"My spiritual preferences are my own. I am not obliged to conform to others' beliefs, nor do I expect others to conform to mine." -- Pug Mahoney
A problem throughout history is the conflict generated when one group insists that their spiritual beliefs be held by everyone, no matter their ethnic, cultural or historic background.
Lost in the conflict is the idea that differing societies perceive of the Otherworld in differing ways.
Just as some languages give a different name to a Boss Deity (Lord God), they also offer respect to that Deity in different ways. That does not mean that the Ultimate Power is actually different; only that human reality perceives that Power differently.
Various cultures honor a single Deity as being in charge of other supernatural entities, and do so by giving that Boss God various names and genders.
Conflict arises when people of one culture insist that their way is the only right way, and therefore all other ways are wrong, and therefore evil.
Some cultures further insist not only that there is just one Boss Deity, but also that He is the only Deity. To them, the term Lord God is redundant.
It becomes a challenge when they are asked to explain references to other supernatural beings such as angels.
And, if there be only one, how does one explain the reference to "other gods" in the first of the Ten Commandments?
"I am the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not put other gods before Me." (Sometimes that sentence appears in translation as "foreign gods," or as "different gods.")
The problem is sidestepped when the phrasing is read as spoken by the one deity in charge of all other deities, and the readers are ordered not to honor other deities as being in control.
The concept of a single deity being in charge also explains the banishment of the angel Lucifer to the Lower World because he dared to challenge the Boss God.
The name Lucifer, by the way, can be translated as "bearer of light," which further explains his challenge and banishment.
Consider also the term archangel, meaning one who is in charge. The difference, according to some theologians, is that Michael did not challenge the Boss.
FYI, the word "boss" is borrowed from the Dutch language, and refers to a person in control, while the term "lord" is an Anglo-Saxon term with the same meaning, and "master" derives from the Germanic "meister," also meaning "man in charge." Similarly, the term "mistress," in its primary meaning, mean "woman in charge."
It is likely that in colonial America, citizens with their strong sense of independence disliked using the term "master," so they changed the pronunciation to "mister," or they used the alternate term "boss."
In short, many human societies honor an Otherworld and the beings that inhabit that world, each society using differing terms.
A comparison of belief systems shows many similarities, even as the names differ. Some use the term "gods," with one deity superior to all the others, who are then referred to with differing labels, such as angels or saints.
Other societies use different names. One example is the name Zeus, the one deity in charge in the ancient Greek conception of the Otherworld.
Note the similarity to the Latin "Deus," the Spanish "Dios," and the French "Dieux."
In closing, note that the English term "god" is borrowed from the Germanic or Anglo-Saxon word "gott."
The spelling and pronunciation may change, but the concept is the same.
A problem throughout history is the conflict generated when one group insists that their spiritual beliefs be held by everyone, no matter their ethnic, cultural or historic background.
Lost in the conflict is the idea that differing societies perceive of the Otherworld in differing ways.
Just as some languages give a different name to a Boss Deity (Lord God), they also offer respect to that Deity in different ways. That does not mean that the Ultimate Power is actually different; only that human reality perceives that Power differently.
Various cultures honor a single Deity as being in charge of other supernatural entities, and do so by giving that Boss God various names and genders.
Conflict arises when people of one culture insist that their way is the only right way, and therefore all other ways are wrong, and therefore evil.
Some cultures further insist not only that there is just one Boss Deity, but also that He is the only Deity. To them, the term Lord God is redundant.
It becomes a challenge when they are asked to explain references to other supernatural beings such as angels.
And, if there be only one, how does one explain the reference to "other gods" in the first of the Ten Commandments?
"I am the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not put other gods before Me." (Sometimes that sentence appears in translation as "foreign gods," or as "different gods.")
The problem is sidestepped when the phrasing is read as spoken by the one deity in charge of all other deities, and the readers are ordered not to honor other deities as being in control.
The concept of a single deity being in charge also explains the banishment of the angel Lucifer to the Lower World because he dared to challenge the Boss God.
The name Lucifer, by the way, can be translated as "bearer of light," which further explains his challenge and banishment.
Consider also the term archangel, meaning one who is in charge. The difference, according to some theologians, is that Michael did not challenge the Boss.
FYI, the word "boss" is borrowed from the Dutch language, and refers to a person in control, while the term "lord" is an Anglo-Saxon term with the same meaning, and "master" derives from the Germanic "meister," also meaning "man in charge." Similarly, the term "mistress," in its primary meaning, mean "woman in charge."
It is likely that in colonial America, citizens with their strong sense of independence disliked using the term "master," so they changed the pronunciation to "mister," or they used the alternate term "boss."
In short, many human societies honor an Otherworld and the beings that inhabit that world, each society using differing terms.
A comparison of belief systems shows many similarities, even as the names differ. Some use the term "gods," with one deity superior to all the others, who are then referred to with differing labels, such as angels or saints.
Other societies use different names. One example is the name Zeus, the one deity in charge in the ancient Greek conception of the Otherworld.
Note the similarity to the Latin "Deus," the Spanish "Dios," and the French "Dieux."
In closing, note that the English term "god" is borrowed from the Germanic or Anglo-Saxon word "gott."
The spelling and pronunciation may change, but the concept is the same.
Final note: The English word "bible" is borrowed from Latin, and simply means "book," as in "bibliography," a list of books, or "bibliophile," a love of books.
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