I know this thread is quite old, but I wanted to add to it if anyone here still follows it or if anyone comes across it like me and seeks the perspective of an actual pagan.

I was raised Roman Catholic and remained a practicing member for 28 years. For personal reasons, I left the Church and found my new calling as a pagan. Throughout my life, I researched all aspects of my religion. Theology has always fascinated me. I found more freedom in my learning after I left the Church because this research was forbidden and deemed evil, as if those who seek knowledge are inviting in the devil.

I am now 42 and have seen myself evolve through various steps along this process. It's been kind of like the stages of mourning or recovery. I have finally reached that stage where I am content enough with my journey that I can understand the beliefs of others hold no bearing on the beliefs of myself. Words no longer hurt me because I realize now that the threat of some horrid place of punishment does not apply to me, and those who condemn me are merely afraid and confused like I was at one time.

What I see so much and on this thread is certainly fear and confusion. However, it isn't from the christians.

I agree with the original post about Amun-Ra. There is evidence that it goes back even further, to Mesopotamia. This could have been a discussion of growth and knowledge, but then the true intent of the OP came through and the chance to share wisdom was lost.

We are each on our own journey. No one has a right to tell another their journey is wrong. No one is a god or a life force that is greater than any other. We do not know what another person's life has in store, what trials and tribulations they have or will face, what lessons they are meant to learn along the way. We do not know the purpose of anyone else's existence on this Earth or in our lives. The one thing we do know is that we are here to evolve as a species. We do this through learning all around us.

When we attempt to stop each other from our personal growth, we are not only hurting the evolution of mankind, we are hurting ourselves.

When you spend so much of your time and energy concerned with the beliefs of strangers that hold no significance to your life, you are neglecting your own intellectual and spiritual growth.

What purpose do atheists have on this forum? What purpose do religious people have on atheist forums? I see them all visiting each others forums to stir up conflict rather than learn about a different perspective. There is nothing beneficial to anyone engaged in such behavior. You don't offer true wisdom and you don't attempt to learn true wisdom. You are in a rut and you want to drag others down into that rut with you rather than stand up and grow from them.

You do not have to agree with another person's beliefs in order to simply listen and understand. You do not have to agree in order to simply learn and grow. You do not even have to agree with each others beliefs in order to be friends or just friendly.

You are what you put out into this world.

OracleOfAnubis:
I know this thread is quite old, but I wanted to add to it if anyone here still follows it or if anyone comes across it like me and seeks the perspective of an actual pagan.

I was raised Roman Catholic and remained a practicing member for 28 years. For personal reasons, I left the Church and found my new calling as a pagan. Throughout my life, I researched all aspects of my religion. Theology has always fascinated me. I found more freedom in my learning after I left the Church because this research was forbidden and deemed evil, as if those who seek knowledge are inviting in the devil.

I am now 42 and have seen myself evolve through various steps along this process. It's been kind of like the stages of mourning or recovery. I have finally reached that stage where I am content enough with my journey that I can understand the beliefs of others hold no bearing on the beliefs of myself. Words no longer hurt me because I realize now that the threat of some horrid place of punishment does not apply to me, and those who condemn me are merely afraid and confused like I was at one time.

What I see so much and on this thread is certainly fear and confusion. However, it isn't from the christians.

I agree with the original post about Amun-Ra. There is evidence that it goes back even further, to Mesopotamia. This could have been a discussion of growth and knowledge, but then the true intent of the OP came through and the chance to share wisdom was lost.

We are each on our own journey. No one has a right to tell another their journey is wrong. No one is a god or a life force that is greater than any other. We do not know what another person's life has in store, what trials and tribulations they have or will face, what lessons they are meant to learn along the way. We do not know the purpose of anyone else's existence on this Earth or in our lives. The one thing we do know is that we are here to evolve as a species. We do this through learning all around us.

When we attempt to stop each other from our personal growth, we are not only hurting the evolution of mankind, we are hurting ourselves.

When you spend so much of your time and energy concerned with the beliefs of strangers that hold no significance to your life, you are neglecting your own intellectual and spiritual growth.

What purpose do atheists have on this forum? What purpose do religious people have on atheist forums? I see them all visiting each others forums to stir up conflict rather than learn about a different perspective. There is nothing beneficial to anyone engaged in such behavior. You don't offer true wisdom and you don't attempt to learn true wisdom. You are in a rut and you want to drag others down into that rut with you rather than stand up and grow from them.

You do not have to agree with another person's beliefs in order to simply listen and understand. You do not have to agree in order to simply learn and grow. You do not even have to agree with each others beliefs in order to be friends or just friendly.

You are what you put out into this world.

To be honest i really enjoyed your post, i have suddenly picked interest in your knowledge. Right now i am sitting on the fence and i'm not sure which direction to take anymore. I love your write-up and i want to get more from where that is coming from

JJYOU:
what is your point?

You know, Pharaoh AKHENATEN though born AMEN-HOTEP IV NEVER believed in AMEN or AMUN or AMON-all is same, only dialectical difference of pronunciation. AMEN was the EGYPTIAN god of DEATH, and Akhenaten being a setter-forth of faith invented the RA mysticism, which contributed in no small way to his downfall. Amen in the Bible is an abomination contrived bY Freemason translators and the word transcribed as Amen is AMN. The COPIERS of the Hebrew scripts left a lot of things in codes like YHWH. AMN is another example of sort. Its transcription should have been AMEIN or AMEEN. Meaning SO BE IT. For AMEN, is another kettle of fish which has never meant SO BE IT. Those behind it deliberately want to keep the old gods alive and foster idolatry on unsuspecting believers

[quote author=ContraTodo post=29541788]I believe the pagan 'god' Amun-Ra (Amen) was not a real god, rather, the Egyptians built statues and worshiped those statues.
I believe there is only one real God, and yes, that one real God is hidden from our sight.
The one real God is the true "Amen", in that sense, therefore.

According to the Bible in many passages we can see that ancient Israel indeed worshiped the sun and stars and the Egyptian gods and the other gods of the people around them - Ezekiel 8:16-17, Amos 5:26, 2 Kings 21:1-5
According to the Bible it was some of the very scribes(the writers/keepers of ancient Jewish scripture) and pharisees that caused Jesus to be put to death - John 11:45-54
Therefore it is no wonder if they also perhaps changed even some of the Torah and other prophetic writings to suit their anti-Christ agenda.

I have chosen to no longer say the word Amen, "let your word be Yea, yea; nay, nay" Matthew 5:37
I take that to mean, if you mean yes, say yes, not no; if you mean no, say no and not yes. Say what you mean.
So, if i think someone hearing me will not know what i mean by "Amen", i will say, "I agree" or "So be it" instead.

1 Corinthians 8:13
"Therefore if eating meat (in the presence of my brother) makes my brother become offended (have cause to sin, and also offended in the traditional sense) I will eat no flesh while the world stands, lest I make my brother to stumble."

Therefore, if i am in the presence of one who thinks the word Amen relates to an Egyptian god, i will not say the word Amen in the hopes that the very thought of any Egyptian 'god' does not enter any mind.

Also there is the history of the Bible.

The Geneva version of the Bible that was popular 51 years before King James has far less of the word "Amen" in the old testament.
The Geneva version of 1 Kings 1:36 does not say Amen, but rather "So be it; and the Lord of my lord the king ratify it"
Same with Jeremiah 28:6 - "So be it"

I think the word Amen was added into the Bible. Clearly it was added when going from the Geneva version to King James.
(it seems to me 1 Kings 1:36 was even re-worded such that it could be mistakenly taken as reference to a god named Amen)
(the Geneva translation makes more sense, both directly and grammatically)
As i said above; according to the Bible it was some of the very scribes(the writers/keepers of ancient Jewish scripture) and pharisees that caused Jesus to be put to death - John 11:45-54, 2nd Thessalonians 2:10-11
I think they also perhaps changed even some of the Torah and other prophetic writings to suit their anti-Christ agenda.

God is the ever existing single source of all things.
( Col 1:14-20, Rev. 4:11, Isaiah 45:6-7, Proverbs 8:22-23 )

1. God can not NOT be God.
2. God can not NOT know something.
3. God can not die/stop existing.

However, God DID experience all 3 of the above as Christ.
God created everything so that He could experience the above 3 things and relate to His creation,
while at the same time creating the ultimate way to demonstrate His love for His creation.

Jesus Christ from Nazareth was and is God in the Flesh the physical manifestation of God.
( 1st Timothy 3:16, Zechariah 12:10, Isaiah 9:6, John 14:9 )
[/quote In addition, there is no Nazareth anywhere in Jewish history. So how could Jesus be from there?