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Posted by on in Studies Blogs
Better than Belief

In our culture belief is the sine qua non of religion. We talk of ‘beliefs’, and ‘believers’, and ‘other beliefs’, as synonyms for religious doctrines, adherents and other religions. The problem with this is that only one religion on the planet actually cares about what you believe: Christianity. Most other religions relate to their doctrines or practices in very different and sometimes contradictory ways, such as having several unresolved and conflicting opinions in one person. For them, this is not a problem, but for Christianity it is. The history of Christianity is mostly about disagreements in doctrine and who had to flee, hide, fight, be killed, or submit to whom, about it. It is true that across human history religion has been an excuse for war or plunder, but that was usually about resources or dominance and not about technical points of theology. Christianity is different.

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  • Henry Buchy
    Henry Buchy says #
    heh, the old 'faith vs works' debate...
  • Peggy Andreas
    Peggy Andreas says #
    That was a very interesting read, thanks. My own take on this is something I've understood since reading Starhawk's "Spiral Dance
  • T. Thorn Coyle
    T. Thorn Coyle says #
    Sam, this was nicely written. Thank you. There are two quotes that I return to again and again on this matter: Joseph Campbell's:
  • Apuleius Platonicus
    Apuleius Platonicus says #
    First of all, the problem with Christians isn't that they tend to disagree with one another. The problem is that they have a tende
  • ericjdev
    ericjdev says #
    My experience with Goddess is entirely faith based and I place no value in the experiential. Furthermore, I could care less if how

Posted by on in Culture Blogs
Click for full description.
©1990 by U.S. Games Systems, Inc

Today we're going to explore the abundance of symbols within the enigmatic High Priestess Tarot card from the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition.

 

Click for full description.Number 2 – Balance; Yin/Yang; Opposites Unified (Taoism); "Good Things Comes in Pairs" (Chinese philosophy); Diversity (Pythagoras); Potential for Disorder/Evil (Pythagoras); Balance; Duality; Opposition

 

Click for full description.Black and White Pillars – As the number 2, black and white signifies duality—yin/yang, dark/light, feminine/masculine, severity/mercy, passive/aggressive, esoteric/exoteric, heart/mind, intuition/logic and so on. Toggling back and forth, they are "either/or". However, the central veil featuring pomegranates and the date palm tree connects the two pillars—suggesting integration and the union of opposites. The two pillars, when joined by the veil, signify "both".

 

B and J – In I Kings 7 (Old Testament), the author offers a detailed description of Solomon's temple, including the pillars that marked the entrance. Verse 21 states: "Then he set up the pillars by the vestibule of the temple; he set up the pillar on the right and called its name Jachin, and he set up the pillar on the left and called its name Boaz." (NKJV) In Hebrew, Jachin means "He Shall Establish", while Boaz means "In It Is Strength".

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  • Janet Boyer
    Janet Boyer says #
    Just saw your post, Lisa! Fascinating insight. Thank you for mentioning this and posting the link!
  • Lisa Allen
    Lisa Allen says #
    Excellent blog post Janet! May I also mention that the Golden Crescent may also refer to the Crescent of Venus (aka the Horns of
  • Janet Boyer
    Janet Boyer says #
    You got it, Jeff!
  • Jeff Fradley
    Jeff Fradley says #
    I would like to see The Hermit or The Magician!
  • Janet Boyer
    Janet Boyer says #
    Thanks, Angel! As Prentiss Gates says in the movie How to Frame a Figg: Message received and noted!

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