The idea of "Satan" can be found in scripture but not the physical image of who and what he is supposed to be, this came about over time as the Armies tied to the Vatican (primarily) conquered the northern Pagan culture, transforming their horned God into the Devil of their belief. This was done to generate fear of the "old ways" -- the cultural legacy of a given people -- so they would not buy into the "romance' for such things based on the "ravings" of tribal elders who would reference such traditions. The other thing done by the orthodoxy was to usurp the symbols and holy-days of conquered sects, transforming them into "christian" holy-days such as Easter, Christmas, and several minor celebrations like Candlemass and of course Samhain/Halloween/All Saints Day or any number of other terms -- it's been a thorn in the side of the church since day one. The current demotion of the date to "harvest festival" being the most successful act of suppression seen in the past 1,700 years of trying, but again it comes back to "brain washing" -- conditioning the new generation to be afraid of things that have been a part of tradition for generations.
If you are going to take on "the Church" and christian views you must line up your duckies and have credible grounds for your arguments; you need to cite sources that are authoritative that the reader can reference and learn more from that information and the sources it will refer to.
I was watching the 10 Commandments last night simply because nothing else was on and too, it is a Hollywood classic -- an important bit of film history when you consider the Special Effect technology that went into it. Nonetheless, I was looking at some of the points made in the film asking myself how any half-way intelligent person could have bought into the claims made by Moses and the prophets -- how can you mistake a Volcano for being the presence of a God?
The answer is simple but likewise primitive; most all cultures that were exposed to Volcanic activity turned the "Mountain" into a place of homage & sacrifice. The real irony is how the Christian missionaries would force the Polynesian people to not worship the Pele, let alone the mythos of the "Holy Land" region where Hephaestus and others were known, honored and feared well into the 3rd & 4th centuries. How is it the Gods of these conquered people aren't the same as the Volcano Deity discovered by Moses and the people of Median? All of this prior to the massive eruption in the Greek Isles that brought about the famed Plagues of Egypt for which Moses took credit (well, in the name of his "God"). . . but that brings up another point from the film.
Pharaoh (Yule Brenner) argues with Moses (Charlton Heston) that a mountain oozed red clay upstream of the Nile which resulted in the frogs leaving the water and subsequent (very natural) cycle of pestilence, etc. This and the whole separation of the waters, etc. stem from known factors of the time that, in the day, were viewed as a deception -- man trying to deny God's power, which leads to the Angel of Death, etc. Yet, there is now a documentary that shows these same explanations, using them as proof to God's power -- "this is how god did it" vs. it being "Satan trying to create doubt in our mind" which was the norm for most of church history, even in my lifetime.
So show such fickleness -- demonstrate these shifts of perspective and "theological defense" or, to be closer to the truth, mythos protection.
I've rambled sufficiently, hopefully you will consider what I've said, understanding that you won't find a solution to things on YouTube.Statistics: Posted by Craig Browning — 24 Apr 2011, 19:41
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