Tag: history of christianity
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Dear Australians #2.5: God’s Authority
One of the aim’s of the Religious Discrimination Bill was to give religious organisations the capacity to operate under the guidelines of what they perceive to be God’s authority. In the early hours of 10 February, 2022, last minute changes the bill saw the insertion of clauses that would prevent institutions like schools being able…
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Judaism and Christianity Sacred Unions: Husband and Wife, Groom and Bride
Judaism and Christianity both use the family terms of “husband” and “wife” and/or “groom” and “bride” as symbolic representations of theological concepts. If these labels are interpreted literally, scriptural writings can appear confusing (and sometimes grotesque). Read allegorically, they reveal a whole new dimension of meaning. Jewish Husband and Wife – Theologically Speaking The Jews…
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Dear Australians #2.4: Jesus and Women
The cultures Christianity emerged from, (Jewish and Greco-Roman, c.30-100CE), were patriarchal and sexist. While women in some spheres could hold positions of power, the mainstream way of life was men had more authority and women were expected to be submissive. Christianity’s saviour, Jesus, overtly and covertly challenged these gender attitudes. A clear example of Jesus…
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Early Christian Symbols, the Anchor, Peacock, and Wand
The image of Jesus dying on a cross is a common icon of contemporary Christianity, however, such symbolism is a far cry from how Early Christians depicted their saviour. Evidence in the form of artworks from Early Christian households and catacombs reveal a very different set symbolism to what today’s followers are familiar with. Three…
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Did Romans Kill Jesus Twice?: The Beardless Versus the Bearded Jesus
Most Christians think of Jesus as being a bearded man. This is not surprising given all the paintings, movies, and other forms of Christian iconography that present him in this manner. Therefore, it often comes as a surprise for people to learn Early Christians had a different image of their saviour, one of a clean…
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Covid, Karma, and the Nervous System (With a Bonus Cheers to the Christmas Peacock!)
There are several reasons why some people don’t want to get the Covid-19 vaccine. These often include fear of side effects, uncertainty about the long term validity, and having allergies to inoculation ingredients. I can fully understand these reasons and respect individuals right to make educated choices about their own health. Recently, however, I conversed…
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“Babylonians” as an Adjective
A few years ago, when I temporarily moved from Victoria to Queensland, some of my new friends called me a “Mexican”. Obviously, I wasn’t really a Mexican, it was just a jovial way to acknowledge I was new in town, therefore could be forgiven for not understanding things like Rugby *really* was better than Aussie…
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Reading the Symbols of the Apocalypse According to Isaac Newton
When writing the series Exploring Occult Symbolism From a History and Herstory Perspective of Education, I did not set out to demonise Rome as being a cult that grew exponentially. My conclusion developed organically. It was only when I finished putting down in writing the journey of my learnings, that I was able to reflect…
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History of Christian Bible Publications with References to Media Codes and Conventions
Media codes and conversations refers to written and symbolic tools used to construct or suggest meaning in media forms and products. Media codes include typography, visual composition, and contextual symbolism. Understanding conventions used by producer needs to be grounded in analysing texts within their cultural and historical contexts. Applying considerations raised by media studies to…
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Exploring Occult Symbolism From a History and Herstory Perspective of Education: Part 19 – Epilogue
What I have written in this series is true and accurate to the best of my current knowledge. As I learn more, my opinions and viewpoints may change. Others are welcome to disagree with my conclusions. In such cases, I’m interested in hearing information from additional sources that may help to improve and/or expand my…
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Exploring Occult Symbolism From a History and Herstory Perspective of Education: Part 18 – Summing Up Symbolism
As psychologist Terrence William Deacon says, humans are a symbolic species. Across communication forms we use symbols to convey complex meanings. At an iconic level, symbols are easy to interpret, however, at an advanced level, they are difficult and cannot be understood without education. Woodcut illustration from an edition of Pliny the Elder’s Naturalis Historia, 1582 Source:…
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Exploring Occult Symbolism From a History and Herstory Perspective of Education: Part 16 – Child Development
Up until this point, religious institutions had dominated education, with the exception of Germany which mandated some form of state education be provided to boys from the late sixteenth century. In other places around Europe and Australia, state run education was introduced in a piecemeal fashion throughout the 1800s, albeit, initially boys were expected to…
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Exploring Occult Symbolism From a History and Herstory Perspective of Education: Part 15 -Industrial Revolution and Female Artists
The industrial revolution brought new challenges to humans. As machines gradually replaced the work once done by village artisans and commercial agricultural methods reduced the need for small farm crops, both genders became displaced. At the same time, middle class men began objecting to not being able to have a say in political matters. In…
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Exploring Occult Symbolism From a History and Herstory Perspective of Education: Part 13 – Melting Pot
In the mid 1450s, about 30% of the population (mostly males) were literate (it was only around 5-10% who received formal education; some learned to read by other means). This figure was a small increase on previous populations. The cultivating of new ideas via printed material during the Renaissance birthed a movement called Humanism, an…
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Exploring Occult Symbolism From a History and Herstory Perspective of Education: Part 12 -Renaissance Artists
The third category, people who explored the potential for Aristotle’s truth without giving defiant allegiance, includes people like Durer, who studied Ancient Greeks with the desire to apply their theories in practical means. His desire to explore mystical symbolism was quite overt, as already mentioned in reference to Melancholia. His representation of Biblical scenes has…
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Exploring Occult Symbolism From a History and Herstory Perspective of Education: Part 11 – A Return to Aristotle (Or Did We Ever Leave?)
When I began my research by pinning notes along my hallway, I did so with an open mind, therefore, it surprised me when I observed that so many of my paths of inquiry lead back to Aristotle. Volumes upon volumes could be written about influential men in religion, medicine, politics, and other positions of power…
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Exploring Occult Symbolism From a History and Herstory Perspective of Education: Part 17 – Jung, Freud’s Protege
Freud’s protege, Jung, was a lot more thorough in his research of symbols, their history, and their meaning. At the risk of sounding condescending, I am impressed with how well he understood some symbology, like in the following: The meaning of the “ministering wind” is probably the same as the procreative pneuma, which streams from…
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Exploring Occult Symbolism From a History and Herstory Perspective of Education: Part 10 – Personal Declaration of Faith
I find it very easy to believe that a man wandered around the region of Nazareth 2000 years ago telling people that all they needed to do to achieve bliss on the earth and in heaven was to love one another. However, I find it extremely difficult to believe that such a man was born…
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Exploring Occult Symbolism From a History and Herstory Perspective of Education: Part 6 – Social Considerations
When Constantine legalised Christianity, beliefs pretty much became Romanised. Women were no longer permitted to have leadership roles (like evidence suggests they did in Christianity’s beginnings) and a hierarchical structure like the Roman military emerged., e.g., allegiance to a Pope, Archbishops, Bishops, Deacons, and priests being consolidated; all of these titles were “Father” positions. Amongst…
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Exploring Occult Symbolism From a History and Herstory Perspective of Education: Part 8 – Dante Alighieri and the Virgin Mother
Following Aquinas, Dante Alighieri (1285-1325) is another example of a learned man educated under the influence of Aristotelian ideas. Specifically, he supported Aristotle’s concepts of some men being superior and therefore having divine right to rule: I am referring to actions, which are regulated by political judgment, and to products, which are shaped by practical…
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Exploring Occult Symbolism From a History and Herstory Perspective of Education: Part 4 – Gender and Education
In the humble beginnings of education, people who engaged in active learning were called philosophers (a word that means lover of wisdom). All genders had access to education, albeit men outnumbered women and one usually had to come from a family of status and wealth in order to enjoy the perks of formal tuition from…
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Exploring Occult Symbolism From a History and Herstory Perspective of Education: Part 5 – Christianity
When Christianity emerged there were a lot of tensions in the Roman Empire. In previous posts (here, here, and here), I go into detail about Christianity’s development from Greek, Jewish, and other influences so I won’t repeat myself. (It amuses me no end that some people perceive Christianity to have suddenly sprung from nowhere; it’s…
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Exploring Occult Symbolism From a History and Herstory Perspective of Education: Part 2 – Cults and the Occult
When Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press, the first full book he published was the Bible. However, did not make a lot of money because most people still could not read, let a lone read Latin, the language of the Bible. Gutenberg died penniless but his invention prospered and revolutionised the world. Some wealthy Italian…
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What most Christians don’t know: Christian Faith is Based on Jewish Blood Magic (Extended version)
Christianity is the most popular religion around the world. It is practiced by approximately 30% of the population yet, surprisingly, many of its devotees are not aware of some of its most basic premises. Lack of knowledge about one’s religion means blind faith, which can lead one down the proverbial garden path. In this discussion…
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The Jewish Jesus before Christianity: A discussion inspired by Dr Richard Carrier
I have recently discovered the fabulous work of Dr Richard Carrier, an academic who specialises in Christian history. His work excites me because it confirms my own research plus fills a few gaps. Dr Carrier clearly explains how Christianity developed out of Judaism whilst simultaneously synergising with other religious and cultural influences. On one hand…