-Caveat Lector-
For Western Civilization as a semi-Christianized culture (the other main
influence is the Greco-Roman or "classical" tradition), "Satan" aka "Lucifer"
is an ARCHETYPE of the Conspirator -- specifically, as the rebel leader of an
actual (or attempted and ongoing) coup d'etat against the Divine Order. The
Bible IMPLICITLY refers to that Conspiracy, using it to cosmically mirror the
dualistic struggle in (Biblical) human history between God's Chosen People
and the "Sons of Belial" (Cainites, descendants of Ham, Egypt and the
Canaanites, etc), toward the ultimate goal of realizing, through man's "free
will," either the "Kingdom of Heaven" or its opposite, on the earthly plane
-- i.e., as a social system and universal (global) State for the latest
addition to the Creation, humankind.
That perspective is so much a "given" among Jews and Christians --as well as
among those not even especially religious but who are subconsciously
INFLUENCED by our cultural root-assumptions-- that, IMHO, it need NOT be
continuously and repetitively "proven" by citations from the Bible -- a
PUBLIC source-document ALREADY on our bookshelves! The main problem here is,
in order to "prove" that the above-described Conspiracy is REAL, one FIRST
has to "prove" that the fundamental doctrinal beliefs or dogmas of
Christianity (and of Judaism, in its Old Testament form) are LIKEWISE "real,"
because the validity of that Conspiracy Theory, especially in literalistic
terms, depends entirely on the validity ("truth") of its THEOLOGY.
So, any argument GOING BEYOND accepting the "Satanic" or "Luciferian"
Conspiracy codified in the Bible as just an ARCHETYPE --a "dramatized"
symbolic representation of something deeply rooted in human nature, manifest
in history-- or, to accommodate even religious literalists, accepting it as a
HYPOTHESIS (in practice, "let's ASSUME, for the sake of argument, that this
is a feasible explanation , and now let's all TEST it skeptically, to see
how well it "fits" when faced with "outside," "contradictory" data"),
is inevitably doomed to become a polemical THEOLOGICAL argument, leaning
toward
PROSELYTIZING for a distinct "partisan" belief system (which, by its very
nature, can't avoid being ANTAGONISTIC toward expressions of NON-belief and
rational criticism) -- UNLESS great care is taken to AVOID us falling into,
or being pulled into, that trap.
If highly emotional debates on the validity of "truths" premised
fundamentally on "faith" ("truths" which do not brook the more noncommittal
rational critical analysis which is primary on this list) and overtly
partisan "proselytizing" can be avoided here, in a forum expressly designed
to be a "safe" place for discussions among subscribers who have MANY
DIFFERENT points of view and who may entertain DIVERGENT "hypotheses,"
then the "Satanic" or "Luciferian" Conspiracy Theory favored by Christians
and Jews
is WELCOME here, because it is, in fact, one of the major hypotheses in this
area.
Important to keep in mind, however, that it is, as I say, only ONE of those
hypotheses,
and it should be taken for granted that it will NOT be accorded any
"privileged" status
alongside OTHER hypotheses, which, please note, may ALSO be of a
"theological" or
philosophical nature -- for example, Indo-Iranian Dualism (a major source for
what later
turned up in the Old Testament, according to scholars) and its offshoot,
Gnosticism, (which played a major role in shaping several "orthodox" beliefs
in early Christianity),
or Western Pythagorean-Platonism and Neoplatonism (one basis for
"Hermeticism")
and its Eastern equivalent in Kabbalah -- or even the "mythologies" (more
accurately "religions") of the Sumerians, non-Israelite Semites,
Indo-Europeans -- who, by the way, ALSO refer to something like an
Arch-Conspirator and a cosmic Coup d'Etat -- e.g., in the Greek story of
Prometheus and in the Babylonian account of "Creation."
This is intended to be a forum where "orthodox" religious doctrines can be
discussed AMICABLY alongside discussion of ancient mythologies and esoteric
philosophies --
as a backdrop for discussion of more modern "secret societies" and their
worldviews,
the CENTRAL subject matter, really, of our field crudely named "Conspiracy
Theory."
Here, we let readers make up their OWN minds about what is ultimately "true,"
with no PRESSURE --direct or subtler-- for them to "believe" one way or
another, and toward this end, contributors are asked only to provide
worthwhile DATA for readers to weigh
and compare to OTHER data in DIFFERENT contexts, toward a broader
understanding
outside the more restricted, more familiar contexts that are often used to
deliberately
MISLEAD us or at least guarantee that we arrive at only pre-determined
conclusions.
Every contributor with his or her own "theory" of course BELIEVES in it and
can't avoid attempting to persuade others to SHARE that belief -- but when
the effort to CONVINCE readers takes precedence over the sharing of credible
FACTS useful in allowing others to form their OWN judgments, the line is
crossed to "evangelizing" and "proselytizing," which amounts to
PROPAGANDIZING -- INAPPROPRIATE in THIS forum, which often posts material to
help subscribers recognize the subtle techniques of "propaganda" and
"disinformation" as forms of "mind control," and which aims at assuring
EVERYONE a "no-pressure" freedom of thought, allowing us to look coolly at a
VARIETY of beliefs.
DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER
==========
CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic
screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters
and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright
frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects
spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL
gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers;
be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and
nazi's need not apply.
Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector.
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