Ignorance leads to suffering

Ever wonder why Tea-baggers suffer?

Ignorance.

The tea bagger movement is funded by the wealthiest who recruit the most ignorant people and indoctrinate them. Many baggers work for minimum wages. Bagger organizers work on the same model as a science-fiction writer who shall remain nameless. Some people will believe anything. It's best to keep ignorance out of your home. Ignorance is as ignorance does, and so forth.

The problem for bagger taggers is the able avoid such folly.

As much as I would like to compare Obama's Education to Palin's, I won't. Suffice to say Sarah's 5 college score was 2 colleges more than Barry's 3.

FACT: The federal government MUST roll back the Reagan-Bush tax cuts to the wealthiest.

This video could not show "the billionaires" (there are over 300 of them in the USA alone). And that's being a millionaire 1,000 times over - or 10,000 times over for some. Their stack of money would be knocked over by the moon passing overhead. You know what a mess that would make.

Republicans destroyed Rome

And republicans will destroy America - if we let them.George W. Bush was able to take Clinton's success and turn it into abject economic failure. Then, by the grace of god(s), he termed out and left Obama with the biggest economic mess since the Hoover Depression of 1929.
DEBT is something most can understand.
Reagan and "W" Bush were masters at spending money they did not have. They cut taxes for the very rich, raised taxes for the middle class and working poor, transferred wealth to the top 0.1% of the banksters and CEOnistas.
These republicant's have taken an oath upon the altar of Grover Norquist to completely and utterly destroy America. Will they accomplish their nefarious goal? Wait and see.

From Sand & Gravel to Rome!

The name Cepheus is derived from Aramaic Qēphā (“Cephas”), meaning “pebble” as in gravel. The Bible itself rules out the Roman claim that Keph=petros/stone AND petra/Peter, as if it even matters.

John 1:40 “Andrew, was Simon PETROS/KEPH brother. He was one of the two folks which heard John speak and followed him. 41 He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, we done found the Messiah (interpreted Christ). 42 And he brought Simon to Jesus. And when Jesus saw him, he said, “Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shall be called CEPHAS/KEPH (which by errant interpretation becomes PETROS/KEPH).

Christ spoke in Aramaic; John wrote in Greek. So why did John switch from petros to Cephas in vs 42a only to explain it is a petros in 42b? Why was Keph translated as Petros 32 times elsewhere without comment but not in 42a? Why the sudden need to transliterate Keph as Cephas and not use the usual petros/Peter?

John didn't consider petros/Peter to be Keph/Cephas. This is certain if you read John explaining what sort of Keph/Cephas Christ was indicating - a petros (pebble), not a petra (rock)! In other words, as John consistently translated Cephas (keph) as Peter (petros) without comment everywhere else, why comment now?

The text is unnecessarily redundant if we accept as true the generalization of petros/stone and petros/Peter. To the contrary, this switch from petros to Cephas is necessary precisely because John does not consider petros/Peter is the Greek translation of Cephas/keph. John knows there is a different Aramaic word – pebble - underlying petros/Peter and it is not – rock - petra/keph.

IXEUS said: "You are only sand and gravel. It is upon (Petra) ROCK that I will build me church" In other words, Jesus (IXEUS, fishman) was slamming whoever Simon Peter really was (the scribes used only pseudonyms). Rock on....

After centuries of redaction, what Christ meant one cannot interpret any more than when translating dog into "Fido" and then, centuries later, "specifying a breed" from authority. Cephas cannot be interpreted, "petros/Peter." Petros/pebble, yes, Petra/Peter/Rock, no way. However Simon Peter means sand and gravel. That is abundantly clear!

John also knew nothing of the equation "Cephas/keph" = Petros/Peter" so necessary to Rome’s claim of Supremecy. The same is true of Matthew who in Mt 16:18 seems, as if he believed the generalization petros/Peter=Cephas/petra/keph, then switched from "petros" to "petra." Biblical redactors were active into the 8th century but obviously missed a few spots - or never read them.

Matthew, with redaction, supposedly translated Keph as Petros/Peter 22 times, so why the sudden switch to petra in 16:18b? Was it missed?

If Christ said in Aramaic "you are keph and upon this keph I will build," why didn't Matthew translate keph as petros both times: "You are petros and upon this petros I will build?" Matthew does NOT consider the Aramaic word underlying petros/Peter to be equivalent to petra/Keph. If he did he would be consistant.

Paul didn't consider petros to be equivalent to Cephas, in Gal 2:9. He switched to Cephas (rejecting petros).

If petros=Cephas then both came to be the man's names at the same time, in Jn 1:42.

Why does Cephas (pebble) identify Peter without question, but petros (rock) does not?

Why must Simon (Silas – sand) be used with petros (Cephas - pebble, gravel) to identify Peter, 33 times:

Matt. 4:18; 10:2; 16:16; Mk. 3:16; 14:37; Lk. 5:8; 6:14; Jn. 6:68; 13:6, 9, 24, 36; 18:10, 15, 25; 20:2, 6; 21:2f, 7, 11, 15, 17; Acts 1:13; 10:5, 18, 32; 11:13; 2 Pet. 1:1

Cephas has an incompatible property. It is not interchangeable with petros.

Petros/Peter and petros/petra/stone are translating different Aramaic words is mandated by the data. Certainly Petros/petra/stone and Petros/Peter are homonyms in Greek, spelled the same but meaning entirely different things.

German scholarship theorized there was in Aramaic a name common among Palestinian Jews of the time meaning "firstborn," PTR PeTeR. The context of Mt 16:18 supports that view as does also PRWTOS in Mt 10:2 where "first" is not a numbering of names on the list. Primacy.

The interpretation of Mt 16:18 as "You are firstborn and upon this very (Earth) Rock" makes sense to the context and the grammar whereas "You are Rock and upon HER Rock (Peter)" does not.

Recap: The name Cepheus is derived from Aramaic Qēphā (Cephas), meaning “pebble” as in gravel. Beyond this, he was Simon Peter – Silas Cephas – sand and gravel. This was the name of the apostle — son of Jonah, and mythical first bishop of Rome. Hence, to epitomize the silliness, Simon’s (Sand’s) Greek name is said to be Petros Peter, from the Greek feminine petra, meaning “rock.”

The Vatican bank is not Petra.

What of Rome, herself?
Romol means tiny (e.g. irritating) sand in Aramaic.
drumroll, rimshot, cymbal

beware: there are other thinkers out there....

Heaven's intercedent (Heavens to Betsy!)

Mere mortal gutter scum is not allowed to communicate directly with the god(s). You see, there is such a vast power distance between the unwashed - but fruitful - meek and the uberfuhrers of heaven that an entire army of holy folks is required to relay the messages back and forth - for a fee.

And indeed, since the time of the Campus at Ostia and the Czars of Rome this has been the unchanging case. And why spoil such a good thing? (The Pope's daughter Lucretia Borgia was quite a tart. Prized for her beauty, she was much sought after by many.) Borgia also sponsored "the Dance of the Chestnuts." What a guy. You can now see that the see is sightless.

Gaius Julius Caesar, 46 BC - AVGVR above; PONT MAX below

So a Julius Caesar fellow held Pontifical Authority before the first pope was a twinkle in his mommy's eye! But wait - as they say - there is more.
ABOVE: Not the flying nun.
Long before tha cardinal's college, the college of pontiffs had a leader, the pontifex maximus or PONT. MAX. on coinage. Until the third century BCE, the college elected the pontifex maximus from their own number. Afterwards, the office was publicly elected. After the fall of Rome to Atilla, the college again elected the pontifex maximus from their own number. He was often bishop of Ostia!
Votive to the Queen of Heaven, with Child, from Ostia

Primus inter pares means "First Among Equals." Ya see, the Roman Church teaches that the Bishop of Rome [a.k.a. the Pope] has primacy among all the bishops of the world. This replaces Canon 7 from Nicaea. And this was before archbishops or cardinals existed. It was in the two later ecumenical councils, that of Ephesus, and that of Chalcedon [451 AD] that the bishop of Rome, as a precedence of honor among the five officially coequal patriarchs, was acknowledges as primus inter pares based on the prevailing myth that Peter had been the 'first pope.'. But, by this very concession Chalcedon disallowed Rome's claim to supremacy of jurisdiction, and to monarchical authority over the entire church. I won't go THIS FAR. However, undercurrents of Buddhism persist.

Romans also brought us the rex sacrorum and the Vestal Virgins - long before the Virgin Mari!

"There were six vestal virgins. [A Roman six-pack] All were traditionally chosen from old patrician families at a young age. They would serve ten years as novices, then ten performing the actual duties, followed by a final ten years of teaching the novices. They lived in a palatial building next to the small Temple of Vesta at the Roman forum. Their foremost duty was to guard the sacred fire in the temple. Other duties included performing rituals and baking the sacred salt cake to be used at numerous ceremonies in the year." (Sip the wine & munch the wafer)

Now I am no Freudian and I ain't gunna bring up all the really kinky stuff (red shoes = virgin's blood) lurking within in the id or lizard brains of some of these fools. But I was (long before Robert Langdon), and am now, a Jungian Symbologist. And repeated patterns of virgins and twins [kinky as it must have been] become obvious ad nauseum.

Up until the second century in the current era, even the mythical Jesus had a twin. Didymus is Greek for "twin", as Thomas is Aramaic for "twin." And the twins were the fish - Pisces. And many ceremonies were just borrowed from the previous occupant.

But the half-astrologers in Rome weren't gunna share THIS with the plebeians! And sometimes concordance was required.

Zosimus, the historian, attributed Rome's decline to the adoption of Xtianity. But I think it was just a coincidence. BTW, I've been wrong about this kind of thing before.

Despite republicans, the militant ignorant, and other obstructionists, the truth (like the pee from an incontinent virgin) will leak out. Rome was a Wal-Mart of religions. Roman Priest Czars had something for everyone. Truth be known, Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva were replaced with god, jesus, and mary. It was all a small slight of hand, perhaps in the mid 4th century. In 135 AD, a Roman Temple was erected on "the site of the Crucifixion" and dedicated to Juno, Jupiter and Minerva.

So what Rome succeeded in doing was usurping the Buddhist influx and stealing the pea (knowledge, teachings) from under the walnut shell. Next post, I will lay out a few dots about how 'sand and gravel' was turned into the Vatican Bank! You connect the dots (or don't).

Kill a Cow for Oden

China is a good place to start. And a Chinese Ziggurat is as good a place in China as any.

When we discuss an emperor, it's not a significant one like Josh, it's a really old one like China’s first Emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi. Ya see, the emperor was an intercedent between heaven and earth. If you wanted favor with the gods, you had to be O.K. with the emperor.

Sound familiar? Besides, what are all those steps and levels about, anyway?
Now and Then, you get a clue.

1) People who crave power invoke god(s)
2) People who crave power sell the god(s), often forcefully.
3) Real god(s) don't need people who crave power to do their bidding.
4) Real god(s) have a sense of humor.
5) Real god(s) are laughing at you right now!
6) Same oil, different snake. How brazen can they be?
7) Beggars teach: "It is good to give!"

In my next posting, I will explain how an 'intercedent between heaven and earth' would become a sort of a "big bridge builder" or Pontificus Maximus and a czar would morph into papa (the Bishop of Rome, and no ordinary bishop either), and other various and sundry "bridge cults" (while avoiding the bridge to complete bankruptcy). One of papa's titles, Pontifex Maximus, is done-said to mean "supreme bridge builder". This title was formerly held by the pre-Xtian Mithraic high priest of Rome - who ruled the temple on Vatican Hill.

In Buddhism, there is no such intercedent. Every Buddhist 'authority' can never become more than 'an ordinary monk.' Each person holds the key to their own awakening. Don't ask a janitor to unlock your door when he has neither key nor clue.