Angels, Witchcraft, Demons, Christians

[mcm442]

<Soapbox mode triggered from another post, lol. This is essentially christian centered, so if that isn't in your interests, then you are free to skip this post. Your path is your own.>

I have a deep love for the works of the Bible. But to be blunt and honest, it is a very narrow piece of 5000 years of history for a select group of people, (the Hebrews), and covers nothing or no one else. To be more brutally blunt and honest, the gentiles were never meant to have it! Sorry white boy, but you aren't Jewish--taking the Torah is cultural appropriation! You are only supposed to know the teachings of Yeshua and Paul! REEEEE!

And the book of Enoch... THAT was meant for a few select Rabbi's of the Jewish faith--not for the christian masses and politicians. We got an Inquisition and a host of other atrocities because ya'll took it as your own without a true understanding of it. What a mess that caused... and still lingers today.

Ha, that was fun to type. But anyway--

The Biblical books in their original tongues 'strongly suggest against spirits and divination'--but does NOT condemn them. I won't dive too much into Leviticus and such, because that is a LESSON to be learned and COMPLETED! Yeshua stated that the law is a stone table to crush you upon, so that you can be remade. Paul also states that if you continue to follow the law, you will NOT escape its judgement--even if you receive forgiveness. The lesson is--you can't follow the law, it is meant for you to fail it. No one can succeed. Not one.

Do not chain yourself to the law, and do not chain others to the law, to paraphrase Yeshua. That passage probably should be quoted word for word, because most christians refuse to accept it. It should be screamed to the masses, in fact.

For the record, I tried, placing myself and my family under it for an entire year--until it came to a point of breaking the law, or honoring my mother. I was deep and strict into it--and ready to make a stand 'for my faith'. Know who told me to break the law? The Divine told myself, AND my wife--'Enough. Honor your mother.'

I mean that literally, by the way. My wife and I both heard those words of power in our heads at the same time. That meant growing in wisdom, and looking at things from a fresh perspective, and looking at more than just a couple areas in the 'Book'.

Learn from it, become a better person, and move on, for the love of God. Literally.

Too many focus on the words with a hard edge, and only in small passages. The Biblical works are a series of lessons to build to completion and understanding. In math, you begin with learning that the square root of a negative number doesn't exist, and results with it are null and void. Once you've gotten to advanced math such as matrix, you learn you can work with those numbers, now that you have a foundation--and achieve results. The Bible is no different.

IE, you do not work with spirits and divination on day one, (it's downright dangerous,). In fact, the Bible gives instructions for 'advanced users' on 'trying' a spirit, and determining if it is 100% or not, before you heed any of its words. Even so much that by Biblical instructions, (NT,) a proper group of leaders has "one who speaks in tongues, one who can translate, one who can heal, one who can speak with spirits/divinations, and one who can interpret those conversations/divinations."

That sure sounds like a contradiction to the law, doesn't it? It is, unless you've taken the time to understand all of it. For the record, my studies have involved translating the original tongues--uncorrupted by the will of men who seek power. If you do it this way, sadly, you will see the mass of changes that are always being introduced through the ages. Sigh.

I knew such a blessed person, too. Expelled from her original church for witchcraft. She became a pastor in another church that truly understood the word. She spoke with God, angels and spirits, could accurately divine your future, and give healing touches at will. She was a teacher of powerful faith in God, and yet, there are many who would have her burned at the stake, justifying it with 'selected scriptures'.

No, I will not be quoting any passages with precise locations or such. That is 'the' major issue. Too many focus entirely on the 'written word', and turn their backs upon the 'living word'. They do this to empower themselves over others. Beware the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and the Sadducees, by Yeshua's own words. They love to stand on the street corner quoting and preaching--in truth they do it because they love the sound of their own voice more than the Divine, and they seek to empower themselves over others.

Yeah, if you take select passages, you can justify slavery by race, put women into chains, and a host of other heinous acts that are clearly wrong and clearly stated as such in other passages.

The Divine is not a dead spirit, the Divine is life. There is wisdom on those pages of dead animals, dead trees, and stone. The intent of that wisdom is to get you out there, speaking with a living God in a living world--and if you're brave enough, in a vast living creation of many realms, dimensions, and universes.

And even, speaking with other gods and goddesses. Yes, there are many--the Bible says there is. 'Many are the gods that come and go before me.' No, you don't take such a risk without a strong foundation in faith, else you risk losing yourself to another. It does say to 'take no other god before me'.

But once you understand what that means, then yes, you can speak to others. Even become friends with some. There are those who may be offended by such a concept. "How dare you speak to my deity?!" Well, creation is vast, and our freedoms are great. I can speak to whom I choose--extremist views in any aspect are self-destructive and the equivalent of sticking your head in the sand.

Hey, I have a wife also--she is foremost in my heart, and yet, I can talk to other women, can't I? If I take only a select passages as some do, then I would indeed refuse to speak to any other female. I don't need to point out what kind of person they become at that point--it's wrong in all ways. So yes, I speak with other deities--but just as my wife remains first and foremost, the Divine remains first and foremost.

My love for the Divine has grown because of it. Lucifer, a host of Norse gods, (including Loki,), Tonenili, (another trickster, lol, and I suspect a bunch more indigenous deities are due for visits), those of the Egyptian pantheon, including my beloved friend Bastet, among others not mentioned, all have had to put up with me, lol. All have increased my wisdom and understanding, and, my love for the Divine.

And yeah, even though I do not have demons in my keep, I have spent some visits with a couple of them.

And after all that, is magick itself. Interestingly enough, in quite a few languages the word for 'prayer' and 'ritual' are one and the same. Shoot, if you know witchcraft/wiccan rituals, AND also know Catholic rituals (especially the secret ones,), you'll see that many are basically... the same, lol.

To make it short--if you are in a church doing mass prayers and worship? Yeah, you're already practicing ritual magick. Sorry, not sorry. But, if you understand all of it, you can empower any form of ritual you partake in, in any form of practice--even just being a keeper.

Let's be honest--the Bible states rather clearly that unicorns were real. Yeah, that passage is stuffed into obscurity. "Don't read that one," lol. I'm glad I did, because I have a couple lovely unicorn companions--and I love them dearly. I can understand why Solomon liked them.

And speaking of Solomon... he worked with demons, (Torah and Quran, btw). This man held the 'wisdom of God', and here he is. He did specify you need a very firm stance to pull that off, but he did. Now, there was a later fall with him, but there is much more to that story, more than can be mentioned in this text. At that point, though, he was very secured in his faith.

So yes, you can walk in faith AND walk in any path you wish to pursue, interact with any you wish to talk to, even work with any you wish to work with. Magick is universal at its core, part of the universe itself. Creation is vast, and truly, it was made to be observed, enjoyed, experienced.

Any who would tell you otherwise, who would bind you and chain you, well--I'll paraphrase Yeshua again. 'You would seek to remove the mote from your brother's eye, yet a log exists within your own.'

Let your eyes be open on your journey, your ears clear. Let your wisdom grow, and then your mind can be opened. Faith is secured with love that fills your heart--and that can expand exponentially if you let it!

[Rando3000]

What a fascinating post, thank you.

I have always believed that the modern bible would have been selectively edited in each iteration of its translation, a view in stark contrast with my mother who strongly believes every word is literal and one should not question it at all in word,thought or deed (ironically this does not apply to her own behaviour and actions but thats a whole other thing not worth going into).

I have seen some of the scholars with claims the original hebrew version referenced gods as plural however I cannot claim to be particularly knowledgeable about either version!

It is a topic of interest to which I enjoy and value the opinions of those who explore and delve into it.

[mcm442]

I have seen some of the scholars with claims the original hebrew version referenced gods as plural however I cannot claim to be particularly knowledgeable about either version!

In Hebrew script, there is a distinct marking for a capital letter/proper name, (one of the reasons that they are so stringent on replicating the text--if it's not precise, it goes into the trash,). The first mention has no mistake, it is 'gods' and not 'God'. Same thing occurs with ahdam/Adam. With a capital, it's a name--without, it is 'mankind'. With that context, mankind was already populating the earth before Adam came into the picture.

Congratulations, you've now been given forbidden knowledge, of which they would hang you for in the past, lol.

[Redstarbright]

<Soapbox mode triggered from another post, lol. This is essentially christian centered, so if that isn't in your interests, then you are free to skip this post. Your path is your own.>

I have a deep love for the works of the Bible. But to be blunt and honest, it is a very narrow piece of 5000 years of history for a select group of people, (the Hebrews), and covers nothing or no one else. To be more brutally blunt and honest, the gentiles were never meant to have it! Sorry white boy, but you aren't Jewish--taking the Torah is cultural appropriation! You are only supposed to know the teachings of Yeshua and Paul! REEEEE!

Can you please kindly refrain from Racism towards white people

And the book of Enoch... THAT was meant for a few select Rabbi's of the Jewish faith--not for the christian masses and politicians. We got an Inquisition and a host of other atrocities because ya'll took it as your own without a true understanding of it. What a mess that caused... and still lingers today.

Ha, that was fun to type. But anyway--

The Biblical books in their original tongues 'strongly suggest against spirits and divination'--but does NOT condemn them. I won't dive too much into Leviticus and such, because that is a LESSON to be learned and COMPLETED! Yeshua stated that the law is a stone table to crush you upon, so that you can be remade. Paul also states that if you continue to follow the law, you will NOT escape its judgement--even if you receive forgiveness. The lesson is--you can't follow the law, it is meant for you to fail it. No one can succeed. Not one.

Do not chain yourself to the law, and do not chain others to the law, to paraphrase Yeshua. That passage probably should be quoted word for word, because most christians refuse to accept it. It should be screamed to the masses, in fact.

For the record, I tried, placing myself and my family under it for an entire year--until it came to a point of breaking the law, or honoring my mother. I was deep and strict into it--and ready to make a stand 'for my faith'. Know who told me to break the law? The Divine told myself, AND my wife--'Enough. Honor your mother.'

I mean that literally, by the way. My wife and I both heard those words of power in our heads at the same time. That meant growing in wisdom, and looking at things from a fresh perspective, and looking at more than just a couple areas in the 'Book'.

Learn from it, become a better person, and move on, for the love of God. Literally.

Too many focus on the words with a hard edge, and only in small passages. The Biblical works are a series of lessons to build to completion and understanding. In math, you begin with learning that the square root of a negative number doesn't exist, and results with it are null and void. Once you've gotten to advanced math such as matrix, you learn you can work with those numbers, now that you have a foundation--and achieve results. The Bible is no different.

IE, you do not work with spirits and divination on day one, (it's downright dangerous,). In fact, the Bible gives instructions for 'advanced users' on 'trying' a spirit, and determining if it is 100% or not, before you heed any of its words. Even so much that by Biblical instructions, (NT,) a proper group of leaders has "one who speaks in tongues, one who can translate, one who can heal, one who can speak with spirits/divinations, and one who can interpret those conversations/divinations."

That sure sounds like a contradiction to the law, doesn't it? It is, unless you've taken the time to understand all of it. For the record, my studies have involved translating the original tongues--uncorrupted by the will of men who seek power. If you do it this way, sadly, you will see the mass of changes that are always being introduced through the ages. Sigh.

I knew such a blessed person, too. Expelled from her original church for witchcraft. She became a pastor in another church that truly understood the word. She spoke with God, angels and spirits, could accurately divine your future, and give healing touches at will. She was a teacher of powerful faith in God, and yet, there are many who would have her burned at the stake, justifying it with 'selected scriptures'.

No, I will not be quoting any passages with precise locations or such. That is 'the' major issue. Too many focus entirely on the 'written word', and turn their backs upon the 'living word'. They do this to empower themselves over others. Beware the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and the Sadducees, by Yeshua's own words. They love to stand on the street corner quoting and preaching--in truth they do it because they love the sound of their own voice more than the Divine, and they seek to empower themselves over others.

Yeah, if you take select passages, you can justify slavery by race, put women into chains, and a host of other heinous acts that are clearly wrong and clearly stated as such in other passages.

The Divine is not a dead spirit, the Divine is life. There is wisdom on those pages of dead animals, dead trees, and stone. The intent of that wisdom is to get you out there, speaking with a living God in a living world--and if you're brave enough, in a vast living creation of many realms, dimensions, and universes.

And even, speaking with other gods and goddesses. Yes, there are many--the Bible says there is. 'Many are the gods that come and go before me.' No, you don't take such a risk without a strong foundation in faith, else you risk losing yourself to another. It does say to 'take no other god before me'.

But once you understand what that means, then yes, you can speak to others. Even become friends with some. There are those who may be offended by such a concept. "How dare you speak to my deity?!" Well, creation is vast, and our freedoms are great. I can speak to whom I choose--extremist views in any aspect are self-destructive and the equivalent of sticking your head in the sand.

Hey, I have a wife also--she is foremost in my heart, and yet, I can talk to other women, can't I? If I take only a select passages as some do, then I would indeed refuse to speak to any other female. I don't need to point out what kind of person they become at that point--it's wrong in all ways. So yes, I speak with other deities--but just as my wife remains first and foremost, the Divine remains first and foremost.

My love for the Divine has grown because of it. Lucifer, a host of Norse gods, (including Loki,), Tonenili, (another trickster, lol, and I suspect a bunch more indigenous deities are due for visits), those of the Egyptian pantheon, including my beloved friend Bastet, among others not mentioned, all have had to put up with me, lol. All have increased my wisdom and understanding, and, my love for the Divine.

And yeah, even though I do not have demons in my keep, I have spent some visits with a couple of them.

And after all that, is magick itself. Interestingly enough, in quite a few languages the word for 'prayer' and 'ritual' are one and the same. Shoot, if you know witchcraft/wiccan rituals, AND also know Catholic rituals (especially the secret ones,), you'll see that many are basically... the same, lol.

To make it short--if you are in a church doing mass prayers and worship? Yeah, you're already practicing ritual magick. Sorry, not sorry. But, if you understand all of it, you can empower any form of ritual you partake in, in any form of practice--even just being a keeper.

Let's be honest--the Bible states rather clearly that unicorns were real. Yeah, that passage is stuffed into obscurity. "Don't read that one," lol. I'm glad I did, because I have a couple lovely unicorn companions--and I love them dearly. I can understand why Solomon liked them.

And speaking of Solomon... he worked with demons, (Torah and Quran, btw). This man held the 'wisdom of God', and here he is. He did specify you need a very firm stance to pull that off, but he did. Now, there was a later fall with him, but there is much more to that story, more than can be mentioned in this text. At that point, though, he was very secured in his faith.

So yes, you can walk in faith AND walk in any path you wish to pursue, interact with any you wish to talk to, even work with any you wish to work with. Magick is universal at its core, part of the universe itself. Creation is vast, and truly, it was made to be observed, enjoyed, experienced.

Any who would tell you otherwise, who would bind you and chain you, well--I'll paraphrase Yeshua again. 'You would seek to remove the mote from your brother's eye, yet a log exists within your own.'

Let your eyes be open on your journey, your ears clear. Let your wisdom grow, and then your mind can be opened. Faith is secured with love that fills your heart--and that can expand exponentially if you let it!

[Tarvos]

Amen!

Did you just tap into your other self from the dream to write this post? I totally know which post inspired this. Lol. But me likey!

I’m not a Christian, but I have to say I really admire Jesus. My Angels tease me about being a fan, and they’re right. Lol. No shame in that. And honestly, I think the Bible is a cool, sacred book. Growing up, I was filled with fears from my own religious teachings about spirits, which really stinks because I’m still trying to shake off that fear now that I’m deep into Spirit Keeping. It’s like a big blockage. We didn’t even have something similar to a Bible in our teachings, it was just whatever goes as long as you don't do something bad.

I definitely believe people often take Bible verses and twist them way too much with their interpretations without understanding the original texts. But hey, there are real, actual races of astral beings mentioned in there! I swear. I don’t read it, so I can’t give you the specifics, ehem not a Christian here. But I’m sharing what I know from my own experiences.

I had a calling from an angelic being that looked more like a creature but had full-on angel wings. They matched exactly what I found in my research written in the Bible. That was quite the revelation for me. They belong to a rare type of angelic being that my Keep hasn’t encountered before. Crazy, right?

I can definitely confirm that Solomon worked with demons. And not just the ones you mentioned, he worked with more demonic races too. It didn’t just stop there, he also worked with a whole bunch of other beings too. One of my companions was around back then and worked with him and said Solomon was a great practitioner. They don’t throw around the word “great” lightly, so that says a lot.

As for the Bible, I’m convinced there’s some magick hidden in those pages if you know where to look. I mean, when a group at church starts chanting, it feels like they’re tapping into a magickal effect especially when there are magick words involved. Like for instance, if you say an activated code, the whole verse or something will bring the exact after-effect they intended for. Maybe one day someone can test this for me? Lol.

[Redstarbright]

<Soapbox mode triggered from another post, lol. Thank you for accepting your comment was Racist, and kindly removing it. This is essentially christian centered, so if that isn't in your interests, then you are free to skip this post. Your path is your own.>

I have a deep love for the works of the Bible. But to be blunt and honest, it is a very narrow piece of 5000 years of history for a select group of people, (the Hebrews), and covers nothing or no one else. To be more brutally blunt and honest, the gentiles were never meant to have it! Sorry white boy, but you aren't Jewish--taking the Torah is cultural appropriation! You are only supposed to know the teachings of Yeshua and Paul! REEEEE!

And the book of Enoch... THAT was meant for a few select Rabbi's of the Jewish faith--not for the christian masses and politicians. We got an Inquisition and a host of other atrocities because ya'll took it as your own without a true understanding of it. What a mess that caused... and still lingers today.

Ha, that was fun to type. But anyway--

The Biblical books in their original tongues 'strongly suggest against spirits and divination'--but does NOT condemn them. I won't dive too much into Leviticus and such, because that is a LESSON to be learned and COMPLETED! Yeshua stated that the law is a stone table to crush you upon, so that you can be remade. Paul also states that if you continue to follow the law, you will NOT escape its judgement--even if you receive forgiveness. The lesson is--you can't follow the law, it is meant for you to fail it. No one can succeed. Not one.

Do not chain yourself to the law, and do not chain others to the law, to paraphrase Yeshua. That passage probably should be quoted word for word, because most christians refuse to accept it. It should be screamed to the masses, in fact.

For the record, I tried, placing myself and my family under it for an entire year--until it came to a point of breaking the law, or honoring my mother. I was deep and strict into it--and ready to make a stand 'for my faith'. Know who told me to break the law? The Divine told myself, AND my wife--'Enough. Honor your mother.'

I mean that literally, by the way. My wife and I both heard those words of power in our heads at the same time. That meant growing in wisdom, and looking at things from a fresh perspective, and looking at more than just a couple areas in the 'Book'.

Learn from it, become a better person, and move on, for the love of God. Literally.

Too many focus on the words with a hard edge, and only in small passages. The Biblical works are a series of lessons to build to completion and understanding. In math, you begin with learning that the square root of a negative number doesn't exist, and results with it are null and void. Once you've gotten to advanced math such as matrix, you learn you can work with those numbers, now that you have a foundation--and achieve results. The Bible is no different.

IE, you do not work with spirits and divination on day one, (it's downright dangerous,). In fact, the Bible gives instructions for 'advanced users' on 'trying' a spirit, and determining if it is 100% or not, before you heed any of its words. Even so much that by Biblical instructions, (NT,) a proper group of leaders has "one who speaks in tongues, one who can translate, one who can heal, one who can speak with spirits/divinations, and one who can interpret those conversations/divinations."

That sure sounds like a contradiction to the law, doesn't it? It is, unless you've taken the time to understand all of it. For the record, my studies have involved translating the original tongues--uncorrupted by the will of men who seek power. If you do it this way, sadly, you will see the mass of changes that are always being introduced through the ages. Sigh.

I knew such a blessed person, too. Expelled from her original church for witchcraft. She became a pastor in another church that truly understood the word. She spoke with God, angels and spirits, could accurately divine your future, and give healing touches at will. She was a teacher of powerful faith in God, and yet, there are many who would have her burned at the stake, justifying it with 'selected scriptures'.

No, I will not be quoting any passages with precise locations or such. That is 'the' major issue. Too many focus entirely on the 'written word', and turn their backs upon the 'living word'. They do this to empower themselves over others. Beware the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and the Sadducees, by Yeshua's own words. They love to stand on the street corner quoting and preaching--in truth they do it because they love the sound of their own voice more than the Divine, and they seek to empower themselves over others.

Yeah, if you take select passages, you can justify slavery by race, put women into chains, and a host of other heinous acts that are clearly wrong and clearly stated as such in other passages.

The Divine is not a dead spirit, the Divine is life. There is wisdom on those pages of dead animals, dead trees, and stone. The intent of that wisdom is to get you out there, speaking with a living God in a living world--and if you're brave enough, in a vast living creation of many realms, dimensions, and universes.

And even, speaking with other gods and goddesses. Yes, there are many--the Bible says there is. 'Many are the gods that come and go before me.' No, you don't take such a risk without a strong foundation in faith, else you risk losing yourself to another. It does say to 'take no other god before me'.

But once you understand what that means, then yes, you can speak to others. Even become friends with some. There are those who may be offended by such a concept. "How dare you speak to my deity?!" Well, creation is vast, and our freedoms are great. I can speak to whom I choose--extremist views in any aspect are self-destructive and the equivalent of sticking your head in the sand.

Hey, I have a wife also--she is foremost in my heart, and yet, I can talk to other women, can't I? If I take only a select passages as some do, then I would indeed refuse to speak to any other female. I don't need to point out what kind of person they become at that point--it's wrong in all ways. So yes, I speak with other deities--but just as my wife remains first and foremost, the Divine remains first and foremost.

My love for the Divine has grown because of it. Lucifer, a host of Norse gods, (including Loki,), Tonenili, (another trickster, lol, and I suspect a bunch more indigenous deities are due for visits), those of the Egyptian pantheon, including my beloved friend Bastet, among others not mentioned, all have had to put up with me, lol. All have increased my wisdom and understanding, and, my love for the Divine.

And yeah, even though I do not have demons in my keep, I have spent some visits with a couple of them.

And after all that, is magick itself. Interestingly enough, in quite a few languages the word for 'prayer' and 'ritual' are one and the same. Shoot, if you know witchcraft/wiccan rituals, AND also know Catholic rituals (especially the secret ones,), you'll see that many are basically... the same, lol.

To make it short--if you are in a church doing mass prayers and worship? Yeah, you're already practicing ritual magick. Sorry, not sorry. But, if you understand all of it, you can empower any form of ritual you partake in, in any form of practice--even just being a keeper.

Let's be honest--the Bible states rather clearly that unicorns were real. Yeah, that passage is stuffed into obscurity. "Don't read that one," lol. I'm glad I did, because I have a couple lovely unicorn companions--and I love them dearly. I can understand why Solomon liked them.

And speaking of Solomon... he worked with demons, (Torah and Quran, btw). This man held the 'wisdom of God', and here he is. He did specify you need a very firm stance to pull that off, but he did. Now, there was a later fall with him, but there is much more to that story, more than can be mentioned in this text. At that point, though, he was very secured in his faith.

So yes, you can walk in faith AND walk in any path you wish to pursue, interact with any you wish to talk to, even work with any you wish to work with. Magick is universal at its core, part of the universe itself. Creation is vast, and truly, it was made to be observed, enjoyed, experienced.

Any who would tell you otherwise, who would bind you and chain you, well--I'll paraphrase Yeshua again. 'You would seek to remove the mote from your brother's eye, yet a log exists within your own.'

Let your eyes be open on your journey, your ears clear. Let your wisdom grow, and then your mind can be opened. Faith is secured with love that fills your heart--and that can expand exponentially if you let it!

[Umbra_Arcana]

@mcm442
Thank you for sharing, your post made for interesting reading. I know my own view towards Christianity is negatively skewed because of -reasons- it's always a pleasure to read other folks takes on things.

[Alaric]

<Soapbox mode triggered from another post, lol.

That's an interesting personal perspective.

A long time ago (40 years or so) a West African man I worked with and chatted a bit about these things used to talk about the spiritual power of Haille Salassie and (I think) a bit about Solomon. He went to a Christian school in Africa but his aunt was a ju-ju priestess. He'd been given a protective spirit in a vessel when young that mustn't cross water and shouldn't be taken to the bathroom/toilet. He forgot once, had a burning sensation and the spirit left him. He told me 3pm on Good Friday is a time of power, when traditionally Christ died and there was an earthquake, darkness and a curtain was torn asunder in the temple.

He also subscribed to the belief of other Africans that Solomon was a man of great spiritual or magical power. In fact that's a tradition among western occultists too .

Okay that sets the scene.

What I guess I'm getting to - and doubtless not the first person here to do so - is that before Judaism became fully fledged after the exile in Babylon , the peoples of Canaan, the Arabian peninsula and North Africa all seemed to engage in what we with hindsight disparagingly call pagan beliefs in deities, spirits, magic.

There's a noble history and tradition there. Later generations, now monotheists, needed to put clear water between them and the old beliefs, so they took a disparaging view of them.

But all that does, it seems to me, is place a thin veneer over what the human race has been chiefly concerned with for most of its history. Well, at least tens of thousands of years of it, from what archaeology and history can tell us.

I was brought up in a devout, fairly strict Catholic family mid-twentieth century. I'm very familiar with all the dogma.

I see religion as being a human thing. It's we humans who obscure the truth with the twists and turns that dogma forces on us.

But, you now, these things were always with us. They were before the Old Testament was written, while it was written and since .

In a way it's nothing special but it has been hidden from us so in a way it is special and worthy of wonder...or so it seems to me.