witches!]
Heretic unearths the different versions of Christ who existed in the minds of early Christians and the process of evolution — and elimination — by which Jesus became the singular figure we know today.
Catherine Nixey, Host Mitch Jeserich, Letters & Politics,KPFA.org (KPFK.org, Los Angeles), Dec. 9, 2024; Pat Macpherson, Dhr. Seven, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
There goes that whole "only" begotten son business, it seems. But a "god" (deva), to be a god, needs to be "reborn among the gods" -- who live on many planes superior to the human plane -- and this is exactly what the Sanskrit term devaputra (Pali language devaputta) means -- "offspring of the devas" or, literally, "son of god."
The Gospel of Thomas (also known as the Coptic Gospel of Thomas, not a Lost or Gnostic Gospel but thought of as one by some) is an extra-canonical [1] "sayings gospel." It was discovered near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in Dec. 1945 among a group of books known as the Nag Hammadi library. More
The contents of the Nag Hammadi codices were written in the Coptic [Egyptian] language. The best-known of these works is the Gospel of Thomas, of which these codices contain the only complete text. After the discovery, scholars recognized that fragments of these secret sayings attributed to [a koan-spouting Zen-like] Jesus appeared in manuscripts discovered at Oxyrhynchus in 1898 (P. Oxy. 1), and matching quotations were recognized in other early Christian sources. More
(ReligionForBreakfast) Sept. 14, 2023: Most scholars agree that Jesus [of Nazareth, aka Jesus Christ, "Y'Shua the Anointed One"] had a brother named James. But many ancient Christians thought he had another brother, an identical twin brother named [Jude or] Judas Didymus Thomas. Where did this belief come from? And what is its significance?
Gregory Riley, "Didymos Judas Thomas: The Twin Brother of Jesus," in Kimberley Patton (ed.), Gemini and the Sacred: Twins and Twinship in Religion and Mythology, Bloomsbury Academic, 2023.
M. David Litwa, “I Will Become Him”: Homology and Deification in the Gospel of Thomas, Journal of Biblical Literature, SBL Vol. 134, No. 2, 2015. pp. 427-447
I am the white God of the white people, nay, ALL people. None shall defy or I'll...
Did he have another conversation with God? We have our own inner-divinity. There’s something extraordinary going on here on this planet. But in our busy day-to-day we tend to forget. We overlook that magnificence sometimes. This is a message for humanity from Neal Donald Walsch that may help us rediscover the beauty within us, remind us of who we really are.
We all experience days when we fail to see the beauty within ourselves or the world around us, days we need a little push. A voice tells us how wonderful it is that we’re part of thismagical piece of art called thislife. Today, that voice is close.
It’s a message from Neale Donald Walsch, author of the New York Times best-seller Conversations With God [written by "automatic writing" when he asked his God stuff and was surprised to channel answers], about the divinity that exists in all of us, which Walsch says is waiting to manifest in our greatest creations.
Dear God...
"Dear God" a song about the tribal JudeoChristian god by the band XTC with onscreen lyrics
This fascinating documentary was created by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Bill Cote, who brought us The Mystery of the Sphinx, The Mysterious Origins of Man, and The Mysterious Stone Monuments of Markawasi Peru, which are all available for viewing at UFOTV® on YouTube.
In this film exploration, Native American tribal elders speak out for the first time about their secret knowledge of the "Star People," knowledge that has been passed down for thousands of years.
It was revealed in a dream among the Elders that now is the time for the tribes to break their silence and share their hidden knowledge of the Star People: visitors from other worlds.
In this film we meet people with firsthand experience of ETs, hear amazing stories of the unknown, and witness for ourselves a mysterious event that occurred in the skies, which was for some a visible sign from the Star People that we are not alone.
Incarnated Angels and Starpeople (Doreen Virtue, angeltherapy.com) She looked a lot like an ordinary person (with some subtle, but key physical distinctions
Great white shark spots white-and-red seal playing in surf, moves in for surprise attack (IF).
A juvenile great white monster beached itself while trying to kill seagulls off Chatham, MA. But the harbor master and compassionate beach goers tried to save this lucky shark (Mike Bartel).
Great white shark (3,175 kg) US/Cuban waters
Sympathy for the devil? Some feel sorry for Mara like they do for a killer, say a great white shark, who suddenly ends up on the wrong side of karma. Schadenfreude is not a better choice when equanimity will do.
The great white shark and the killer whale are the most formidable predators in the sea. These animals are so dangerous that they would never challenge each other -- or so was thought.
One morning, off the coast of California, a boatload of tourists witnessed the ultimate clash of the ocean titans: an unexpected kill challenges the great white shark's supremacy as the ultimate predator when it falls prey to a killer whale.
The Whale That Ate Jaws
"Killer" whales? Ha, stupid orcas, bring it!
"The Whale That Ate Jaws" examines this extraordinary incident. It features amazing underwater footage of two whales feeding on the shark, revealing an astonishing new perspective on the relationship between the ocean's two top predators.
Amazing footage of a killer whale or orca attacking and partially eating a great white shark was filmed by a whale-watching tourist. During a trip for tourists near the marine sanctuary of the Farallon Islands, the killer whale was spotted and filmed as it broke the surface with a great white shark gripped in its jaws.
This was not only the first filming of such an incident, but also the first time marine biologists had even heard of such an attack. This incident lead to further research on the subject, finally convincing marine biologists that the killer whale is the top predator in the ocean.
Devil's not so bad once you understand his problems. Just ask Steven Spielberg.
Killer whales are very sophisticated and effective predators.
Thirty-two cetacean species have been recorded as prey for killer whales, judging by examinations of their stomach contents, scarring on the prey's body, and feeding activity. Groups of killer whales also attack larger cetaceans such as minke whales, gray whales, and on rare occasions sperm whales and blue whales.
Hunting large whales usually takes several hours. Killer whales generally choose to attack young or weak animals instead. However, a group of five or more have been known to attack a healthy adult. When hunting young whale, a group chases it and its mother until they are worn out. Eventually, they separate, and the group surrounds the calf, preventing it from surfacing to breathe, and it drowns.
Pods of female sperm whales sometimes protect their young by forming a protective circle around calves with their flukes facing outwards, using them to repel the attackers. Rarely, large killer whale pods can overwhelm even adult female sperm whales.
Adult bull sperm whales, which are large, powerful, and aggressive when threatened, and fully grown adult blue whales, which are possibly too large to overwhelm, are not believed to be prey for killer whales.
Other marine mammal prey species include nearly 20 species of seal, sea lion, and fur seals. Walruses and sea otters are less frequently taken. Often, to avoid injury, killer whales disable a seal before killing and eating it. This may involve throwing it in the air, slapping it with the tail, ramming it, or breaching and landing on it. Sea lions are killed by head-butting or with a stunning blow from a tail fluke.
Around the Aleutian Islands, a decline in sea otter populations in the 1990s was controversially attributed by some scientists to killer whale predation, although with no direct evidence. The decline of sea otters followed a decline in harbor seal and Steller sea lion populations, the killer whale's preferred prey, which in turn may be substitutes for their original prey, now decimated by industrial whaling.
Those seals had it coming. Look at this one!
In steeply banked beaches off Península Valdés, Argentina, and the Crozet Islands, killer whales feed on South American sea lions and southern elephant seals in shallow water, even beaching temporarily to grab prey before wriggling back into the sea.
Beaching, usually fatal to cetaceans (whales), is not an instinctive behavior; it can require years of practice for the young. "Wave-hunting" killer whales spy-hop to locate Weddell seals, crab eater seals, and leopard seals resting on ice floes. They then swim in groups to create waves that wash over the floe. This washes the seal into the water, where other killer whales lie in wait.
Killer whales have also been observed preying on terrestrial mammals, such as deer and moose swimming between islands off the northwest coast of North America.
Killer whale cannibalism has also been reported based on analysis of stomach contents, but this is likely to be the result of scavenging remains dumped by whalers.
One killer whale was also attacked by its companions after being shot. Although resident killer whales have never been observed to eat other marine mammals, they occasionally harass and kill porpoises and seals for no apparent reason.
Life, what is life? Dhr. Seven, Crystal Quintero, Wisdom Quarterly Wiki edit
The enlightened are free of all fear of death.
In Buddhism -- as in other Dharmic religions like Jainism, Hinduism, shamanic Bon, and Taoism-- saṃsāra is the endless cycle of birth, life, and death (rebirth) as individuals experience the result of their karma (actions) with redounding effects of the past, present, and future.
Literally, in Buddhist usage, it means "the continued wandering on" through lives oppressed and motivated by craving, aversion, and delusion.
According to Buddhism, a living being (who is always dynamic and therefore better thought of not as a "being" but a "becoming") in this current life is only experiencing one of many (countless) lives that have been and are yet to be lived -- with all the attendant suffering if nothing is done to intervene in the process and gain freedom from it.
Rebirths stretch back long before the most recent birth into past lives on various planes of existence; they reach forward far beyond death into future births. During the long course of each life, the quality of the actions (karma) performed determine the future destiny or "fate" of each stream of becoming (each individual).
The Buddha did not reveal any beginning to this cycle, but he did indicate that it can be ended through perceiving reality with insight. The goal of Buddhism and the Dharmic religions is to realize the liberating truth, the achievement of which (like ripening of a fruit) is moksha (liberation), which the Buddha defined as nirvana, the end of all further rebirth and ALL suffering. More
Lucifer/Satan is more like the titan (asura) chief Vepacitti fighting Sakka and the devas.
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In some accounts of the Siddhartha's great enlightenment, it is said that the devil Māra did not send his three daughters to tempt him. Instead, they arrived willingly after Māra's failure to derail Siddhartha's quest for spiritual awakening.
Mara's "three daughters" are identified as Taṇhā (Craving), Arati (Aversion/Discontent), and Raga(Attachment/Desire/Greed/Passion) [Prof. Ananda W.P. Guruge, The Buddha's Encounters with Mara the Tempter: Their Representation in Literature and Art]. For example, in the Connected Discourses or Kindred Sayings (Samyutta Nikaya) section called the Māra Saṃyutta ("sutras related to Mara"), Mara's three daughters strip in front of the Buddha but fail to entice him:
[Bhikkhu Bodhi (SN 4.25, v. 518)The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Samyutta Nikaya, 2000, p. 220. Boston: Wisdom Publications]
Some stories refer to five daughters, who represent the Three Poisons (Attraction, Aversion, and Delusion) and also Pride and Fear.
Mara in Buddhism is a killer, an obstructor of enlightenment who repeatedly tempts the Buddha -- trying to seduce him with the vision of beautiful females who, in various legends, are called his daughters. In Buddhist cosmology, Mara is the personification of unwholesome impulses, unskillfulness, "Death" (nirvanadhamma.com), and frustration/dissatisfaction with the spiritual life.
Who cares about karma, ethics, precepts?
He is called "the Tempter" distracting humans from practicing the spiritual life by making mundane things alluring and negative things seem positive. Metaphorically, "Mara" refers to the defilements, contaminations, and bonds.
Evil Mara/Cupid is SO cute!!!
Many are sympathetic to his situation -- a "Cupid" like god in the highest sensual heaven, who considers himself the king or ruler of the entire Sensual Sphere (Kama Loka) beneath him.
He does not want anyone escaping to higher worlds in the Fine-Material and Immaterial Spheres (Rupa and Arupa Lokas). What really scares him -- and why he so attacked Siddhartha to prevent his enlightenment and hounded him as the Buddha to stop his Teaching (the Dharma) from spreading -- is that anyone escape rebirth.
For so long as we are in the Round of Rebirth (Samsara), we will again fall into the lowest, the Sensual Sphere, and remain stuck. Unlike the Devil in other traditions, Mara does not want people to go to hell. He is satisfied with them being reborn again and again in miserable worlds of allure, like the human world and the lower sensual heavens. More
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