Podcasts about polytheists

The last days before the Great Hunt.Book 3 in 18 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels.“Can the scorpion ever stop being a scorpion? “"Do we get our legally permitted weaponry back?" The bishop still held my hand."Sure. If it makes you feel better.""I would like to meet your people then," he gave my paw one last shake then released me. "Shall we go?""I will have someone take you to your car. I want to briefly meet with the President, of Havenstone, then I'll join you in the garage. We'll drive over to JIKIT and I'll make the introductions. Good enough?""That is acceptable," he nodded."What about you two?" I regarded the nun and the Swiss Super-soldier. The nun remained vigilant, and silent. The Swiss' eyes flickered to his boss before settling back on me."It is what I volunteered for," he stated firmly."Okay. Please never say I didn't give you a chance to take the sane way out. Also, Bishop Nicolö, circumstances have conspired to up my prospective wedding date to January 1st.""That will be more difficult. Why the change?" he remained grim."We are having twins. By March, this will be very visible.""That is, unfortunate," he shook his head."You have no idea," and then a brainstorm. "And I am curious about resurrecting the Order of the Dragon, the Societas Draconistarum." Technically that meant 'Society of the Dragonists' which was more appropriate than the literal Ordo Draconis."Precisely how do you plan to recreate a crusading Christian Order which was the purview of the Hungarian monarchs?" he didn't sound the least skeptical, just curious."I have billions of euros to fund such a thing," I winked. "Of far greater critical importance, I know where I can find the supernatural guidance and spiritual imperative for such an organization.""You are going to produce a dragon?" his eyes grew larger even as he fought down his fear. Good man. He was adaptive. He'd need to be."I never said such a thing. That would make me sound crazy," I smiled broadly. "Besides, when I say 'dragon', you think 'devil' and that's way too pedestrian for where we are going.""I am not a moral relativist.""Neither am I. I'm out to save lives and nurture the drive in the human spirit to reach for freedom, love and liberty. As you might imagine, I'm pretty freaking outnumbered.""I think you are crazy," he re-evaluated things."I just might be. In all honesty, you should back out now. Take your two compadres back to 25 East 39th Street (the Holy See's Permanent Observer Offices to the UN in NYC) and report 'Mission Failure'. You'll most likely live longer," I reasoned."I am not afraid to die," Sister Rafaela Sophia finally voiced an opinion."That's idiotic," I scoffed before the bishop could reprimand her for opening her mouth. "You should be.""My soul is in God's hands," she set her jaw."Does he talk to you?" I countered."His message is clear.""Not what I asked. I asked if he specifically directed you to toss your life fruitlessly away as an object lesson for the reckless, or careless?""This is uncalled for," Nicolö intervened."Nope. I bet you a phone call to my Brother to physically restore your bishopric that there are four people in this room who have murdered in cold blood," I kept eye contact with the nun, "and she's the odd one out. Right Juanita?""Yes, Ishara," Juanita slipped up. Her spycraft, like mine, needed work."You were in the military?" the bishop asked my bodyguard."Was? I am. Right now," she related. "I will be until I die."That earned me looks from the three Catholics."She is loyal," Nicolö nodded slightly toward her, referring to Juanita's declaration."Huh? To me? Nope. She's loyal to my office, which we shan't get into right now. Back to you, Sister Rafaela Sophia. Are you out to be a martyr, or has some saint, or angel, given you a directive the other two seem to be unaware of which causes you to devalue your life?""I am devoted to the One True God, Christ, our Savior," and Juanita snorted, "and the Virgin Mary," the nun stated firmly. "I don't hear voices in my head.""Juanita, that was rude. Apologize to our guest," I kept looking forward."No." Well, fuck you too."Gun," I commanded. I held out my left hand."What? No. I will not give you one of my guns," she resisted."Juanita, give me your primary weapon, or I will ask Pamela to beat you up the moment I depart for the Great Hunt. After yesterday's stunt, you know she will," I threatened. Fair, I was not. She drew a Glock-20 and handed it to me. I went through the routine, dropped the magazine then ejected the round before opening the door.Oh look, there were four SD chicks outside, ready to escort my visitors downstairs. I didn't even need to waste a phone call. It wasn't like the conference room wasn't being monitored."Excuse me," I took a half step out the door then hurled all three items down the hall. Looking back at Juanita. "Go fetch.""Fuck you," she snapped."And insulting her faith was as degrading to both her faith and her as me doing this to you is degrading to you right now," I lectured her. "It is important to her, therefore it is important to me because she is my guest in the same way it is important to me that I let my bodyguard do her job without being a total asshole all the time. Now go get your God-damn weapon," I barked. Off she went. I left the door open."Now Sister Rafaela Sophia, the point of all this is: I don't give a crap if you are willing to die for God. In fact, that makes you less than worthless to me and the team. I want to know if you are willing to put other motherfuckers in the ground so that Bishop Nicolá, or Mathias, might get to keep doing their jobs.""Murder is a sin," she declared."Go home," I sighed while shaking my head."She answers to me, the Church and God, not you, Mr. Nyilas," the bishop stepped forward."Then you can go home too," I shrugged. "I'm not asking for remorseless killers. I'm asking for people willing to kill to get the hard work done and best of all, for people who know the difference.""Everyone on JIKIT is a professional soldier, or killer?" he asked."No, but the ones who aren't don't carry guns and know to get down when things get funky," I bantered."I vouch for her," he insisted. Juanita came running back into the room."Cool beans. I don't know you either.""You apparently know my service history," he volleyed."Yeah. Ten years a foreigner in the service of France, then you went straight into a university which turns out Jesuits," I riposted."What turned your life around?" he evaded. That was okay. I'd gotten what I wanted. I was willing to bet he had read every bit of public information about me and it was rumored the heavy Catholic membership in the FBI had its benefits to the Church as well. Not so much as to give them insight into JIKIT, but,"Someone risked their life for me. It's been pretty much downhill from there," I confessed. It was the truth. After Katrina gave me the life line on Day Two, it had all spiraled to the revelation of my heritage, Dad's death, Summer Camp, the Hamptons, Romania and Aya's kidnapping."A person, a soldier, died saving my life," the bishop empathized. "Her story is similar. She seeks redemption. She is not suicidal. I am staking both our lives on it."Did he mean him and Mathias, or him and me? I wasn't certain. Still, it was good enough for now. I'd gotten a look at their emotional make up, even the relatively quiet Swiss."Very well," I agreed. "I have to go see the President about my new job description. I'll catch up with you at your car." To the SD team leader, "Take them to the garage. I will join the group of you very soon.""Yes Ishara," she nodded. I exited the room, Juanita in tow. Two SD entered. I was gone before the Papal team left. Upstairs we went, with one last chore to discharge. I had to check on Ms. French to be absolutely freaking sure it was Shawnee, because anyone else would spell disaster.{8:30 am, Monday, September 8th. Last day}A Room full of asistants:Well, there it was, the office of the Executive Director to the President, and not 'Executive Assistant', because this was Katrina's final 'fuck you, no, just her final 'fuck you' before the Great Hunt got underway. I shouldn't assume things, dang it!Anyway, according to the gray-haired matron running gatekeeper to the Office of the President, this was where I was supposed to show up. I shot Juanita a worried look. She glanced my way and shrugged, momentarily willing to not give me shit about the past 24 hours because where I was situated would determine how easily she could do her job.In we went. In the suite were three desks, the 'big' desk situated at the far end of the office space and two far more modest ones on either side of the entryway. The room expanded beyond the chokepoint formed by the two closest desks into a cluttered area. The walls were cluttered with inset bookshelves and portraits of women. Facing one another were a loveseat on my left with bookend plush chairs in an 'L' facing and a full sofa on the right. There were end tables at the ends of the sofa and the corners between the loveseat and each chair.As the door opened, I hadn't knock as this was my office, or so it seemed, the occupants, who had all been sitting in quiet conversation in the central section, began reacting. Oh look ~ Constanza! I nearly had a heart attack before I realized there were three other Amazons also in the room. Sadly, none were behind the 'big desk', so I couldn't tell who was in charge. Two of the other three choices weren't too much better. First off,"Ishara," Marilynn Saint John stood to greet me. I'd last seen her when I'd dedicated her grandmother's (Hayden's) spirit to the halls of my ancestors, not hers, after forcing the political crisis leading to Hayden's suicide ~ her taking herself to the cliffs and in doing so, destroying the Amazon Cult of Blood Purity. Marilynne was clearly still bitter with me. Umm, I could still incite passion in women I hadn't slept with, yet, woot?"Cáel," the senior-most and only friendly face in the room spoke next. Thank goodness it was Beyoncé Vincennes, Head of House Hanwasuit and House Ishara ally."Cáel Ishara," the third individual was deferential which I wasn't sure how to take as the last time I'd encountered her, yeah, things hadn't gone well either."Beyoncé," I started off with a smile. From there, I had to figure out, ah, Beyoncé's eyes flickered to Constanza then Sabia. I knew Marilynn, with her young age, had the least seniority, "Constanza, Sabia, Marilynn. How's tricks?"Glum faces by everyone except Beyoncé. I didn't ask about Sabia's particular well-being. It had been months since I'd beaten her into the mats of the Full-blooded gym. She'd attacked Yasmin, the Brazilian Hottie and my Brazilian Jujutsu sparring buddy, and I'd retaliated by ambushed her when she turned her back on us. Besides, she'd been giving me shit before I even could see straight.Constanza was minus her left eye because of her dire insult to me. If she wasn't capable of working, she wouldn't be here. If she appreciated my 'mercy' in sparing her life ~ her insult was worthy of her death ~ Constanza hid it well. I hadn't spared her expecting a change of heart. I hadn't felt words alone warranted anyone's death. I was a big boy and could take a few insults. House Ishara, as represented by me, could care less. These days, my sisters would be less understanding despite them knowing my heart."Constanza Landau of House Jaya and Marilynn Saint John of House Anahit are Assistants to President Shawnee French," Beyoncé eased things along, "so will be working closely with us, at least for the short term. Sabia Noel of House Guabancex, who I now think you know as well, has joined you as the other 'Assistant' to the 'Executive Director to the President', (that would make me an 'adept', but adept at what?), and since two of the three Regents are unfamiliar with the workings of Havenstone proper, Shawnee has asked me to perform in that role."Beyoncé was, or had been, Havenstone HQ's CFO (Chief Financial Officer). From what I was quickly piecing together, she would essentially be making all the day-to-day decisions concerning the running of Havenstone (how the Host made the majority of its money) until the Regents got up to speed.Only Buffy had actual experience with the New York office and, from what she had told me, solely within Executive Services. While ES knew 'who' did what inside Havenstone, they weren't aware precisely how those Amazons got their jobs done. That would have been an impossible task. Katrina could do it, but she knew it was beyond the ability of most of us 'mere mortals'. Since we were currently at war, the Host needed Katrina completely focused on her duties as Chief Spy-mistress, not baby-sitting the adults.Shawnee indeed had much gravitas among the other House Heads. Not only had she risen up to lead a First House, she had performed heroically during the final days of the last Secret War. Afterwards she had moved into the realm of Amazon jurisprudence and mediation. Until yesterday, she had lived in a House Arinniti freehold in Minnesota's Great Lakes region thus her desire for the 'Training Wheels' period.The Regency would not rule through telecommunication (the upper echelons feared being eavesdropped upon beyond the standard Amazon (read: paranoid) levels) and Havenstone: New York was the center best situated for the current war-fighting operations, so here she lived. I was sure a team from Executive Services was buying, outfitting/spy-proofing and fortifying a dwelling suitable for the President of a Fortune 500 company. Hayden's home would remain the domicile of Sydney thus Marilynn.The same rigmarole would be done for Rhada and Buffy (though I imaged Buffy would bitch endlessly). Publically, they were VP's of a company worth hundreds of billions of dollars and they had to present the public trappings of such leaders.Why did the Amazons do this ~ unmask their leadership to public exposure? Legal-simple: they could request and expect all levels of public and private security for their executives who happened to also be important officials of the Host. Certainly not all executives at Havenstone were officeholders, House Heads, or House Apprentices, but the high level of competence which permitted one often led to the other.Beyonce:As an example: Beyoncé wasn't the most 'bad-ass' lethal chick in House Hanwasuit. As she was preparing to be casted, her intelligence, creativity and diligence at her future craft, finances, was noted by the Host and the members of her House. In due time her name was circulated as Apprentice and the elders approved. When her elder cousin, the prior House Head, took herself to the cliffs, Beyoncé assumed the top spot. Beyoncé wasn't even one of that woman's three daughters.Mirroring her advancement in her House was her advancement in Havenstone's Accounting, Acquisitions and Banking Divisions until she was appointed CFO Havenstone HQ ~ the supreme financial authority inside Havenstone, though the individual regional branches had a greater degree of autonomy than you might normally expect from a 21st century conglomerate, or a Bronze Age autocracy.I had to constantly remind myself, despite the near-constant feuding, Amazons exhibited a phenomenally higher level of trust than I'd ever found in any other society I'd ever witnessed, or read about, before. Though technically Beyoncé could have gone to President Hayden to enforce her decisions ~ or now the Regency ~ she was far more diplomatic in her approach in dealing with the other 'continental' CEO's and CFO's.That meant she had to wrangle the aspirations and resources from:North America (including Latin America, the 'Canadian Arctic' and the North Pacific Ocean),South America (includes both the South Atlantic and South Pacific as far as Samoa),Europe (mostly Central Europe these days plus Antarctica, the 'Russian' Arctic and the North Atlantic),Africa (mostly West-central Africa),India (the subcontinent plus the vast expanse of the Indian Ocean) and,Southeast Asia (which includes Australia)All of which suggested Havenstone hadn't redrawn the Amazons' geographic demarcations since the late 19th century. As an example, an East African venture, say in Tanzania, was as likely to be under the purview of Havenstone: India (due to its control over the Indian Ocean) as Havenstone: Africa (which traditionally had no East Coast holdings due to their constant struggles versus the Arabic slave trade).Returning to Beyoncé: initially she had held the proper 'conservative' (aka man-hating) mindset. My behavior during that first Board Meeting began to change her opinion of me and the New Directive. After the Archery Range incident, Beyoncé became a vocal proponent of the New Directive and faced challenges within her ranks. House Heads do not have to accept challenges and Beyoncé didn't, reasoning with her detractors they had no alternatives save the 'Old Ways' which spelled doom for the Amazon Race.Bing-bang-boom ~ I became the Head of a resurrected House Ishara by the Will of the Ancestors and Beyoncé was vindicated. Not necessarily in the New Directive, but in her support of me thus the rebirth of a sister First House. The purge following High Priestess' Hayden's death was her ultimate absolution. The Ancestors and Destiny had spoken and shown Beyoncé had been piloting House Hanwasuit along the proper course all along.Back to my current circumstances:Oh, why was I Assistant to the Executive Director to the President? It gave me direct access to the finances of Havenstone which was a critical leg of the war-fighting stool ~ people, morale, money and equipment. As Chief Diplomat, I helped with all four of those in varying degrees, allied troops, allied victories, allied bank accounts and allied armaments.The Great Khan, my spiritual 'Blood-Brother', was ramping up his logistic support for my Amazons in Africa, Asia and the Americas. We were 'Allies in the Struggle' and he wasn't going to wait for the Condottieri to begin coordinating with the Seven Pillars to declare them to be his enemies. They were already fighting the Amazons and 9 Clans, his allies, so their fates were sealed.In Japan, my Amazons provided small yet highly effective strike groups which the Ninja families furnished all the support services for. Everything from food to bullets to medical attention as needed. Without reservation, we shared their death-grapple with the Seven Pillars.From the dispatches I was getting back from my family members and envoys in Japan, we were making serious diplomatic inroads with the Ninja. Once again, it was the Amazons shocking capacity for violence as well as their fanaticism, professionalism and proficiency which all impressed our hosts and terrified our enemies, and this from people of a philosophical mindset which had them historically battling samurai.The Black Lotus were running around like rhesus monkeys on crack cocaine unleashed in a China Shop and given RPG's. While the Amazons couldn't help them in China, Indochina & Thailand ~ the Khanate could and was. The Amazons were of more help in the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia, where the Black Lotus and Amazons were going everywhere on the offensive against the Seven Pillars while the normal tight cohesion and iron-clad confidence, traits which made the 7P's so dangerous ~ were shaken by their horrendous losses in the 'Homeland' aka Mainland China.Less we forget, the 'military intelligence' wing of their organization had been decimated by the Khanate's Anthrax attack due to members of the Earth & Sky sacrificing themselves by being injected with the toxin then allowing themselves to be captured, which always ended in torture and death.Furthermore, the People's Republic of China, while having a scary 18% of the population either captured, imprisoned, dead, or displaced due to the Khanate invasion, that had come with the loss of 63% of their landmass (they had lost all of Nei Mongol, Ningxia & Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Regions, Qinghai and Gansu as well as 90% of Yunnan, 80% of Sichuan and 20% of Shaanxi provinces) to the Khanate and the 'abomination' that was a free Tibet.Then came the Russian 'stab in the back' which entailed the loss of another 10% of their people falling under foreign dominion as well as losing 8% of their most industrialized territory, Manchuria (Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces ~ the Nei Mongol portion of 'Manchuria' was in the Khanate's greedy clutches, from the viewpoint of a Seven P's warrior).Don't get me wrong, they weren't about to throw in the towel. If anything, they were becoming more dedicated to trying harder, digging deep into their knowledge of every atrocity, inhumanity and perversion now deemed necessary to re-chart history back onto its 'correct' path. It was this willingness to act in an even greater sociopathic manner which was being used against them. After all, the 7P's had plenty of proxy allies, who were starting to get really nervous about what their paymasters were now asking them to do,We Amazons were getting some extra special help too. The Booth-gan (Do not call them Thuggee ~ the confederate 9 Clan member based out of India though long since ensconced within various Hindi enclaves across the Globe) had created an all-female group of ultra-fanatical Kali-devotees ~ a gift for the upcoming battle fomented by the Will of the Goddess herself.While Aya was our Queen and the Regency would rule until she wished to assume command of the Amazon People, the nuts-and-bolts of the Host's activities were handled by Saint Marie as Golden Mare (our Minister of War) (technically she held the top spot due to our State of War, though no Golden Mare had ever exercised such authority over a Queen (and she definitely believed Aya was our Queen)), Katrina (as Minister of Intelligence and Security), Beyoncé (as Havenstone (the multinational corporation) ~ our Treasurer/Economic Tsarina) and me (our Foreign Minister).Saint Marie had decided to forgo a public face in order to better facilitate her moving around to various battle fronts and holding clandestine meetings with her junior regional commanders. Her Havenstone corporate title was 'Chief of Security Training and Certification'. As an extra level of deception, the head of Security Services wasn't even a Director-level position, instead being folded into the duties of the Office of the President.To my current circumstances ~ I had been given Constanza's house name which could only mean she wasn't currently assigned to the Security Detail; a fact that couldn't have made her bad attitude any better. Marilynn had completely lost her way as an Amazon when I first met her, burying her pain and confusion in endless partying and intoxicants. I believed only her grandmother's status as High Priestess kept her from the severest of reprimands, or death. I didn't even know what Marilynn's caste was. Sabia,"While I'm sure you are both far more qualified than I, precisely how did you two get these jobs?" I had to ask my two non-coworkers. Constanza glowered. Marilynn flinched."I have an in depth knowledge of Havenstone security procedures and resources," Constanza replied."Shawnee requested me," was Marilynn's comeback. "I also have intimate knowledge of the City of New York and its environs.""Actually, Buffy Ishara recommended you both to Shawnee," Beyoncé corrected their misconceptions. I knew the score. I'd be working intimately with the tight community around the President (Shawnee) and Vice Presidents (Buffy & Rhada). Buffy wanted me to be surrounded by women who hated my guts, so I wouldn't end up boinking them. It rarely worked that way. All too often ladies who hated my still-beating heart ended up punishing me with sex. I wasn't sure why that happened, but it did."Beyoncé, didn't the Chief Diplomat of the Host have her own office? I'm pretty sure Troika had one before her unfortunate collision with Saint Marie," I felt entitled to inquire."Do you feel you've earned that office space?" she riposted."Oh, fuck no!" I waved my hands one over the other to accentuate my denial. "I was just wondering where I could stick Juanita while I'm hanging around, here.""She has the desk right outside the door, Cáel," Beyoncé smiled knowingly. "So there is no way you can sneak past her.""Oh," I grunted. "Buffy again?""No. Pamela Pile put in that particular request.""Oh, Sweet Mother of God, now she is conspiring against me too?""Yes. Some of us realize the greatest hazard to your health is yourself, Ishara," Beyoncé chided me. "We'd like to keep you around, so we listen to those charged with that nigh impossible task.""Is she going to be hanging around the office often?" Constanza asked, either myself, Juanita, or Beyoncé; I wasn't sure. She = Pamela."Please, Constanza," I attempted to intervene, "don't make Pamela kill you. It will upset Mona." Constanza's scowl was accentuated by the eyepatch covering her ruined left socket, the one Pamela had carved out when Constanza had insulted me and House Ishara on our first day of rebirth. I didn't tell Juanita this, because Juanita might just shoot Constanza over the insult before Pamela got a chance to finish the job.The tension was palatable."Mona and I have talked, about Romania, and other things," Constanza grudgingly allowed. It took me a second to realize there was a hidden meaning to what she said. Mona was part of my personal Security Detail bodyguard unit. If she felt Constanza, the woman who had raised her after her birth-mother had died, was a threat to me, she'd feel duty-bound to snuff Constanza first. Amazons were hard-ass bitches alright and I think Mona had made that clear."I hope things can improve between us," I offered to Constanza. "Beyoncé, I just stopped in to say 'hey'. I'm off to JIKIT and I've got three of the Pope's people waiting on me in the garage so,""Vice President Varma requested a moment of your time," Beyoncé smirked. "She is in 2604.""Who?""Vice President Rhada Varma, a moment of your time, alone?" she clarified."Sure thing," I backed out of the office. Once I had some space, I turned to Juanita. "Give me three minutes then bust in and say, I don't know, a tsunami is about to overwhelm the city, or something. Otherwise, I won't get out for at least an hour and I think I've put the Bishop and his people through enough delays as it is.""Are you actually asking me to stop you from having an in-office liaison?" she studied me intently as we walked in the direction of Rhada's office."Yes. It's not likely to happen often, believe me.""Oh, I do, in that you won't ask me to do it often," she grumbled. I'd deal with Juanita's morale problem later. Right now, I had to gird my loins so they wouldn't do anything else with Rhada. I had work to do, damn it!Rhada was sitting at her desk, working on something, stylus raised up so she could chew on the end. Her hair was pulled back in a half-ponytail, the type that captured the rear half of the hair in a ponytail while leaving the front and bangs free to flow down. Rhada's blouse was white & billowy and, as I was soon to discover, her pants were ultra-tight and contour hugging."Mr. Nyilas," she greeted me. "I would like a moment of your time," she relayed what I already knew. She was more than a tad nervous to boot."Vice President Varma," I started off."When in private you may call me Rhada," she interrupted."Rhada, you look more ravishing than ever."That got up her and coming around her desk, which revealed her ultra-tight pants with no sign of her wearing underwear. Yikes! My cock was preparing to do what a cock was meant to do and I just didn't have the time, Really!"Do you have any time?" she let her bosom heave."Not today, ugh," I groaned. See, Rhada took the stylus and dragged it down her chin, throat and in between her bountiful mounds.All of which exposed the top of her black bra."Are you sure, Master?" she enticed me by turning around and then leaning over her desk, point that ass in my direction. My mouth began salivating and my groin ached. I found myself quick-stepping to her and giving those buttocks two firm slaps, one on each cheek."No, damn it, though I'm going to make you pay for this when I get back," I rumbled."Master will make me wait?" she taunted me."That will cost you even more," I growled. "I have business which simply won't wait and here is my captive teasing me with the treasures of her flesh. Bad, war captive," I spanked her yet again, hard. "Bad!" and I spanked her a fourth time. With each beating, Rhada gasped in pain and then exhaled in pleasure."If I've been bad, Master must be extra harsh with me when he returns in triumph from the Great Hunt," she gloated. Rhada had gotten what she wanted, which was another affirmation of my lust for her and our 'game'. I could provide her the release she so desperately craved while allowing her the safety of remaining in the Amazon fold. It was a perfect pairing, for her.I had other problems, such as all the other baby mamas in my life plus the extra-marital affairs I was contemplating. I still took the moments we had to snuggle with Rhada, her grinding that tush into my rod while I held both her arms tightly to her side while raining kisses down onto her neck and head."Sir! A giant tsunami is approaching the city!" Juanita exploded through the door."What?" I coughed. I had a face full of hair."Huh?" Rhada pushed up and away from me. I let her go."Right now," Juanita insisted. She really needed to stop taking me so seriously when I gave her such advice."Really?" from Rhada. She shot me a curious look so I shrugged. What else was I supposed to do with such a flimsy lie forcing our separation? At least I got out of there on time?{9:50 am, Monday, September 8th ~ Last day}(JKIT HQ)"Is this a common occurrence?" Sister Rafaela Sophia whispered to the closest woman, who happened to be Wiesława, the Polish Amazon. Since she hadn't arrived with us from Havenstone, the nun might have assumed she was with the 'Americans', or British."What?" Wiesława responded evenly."Weapons combat, they look real," the nun clarified."They are real. We always practice with real weapons.""Really?""Of course," Wiesława smiled at her. "We believe a few cuts and scrapes now will save lives when the true tests come.""Oh, you are with, Havenstone?" Rafaela clued in."Yes. I am Wiesława of House Živa. I am currently assigned to Unit L, Cáel's unit within JIKIT," she offered her hand to shake. Despite being a full-blooded Amazon from a freehold, her 'human' skills were progressing nicely. The nun shook it."I am Sister Rafaela Sophia of the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, that is a Roman Catholic Religious Order." Pause. "Do you hate Catholics too?""Yes. We have lived beside your people for many centuries and found your clergy to be much more dangerous than your pagan predecessors. Still, Cáel thinks you can be relied on and he's proven we can trust outsider women, which I was raised to believe was unlikely, and outsider men, which was basically anathema, so I'm willing to set aside my prejudices and judge you as an individual," the Pole imparted."Outsider men?" Rafaela mumbled."Well, yes," Wiesława smirked. "You are a nun, right?""Yes.""So you set aside the World of Men to live mostly among women, right?""Not entirely," the nun chose her words carefully. "We still rely on priests for religious rights and of course obey the life teachings of Christ and follow the leadership of his Holiness, the Pope, a man.""No one is perfect," the Amazon bantered back."Do you know the teachings of our Lord, Jesus Christ?" Rafaela ventured into dangerous waters."Yes. He was the semi-historical Son of your supposed One True God. We are not monotheists. We are Polytheists. Živa is my House's matron Goddess. It is also the name of the first woman to lead the House, her birth name surrendered to Destiny so all the daughters who came afterwards would be equals.""Oh, is Mr. Nyilas also pagan?" she inquired."I am unsure. From what I have been told, he has commended the spirit of his fallen father to your Jesus in a sacred ceremony then, in the presence of your Trinity and the Goddess Ishara, brought in new members to his House. I suspect he may be both," Wiesława reasoned. "Why don't you ask him?""Because he's fighting for his life?" Rafaela looked my way.See, the entire time their discussion had been going on, I had been sparring in a spare room at JIKIT HQ with Estere Abed, the Hashashin assassin (rather redundant ~ like saying the Sahara Desert). I had two tomahawks while she had a scimitar and curved dagger. While we sparred using the furniture as obstacles, Agent-86 was briefing me on various World events to get my input.Addison Stuart (CIA) and Lady Fathom Worthington-Burke (MI-6) were having a chat with Bishop Nicolé de Santis, verifying for themselves he was worth adding to the team. Juanita was having a similar discussion with Rikki Martin (US State Department) concerning my earlier encounter with the Papal team. Nicolé's buddy, Wachtmeister Mathias Bosshart of the Swiss Guard, was getting acquainted with the other security personnel.In comparison, those two had it easy. Both men were in their elements. Nicolé was a spook who pretended to be a diplomat for the Pope and was well acquainted with terms like 'deniable assets', 'plausible deniability' and your direct superior referring to requests concerning your identity/diplomatic status by saying 'I never heard of him and if I had, I have no idea what he was doing when you caught him doing what I don't know what he was doing', or something like that.Mathias was in the company of military-security specialists, brother professionals who were introducing him to his 'sister' professionals. Our Homeland Security gang were almost entirely former military by now. They got along with our JSOC folks and both had gained a limited acceptance with the Amazon security contingent.They bonded over the fact they were forced to work with really shady characters ~ the 9 Clans menagerie ~ who didn't always appreciate JIKIT operational security. Without going into particulars, the Wachtmeister was given the impression the abnormal was the norm and if you didn't think there was a 'down-side' to being able to carry your personally favorite bang-bang (the SG 552-2P Commando in his case) with some serious attachments (read: grenade launcher) around in downtown Manhattan, you probably didn't belong on this team.Back in the room,"He's not fighting for his life," Estere laughed. "He is fighting for mine.""Right," I responded sarcastically. We went through a flurry of exchanges, ending up with me kicking a chair at her. Estere stepped over it, colliding with me.I blocked her dagger, disarmed her scimitar and,"You are dead," she panted down at me, smiling. I was on my back, her straddling me. She had a belt-knife to my throat. I hadn't see her draw it. The scimitar 'disarm' had been a distraction."Woot!" I exhaled."But you're dead," Sister Rafaela misunderstood my good humor."He survived a minute and thirty-four seconds more today than his previous record," Estere responded. She slithered off of me, doing my arousal no good whatsoever, then offered me a hand up."And that's better?""He's a rank amateur with a few months on the job. I've been training to kill people for nearly two decades," Estere smiled. "Care to have a go?""With him, or you?""Either," Estere offered."I don't have a knife, or any hand weapons," she stated."We'll need to remedy that," Wiesława stated. "You should at least carry a knife.""Really? Why?""It is a nearly universal tool," I verbally stepped up. "Even if you are disarmed, you should be able to find one relatively easily, people are less likely to miss a stolen knife than a purloined gun, and a concealed blade could come in handy.""Do you train in knife-work?" Rafaela eye-balled me."Absolutely. It is part of my culture," I grinned."Okay. Can we spar, hand-to-hand?""Sure," I nodded. I put my tomahawks in their harnesses then put my harnesses aside. Estere gave me a wink before giving us the fighting space."So," Rafaela began to circle, "are you Christian?""By your definition, or mine?""By the definition of the Catholic Church."Oh cool, she went for a Savate stance. This was going to get ugly.My "no," was followed by her kick and my block, lunge and grapple. She wasn't nearly as good as Felix. I had her down and in a choke hold within fifteen seconds.Perhaps she thought I'd take it easy on her. She tapped out. I released her, retreated and flowed back to my boxing stance. It took her a moment to realize this was 'practice', not 'an interview'. She hadn't failed in anyone's eyes. We were both doing this to get better."See, I really, truly believe I have talked to supernatural entities ~ some who are considered divinities," I continued. This time she was more careful, trading jabs and blocks with me. "They don't claim to be the One True God. I believe in such a thing, but I also believe having been given the Message, Humanity has been left to muddle things out for ourselves."Whoops, she popped me one."The Woman-Thing this morning?""Yep," I evaded another flurry. She got cocky and I landed three blows, dropping her to the ground. I didn't help her up. Instead, I withdrew and let her get back up on her own before deciding if she wanted to continue. She did."I believe I've seen dragons and ghosts. I have felt legions of my ancestors give me quiet encouragement when I needed it. I know the dead have been brought back to life," I came at her. This time we both went for body blows, knees, elbows and fists. She was not SD-caliber and she needed to be. I grappled and she was forced to tap out again. After she regained her feet, she held up a hand for a pause."Do you believe any of that?" she addressed Estere."I am an adherent of Ismaili Islam yet nothing Cáel has encountered is contrary to my belief system. The Universe is a complex place and the Divine Light is often seen through a fractured lenses," she counseled the nun."Among the escapees were lawyer Francisco Luemba, Catholic Priest Raul Tati, economist Belchior Lanso Tati and former policeman Benjamin Fuca who are serving jail sentences of between three and six years each for supposed links to the rebel group FLEC (Frente para a Libertaé'o do Enclave de Cabinda), which carried out the attack on the Togolese football team at the start of the Africa Cup of Nations in January, 2010," Agent-86 read off yet another bit of global minutia."We need to get to them," I half turned. Sister Rafaela punched me in the gut and I folded up."Oh!" she gasped. "I'm sorry.""Okay," I mumbled. I had to keep with the plan. "Those men. We need to contact our Coils people in Kinshasa and the Warden of the Mountain Ways ('she' was the Amazon Host's leader of Africa ~ in the ancient times, the mountain ways had been the routes of southern vulnerability for the Amazon tribe thus the name).""Okay," both Agent-86 and Estere answered."Why?" 86 added."The Coils and the Host have had a serious problem with no nation in Africa giving them even back room recognition so we are going to take over our own country, Cabinda. It's been struggling to be free of Angola since 1975 and, by latest estimates, we've got strike elements of over 2,000 Amazons ready and waiting next door in Cameroon, Gabon and the Republic of Congo.""So you are going to go to war with Angola?" Estere frowned. "Don't we have enough enemies?""Au contraire," I grinned wickedly. "The resistance movement is genuine," I ticked off my points, "they have tons of offshore oil, and after we set off some spectacular explosions in the two main Angolan ports which are just down the coast, we allow global panic to bully the UN into intervening before the Angolan military launch an effective counter-offensive ~ considering the Angolan Armed Forces (I'd been reading up on a ton of CIA & MI-6 briefings) will most likely involve attrition warfare since they can't beat us in a stand-up fight.""They, the Angolans, have no overland access, they are separated by 60 kilometers of territory belonging to the Democratic Republic of Congo over some sad ass roads Plus the Congo River itself which is freaking huge by the time it gets that close to the Atlantic, Cabinda rests on the Atlantic Ocean by the way. No bridges. The Angolan Navy is anemic. Let me think."I began pacing."Hmm, they have no paratroopers though they have some Special Forces, we will need to hit as many of them in the barracks as we can. Their last invasion was from the north, overland, from the Republic of the Congo, in 1975, not likely to happen this time, though I may have my 'Brother' weasel up a battalion of Indian paratroopers to act as convincing peacekeepers after the initial take over.""Perhaps we can recruit some Vietnamese. I'm sure they'll love fighting in someone else's jungle for a change. We'll need some of 'our' guys to seize the port of Soyo, it is on the wrong side of the river, but has the major refinery the Cabindans will need. Since the entire surrounding province are the same ethnic make-up as the Cabindans, we'll have to take that too.""Man-o-man, I bet by the time this is over they'll really wish they'd given little Cabinda independence back in 1975. As for their other refinery, it is in their capital, Luanda, a few big explosions there too will get the markets jittery. Check that ~ the complete and utter destruction of their major petroleum facility will create a stampede for Peace," I continued. I walked over as our resident computer intelligence genius worked his magic."Blowing things up, you mean killing people," the nun blanched."Yes. This is what I do," I spared her a sympathetic glance. "I've got a madman roaming around in my head who provides me truly epic military advice which normally, but not always, means blowing shit up and killing folks. Welcome to the team," then as the data appeared, "Holy Shit! Did they build their oil refinery in the midst of their ghetto?" I was staggered. The refinery in Soyo was isolated from the town so it could be easily (and safely) seized. It was the one in Luanda which was the 'Holy Shit' site."It looks that way," Agent-86 agreed nonplussed. "Hmm, yeah, here is the port facility then your neighborhood of shoddily constructed one- and two-story dwellings between the refinery and the inland storage tanks, the perimeter barrier appears to be a chain link fence. I'd hate to be their Chief of Security.""Oh yeah," I choked. Estere slipped around to get a look."Whoops," she snorted."What are these people thinking?" I continued. "The whole shebang is exposed to the northern quarter of the city. The storage tanks have residential dwellings on all four sides with numerous side streets. Two teams with RPGs and four rounds apiece, Holy Crap. Sorry Sister.""But I want to save lives," she sputtered."Limiting the collateral damage could be pretty tough," Estere frowned. She toggled throw a series of maps to multiple pictures."Oh, look (dripping sarcasm); they light up the refinery at night. You can sit off the coast in a speed boat under cover of darkness and attack from there," she noted."Damn. Those are a lot of lights," Agent-86 agreed."24-7 operation," I suspected."We will need some experts," the government agent nodded."Or we are going to kill a fuck-load of innocent people. Not just the workers, but can you imagine a fire spreading to those neighborhoods? Shit," I muttered."You can't seriously be contemplating doing something like this," the nun sputtered. "It is inhumane. Think of the families, the children.""Lady, yes I am. Do you have any idea what the Human Rights record of the Angolan Army in Cabinda is? It is truly horrific and in case you missed it, one of the guys in dire need of rescuing by me, due to him being a huge rebel leader who has managed to escape, is also a Catholic priest. He's going to be part of the new government we are going to install once we kill a few hundred Angolans ~ mostly soldiers (more like well over a thousand).""We are going to kill a few hundred so a few hundred thousand can live free, democratic lives without worrying about the local police and political establishment torturing and murdering them. It is all part of the plan.""I think I need to talk with the Bishop.""Hang on. Let me finish," I forestalled her. "He'll get briefed along with everyone else. After all, it is a majority Roman Catholic country as is Angola, so I'm sure your guy can be of immense help.""The people you are putting at risk don't deserve this," she protested."They never do," I nodded in agreement with her. "It rarely stops terrible crap from happening to them though."I felt sorry for the Sister. She thought the Bishop was going to put a stop to this. Poor girl; he was going to do the exact opposite. See, the two competing forces at play here were a communistic kleptocracy (currently ruling Angola) and Catholic liberation theology united with a Cabindan national identity dating back to 1885. At stake was 900,000 barrels a day of petroleum. That was a bunch of funding for somebody. Last I checked, the state run energy conglomerate had misplaced $32 billion, in just three years.Mind you, the Coils of the Serpent and the Amazon Host didn't want to help the People of Cabinda out of the goodness of their hearts either. They wanted cover for the importation of weapons and other war-fighting material so they could kill the Condottieri in Africa. If the rebel leaders-turned-legitimate government didn't play ball well, the Coils were in the 'assassinating people' business and somewhere along the line the survivors would figure out keeping 'us' happy kept them alive. Problem solved.It was Bishop Nicolé de Santis' job to facilitate that understanding. If certain people with Vatican credentials explained the 'facts of life' to the new regime a lot more lives could be saved, Catholic lives. In turn, he could work to make sure the new group in power wasn't nearly as corrupt as the gang we were tossing out. Better education and quality of life, improved infrastructure & security and a nice shiny cathedral, or two.We, as in JIKIT and our component members, didn't want to rule the country and dominate the people's lives. We needed the ports and the airfields with a blind eye turned to our skullduggery. Sure, there would be future considerations. Amazons and Coil members would be fighting and dying for these people's freedom ~ public recognition definitely not required. No; the Amazons wanted to be left alone in their deep jungle homes which was an isolation they basically already had. This was a future chit which said 'don't come looking'.The Coils? Let's just say in the future Cabinda would have embassies around the globe and if occasionally they wanted someone to slip through under diplomatic cover ~ they were good for it. And if the Cabindans ever needed help in the future they knew they had friends in dark places who were now invested in Cabinda's survival. It was a win-win-win, unless you were an Angolan big-wig, or one of their foot-soldier currently serving in Cabinda. Amazons weren't big on taking prisoners, or even giving the opposition the option of giving up.For me, it wasn't lunch yet and here I was plotting to overthrow yet another government in yet another country ~ though in only two, small provinces this time. Thank the Goddess I had the rest of the week

In this episode, Justin and Matt speak with anthropologists Adam Louis-Klein and Justin Shaffner about their collaborative project, “The Sky-Earth System: A Manifesto for Learning to See and Think as a Generic Ancient”. Adam Louis-Klein is a musician, philosopher and anthropologist from Seattle and New York. He studied Philosophy at Yale College (B.A) and at the New School for Social Research (M.A), Anthropology (M.A) at the University of Chicago, and is now a PHD student in the Anthropology department at McGill University. https://www.adamlouisklein.com/ Justin Shaffner: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=n4VX4kYAAAAJ&hl=en Read the Text: https://www.academia.edu/105365384/The_Sky_Earth_System_A_Manifesto_for_Learning_to_See_and_Think_as_a_Generic_Ancient Abstract: The Sky is falling and there are too few who recognize the importance of holding it up. We contend that many of the pressing problems of our times, including climate catastrophe and global inequality, are direct consequences of the cosmology of the Moderns. We argue that anthropology as a discipline should think with ordinary people everywhere and with the Universe at once. We propose the Sky-Earth System as a cosmology in which to think and live as Ancients, to suspend the impersonal World of the Moderns. The Sky-Earth System is a metaframe that replaces the Nature/Culture schema of the Moderns and puts the Human back at the Center of the Universe, ending the Copernican era as seen from within the history of the Moderns. It allows us to think generically, meaning to think with everyone anywhere and anywhen. We think-with revival movements of the Ancients that are taking place everywhere across the Sky-Earth System, practices of symmetric anthropology in the Upper Rio Negro of the Amazon, in the city of Manaus and in Brazil, the Village-as-University in Melanesia and the Boazi revival, Afro-Centric, Polytheist, Psychedelic, and other movements occurring in North America and elsewhere at the ends of the World. Music for this episode: Exhausted Divinity, Niky Nine Knots, Hania Rani Nomad's Theme, Matt Baker warmachinepodcast.com

#ShaykhIbrahimZidan #ZADAcademy #Quran #Hadith #IslamicPodcasts #IslamicStudiesResearch The Essence of Tarbiyah Islamiyah: Islamic Nurturing and Development Introduction Wa Alaikum Assalam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. I'm Zayd Haji from Zad Academy. Our study on Tarbiyah Islamiyah highlights its crucial role in shaping our faith and character according to Islamic principles through Qur'anic and Hadith guidance. Understanding Tarbiyah Islamiyah Tarbiyah Islamiyah is the Islamic process of nurturing character, morals, and faith based on Qur'anic and Sunnah teachings, guiding every aspect of life from childhood onward. In Surah Al-Baqarah, Allah (SWT) says: O believers! Enter into Islam wholeheartedly and do not follow Satan's footsteps. Surely he is your sworn enemy. (Qur'an, 2:208) This verse underlines the necessity of embracing Islam fully, which includes continuous self-improvement and development through Tarbiyah. The Role of Knowledge in Tarbiyah Islam places great importance on the acquisition of knowledge as a means to nurture the soul and intellect. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) stated: "Seeking knowledge is a duty upon every Muslim, and he who imparts knowledge to those who do not deserve it, is like one who puts a necklace of jewels, pearls and gold around the neck of swines." (Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 224) Grade: Da'if (Darussalam) Knowledge is the foundation of Tarbiyah, essential for understanding and practicing Islam correctly. Without it, living by Islamic principles is difficult. In another verse, Allah (SWT) elevates those who seek knowledge: O believers! When you are told to make room in gatherings, then do so. Allah will make room for you ˹in His grace˺. And if you are told to rise, then do so. Allah will elevate those of you who are faithful, and ˹raise˺ those gifted with knowledge in rank. And Allah is All-Aware of what you do. (Qur'an, 58:11) This highlights the spiritual and societal elevation that comes with proper Islamic education and nurturing. The Importance of Fitrah and Tarbiyah Islam teaches that every human being is born with a natural disposition towards faith, known as fitrah. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: No babe is born but upon Fitra. It is his parents who make him a Jew or a Christian or a Polytheist. A person said: Allah's Messenger, what is your opinion if they were to die before that (before reaching the age of adolescence when they can distinguish between right and wrong)? He said: It is Allah alone Who knows what they would be doing. (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2658e) Tarbiyah is crucial in preserving this innate inclination towards Tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and ensuring that it is nurtured through Islamic teachings. The Qur'an reinforces this concept: So be steadfast in faith in all uprightness ˹O Prophet˺—the natural Way of Allah which He has instilled in ˹all˺ people. Let there be no change in this creation of Allah. That is the Straight Way, but most people do not know. (Qur'an, 30:30) Through proper Tarbiyah, Muslims can maintain their fitrah and grow in their faith. The Comprehensive Nature of Tarbiyah Tarbiyah Islamiyah goes beyond rituals to include ethics, behavior, and social interactions. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) emphasized the importance of good character. Narrated `Abdullah bin `Amr: The Prophet (ﷺ) never used bad language neither a "Fahish nor a Mutafahish. He used to say "The best amongst you are those who have the best manners and character." Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari 3559 This Hadith underscores that Tarbiyah aims to develop a well-rounded individual who embodies Islamic virtues in all areas of life. Conclusion Tarbiyah Islamiyah is a lifelong journey of nurturing faith, character, and conduct to please Allah (SWT). By seeking knowledge, maintaining fitrah, and striving for good character, Muslims fulfill their Islamic development. May Allah (SWT) grant us the strength to continuously engage in Tarbiyah. Ameen.

These sessions will be especially useful to those who want to know more about Plato, his philosophy's influence on Christianity and Western culture, and ressourcement theology. … More Was Plato a Polytheist? (Seminar 2024 Readings 1)

Jon White has studied Indo-European mythology for more than thirty years, particularly focusing on cosmogony and creation myths. As an independent researcher and lecturer, he shares this knowledge on his YouTube-channel @Crecganford . Mr. White visits Cave of Apelles to detail the major motifs or "mythologems" of the Indo-European mythological tradition and what they denote. Considering that the Indo-Europeans lived in the Pontic-Caspian steppes about 7000 years ago, how did their stories spread to ancient India, Persia, Rome or Norse Scandinavia - changing, yet still retaining their core? Combining the study of myths with fields like linguistics, archeology and etymology Mr. White will unravel cross-cultural similarities in stories like The Cosmic Twins, Defeating the dragon, The cattle raiding myth and The wild hunt. He will also share his ideas on how we best are to understand myths. Are they projections of the human psyche, the condensed ethos of a culture or symbolic manifestations of natural and cultural history? More intriguing still: is the presence of myths and archetypal images particular to Homo sapiens or have they been transferred between human species?

The guys discuss Matty-O's new side-piece podcast with his cohost Johnnie- "Polytheists, Pagans, and Heathens Oh My!" Links: Patreon: Merch: http://tee.pub/lic/KemFqKx64dk Instagram: instagram.com/countercult.podcast Facebook: facebook.com/countercult.podcast email: countercult.podcast@gmail.com

Will responds to an article by Christian Answers for the New Age written by Marcia Montenegro who makes audacious claims regarding Dr. Michael Heiser's worldview. 

Oh Allah! You see what has fallen upon us in GazaOh Lord of Majesty & Might, Oh Lord of Omnipotence & MightOh Allah give honour & strength to GazaOh Allah! Give relief to the people of GazaOh Allah! Bring joy to the people of GazaOh Allah! Bring victory to the people of GazaOh Allah! Cure the injuredOh Allah! Grant recovery to their illOh Allah! Accept their MartyrsOh Allah! Have mercy on their deadOh Allah! Heal their wounds & bring coolness to their painOh Allah! Give them & all the muslims urgent relief, Oh Allah!Oh Allah! Give us relief & a way out, us & the muslims in every placeOh Allah! Give victory to Islam & give honour & strength to the muslimsBring down Polytheism and Polytheists, & bring down the enemies of the DeenOh Lord of the WorldsGlory be to you! Glory be to you!You see the oppressors & you delay their punishment...Until they think you have forgotten them & You test the righteous in this DunyaUntil they despair, & When they despair You give them victoryOh Allah! You know that the wounds of the Muslims are so manyTheir pain is so much in every place & every timeOh Allah! Give us victory over our enemies, Oh Allah!Oh Allah! Keep our feet steadfas, Oh Allah!Reciter: Ghassan Al-Shorbaji

Hour 4 of A&G features... A deceased nun who's body doesn't decompose... Hunter files a lawsuit... Elon Musk's attitude towards management... Final Thoughts.   Stupid Should Hurt: https://www.armstrongandgetty.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join us for Season 4 Episode 9 as we chat with Samuel David. Samuel David is a Mesopotamian polytheist, artist, writer, researcher, and educator based in the American Midwest. His presentations at local pagan festivals, national, and international conventions include lectures, rituals, and workshops. Samuel is also the author of LIONESS: The Song Of Inanna, Rod and Ring: An Initiation into a Mesopotamian Mystery Tradition, and his newest release The Red Shepherd: Towards a New Image of Dumuzid. Brought to you by: Celestial Oddities Radio and The Coterie Of Samil Arcane Occult Order"Step Into The Circle"

Dr Val Larsen thinks Lehi was a polytheist! That's quite a statement! Val holds two Ph.D. 's, one in English and the other in Marketing. He teaches at James Madison University. He shares how he thinks Lehi synthesized the Canaanite & Israelite religions and shares his insights into theosis/exaltation in the Book of Mormon, divine mother, and lots of other interesting Book of Mormon topics. Check out our conversation... https://youtu.be/qma8ZZ8vQSQ transcript to follow Link to Val's article: https://journal.interpreterfoundation.org/theosis-in-the-book-of-mormon-the-work-and-glory-of-the-father-mother-and-son-and-holy-ghost/ Copyright © 2023 Gospel Tangents All Rights Reserved Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission transcript to follow Copyright © 2023 Gospel Tangents All Rights Reserved Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission

The term Paganism is used today (for the most part) to refer to contemporary religious and spiritual traditions which take their influences from historically pre-Christian beliefs. While many of these are fairly different from each other, there are some distinctions which these sorts of Paganism all seem to share for the most part. Many are Polytheist, see spirit and the sacred as being imminent, and hold the natural world in high regard. Taking us through some of the broader strokes of contemporary Paganism is the scholar of Magic, Witchcraft, and Paganism- Dr. Angela Puca!

theAPSociety.org/AWW2023/ Remember, we welcome comments, questions, and suggested topics at thewonderpodcastQs@gmail.com. S4E13 TRANSCRIPT:----more----   Yucca: Welcome back to the Wonder Science-based Paganism. I'm one of your host Yucca, Mark: And I'm the other one. Mark. Yucca: and today we are talking about Christianity and Paganism worldviews and really kind of exploring that idea. Mark: Yeah, because when you really drill down into a pagan. Way of understanding the world. It starts to really rub sharply up against the, the models for what's important in the universe and how we should live and all that kind of stuff that are taught to us by the mainstream culture and in the mainstream culture, in the English speaking world that is entirely suffused with Christianity. Yucca: Right. So much so that I think we're very unaware of the extent. It really takes some deep reflection and. And exploring an investigation of other world frameworks to even be able to recognize what is coming from Christianity and what's influenced by Christianity and how what we're doing is different in some ways. Mark: Right, Yucca: Yeah, Mark: right. It's the water we're swimming in Yucca: right. Mark: and so it becomes background to us. We, we don't notice that we're swimming, you know, we don't notice that we're moving through air because air is around us all the time, right? So we don't pay very much attention to air unless it's moving at high speed or carrying water or something like that, or smoke or whatever it, it may be. Yucca: little bit off. Yeah. Mark: Right. So it's a. So let, let's dive in and let's, let's talk about what some of those kind of core Christian beliefs are, and not so much beliefs, but frameworks for how to live and what's important and those kinds of things. Moral frameworks. Yucca: Well, I'm doing a lot of reflecting on this throughout the week because we, we talked about last time, oh, what, what are we gonna talk about next week? And so we had a little bit of time to do some brainstorming and what it, what kept coming back for me is the relationship and role of authority. And I think that this is something that, that in our conversation today, we are stick. To Christianity, but I think this is something that is shared with other monotheistic religions in general, at least the ones that I've been exposed to. And the approach to there being a God or this deity who is the ultimate authority, who is something of a parent role. But parent in a very authoritative kind of way I think is really central to a lot of the other topics that we're going to get into in terms of why you do good things versus why you do bad things and how do you see what is good and what is bad and what your roles are. I think it, a lot of it really comes down to that relationship to a. Mark: Yeah, I really agree with that. That, I mean, we, people talk about. The father. Right. It's, it, it's this patriarchal idea of first of all, male supremacy, which is sown pretty thoroughly throughout Yucca: Mm-hmm. Mark: Christianity. But beyond that, it's this authority figure who hands down the law and you obey it. And if you don't obey it, then you get punished. Yucca: Right. And they know best. They know better for you than you do for yourself, and Mark: Right. Well, in this case, they know everyth. Yucca: Yes. Mark: Right? Yucca: And so don't question it. Mark: Yeah. Cuz they know everything. They're always right. They're, they're not capable of making a mistake. All of those things are true and that is a very powerful model, but to my mind, not a very realistic one. even if you believe in and, you know, the, the medieval philosophers would get themselves all twisted in knots about this, the theologians you know, can, can God create a stone that is too heavy for him to lift. You know, these kinds of questions because there are tons of paradoxes in the idea of something that is infinite, infinite knowledge, infinite strength, infinite power infinite presence, you know, omnipresent everywhere around us all the time watching. Yucca: Mm-hmm. Mark: There are just, you know, kind of rational, logical problems with. But it is a very powerful, compelling set of models, particularly if it's embraced by a society that is similarly constructed. So if you've got a society that's built with an authority at the top, like a king, Yucca: Mm-hmm. Mark: And the king is always right. The king can do whatever he wants. Everybody else is subject to the whims of the king. Then having a religion where that's the same model works out pretty well for the king. Right, and for those that are close to the king? Yucca: Well, and for the smaller kings underneath that king, right? You might not be the top king, but you get to be the king in your house. If. You're the guy, Mark: right. Yes. Yucca: the oldest son, you know? Mark: the man as the king of his household, you know, and his home is his castle, right? It, it's not a mistake that the coronation of kings throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance was always done by a religious figure Yucca: Mm-hmm. Mark: it was basically saying, There is a hierarchy in the world that starts with God, and God is acknowledging that you're at this particular high point in the hierarchy. Yucca: Right, and this is so deeply ingrained that it has, that, it really takes us a moment to step back and think that it doesn't have to be that way. There doesn't have to be that hierarchy of power, but we take it for granted because it's, even in today's world where, you know there are, there's a king in England, right? But it's not the same way it used to be. But even today that that structure is still around. It's still in the back of our minds. It's still how we think about society, even though. That's not politically how it's working exactly anymore, but it really is at the same time. It's not one single king, but we're still basing our whole way of relating to each other with who has more power over the other person. Mark: Sure. Think of a workplace, right? You've got either a sole proprietor who is the king or queen. Or you've got a board of directors who are basically kings or queens and they invest power in a chief executive who is like a regent of some kind and everybody else has, is down below on the authority pyramid and has to obey the directions of what edicts are handed down, or they are punished, they are fired, or they are disciplined, or whatever it is. The same happens even in very benign circumstances. Like, you know, like our education system, we assume that, you know, a kindergarten teacher is a very benign figure, but in the process of going through kindergarten and grade school and all that, children are learning to obey an authority figure that stands in front. Yucca: Mm-hmm. Mark: That's, that's core to what they're learning about how they should relate in the world. Yucca: Yeah. And that's, that is the system of, that is school. Right. Whether you're, whether it's a private school, whether it's a public or a religious school or whatever, that's, that's the process of school. Mark: Right. And it's hard to break that even when you want to. When I was teaching undergrad students when I was in graduate school, you know, you, you try, you move the chairs into a circle and you try to make it more about a sharing of experience and expertise rather than an authority thing. But you still have to turn in grades. You know, you still have to take attendance. You know, these, these things are mandated. You don't have any choice about it. So, and if you just arbitrarily decide that you're going to give an a to everyone in the class, you get in trouble. Yucca: Right. Mark: they don't, they frown on that, right? Because the entire academic model is constructed around the validity of those as, BS, CS, deans, and f. Yucca: Right. Well, and even when you purposely choose to, to use a different model, you're still working with, having come from that model to begin with, and you fall back on what you know and what you're comfortable with and when you're working with adult students. They have a whole, they've got their whole life of experience behind them as well. So you spend a lot of the time working on the system and the process instead of the content for that. yeah, and that's something, you know, as a, in our family we don't use, even though I am a teacher and, you know, working on my doctorate in this and all of that, but we don't use that, the schooling as our framework for education. Very, very consciously, but we find ourselves slipping back sometimes into that. Well, yeah, but I'm the parent and I said so right And have to go, wait a second. Is that I, is that really what we want? I mean, sometimes I do have to like swoop in and be like, Nope. Can't touch the fire. But, but outside of that, it really takes a lot of dedicated thought and self-awareness to step out of that and, and try to, Different because it's, it's how we were raised, right? Mark: And we're not encouraged to be different. Yucca: Yeah. Mark: And that is in, in the broadest sense, we are not encouraged to be diverse because a part of what's necessary in order to get everybody marching in the same direction in order to fulfill the desires of some hierarchy, is that they need to submerge their diversity in their conform. And conformity becomes a very important value. And this is true. It's not only true in in Christianized countries by any means. I mean, Yucca: We're Mark: conformity is a big Yucca: it's our experience, right? Mark: Exactly, but conformity is a big value in much of Asia as well. The, so when we ask ourselves, And, and we'll get to what we're talking about with Paganism in a minute. But you know, what, what would it mean to be a person with agency rather than a person who's framed in the world as a servant of some higher authority? Yucca: Hmm. Mark: You know, what, what kinds of choices could we make? What kinds of responsibilities would we have? What sorts of freedoms would we have? think that those are some of the deep questions that becoming a Pagan really asks, being a pagan isn't just about, well, I'm now, I'm doing this groovy stuff with all this, you know, witchy aesthetic or you know, you know, old cultures like, you know, the Norse culture that died out, or the Greek culture that died out kind of, you know, reconstructing that. It really, it's much deeper than that. It's, it's really more about how can I see the world through eyes that are less informed anyway, by that authoritarian model. Yucca: Hmm. Mark: So the, the relationship to authority is a big one. The idea of relationships as possessory is another big one. Yucca: Yes. Mark: The, you know, the idea that children are possessions of their parents, that spouses are possessions of their spouses and that then ties into the whole bodily shaming. Contempt for the material world with the idea that there's this other sort of spirit world that is higher, more elevated. And that's not just in Christianity. Yucca: Yeah. You hear that. Oh, some higher power or lowly and you know, and the things that are, that are earth earthy are the things that are, that are bad. Right. That are given that Mark: Those are the things that are dirty, right? Because they're associated with dirt, which is a bad thing. Yucca: Yeah. Mark: So, and then, then you start pulling on that thread and you get into all the body shame and all of the the sexual shame and the just all the many, many, many ways that self-hatred gets sewn into. The idea of being unique and individual and fulfilling your desires rather than running away from them Yucca: Mm-hmm. Mark: suppressing them. All of this stuff is, is the, is the operating system for our, for our culture folks. Even though our culture is rapidly de christianizing, those same paradigms are still very much up and. Yucca: And even for those of us who were not raised Christian, right, even those of us who were raised pagan or were raised in any other religion, it's still. All around us. It's still, I mean, I loved how you called it the operating system, right? That's what it is, Mark: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. It's it's in the ways that we have to. Edit ourselves when we talk about our lives to keep the stuff that's gonna freak out ordinary people out. Yucca: mm-hmm. Mark: Right? It's in the, it's in the ways we have to tell our kids, well, it's fine for you to do this at home, but don't do it out there Yucca: Yeah. Mark: people aren't gonna understand that they're going to disapprove. There are, there are countless little moments in every day when we ask ourselves, how is this gonna fly with the others Yucca: Mm-hmm. Mark: in a way that is deeply informed with that authoritarian shame-based earth denying kind of modality. Taken to its extreme, which it is in our modern times, that modality leads to the kind of exploitation of the planet that is causing us such existential crises, right? If, if you denigrate the material to the point that it's nothing but a pile of resources to be mined, which the Bible very clearly spells out, it is according to. Framework how can you hold a pile of resources as sacred instead of, instead of understanding it as a a, a living fabric, an interconnected set of relationships of which we are a part and have both benefits and responsibilities. Yucca: Mm-hmm. Mark: It's just such a different way of looking at the world, and it's not the one that drives our economic system, our political system, or our culture. Yucca: Right. Now there's definitely places in Paganism because we have to remember Paganism is a, is huge. It's a big umbrella. Right. And there's definitely places where some of the things we've been talking about have been brought in and are. Are shared, right? There are some traditions in which the, the hierarchy and that structure is very important. And there are other traditions that, that are purposefully breaking away from that and not embracing that kind of framework or trying not to. So certainly when we talk about paganism and we. We as always, cannot speak for every pagan and every form of paganism, but are talking about the our experiences and our particular flavor of Paganism. Mark: Right, right. Well, and I think that to some degree, that's a generational thing. I think that when. When modern neo paganism really kind of started up again which was in the fifties and sixties, I don't think any many could really imagine a fully non-hierarchical way of organizing anything. You know? And I'm sure that there are some, you know, communes and intentional communities and so forth that we're trying to do something else, but. By and large, an average person, much less an a retired English civil servant, would probably think, well, this is the way things should be organized. You should have things in tier. And people go from one to another tier and they get higher and higher in status and power. Yucca: Because that's just how society works, right? Mark: Yeah. Yeah. Yucca: Yeah. Mark: So, but here we are, you know, almost a third of the way through the 21st century, amazingly enough, and we are able to imagine now alternatives for one thing, our ability to have conversations about something other than Christianity in a religious context. O other than Abrahamic religions, generally in a. Other than in, in that context, has jumped markedly just in the last 20 or 30 years. Yucca: Mm-hmm. And you're speaking about the, the broader community, not just Paganism in this case, Mark: Yes, yes. I, I, I think you know, more ideas about how we can relate with one another, relate to the world, relate to the cosmos are being bandied about now than were before. I mean, Bertrand Russell caused an absolute outrage when he published why I Am Not a. Which I believe was in the 1940s, maybe a little earlier than that. Not sure. That kind of thing just sort of disappears without a ripple these days. There's plenty of people writing stuff like that. Yucca: Right. Yeah. Just it gets a shrug. Yeah. And Mark: Yeah. Yucca: what other percentage of the Mark: Yeah, you and a lot of other people. And so my big question to those folks is, well, what are you then, what are you gonna do? Which is what Athe, paganism was a stab at answering. You know, I'm not just an atheist and I'm not just an an earth revere. How am I gonna, how am I gonna implement that? Yucca: Right, Mark: So, Yucca: and I, I think it's kind of like accents. Everybody's got something. You just don't notice it when everyone around you has the same as you. You only start to notice it when it's different than what you're hearing. Mark: right, right. And I mean, these things continue to be a challenge as. Time rolls forward, even though the level of credulity in authority generally seems to be falling, there haven't been very many alternatives presented to that framework. And so people just tend to drop back into it because it's what they know. Yucca: Right. Mark: So let's talk a little bit more about what. What aspects of Paganism really fly in the face of that conventional paradigm? I mean, certainly the whole relationship to the body and sexuality are very, very different. Yucca: Yeah. Mark: And that doesn't mean we're in about a f, you know, a free love, free for all. But we're, we're about responsible relationships, however they work for you. Yucca: Right. Well, and just the idea that pleasure is not bad, right? That just because something's pleasurable doesn't mean that it's a negative thing. I think that's huge because that is a big. Underlying assumption that if it, if it feels good, it must be bad for you somehow. And we don't have that assumption, or we try not to have that assumption. Mark: Yes. Yes. That, that's better said, I think because the truth is, you know, we, the, the two of us and you know, the, the people in, in the English speaking world who are practicing pagans, You know, we were still raised in our society and we're still gonna be, it's like soaking in tea. Even after you get out of the teacup, you're still kind of tea colored, right? Yucca: Yeah. Mark: There's, there's just not a lot that you can do about it, and you can spend time over time, you know, washing that off and can become, Stronger, less shame filled more, more about your own agency and decision making, more courageous, all those things. But it takes time and it is a process, and I don't think anybody ever completely gets there. Yucca: Right, and you're continuously exposed. Mark: Mm-hmm. Yucca: not like you decide, okay, now I'm, you know, I'm a pagan now and now none of those things are going to continue to influence me. It's just everything in the past that I'm healing from. I was like, well, no, you, you read the newspaper, you talk with your friends, you read a book, you listen to podcasts, you watch like all of these things, those are still influencing you every day. Mark: Yeah. Yeah. And I mean, especially. It's one thing if you've kind of carved out a little economy for yourself where you work for yourself and you, you don't have to plug into big hierarchical structures very much. That's one thing. But most of us have a job and jobs are organized tend, you know, they tend to be organized hierarchically. Yucca: Well, and even those of us who are self-employed, we still are dealing with clients and we're still dealing with banks and you know, that whole, that that's all still there. It may not be quite as in your face as, you know, going and clocking in and having your supervisor who was their supervisor and their bo, you know, but it's still around us. Mark: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm. Yeah. And because it's still around us, I think some people, especially folks who have escaped very authoritarian religious contexts, they often unconsciously drag a lot of this framework along with them into paganism Yucca: I think that certainly happened with the idea of faith. Faith being such a big deal. Belief, yeah. The, the literal belief and in deity and the, the faith in your, in your faith. Right. With a capital F, Mark: Yeah. The, the faith in magic, the yeah. All, all of those things and, and the idea of sort of, you know, driving out the heretics. Kind of goes along with that. It's like, well, if you don't believe the way we believe, then you're not one of us. Yucca: Yeah. Mark: Whereas you know, to my mind there are few enough pagans as it is. I mean, I think the estimate is a million and a half in the, in North America, something like that. There's few enough of us as it is that we don't need to be splitting with one another. I'm reminded of the. The scene from Monty Python's Life of Brian, where the Judea and people's front and the people's front of Judea are yelling at one another. Yucca: Yeah. Yeah. So I think that's one of the things that, that definitely got. Pulled in, and that's something we've talked about before on the podcast Mark: Mm-hmm. Yucca: of how on some levels, some of that is very new, but it's also been around for a long time as well. So, Mark: Yeah. But there was definitely a cultural shift that happened with, with the big influx there. There was a big influx into paganism in my experience in the 1990s and A lot of those folks were fleeing patriarchal, authoritarian, kind of punishment oriented religions, various flavors of Christianity, almost exclusively. Yucca: Mm-hmm. Mark: And it was only a few years later that this idea about having to have faith and believe literally in Gods as, as actual beings rather than ideas. All that stuff really came to the fore. And, you know, maybe that wasn't a bad thing. Maybe it was, maybe it was okay. You know, for those of us that don't follow that way to get a little bit more organized and, you know, explore the ideas that underpin our way of looking at the world, you know, which is, you know, part of the result of that. That expectation. Yucca: Yeah, it's certainly something that I don't remember from my childhood. Now, some of that might be simply because of the particular style of my family and who were the people that we would, that we would spend time with and celebrate with. But it, I didn't start really encountering that until. Late teenage years, early adult years, finding people who literally believed that way, or at least were vocal about the literal belief, were vocal enough to tell me I was wrong. Be like, you can't be a pagan you. That's not what Pagan is. That's just a philosophy. I'm like, okay, whatever you do, do you. Mark: Yeah. I've heard that one too. That's just a philosophy or I've heard it's it's secular humanism with LARPing or You know, a lot of really kind of insulting stuff. And before, before that arose, we never even talked about theology. We just got toge, you know, it was a doing thing. We got together and we did our seasonal rituals and we celebrated and had our events and all that kind of stuff. But Yucca: I, I do Mark: have their beliefs. Yucca: God talk about goddess, but I don't remember like the goddess being. Like, I don't remember the goddess being the way like my Christian friends would talk about God. Mark: Right. Yucca: it didn't seem like, like, I mean, this is, this might feel a little bit offensive for somebody from a theistic perspective, but my child understanding was that like God was your like imaginary friend that you could talk to, that you could use as your justification to do whatever you wanted. It had never, like when I heard people talk about the Goddess, it wasn't really like, Person that was like your imaginary friend that you like prayed to and stuff. It was, I always kind of understood it as more, they were talking about like the force of nature and life itself, and it was very more of like this kind of metaphorical thing. But again, that might have just been Mark: and the power of femininity, I mean, the whole sacred feminine piece too. And you know, I know a lot of folks are still doing, you know, that that kind of wicked god and goddess thing, but it seems to me that some of that, when it really arose in the 1980s, it was really kind of a product of its time. Third wave feminism was just starting to break and. You know, and with it, the, the sort of hiding off from hardcore secular Marxism of some, you know, earlier generations and there was just a lot of exploring going on. And one of the things that women, especially were realizing is we're not in any of these stories Yucca: Yeah, well, not in the way that, that is very good for us. Mark: Yeah, yeah, that's right. Yeah. Your, your Yucca: We're littlest. Mark: cautionary tales and you know, object lessons and stuff like that rather than people in charge and heroes and all that kind of stuff. So, yeah. I don't know. I just, it still feels very strange to. When I encounter somebody that is just burning with rage over the fact that I call myself a pagan and I don't believe in literal deity, where is the harm to them? I mean, Yucca: Well, it'd be, it's an identity issue, I think, right. Mark: Yeah. Yucca: That they've built their, their identity around this. I am a pagan and this is what it means to be a pagan, and there's this kind of strength in the gatekeeping and there's like, it feels empowering and in like a very, in that, that righteous kind of anger way. So I understand the, I don't. I don't think it's very constructive in the long run, but I, I can understand where they're coming from with it, but I think it causes a lot of pain in the long run. Mark: Yeah. Yeah, it seems like it would make a whole lot more sense if we could put all that aside and sit down and have a beer and, you know, enjoy one another in a, in a pagan context. And I've seen that a lot. I mean, I see that at, AT conferences and so forth where you know, we're able. I, when I go to a conference, I don't see the devotional Polytheists huddling in one corner. You know, while the non theist pagans huddle in another corner and the Wickens are in another corner. That's not how it works. You know, we, we do, we do big rituals together. We socialize, we go to parties. It's a, it's a generally a very amicable kind of environment. And, you know, bringing that, that burning rage into it, I guess is what I really don't understand. You know, it's a hard enough world out there as it is, and I find pagan spaces to be so much generally, so much kinder and more open and more tolerant. That's what I want to foster. Yucca: Yeah. I mean, I find myself just being delighted to be around other pagans and, you know, just enjoying that. Wow. You're pretty interesting. This is fun. Oh yeah. That's a nice chant. I like that. That feels good. Yeah. Mark: Yeah. Yeah, I agree. Yucca: Hmm. Well, we had, we had talked about this. Doing this topic this week because it's Easter. And that's one of those, Easter is one of the two big Christian holidays. There certainly are lots of other ones, but those are like the big, Christmas and Easter are like the big ones that even the kind of mostly Christian just by name folks will celebrate. But it is one of those ones that's interesting because it does have a lot of overlap with what many Pagans are doing this time of year with the Equinox. Right. And so it's one of those interesting ones where there's kind of. That Like, Hmm. What is, what's, what part of it is Pagan? What part of it is Christian? It's always very funny to hear the complaints from some of the real Christian folks about, oh, this is just so pagan like, like it's a bad It's like, yeah, yeah. Say it is pretty pagan. You're talking about like, Fertility and Yeah. Yeah. And celebrating fertility and you know, and the springtime and all of that, you know. Ah, terrible. But it is, I do get a Mark: but that said, but that said, I mean, Easter is celebrated by many, many Christians as a, a celebration of sort of the redemptive quality that Spring has, right? The, the renewal of the world, Yucca: Yeah. Mark: That comes in the spring, which is lovely. It's. Human sacrifice to, to pay off the debt of sins that we didn't even commit. Things that, it just baffles me. I, I just, Yucca: Yes. Mark: I mean, Yucca: It was Women's fault, Mark: I don't know why anybody would buy into it. What was that? I'm Yucca: It was Mark: Although it was women's fault, of course. Of course it was. Yucca: Yeah, I mean the, the, the mythology behind all of it is very interesting and, and tracking and learning about that is, I find that all fascinating, right? And the, how some of those stories are, you know, far older than Mark: Mm-hmm. Yucca: Judaism itself. And I was learning about Noah recently actually, about how the story of Noah, there's. The, the great flood and the, the hero saving people from the great, like that's way, way older than Judaism is really interesting. So, and there's a lot of, of those in there. Mark: Yeah, I mean, I can't say that I put a whole lot of effort into sort of, you know, biblical history study. It's just never been something that's appealed to me very much.  Yucca: It wasn't for me either, but my kids are really interested in mythology right now. Mark: Uhhuh Yucca: Right? They're, Mark: and I'm sure they're curious about these stories that are driving the society they're in. Yucca: Absolutely. Yeah. And they're very clear. You know, my, my oldest, who you've met several times is, you know, regularly likes to remind me that we don't believe in them. That they're just stories, but they're important stories. That's what she says. They're stories, but they're important stories. And so, you know, they're just Just reading up all the mythology books that we can get right now. It's very, and it's really interesting cuz they'll notice connections between, well this story we're reading about in the Norris mythology, that's kind of like the story that, sort of like the one in the Egyptian or the Greek mythology and the, that's really interesting to see their, them tying together. And I wish that we would, could know, we can't really, but know what relationship there is between those stories. Did Mark: For Yucca: somebody a version that got passed on word of mouth for, you know, hundreds of years? Or is it just coincidence or, you know, all of that is, Mark: Well in sailing trade, you know, overland caravans and sailing trade, you know, for as long as there have been people living in communities, they've been trading with one another. And when you know, you don't just trade resources, you trade culture because you know, there you are after a long day. You know, selling your barley for leather hides or whatever it is. And now you're, you know, sitting around, seated around, abrasion, having a drink with whoever you did the trading with, and you're gonna share stories from your culture and that that means they're on the move. Yucca: Well, and marriages between different groups. Right. Your mom's from one place, your dad's from another. You grow up with both. You know, you grow up with both stories. Yeah. Mark: Yeah, so I, I guess to sort of sum up all this, I mean, maybe there was a time when it actually was an improvement in the lot of humanity for this authoritarian, patriarchal kind of model to come into place. I. Necessarily think that's, so, I think it may just have been what happens when suddenly you've got an economic surplus and people are fighting over it and somebody wins which, you know, came with agriculture. Yucca: Came with end of the ice age. Mark: Right, right. But if there was a time when that served us well, it's well, Yucca: Mm-hmm. Mark: serve us well anymore. And so, you know, a part of what I have been about in my paganism has been wanting to increase the agency and the liberation and the justice for people and for the earth throughout the world. I. It's time for us to start unpacking all these assumptions and making other choices about how we organize our societies, about what life is worth living for. Is it worth is, is life really about the accumulation of stuff? Yucca: Mm-hmm. Mark: I mean, honestly, it's a big question because. There's an awful lot of people out there whose identity is deeply tied up in what kind of car they drive. Yucca: Right. So it's a, it's an ongoing journey, right? Mark: Mm-hmm. Yucca: I'm glad that we're doing it. I'm glad that we're thinking about it and, you know, working on it every day and getting to have conversations like this on the podcast. Mark: Yeah, me too. Because as I said, I do think that it's generational and I think this is a moment, right. And things will continue to evolve from here. I mean, I don't, I don't expect that we've got all the answers or that we've figured everything out, but We're working on part of the big puzzle, and if we can do our our part and kind of figure that bit out, then we will have done our work for the larger whole. Yucca: Yeah, most of Mark: you for a great conversation, Yucca. This was cool. Yucca: yeah, likewise. That saves a good, good talk and enjoyed it. I've got more to think about than I did coming into the conversation, so that's always fun. Mark: a great thing about, that's a great thing about inquiry. It always leads to more questions than you had when you started. Yucca: Yep. Mark: Wanted to remind people real quick. We are doing an online Zoom conference of the atheopagan community, which is called the atheopagan web Weaving. That's gonna be on June 3rd and fourth, which is a weekend, and you can register for that at the link that we'll put in the show notes. Yucca: That's Mark: They're on the atheopagan Society website, which is v ap society.org. So, hope that we'll see you there. And in the meantime, have a great week and we will see you next week.    

Episode 87, Polytheism. In this episode of Still Unbeliveable! Andrew and Matthew Welcome Steven Dillion to discuss Polytheism. The episode art is the Greek god Asclepius (also Asklepios), the reason why is revealed at the end of the show. Steven Dillon https://www.amazon.com/dp/1785359797/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_RRE1TDRKKC717G44ETY9_0 https://www.johnhuntpublishing.com/moon-books/authors/steven-dillon Prof. Michael Huemer: https://www.owl232.net/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Huemer further details on Henadacity https://henadology.wordpress.com/philosophy/ Asclepius https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepius Red Letters Season Finale: https://skepticsandseekers.squarespace.com/red-letters-discussion/4s-with-red-letters-season-1-finale-end-of-the-road To contact us, email: reasonpress@gmail.com Our Theme Music was written for us by Holly, to support her and to purchase her music use the links below: https://hollykirstensongs.com/ https://hollykirsten.bandcamp.com/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/still-unbelievable/message

Today we are diving into how Fel come to Hellenic Polytheism and how their deities came to work with them. We learn about how they came to work with Aphrodite and how I came to work with her. We explore the background of Fel and what brought them to magic and are taken on a journey to where they started out in magic and the occult.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/rhiannon-harvest/message

Michael Malice, a prominent journalist and author, discusses duplications and the Chunnel in an entertaining and informative way. He also shares his knowledge of batteries and the Roundhead.

In this episode of The Tent Making Christianity QCQ Podcast, the team answers the question "Are Christians Polytheists?".  

"In everyday life, we non-theists may find ourselves in discussions with theists. Have you noticed that these discussions often go around in circles and achieve nothing? Why is that? Let me suggest that one reason is because we are using their framework in which to discuss and argue. In this article, I will explore some practical ways to stay out of their framework. Who says they have the sole right to define the terms of engagement? For this discussion, we will focus on monotheism, but other areas might be just as interesting. Many modern-day theists seem to consider the so-called monotheistic nature of their religions as a sign of legitimacy, at least when compared to other openly polytheistic religions. The gods of ancient Greece and Rome were many, each with their own unique powers and niches in the nether world. It is no problem to see these as polytheistic religions but interestingly it is almost as easy to identify so-called monotheistic religions as polytheistic. If we expose the propaganda of these religions by challenging this key concept, we shift the frame, and open the door for a different kind of discussion. We don't have to acquiesce to their definitions of their invisible friends. Let's explore. To be a monotheistic religion, a religion must have only one god in its lexicon. Zeus may have been the highest and most powerful god in the Greek pantheon, but he was certainly joined by many other lesser gods. In Christian mythology, the gods are no less than four, sometimes more. The Father, Son, Holy Ghost and Satan are certainly gods. For whatever the Christian apologist wants to say, these four certainly function as much like individual gods as any Greek gods. The Yahweh figure may be more powerful than the Son, Satan or Holy Ghost, but so too was Zeus or Thor. All move in mysterious ways and while three are allied against one, so too were there alliances among Greek and Norse gods. In addition, Catholics have Mary, who seems to have special powers and access to the other gods in remarkable ways. Then we have all the saints of both Catholic and Orthodox traditions. How convenient that each of them seems to have special powers, not unlike the demigods and lesser gods of other polytheistic religions." --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/antonio-myers4/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/antonio-myers4/support

The New Alexandrian Library is a research and lending library located near Georgetown, Delaware dedicated to the preservation of books, periodicals, newsletters, music, media, art works, artifacts, photographs, and digital media focused on the metaphysical aspects of all religions and traditions. There is a special focus on the preservation of materials from the Pagan, Polytheist, and Western Mystery Traditions. It's a resource for seekers, students, and scholars

What if the council of the many gods from Genesis 1&2 were opposed to Yahweh who saw himself as the only authority? What if the serpent in Eden wasn't the evil tempter, but an ally of the Great Mother Goddess? What if there is no sin, but only petty punishment from an authoritatrian war god who demanded blind obedience? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/magickandthemoon/support

In this episode, Devon Larratt (of the Polytheist Podcast) joins Lexman to talk about cetes and hydrotherapy. They discuss the various benefits of these practices, as well as how they can help aid in mental and physical health.

Continuing in our Bible series, this week we're learning the real story of the Orchard (?) of Eden, male puberty, family structures, and widlness! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/magickandthemoon/support

This week, we're flipping the traditional, Christian narrative on its head! The Bible is a composite of many older, pagan and polytheist ideas! So what happens when we put these stories back in that context? Multiple gods, primordial beings, sun gods, moon gods, and land spirits are all in the Bible! This is part one of what is likely to be a much longer series! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/magickandthemoon/support

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas' website.The final three podcasts in Christ Through the Ages explore how Christ has been refracted through human thinking. We begin with the polytheists (think Hindu); next time we will discuss monotheists (think Muslims); in the last lesson we will consider the atheists.There are many differing refractions / reflections of Christ in man-made religions.Baha'i: Many paths to GodBuddhist: enlightenment—but to what?New Age movement: we are all gods / christs (we just don't realize it).Once again, beware differing Christs (2 Cor 11:2-4)!Knowing something about how others believe is helpful.Enhances our appreciation of what we have in Christ.Enables us better to connect with members of other faiths.Increases our conviction about the fundamentals of the faith.HinduismWelcome to the pantheon! If all faiths are valid, then in a sense none of them is true.Yet the Hindu gods and goddesses are not necessarily virtuous.Moreover, Hinduism teaches the ultimate dissolution of relationships and individuality.By the way, Jesus never visited India.Idolatry: we become like what we worshipWorship the goddess of wealth (Lakshmi), become materialistic.Devote yourself to a violent and vengeful deity (like the blood-drinking Kali), and what behaviors may be rationalized?The most "loving" Hindu deity, Krishna, cavorts with the cowherds. Hardly a model to emulate!The gods and goddesses are not, fundamentally, moral.They are created in man's image.So it is with all the pantheons: Greek, Roman, Nordic, Egyptian, Babylonian, etc.Therefore we can't just add Christ to a pantheon. He claims unique and exclusive worship (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).BuddhismParallels emphasized (temptation, self-control, compassion), but these are minor.The differences are major:Buddha did not die for our sins.Buddhism is originally agnostic, or even atheistic.Our condition of sinfulness is ultimately unreal, since human souls do not even exist.Don't be deceived. Christ is not found in the polytheistic religions (even if a few of this teachings appear there).Scriptural thought: Ephesians 4:3-7There is only one God -- monotheism, not polytheism, is the correct stance. This is a central doctrine of biblical religion (Deuteronomy 6:4-5 -- see also Matthew 22:34-40).There is only one faith -- as attractive as liberal "tolerance" may be, it is incoherent: not all faiths can be valid, since they contradict one another.There is only one Lord -- and we have enough room in our hearts to serve only one (Matthew 6:24).For more podcasts on world religions, click here.Next: Christ Refracted in the World: The Monotheists

Welcome to the first book review within the podcast! Let's take a closer look at a book I've previously mentioned, Orion Plain and Simple Runes by Kim Farnell. Suggested Listening:S2 E02: Divination: RunesOrion Plain and Simple Runes by Kim Farnell:WebsiteJoin the Broomstave Witchery Community:Instagram: @broomstavewitcheryFacebook: Broomstave WitcherySupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sabbrin)Support the show

It's time to revisit the subject of altars - this time, taking a closer look at the tools used within Witchcraft.Suggested Listening: S2 E03: Altar-ed Perceptions: An Overview of Altars Northern Lights:WebsiteInstagramJoin the Broomstave Witchery Community:Instagram: @broomstavewitcheryFacebook: Broomstave WitcherySupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sabbrin)

It's time to address the Big Pink Bunny in the room: The origins of Easter... Come discover why it's not a reach, and it's not complicated. Brigid's Grove:InstagramEtsy ShopFacebookJoin the Broomstave Witchery Community:Instagram: @broomstavewitcheryFacebook: Broomstave WitcherySupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sabbrin)

Looking at the make up of a traditional Tarot deck and a brief look at its history. Owl and Bones Tarot:InstagramJoin the Broomstave Witchery Community:Instagram: @broomstavewitcheryFacebook: Broomstave WitcherySupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sabbrin)

That one time Brin left out important historical information from the previous episode because she went on an Opinion Rant and got distracted... #1Suggested Listening:S2 E 07: Wicca: The Rede & Rule of Three Join the Broomstave Witchery Community:Instagram: @broomstavewitcheryFacebook: Broomstave WitcherySupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sabbrin)

A brief history of the Wiccan Rede, a story about aging, and a lot of opinion from this Witch about the Rule of Three. Hex Me Not:WebsiteInstagramJoin the Broomstave Witchery Community:Instagram: @broomstavewitcheryFacebook: Broomstave WitcherySupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sabbrin)

Let's discuss the Book of Shadows and why it's important to know our history... even when it's difficult to hear.  Books, Beans & Candles (BBC):WebsiteInstagramFacebookJoin the Broomstave Witchery Community:Instagram: @broomstavewitcheryFacebook: Broomstave WitcherySupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sabbrin)

It's a buzzy term online, but where did it come from? It's going to get a little personal as I dive into the concept of The Shadow Self and introduce the concept of Shadow Work. Better grab your tea and cozy up by the cauldron, Broomies!The Magick Kitchen:WebsiteArticle:  Not All Shadow Work is the SameJeffrey Marsh on Instagram:@thejeffreymarshJoin the Broomstave Witchery Community:Instagram: @broomstavewitcheryFacebook: Broomstave WitcherySupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sabbrin)

Episode 145 – Truth and Proof – Part 5 – Proof a God Exists Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script: For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Romans, Chapter 1, verse 20, New Living Translation ******** Hello! I’m Victoria K. Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. We’re excited to be with you as we continue our series we’ve called “Truth and Proof.” This series is all about the truth that there is a God and that God is the God of the Bible. Then we’re going on to offer proof that supports that truth. Today we have a special guest with us on the show, Doug Apple who is the manager of the WAVE-94 radio station in Tallahassee, Florida. Like a lot of people in Christian radio Doug is a diligent student of the Bible and he has thought deeply about his faith. This includes wanting to help others see that the Christian faith is a faith that will not only satisfy our souls but also our minds. Today Doug is going to help us take a detailed look at some of the essential observations that form the foundation for the inescapable truth of God’s existence. But before we get into the discussion, Doug would you like to take a couple of minutes and tell us a little about yourself? DOUG: - Introductory comments - VK: So, I’d like to remind everyone of the purpose of this series. We are learning how to defend the Christian faith. This defense is often termed “apologetics.” Now sometimes people will get the mistaken impression that apologetics can only be done, or should only be done, by professional apologists. The truth is, however, that any sincere, mature Christian can become an effective apologist – at least effective enough to demonstrate the two main points that are the concern of classical apologetics. The first point is the existence of God and the second point is that God is the God of the Bible. We do this by demonstrating the truth of the New Testament, and, therefore, the truth of Christianity. What do you think, Doug? DOUG: I agree. It may take a little time and effort to “prove” God’s existence, but every mature, thinking, normal person can – by the power of his mind and the operation of his senses – come to the valid conclusion that somehow some thing is “bigger than” he or she is. And, this is precisely what every culture has done over the last 6,000 plus years of recorded history. Just about every culture throughout history has come to the realization that “someone,” or a bunch of “someones” is pulling the strings at a higher level than the level where we are. And, with some deeper thought people can not only know that there is a “god,” but also they can know a lot about the nature of that “god.” And when they have reached those two conclusions, hopefully, they will look in the direction of the real God. VK: So, at this point let’s again stop and briefly review what we’ve covered so far in the first four episodes of this series. First, truth is what corresponds to reality. In other words truth corresponds to the way things really are. The way things really are is the same for all people in all places, and for all belief systems. Whether or not someone knows the truth, or believes the truth, is not the point. We’ve also learned that truth is knowable and absolute. DOUG: You have also covered the fact that the absoluteness of truth counters the claims of skepticism, agnosticism, relativism, and post-modernism. Those are four philosophies that deny the existence of absolute truth, but each of them is self-defeating. Each fails its own central premise. For instance the skeptic says we must doubt the existence of absolute truth – but does not doubt the absoluteness of their own position. Said differently, the skeptic is certain about doubt. And in your last episode of this series you covered the fact that the existence of truth is supported by the most fundamental laws of logic which include: • The law of identity (A is A). • The law of non-contradiction (A is not non-A at the same time in the same relationship). • The law of the excluded middle (either A or non-A). VK: These laws of logic mean that opposites cannot both be true at the same time and in the same sense. This counters the idea of religious pluralism – the idea that all religious faiths are equally valid. The opposite of true is false. This unbreakable law applies to all aspects of the universe – including religion. So, the belief that God exists and the belief that God does not exist are fundamentally at odds with one another and there is no third option. So, one of those beliefs must be true and the other must be false. The same would be true of the distinction between monotheism and polytheism. Monotheists believe there is one and only one God. Polytheists believe there are many gods. Both views cannot be true. DOUG: What we’re building up to is a proof for the existence of God – and not just any “god,” but the real Jehovah God of the Bible – the God of Reality. This real God started His revelation of Himself with the words, “In the beginning God . . .” (Genesis 1:1). In this verse, God, in His wisdom – and possibly with a little grin of anticipation – gives us a hint as to how we actually can prove to ourselves and to others the reality of His existence. Even if we could not be sure of God’s existence in any other way – and there are other ways – we can be sure of God’s existence by observing His creation. But as I said we must build up to that final conclusion. Before we can demonstrate that the God of the Bible is an objective reality we must first demonstrate that reason, logic, and evidence support the need for some kind of a divine being. VK: And as we’ve mentioned before that need has been recognized by pagan philosophers as well as Christian theologians. In a previous episode we mentioned that Aristotle was one of those philosophers who arrived at this conclusion simply by making keen observations of the world around him. DOUG: In the order of famous Greek philosophers there are three who are still household names even today. First came Socrates. Socrates’ most famous student was Plato. After Plato there came Aristotle. As you mentioned Aristotle was a diligent observer of the world around him. He wrote extensively about the physical universe, and he, like some of the philosophers before him, saw that there was one thing that all beings have in common, and that is being itself. But when Plato and Aristotle and others speak of “being,” they are not speaking of existence, they are speaking of essence. Existence was implied. So, mere existence was not their primary concern. Their primary concern was understanding what constituted the essence of things. VK: And Aristotle’s philosophy about the essence of things started with his work in “physics.” Said slightly differently Aristotle began his thoughts about “being” and “essence” with his observations of the physical universe. He then shifted to an understanding of what is prior to the physical universe that gives “being” to everything else. “Prior to” was not a chronological designation. It didn’t mean the passage of time, but rather the order in which things came to “be.” Aristotle’s work along these lines went “beyond” or “after” his work in physics, and became known as “metaphysics.” The focus of metaphysics is the nature of being and reality. Later, a new and separate philosophical discipline about the origin of reality followed along. That study of origin of reality came to be known as “cosmology” – the study of the origin of the universe and its laws. DOUG: So, one of the observations made by Aristotle was that the one constant he observed all about him was change. Aristotle noted two basic kinds of change: substantial change – the change in the substance of something, e.g., something comes to be (like a plant coming up out of the ground from a seed), or something ceases to be, e.g., like dying. We could come up with a lot of other examples but the point is that substantial change is reflected in birth and growth or decay and death. In addition to “substantial change,” the other form of change Aristotle noticed he called accidental change – the change that occurs when something adheres to the substance of another something, but is not inherent in that substance or essence. For example when I learn something new I have changed but I am still of and possess the same “essence” which you might call “human-ness.” And I am still the same substance which you might call “Doug-ness.” But despite me possessing the same essence and substance I am still different for having learned something. In other words my essence and substance didn’t change but one or more of my attributes as the world perceives me did. So, Aristotle noted that, even as change marked everything in the world around him, with that change some aspects of things stayed the same and some other aspects did not. VK: A particularly dramatic example of change was death. In death living beings undergo a fatal change resulting from the withdrawal of its life. But even through this change one creature did not become another. A dead dog did not turn into dead squirrel or a tree, or anything else. But Aristotle recognized that the dead body did not remain that way for long. The thing that made it what it was, i.e., the power within it that accumulated and arranged the atoms and the molecules of the universe into that particular body and held them together is now gone. Consequently, the elements of that body quickly become disorganized. The form of that body – the dog-ness didn’t change; but the substance, what we would call “matter” – the part left behind – did change. Aristotle’s understanding of reality, then, involved two components: actuality – what doesn’t change and potentiality – what does change. DOUG: So, Aristotle’s view of reality was that everything in creation is composed of both form (actuality) and matter (potentiality). The implication of this view is that the reality we perceive through our senses is constantly changing but that the forms or essences of things did not. Aristotle didn’t have modern science, but he had an exceptional mind and genius intellect. He likely saw that everything necessary to make an oak tree is contained in the acorn. If he had had a microscope, he might have been the first to accurately note that everything necessary for me to be me was contained in a single cell inside my mother. And when that cell divided into more cells they grew, and they differentiated, and they matured, and they became a unique human being unlike anyone else – just the same process that got us all here. And that being will continue to change. The notion has been bounced around in medical circles for the last 80 years that every atom of the human body is changed out every seven years. This cannot readily be proven, but we know with certainty that there is a constant balance being achieved between the dying cells and the new ones. The turnover rate for various body tissues has been calculated in the range of 3 years to 16 years, the brain being on the low end. I’m not sure if that’s the good news or the bad news. And we know with certainty that the last changes in the human body happen very quickly – those changes we call “decomposition.” VK: It didn’t take long for observers of nature to realize that when a tomato seed is planted a tomato plant comes up. Ditto for every other kind of plant – what you sow is what you reap. If a pregnant dog and a pregnant cat are fed the same kind of food, the dog will have a puppy and the cat will have a kitten. It has nothing to do with the food they eat except that the food provides each one with the building blocks necessary to make a kind of replication of the mother and father. DOUG: So, it would seem from Aristotle’s model that the actual thing – the “form” – is in the seed, or the acorn, or the fertilized egg for the particular species. And the potential thing – the “matter” – is the elements of the earth and of the universe which are capable of becoming the substance of any type of plant or animal. So, the question becomes what is it in that seed or egg that “drives” the earthly elements to be arranged in such a way as to become a unique product? Well, we now know something that Aristotle didn’t. We know about the genetic code – the code of life, if you will. We know that every living creature has a pre-programmed set of instructions present in its DNA. So, in that tomato seed, or in that acorn, or in that pre-born human baby, beginning with the most fundamental components of mass and energy and working outward to and through the DNA, there is the form of that thing – immaterial, unmeasurable, unseen, and, in a certain sense, eternal. And, that form has being – not only is it specific, and, therefore, has a unique essence, but also it operates in the material universe, and, therefore, it exists. VK: And we know some other things that Aristotle didn’t. We know about the underlying properties of atoms and sub-atomic particles through the Standard Model of particle physics, general relativity, and a system called quantum mechanics. For instance, we know that quarks interact by gluon exchange; that neutrons decay to protons through the weak interaction mediated by boson force carriers. We know that quarks and other sub-atomic particles spin. We’ve come to know a lot about the building blocks of physical reality. What we see through our modern observations is the proof of what Aristotle observed: there is constant change. When we reduce all physical matter to its smallest components we see that even the quark changes in its characteristics and interactions, but it’s still a quark! And nature testifies to what Aristotle believed. All around us is change, but something always remains the same and something else doesn’t. So, what is it that always remains the same? DOUG: It is the thing that is the actual – the form – not the thing that is the potential, the matter. This means there has to be something that accounts for the order and the arrangement of every physically existent thing, beginning with its most fundamental components. Plato and Aristotle called it “form” – and they knew it had to be something that is immaterial. They reasoned that can’t be seen, felt, or measured. And they knew this something cannot itself change, and is, therefore, eternal. They knew this because if it came into being it would have undergone change from non-being to being. Now the listeners don’t have to remember any of the particulars of any of this. But they do need to remember that the matter of the universe is the part that can change whereas the forms of those individual things of the universe don’t change. The matter, which is mass and energy, not only can change, but is constantly changing, even if the change is only motion. And here is the take-home message: all change requires a cause. VK: That is such an important point so I want to restate it. All change requires a cause. And we see change all about us. Yet, we also see that despite this change there is still something that accounts for the order and the arrangement of every physically existent thing, beginning with its most fundamental components. Plato and Aristotle called it “form” – and they knew it had to be something that is immaterial; that it couldn’t be seen, felt, or measured. They also knew that that something that ordered everything else could not itself change, and would therefore be eternal. This concept of an Eternal Cause that causes order throughout the material creation while being immaterial itself brought them – and brings us – to God. We’re not yet at that God being the God of the Bible but we are firmly standing on the top step of the staircase we’ve been climbing. DOUG: So, let’s catch up to the stairs we’ve been ascending. We started out simply by acknowledging the existence of truth. Then we demonstrated that the fundamental laws of logic not only indisputably prove that truth exists but those laws also prove that we exist. We then extended that awareness of our existence to the existence of a material universe and we’ve taken this realization further to the fact that there must be an Eternal Cause that brings order to the material universe. VK: Right. Aristotle is given credit for coining the term “Unmoved Mover” as one term for this eternal cause. The term “Prime Mover” was also used. Aristotle and Plato knew that the Unmoved Mover must be eternal because if it had come into “being” it would have undergone change from non-being to being. The fact that Aristotle, with a little help from some of his Greek predecessors could deduce all this truly is remarkable. DOUG: Especially since Aristotle did not have the benefit of the technological and scientific information that we do today. Today we know far, far more about the fundamental components of the physical universe. As you alluded to briefly, we know there are two particles that cannot be reduced to anything smaller or more simple. We know there are four fundamental forces that simply “are” and cannot be reduced to anything more basic. And we know there are four “force carriers” which behave as both particles and energy waves, and have no mass. And with these basic components of all mass and energy there is always directional motion, spin motion, interaction, and the potential for different relationships among them. There is always change, because what we – and everything – are made of is in motion. We also know that each thing of substance is uniquely different from every other thing of substance, that it has its own unique form. Otherwise everything would be the same thing. So, we can start building from there to everything else. Each thing is “formed” by component parts put together by “form” – the determiner of each substance. We can now say that form is cause, matter is the changeable intermediary, and substance is effect. We use the words “cause” and “effect” in much the same way as we would say “the producer” and “the product” – cause produces an effect. Every effect has a cause. VK: Right. And when we look at the universe we see a countless variety of forms, for there is a countless number of different things. And we know a few other things. The universe is in motion. The earth, the sun, the moon, planets, and galaxies are moving in relation to one another. We know that things come into being, undergo change, and appear to go out of being such as when a plant comes out of a seed, grows, dies, and decays. DOUG: Ancient thinkers, like Aristotle, saw the same things. So, Aristotle saw the cause as the “actualizer.” Or said differently Aristotle saw that everything that comes to be is caused by something that already is. VK: Or in other words, the actualizer transforms potentiality into actuality. The actualizer produces change. One very important change that the actualizer produces is changing non-being into being. DOUG: And Aristotle saw that everything that comes into being is limited, only a finite part of all there is. He also saw the things that come into being as being contingent. The things that came into existence were dependent on something else for their existence. Therefore, they could exist or not exist. Aristotle saw all things that come into being as ultimately requiring a cause that is not dependent on any other cause – a cause that is not contingent, for if it was contingent it would be dependent on something else for its existence. This brought Aristotle to another of his great contributions – the realization that that an infinite regress of causes is impossible. There must be a starting point – there had to be a “first actualizer” to get the whole series started. Something that “has to be” is something that is necessary. Later philosophers and theologians would come to refer to this idea of the first actualizer as the “Necessary Being.” VK: Christians of course agree with this line of reasoning but we have an awareness that Aristotle did not. We know that the God of the Bible is that Necessary Being. We are blessed because we have not only the line of reasoning that was available to Aristotle, God’s general revelation, but also we have God’s special revelation in the Bible. Now, as we’ve said before we know that all of this can produce some head scratching and even some headaches. But once Christians master these principles it produces a Christian who can encounter the barrage of criticism aimed today at the Christian faith and emerge unscathed. DOUG: Absolutely. There are real challenges and real reasons for studying apologetics. But, as you have emphasized throughout this “Truth and Proof” series, being able to understand and defend Christianity is not the sole province of the clergy, the evangelists, the authors, the pastors, the scholars, or any other group of “professional Christians.” It is the province of every Christian. It is possible for all people who have the desire to understand these concepts and ideas. Paul told us this in the opening scripture we listened to from Romans 1:20. Paul said that the people who deny God’s existence don’t have any excuse for denying it because God has made his clear through His creation. Frankly, Aristotle proves Paul’s point. Aristotle was able to come to the awareness that the nature of reality pointed to an Unmoved Mover, a first actualizer, a Necessary Being. So when we hear people deny the existence of God we should also keep in mind what Jesus said to his listeners in John 8: 43-47: “Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.” VK: Jesus’ warning shows that as important as that is for adults to make an effort to understand something about apologetics, it’s even more important for our kids and grandkids. Apologetics, as an area of study, isn’t first and foremost a way to win arguments. It’s a way to protect ourselves, our friends, and especially immature believers from a hostile world. Naturally, we also hope that an increased understanding of the foundations of our faith will also make us better witnesses to that world. Well, this sounds like a time we really need to go to God I prayer. Today let’s listen to a prayer of corporate confession because there are certainly times in all our lives when we have fallen short. The good news is that even when that happens God has promised that if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us. ---- PRAYER OF CORPORATE CONFESSION VK: We’d like to remind our audience that a lot of our radio episodes are linked together in series of topics so if they missed any episodes or if they just want to hear one again, all of these episodes are available on your favorite podcast app. To find them just search on “Anchored by Truth by Crystal Sea Books.” If you’d like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We’re not famous but our Boss is!” (Bible Quote from the New Living Translation) Romans, Chapter 1, verse 20, New Living Translation

Welcome to Broomstave Witchery "Sweepings"... Surprise, Non-Thursday, Mini-Episodes! Today I have a special thank you, and will announce a new project for our community.Our first Broomie Shots list for February is posted to Instagram!https://www.instagram.com/broomstavewitchery/Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sabbrin)

Help me stir up Spring in this discussion about the Pagan holiday and Wiccan Sabbat of Imbolc, and how the origins of Groundhog Day stem from this special holy day.Moody Moons:WebsiteRecipe: Imbolc Honey & Oat Milk Bath with Lavender FlowersSuggested Listening (for Lupercalia):S1 E03: The Satanic TempleJoin the Broomstave Witchery Community:Instagram: @broomstavewitcheryFacebook: Broomstave WitcherySupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sabbrin)

After discussing a few questions I often get asked, we'll take a look at altars and their possible etymology, as well as a brief look at a few different ways they are set up in various religious practices. The Dreamy Druidess:Instagram: @thedreamydruidessWebsite: Heart Soul and Art Join the Broomstave Witchery Community:Instagram: @broomstavewitcheryFacebook: Broomstave WitcherySupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sabbrin)

Happy 2022, Broomies! Join me for a discussion about Chakras, the energy system written about in the religious texts of Hinduism. Suggested Listening: S1 E08: Hinduism: An IntroductionGolden Temple BirminghamInstagramFacebookGolden Temple WebsiteJoin the Broomstave Witchery Community:Instagram: @broomstavewitcheryFacebook: Broomstave WitcherySupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sabbrin)

It's the final episode of 2021, where we discuss goals for the new year, the history of calendars, and The Great Wheel of Wicca.Suggested Listening:  S1 E06: Witches & Witchcraft & Wicca... Oh, My!Selena Fox:InstagramFacebookCircle Sanctuary WebsiteJoin the Broomstave Witchery Community:Instagram: @broomstavewitcheryFacebook: Broomstave WitcherySupport the show

In this episode, we take a look at how early church fathers: Ignatius, Origen, Eusebius, and Turtullian imagined and defined Jesus to the point of inventing the "Trinity." This is the road to Nicea to determine if Christians were polytheistic or monotheistic (Ref. Source: Ehrman's Lost Christianities and Essay "History of Religions. Artwork provided by bo_bradshaw on Instagram of Cardinal Copia of the band Ghost.

Help me burst through glitter and misperceptions as I briefly explain the three W's: Witches, Witchcraft, and Wicca. Discover what these things have in common with college football, sweet tea, and yard sales in the South. Nashville Crystal Store:WebsiteInstagramJoin the Broomstave Witchery Community:Instagram: @broomstavewitcheryFacebook: Broomstave WitcherySupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sabbrin)

A look into the subculture of Otherkind... 'Kin and Therians. How do they differ, and in what ways are they the same? Join me as we begin to explore the Otherkin community.Book: A Field Guide to Otherkin by Lupa    www.thegreenwolf.comOtherkin/Therian sites: www.otherkin.net  & www.therian-guide.comTherian Territory:YouTubeInstagramJoin the Broomstave Witchery Community:Instagram: @broomstavewitcheryFacebook: Broomstave WitcherySupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sabbrin)

Today we discuss the truth behind Thanksgiving, find a new way to focus our intentions for the holiday, and discuss bringing Paganism into our day of thanks.Tribe to Table:Official WebsiteOfficial InstagramFarm Sanctuary:Official WebsiteOfficial InstagramJoin the Broomstave Witchery Community:Instagram: @broomstavewitcheryFacebook: Broomstave WitcherySupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sabbrin)

Join me for a discussion about The Satanic Temple, and learn how one very humbling moment helped to bring about this podcast.Information about The Satanic Temple:Official WebsiteOfficial InstagramJoin the Broomstave Witchery Community:Instagram: @broomstavewitcheryFacebook: Broomstave WitcherySupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sabbrin)

An introduction into the world of Divination; peek behind the curtain with me and learn where Divination started, why it's used, and how it works. Join the Broomstave Witchery Community:Instagram: @broomstavewitcheryFacebook: Broomstave WitcherySupport the show

What do Paganism, a Murder Blanket, and photo-worthy mashed potatoes have in common?... Join me for a brief overview of what Paganism is, and let's celebrate Episode One with our very first contest!Join the Broomstave Witchery Community:Instagram: @broomstavewitcheryFacebook: Broomstave WitcherySupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sabbrin)

Welcome, Broomies! Come talk a spell with me as I introduce myself and fill you in on what you can expect going forward... Join the Broomstave Witchery Community:Instagram: @broomstavewitcheryFacebook: Broomstave WitcherySupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sabbrin)

We turn to the question of ancient Israelite religion. While we usually think of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism as the big three monotheistic religions, is the historical reality more complicated than that? Psalm 82 takes centre stage in a discussion of the unseen spiritual realm. Slides and video available at http://rc-tamu.org/confronting-old-testament-controversy/