Saul of Tarsus claims that he met Jesus of the New Testament in a “blinding light” (a theophany), yet those around him neither heard nor saw anything. Most psychologists define this incident as a seizure. There was more than a physical seizure, but a psychological reworking of the New Testament to contain not the message of peace, but one of war, hate, and division.
According to the 90-year-old racist Rabbi Ovadia Yosef (born Abdullah Youssef (Hebrew: עובדיה יוסף) on September 23 1920, Basra, Iraq and now living in Jerusalem is a Mizrahi Haredi rabbi), the head of Shas’ Council of Torah Sages and a senior Sephardi adjudicator, the sole purpose of non-Jews is to serve Jews. He argues for slavery, and continues the ancient …
There has been a myth circulating his “Christian” circles for about 1800 years that Judas Iscariot, one of the original disciples, betrayed the Jesus of the New Testament. The news that Judas would betray Jesus came as a surprise to everyone. Jesus identified the traitor as one who with whom he would share bread, then …
For centuries hell was cursed and used as a curse against those who did not agree with a rigid religious mistranslation of a single word. The modern-day Hell is Scandinavian in origin (first used in Iceland) and has no relationship to the word used in the Bible, Qur’an or other religious literature. It is the abuse of the word, its mistranslation and misinterpretation that has cost millions their lives and today is one of the roots of suicides among young teenagers in the USA and other “faith-based” nations. What can be done to stop this epidemic?
John of Patmos is said to be the author of Revelation: the book of the End of Time. Many argue that he wrote it from having two dreams: a worldwide war, and the end of the world. It is not a unique story, nor are the characters within it from the Beast with seven heads (the goddess Tiamat) to the horsemen. This essay fleshes out the original essay on the Apocalypse: a nightmare, and looks closely at mistranslations that have occurred since the second century with every cult wanting its own Bible to defend its position, as with Jehovah’s Witnesses to suicide cults: Jonestown, Heaven’s Gate, and others. The real question is: was John of Patmos Island sane?
As the economic well-being of any people plunges, starvation and unemployment skyrockets, many will seek out demigods and dictators or turn to religion for temporary euphora. Some will argue that bad times are the sign of End Times and an Apocalypse is near. Is the Apocalypse fact or fiction? Here is the judgment of history, texts, and scholars.