Proclaiming the Real Truth About Religion
In the beginning... was the worship of the sun and this was the religion of mankind. As primitive man gazed into the sky and contemplated his existence he no doubt reasoned that he could not survive without the life-giving radiance of the sun. He would note how the sun and other celestial beings moved about in the sky, changing size and appearance, even disappearing and reappearing at different intervals. To him, they appeared to be glorious living entities that possessed magical powers.
Although the ancients incorporated many different conceptions of god and of celestial bodies, the sun, the most majestic of all entities was beheld with awe, revered, and worshiped as the supreme deity. The lesser heavenly bodies although impressive were generally considered to be demigods, and therefore, his subordinates, relatives, goddesses, and adversaries. Over the ages, the ancients personified them and created stories about them that were recreated on earth. Thus, astrotheology was the genesis of religious mythology which in time evolved into the worship of gods and eventually into a personal "God".
The ancients apparently assumed that if the sun had the power to sustain life it was also responsible for creating it and was, therefore, worthy of their praise and adoration. It was to be besought and appeased for they surely did not want to incur the wrath of this most powerful deity. The Sun is the deity that eventually morphed into the God that people still worship today; the "God" man created in his own image.
The main purpose of this blog is to present and examine the evidence for the origin of religion, trace it's form and development in known cultures throughout history, and consider if religion is a concept that is necessary and practical for postmodern humanity. In addition to my own writings, I have included videos and other materials discovered from various sources that I have deemed to be among the most informative and reliable.
Although the ancients incorporated many different conceptions of god and of celestial bodies, the sun, the most majestic of all entities was beheld with awe, revered, and worshiped as the supreme deity. The lesser heavenly bodies although impressive were generally considered to be demigods, and therefore, his subordinates, relatives, goddesses, and adversaries. Over the ages, the ancients personified them and created stories about them that were recreated on earth. Thus, astrotheology was the genesis of religious mythology which in time evolved into the worship of gods and eventually into a personal "God".
The ancients apparently assumed that if the sun had the power to sustain life it was also responsible for creating it and was, therefore, worthy of their praise and adoration. It was to be besought and appeased for they surely did not want to incur the wrath of this most powerful deity. The Sun is the deity that eventually morphed into the God that people still worship today; the "God" man created in his own image.
Purpose
Inevitably unsubstantiated assumptions and conjecture are inherent in any discourse of this type and reasonable consideration and confirmation of validity is advised; consequently, I do not personally endorse all of the claims made in the material published here that I did not personally create.
Reaching back into history and extracting information from different cultures thousands of years ago is an onerous task. Obviously, everyone is not going to decipher the data exactly the same. It is not incumbent upon us to agree on questionable details, only to establish the basic truth. However, I do believe that it is crucially important that we arrive at the same conclusion; that it is time to leave belief in archaic myths and fables behind and move forward creating an educated world of truth and enlightenment based on scientific facts and reasonable experience.
My main focus is on the origin of the monotheistic Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, as they are the most prevalent and their doctrines the most intolerant and destructive of our time. I realize that this is probably the most controversial of all subjects and it is not my intention to deliberately offend anyone. As a former ordained Christian minister, I am sure many were offended by my fundamentalist teachings. Unfortunately, it is impossible to discuss religion without offending someone. Even those of the same religions are in doctrinal disagreement.
About Me
I was indoctrinated into the Christian faith from birth having grown up in the fundamentalist Church of Christ. I later became an ordained non-denominational Christian minister and acted in that capacity for over twenty-five years. In 2004, I Founded Victory House Ministries in Pensacola Florida where I served as Executive Director and taught Bible and Comparative Religion five nights a week for ten years.
It was during this time that I took a "sabbatical" and retreated to the seclusion of my guest house with the intent to reconcile the biblical text of Matthew 25 (the final judgment), the 7 weeks of Daniel, and the "prophecy" of the Book of Revelations. My research soon revealed that the generally accepted Christian version of eternal punishment (hell) was untrue. My later research would reveal much more.
Even though I considered myself a theologian, and an expert on eschatology, it took hundreds of hours of further study and research, and much consternation, before I finally came to accept that my beliefs were actually invented from fables and priestcraft and were of cultish pagan origin. I realize that many are not even willing to consider that possibility, and those who are may not have the time or desire to do the extensive research necessary to excavate the truth long buried by the agendas of power, prestige, and wealth. Therefore, I have posted a composite of what I consider to be some of the most compelling sources of evidence for the sincere inquirer.
It was during this time that I took a "sabbatical" and retreated to the seclusion of my guest house with the intent to reconcile the biblical text of Matthew 25 (the final judgment), the 7 weeks of Daniel, and the "prophecy" of the Book of Revelations. My research soon revealed that the generally accepted Christian version of eternal punishment (hell) was untrue. My later research would reveal much more.
Even though I considered myself a theologian, and an expert on eschatology, it took hundreds of hours of further study and research, and much consternation, before I finally came to accept that my beliefs were actually invented from fables and priestcraft and were of cultish pagan origin. I realize that many are not even willing to consider that possibility, and those who are may not have the time or desire to do the extensive research necessary to excavate the truth long buried by the agendas of power, prestige, and wealth. Therefore, I have posted a composite of what I consider to be some of the most compelling sources of evidence for the sincere inquirer.
Why is this important?
The institution of religion warrants scrutiny as it has a most profound impact upon humanity. Guilt, condemnation, manipulation, racism, sexism, separation, division and violence, and destruction are the inevitable manifestations of religious dogma. The psychological and emotional damage is overwhelming individually and societally. Also, consider that violent religious extremism is destroying more and more innocent men, women and children every day and it will only continue to escalate.
Sam Harris, one of the loudest voices of the “New Atheism”, was right to claim that “most Muslims are utterly deranged by their religious faith”, and to conclude that “religion itself produces a perverse solidarity that we must find some way to undercut”. Richard Dawkins, who wrote in The God Delusion says “only religious faith is a strong enough force to motivate such utter madness in otherwise sane and decent people”. Even those who find these statements too extreme still believe instinctively that there is a violent essence inherent in religion that inevitably radicalizes any conflict – because once combatants are convinced that God is on their side compromise becomes impossible and cruelty knows no bounds.
For these reasons alone the claims of religion beg to be studied and debated with common sense, reason, and civility.
A paradigm shift from hallowed allegiance to a mythical deity is essential for the survival and well-being of present and future generations. We do not need ten trite archaic commandants, or a new testament or revelation from some supposed divinity, to know right from wrong or to understand how to love and get along with one another. The sense of morality instinctively developed during the evolutionary process and societies naturally impose their own acceptable standards irrespective of synagogue, church or mosque dogma. It is the irrational religious convictions of faith that distort our natural sense of morality and cause us the most harm.
I offer this information with the sincere hope that it will be examined with an open mind and that all may come to understand the real truth about religion and have the courage and integrity to accept it. The real truth will truly set you free. Please comment on the posts and share them with others.
A paradigm shift from hallowed allegiance to a mythical deity is essential for the survival and well-being of present and future generations. We do not need ten trite archaic commandants, or a new testament or revelation from some supposed divinity, to know right from wrong or to understand how to love and get along with one another. The sense of morality instinctively developed during the evolutionary process and societies naturally impose their own acceptable standards irrespective of synagogue, church or mosque dogma. It is the irrational religious convictions of faith that distort our natural sense of morality and cause us the most harm.
I offer this information with the sincere hope that it will be examined with an open mind and that all may come to understand the real truth about religion and have the courage and integrity to accept it. The real truth will truly set you free. Please comment on the posts and share them with others.
Dr. David E Lee
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