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Joseph Campbell was a very well known philosopher and studier of comparative religion. Nowadays a significant number of the stories here are right out of mythology and lots of that interacts with ancient Jewish themes. I am intrigued by a story on the front page now where there is reference to one's True Name, and I am fairly sure that it originates partially from a book in the Old Testament of what Christians call Isaiah 56:4-5
4 For thus says the Lord:
“To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
who choose the things that please me
and hold fast my covenant,
5 I will give in my house and within my walls
a monument and a name
better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
that shall not be cut off..
It is not required that one be religious to gain useful knowledge from religious texts. I do not know what the Jews call the book of Isaiah.
Of great value to me, something that helped me stop being suicidal, is that passage. I still don't care if I live or die, but at least it is possible to focus on good things and not to obsess on leaving this life.
It is greatly pleasurable in rubbing the nose of the religious in the text of their own Book. That passage, along with Matt 19:12 proves to me that the God which I believe in has made provision for those like us. While I am a woman, post op and all, medically I am a eunuch, and fine with it.
Comments
In the world of magic,
knowing someone's true name gives them magical power over that person.
Catherine Linda Michel
As a T-woman, I do have a Y chromosome... it's just in cursive, pink script.
Don't you wonder what they
Don't you wonder what they meant by "that shall not be cut off"?
Karen ( you know me, we face booked, horses?)(speaking of true names)
Shall not be cut off
It could either mean that the Penis shall not be cut off, just the two veg. I think it means that this everlasting name shall not be taken away. "Cut off" is used other places in the Old Testament and I will need time to look in the Concordance to see if the Isaiah "cut off" is the same word as in those other places.
My theory is that there are a good number of "unbelievers" out there because of the Godless actions of the faithful. They just gave up in despair, and I can't blame them. I am still a believer perhaps because I am just cussed stubborn. That is logical because of all the times when I was growing up and thought he killed me. Now I believe I lived because someone made sure I did. Nothing makes the sanctimonious more angry than to have someone they hate use scripture on them to convict and damn them.
Gwen
Religion
I'm not a religious person at all, I refer to myself as Agnostic actually but I love religion. I took a few courses in college and love reading all the religion books i can. I draw a lot of good inspiration from those passages :) The True Name appears in a lot of things, a great example is the Earthsea series :).
Organizing Influence
Some of the stories right here on BCTS have caused me to think more deeply about dogma in belief. Most of our belief systems come from documents that are at least 1435 years old, and many were heavily edited. I came from a tradition mainly founded by the Catholics who are known to have changed much of the historical narrative. Mary Magdalene is said to have been a prostitute by one group, and other says she was the wife of Jesus Christ. We are pretty sure that something like "the flood" happened because past civilizations all over the world speak of it. I am less certain of the real nature of Moses account of the Exodus.
These days, I am mainly respectful to the one who created me, and try to love others in as much as I am able. The rest of it is open to discussion and I don't try to persuade or regulate anyone. It seems odd to me that some spend a lot of time saying how much they don't believe. Why would those who do not believe even speak of it? Why is the force that gifted the boy/girl in "The Unicorn's Gift" be any less valid than what I believe?
I spend quite a lot of my time studying old tomes because I am curious and along the way perhaps what I learn will make me a better person.
Gwen