Matter.

[Ghid]

Sounds like Masonry to me.

You must be new here. I'm new myself, so I'm likely not an official greeter, but welcome anyway.

I don't remember the details, and I don't remember why I know this, but before the Civil War the Masons had some major PR problems due to the secret nature of their organization. The scandal went something like this. A man was murdered. The accused was a Mason. Members of the jury were Masons. The accused was either acquitted or had a hung jury. The organization was accused of being more loyal to its members than they were to the truth. They were condemned by the talking heads of the time, including John Quincy Adams.

Are the Masons sinister and secretive? I, for one, would like to know why they wear those silly hats. Why would anyone want to look like Sydney Greenstreet playing Signor Ferrari in Casablanca?

 

[agua]

You must be new here. I'm new myself, so I'm likely not an official greeter, but welcome anyway.

I don't remember the details, and I don't remember why I know this, but before the Civil War the Masons had some major PR problems due to the secret nature of their organization. The scandal went something like this. A man was murdered. The accused was a Mason. Members of the jury were Masons. The accused was either acquitted or had a hung jury. The organization was accused of being more loyal to its members than they were to the truth. They were condemned by the talking heads of the time, including John Quincy Adams.

Are the Masons sinister and secretive? I, for one, would like to know why they wear those silly hats. Why would anyone want to look like Sydney Greenstreet playing Signor Ferrari in Casablanca?

Ta for the welcome. The Masons have many PR problems for sure and mostly because of the secret oaths etc which are a bit creepy. Most Masons claim the oaths are symbolic only but then I wonder why they take them at all really. The story about the bloke who was murdered is familiar; I think he was an ex-mason who was planning to publish/reveal his reasons for leaving etc. I suppose when a Mason is baptised into the group it kinda becomes their salvation.

How do you know Signor Ferrari's fez was red wasn't Casablanca black and white ? The red fez is only worn by the particular variety of Masons called Shriners and the Nth American group has the crescent moon and the sabre on it.

 

[Major]

When I said that Islam and Buddhism compete with Christianity, I did not mean that terrorists threaten Christianity any more than they threaten any other religion. I meant that Islam has a higher growth rate, and Buddhism could have more members. The official number for Buddhists is much less than Christianity, but Chinese people practice a religion which seems Buddhist to me. Chinese is likely the largest ethnic group on Earth. If they are added to the Buddhist population, Buddhism could be the largest.

Islam and Buddhism are organized religions. The Gnostics, if I understand, may have Gnostic attitudes, but they don't know that they are Gnostics.

And yes, you are correct. Before I read this thread, I knew nothing of Gnostics, except that it might have been a seventh grade vocabulary word on a 3x5 card.

Gnostic - member of a first century religion, which competed with Christianity.

Not exactly in depth knowledge, so I really should not have an opinion.

IMO the Muslim religion is not competing with Christianity. It is actually trying to eradicate it!!!

Buddhism is more of a philosophy than it is a religion.

 

[Ghid]

Ta for the welcome. The Masons have many PR problems for sure and mostly because of the secret oaths etc which are a bit creepy. Most Masons claim the oaths are symbolic only but then I wonder why they take them at all really. The story about the bloke who was murdered is familiar; I think he was an ex-mason who was planning to publish/reveal his reasons for leaving etc. I suppose when a Mason is baptised into the group it kinda becomes their salvation.

How do you know Signor Ferrari's fez was red wasn't Casablanca black and white ? The red fez is only worn by the particular variety of Masons called Shriners and the Nth American group has the crescent moon and the sabre on it.

Oh? Do Shriners wear red hats? I had not thought about how the hats are any particular color. And I did not know that only some masons have hats. That shows how little I know about Masons.

Here is a Casablanca publicity poster. The hat looks like it might be cardinal red.

Some of my Catholic relatives would become Masons, but they say that it would require them to take an oath against the Catholic Church. So they join the Knights of Columbus. A Jewish relative belongs to The Knights of Pythius. Around here the Pythian Knights are all Jewish.

Wikipedia has an article that mentions the murder trial. Secret oaths make for creepy.

 

[Ghid]

IMO the Muslim religion is not competing with Christianity. It is actually trying to eradicate it!!!

Buddhism is more of a philosophy than it is a religion.

My first exposure to Buddhism involved me going in the early morning with my grandmother to visit her clients. She is a lawyer. She helps small businesses deal with various legal codes that sometimes crush businesses before they get started. Much of her practice involves immigrants, who want to have businesses, so their relatives can earn a living.

In la madrugada, as Don Quixote would say, I watched immigrants from East and Southeast Asia place food on an altar. They had a statues or pictures of various Buddhas. The process seemed like a religious practice.

However, the textbooks never mention that side of Buddhism. The textbooks say that Buddha says life is suffering. Follow the Eightfold path to end suffering. Use meditation to find understanding to … etc. To me that sounded more like a philosophy than a religion. This philosophy attracts apostates from Christianity. Sometimes the apostates get really nasty about how much they hate Christianity or how they have been mistreated by Christians. Atheist apostates follow a similar pattern.

So these Ex-Christian Buddhists are real people. I could count them. I could make a list. I say, "could." I have not counted. I have no idea how many. I know there are some.

So, if I understand correctly, there are Gnostic ideas, but no Gnostics, something like how Socrates promoted Christian ideas in the absence of Christians.

About Muslims: I go to school with Muslims, and six or eight other religions. I think that none of us wants to destroy other religions, except maybe with example or debate.

I know that my life will likely revolve around the political and military action against jihadists who want to destroy not just Christianity, but the whole world. To that end, military recruiters grace our campus with their presence. I think my oldest brother is somehow already involved. He says if he were to tell me what he does he would need to shoot me.

The point here must be that Muslim terrorists, not Gnostic terrorists, wage war on the world.

Now I must move my mass to mass to get energy for the week.

 

[Major]

Oh? Do Shriners wear red hats? I had not thought about how the hats are any particular color. And I did not know that only some masons have hats. That shows how little I know about Masons.

Here is a Casablanca publicity poster. The hat looks like it might be cardinal red.

Some of my Catholic relatives would become Masons, but they say that it would require them to take an oath against the Catholic Church. So they join the Knights of Columbus. A Jewish relative belongs to The Knights of Pythius. Around here the Pythian Knights are all Jewish.

Wikipedia has an article that mentions the murder trial. Secret oaths make for creepy.

Shriners are 33rd degree Masons. All Shriners are Masons.

 

[Ghid]

To show you how deep the rabbit hole goes on Gnostic thinking and what you just said......remember the movie "Matrix".
Man became energy!!! Man was a battery used for energy. Mans matter was used as an energy source. It is amazing how many Hollywood productions incorporate the Gnostic thought into movies that subliminally corrupt our minds.

Think about Star Wars......Is there really a "force" that we can tap into??? That is New Age thought, but its roots are in the Gnostic teaching.

Yesterday, my youngest brother, who is my go to guy for movies, told me that he set our cable box to record Matrix, so maybe next weekend I will be able to watch it.

 

[Major]

Yesterday, my youngest brother, who is my go to guy for movies, told me that he set our cable box to record Matrix, so maybe next weekend I will be able to watch it.

I am confident that with what you have now been told you will be able to see it through spiritual eys and see exactly what we have been talking about.