if we took the bible literally, it can be less wise than the non-literal interpretation.
e.g. Abraham wanted a son but his wife couldn’t have children, he resorts to ‘giving’ a baby to his servant-girl [making her pregnant], and she has a son. Later his wife also has a son!
Seems that the message perhaps should have been for Abraham to be patient [or even not have a child – if that is gods will]! Whereas the literal interpretation would be that god told Abraham to do all that? …or is that [non-lit’] the intended moral anyhow? I don’t know, but the quest theme here is that literal interpretations seem to be the non-wisdom one.
Coptic-ism [ancient Egyptian religion].
If we take the religious meaning of the fundamental structure of the gods, here that they are brothers and sisters; Osiris makes love with his sister etc. the literal interpretation reasons that the Pharaoh should marry his sister ~ incest! The non-literal interpretation could mean that we should perhaps treat our wives/lovers as if they were our sisters! This in the sense of them being thought of as companions, more than friends, and full respect is given [you cant treat 'em like porn gag-sluts lol]. Again the non-literal interpretation wins out in wisdom terms.
Buddhism.
We could say that if the sun went supernova tomorrow, then samsara would cease to exist, and so the moral basis [karma/dharma] would be meaningless. The non-literal interpretation places samsara, karma & dharma, into a metaphoric and not a metaphysical meaning. Such that they become mind-sets or states of mind or whathaveyou; the soul or Buddha-being cannot be free from bondage/duality while it is engaged in worldly things [samsara]. Dharma provides a way to live karma-free, and so become pure [unattached].
Simple one eh! Basically this quest was showing me first the problems in religions, then the solution that is always in metaphor.
It takes a long time to fully and properly understand the bible, the egyptian religion, and also buddhism.
You’re presenting small snips then saying we should not take the stuff literally in all 3 of these big world religions.
Or maybe his wife had a son because the other Child arrived. Anyway I could easily interpret God Will, especially in Winter, to be that I remain in bed. Why all these obstacles? But God’s will would also be working in me, no?
I don’t know enough about the coptic religion to know what the literal would mean, but likely it has some kind of meaning which I am not sure you presented.
Not quite sure what the literal interpretation is. It seems like you are saying the metaphorical is better, but I can’t find the literal one, here. Buddhism also makes literal/metaphorical distinctions rather tricky.
But here we are living in the literal. Religions would then have Little to offer me.
I appreciate that, but this is what I am being ‘shown’, or brought to understand. First I tried to find faults in all religions inc druidry, then I answered those faults, the op is just a glypse.
Moreno
I assume that everyone is being taught in the arcane university, or otherwise are part of its quests/storylines. We are all made the same, so no one has abilities you don’t have.
It appears to me to be all about [post bronze age] the Pharaoh and maybe through him the people ~ not sure what they got out of it. Then to keep the blood of the god Osiris pure [consider him as the first Pharaoh – in a sense], they married into their own family. My impression is that children DONT carry on from their parents, you don’t usually get e.g. son of john lennon being the same as john lennon etc.
I dont think Buddhists take it too literally also, I was just making the wisdom point they probably already know. Though no one I spoke to could give a satisfactory answer to the ‘supernova’ problem. Hmm to be fair I dont think any buddhist sees the literal answer.
Or, ‘we’ the metaphoric soul are living in the literal body. Then again, imho it is the body which is metaphor.
Coptic Christianity is a branch of Christianity. They are monophysities. Kemeticism is a new-age religion based on the ancient Egyptian religion and is all kinds of bullshit. Just call it “The Ancient Egyptian Religion”. I’ve used Kemeticism in the past to mean the ancient Egyptian religion but after further study, I’ve concluded that only assholes do that. Or people trying to push the New Age variant.
Coptic Christianity is a branch of Christianity. They are monophysities. Kemeticism is a new-age religion based on the ancient Egyptian religion and is all kinds of bullshit. Just call it “The Ancient Egyptian Religion”. I’ve used Kemeticism in the past to mean the ancient Egyptian religion but after further study, I’ve concluded that only assholes do that. Or people trying to push the New Age variant.
God obviously didn't tell Abraham to have a child with Hagar. It is extremely clear from the text that that didn't happen under a literal reading. I'm not sure where you're getting that from. It was Sarai's suggestion, because she didn't see any other way that God's prophecy about Abraham being a father of nations could be fulfilled.
Samsara and supernovas have nothing directly to do with each other. The literal interpretation is that they have nothing directly to do with each other. What you’re assuming is the metaphoric interpretation, is in fact what is literally taught. Consider: the Buddha was enlightened, according to Buddhists. He wasn’t dead. He wasn’t an apparition, emanating from some other realm called “nirvana”. He was right here, living in this universe, which you are mistakenly equating with samsara. This universe is not samsara. For some, at least, it is nirvana.
I wasnt refering to coptic christianity, apparently the ancient egyptians referred to themselves as coptics [or the modern Egyptians do hmm], so I thought it as god as any thing ~ cant be long-winded about these things lol.
Ah yes I remember now, nevertheless, abraham still chose to do it. Being a father of nations is better in metaphor too imho. Its just my subjective interpretation, and one relative to my path, perhaps I am supposed to read that into it ~ because that is the message for me.
Hmm well I take it that ‘the world’ may also mean ‘the universe’ i.e. the physical realm, and which is samsara?
I would equate nirvana more with the infinite? a oneness and an emptiness, the universe isn’t empty, it is full.
That is a mischievous summary of the Christian faith.
Some guy did a great job of summarizing it with: “God is love.” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” You do not need to be able to read to figure those out.