I have always been thrilled with http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/History_n2/a.html
Bill not Bill! Find what makes your heart sing…and do it! ________________________________ From: Mel <[email protected]> To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> Sent: Sat, August 11, 2012 7:53:56 AM Subject: [Zen] Noah's flood, history of the Near East, etc(Anthony, Bill, list) Before I go on, please take not that my interest in all things to do with the Orient's Near East is purely an academic one. I'm a Zen Buddhist. Anthony and Bill, I know you two (and maybe others, probably including Mike) had warned me at FB with any ideas of attaching myself to organized religion, but describing myself as Soto is probably the closest to what I do. I thank you for your advise. ..'The sons of Noah who went out of the boat were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan). These three sons of Noah were the ancestors of all the people on earth'.... source/ref: GEN 9:18-19, GoodNews translation, BibleGateway.com ...'And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan. These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread'... source/ref: GEN 9:18-19, KJV, BibleGateway.com The KJV being a work of art itself, it is however the GoodNews translation that states it directly I think. I have an Israeli employer, and he and his family would probably consider it with some humor if not downright an insult, to be told that their refugee cousins from Africa should not be treated in anyway as if they're less than family, unlike the thinking or methods of the likes of Bibi(Netanyahu)...*laughter*. Well, what do you folks think? If this is a Christian forum and that we're all Christians, are we then no less than the long-lost relatives of the children of the land of Israel? Or maybe I got my interpretations from above wrong, no? And...a question please...could someone please direct me to a good online site they may know of that pretty much spells out the various histories, cultures(including pictures of monuments, illustrations of arts and crafts, wall prints, etc) and so forth of the Near East (or, do you call it the Fertile Crescent?). I'm most interested in how this belief in the One God that rules all started out from the beginning. The Bronze and Iron Ages as well as the Migration Period(s) westwards from the Asian hinterland are explained well enough from the European perspective, but almost none from, or for the Near East. Any ideas or websites, anyone? cheers all! Mel ________________________________ From: Anthony Wu <[email protected]> To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, 11 August 2012 6:15 AM Subject: Re: [Zen] the Old Testament, Yahweh, Buddha, etc Mel, You said (probably formerly) : There's nothing wrong with Yahweh. He's a good father who's only concern is what's best for his children'. Hi children are only Israelis. In 'Joshue' he told them to kill all people the Israelis conquered. So Yahweh don't love the enemies. Anthony From: Mel <[email protected]> To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, 10 August 2012, 16:29 Subject: [Zen] the Old Testament, Yahweh, Buddha, etc ...'Do not spread lies about anyone, and when someone is on trial for his life, speak out if your testimony can help him. I am the LORD ...'Do not bear a grudge against others, but settle your differences with them, so that you will not commit a sin because of them'... ...'Do not take revenge on others or continue to hate them, but love your neighbors as you love yourself. I am the LORD'... source/ref: LEVITICUS 19:16-18 Folks, the above are all from the Old Testament, from the book Leviticus. Many of the Jesus Only fanatics have turned away from the old books (or just pay them lip-service) because they see Yahweh as harsh and cruel. They keep saying that Christians(Catholic, Protestant, or otherwise[usually quite odd, except for the Quakers]) are no longer bound by the Old Testament because something about Jesus having fulfilled them or some other ladidadidadida...and so on..... When I was a practising Christian, I often found myself at odds with said fanatics above because of the value I've placed with the Old Testament books. Back then, I told such the following...'There's nothing wrong with Yahweh. He's a good father who's only concern is what's best for his children'...and look at the quotations above. What is so hard about any of those rulings? Read the whole damn book! Well, that was some time ago, and I have made the conscious and personal choice to leave that path to be in the realms of Zen...to be exact, Zen Buddhism. I consider myself to be of the Soto brand, even if this Zen sect still regard koans as important(but not as much as Rinzai). Zen Buddhism equals to less stress, and/or obsession with accumulation of knowledge...and no God to worship! No good, no evil...JUST THIS.. Buddha be praised Mel PS. And remember that Buddha is everywhere. Your actions are from Buddha, your thoughts are from Buddha, and to Buddha you eventually return, as a droplet of water temporarily separated from the waterfall eventually returns to water.... From: mike brown <[email protected]> To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, 6 August 2012 5:37 PM Subject: Re: [Zen] Re: Chan and zen Bill and Bill!, I hear this claim that Jesus came to change the Old Testament all the time. Doesn't seem to ring true at all. Below are Jesus' quotes from the New Testament: “For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass the law until all is accomplished. Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” — Matthew 5:18-19 “It is easier for Heaven and Earth to pass away than for the smallest part of the letter of the law to become invalid.” (Luke 16:17) “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest part or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.” (Matthew 5:17) “Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law” (John7:19) > >And what are these laws from the Old Testament?: > >Blasphemy is Punishable by Death >One who blasphemes the name of the LORD shall be put to death; the whole >congregation shall stone the blasphemer. Aliens as well as citizens, when they >blaspheme the Name, shall be put to death. (NRSV) — Leviticus 24:16 Cheaters Must Die If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death. (NIV) — Leviticus 20:10 Dishonoring Your Mother or Father is Punishable by Death Anyone who dishonors father or mother must be put to death. Such a person is guilty of a capital offense. (NLT) — Leviticus 20:9 People Who Work on Sunday Should be Killed You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day must be a Sabbath day of complete rest, a holy day dedicated to the LORD. Anyone who works on that day must be put to death. (NLT) — Exodus 35:2 If a Woman is Not a Virgin When She Gets Married, She Has to Die “If any man takes a wife, and goes in to her, and detests her, and charges her with shameful conduct, and brings a bad name on her, and says, ‘I took this woman, and when I came to her I found she was not a virgin,’ … and evidences of virginity are not found for the young woman, then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones … (NKJV) — Deuteronomy 22:13-14,20-21 There’s Nothing Wrong With Slavery Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. (NIV) — Leviticus 25:44 Gays Should be Put to Death If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death; their blood is upon them. (NRSV) — Leviticus 20:13 Women Should Shut the Hell Up and Do as They’re Told A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. (NIV) — Timothy 2:11-12
