Has anyone read The Corpus Hermeticum?
85242
Yes.  Editors, you(I guess) and many others.  Anything you would like to ask about it?
581030
Very Insightful. Seriously I loved the series. Check out his book "God and the Evolving Universe" another great one. I forget who co-wrote it with him. I try to live with what I learn from reading different concepts and other peoples truths. This set of books has given me so many good lessons. The main thing I took away from it was a totally new way to interact with my children. I see them more as equals now than before. They have taught me many things that have made my life better. I think if people can use what they read in these books then it would be a really good thing for the world. \nLove & Light\nOne Planet = One People
402425
No...and I believe the following will enlighten you to some of the falsities of The Da Vinci Code.  It was a very good book, and I enjoyed it, but remember, it's fiction.  It's not a historical account, a classroom text, or any other nonfiction work.  It does not have to be (and is not) true.\n\n\nThe Da Vinci Code, the Catholic Church and Opus Dei\nA response to The Da Vinci Code from the Prelature of Opus Dei in the United States. \n\nApril 17, 2006 \nMany people are intrigued by the claims about Christian history and theology presented in The Da Vinci Code. We would like to remind them that The Da Vinci Code is a work of fiction, and it is not a reliable source of information on these matters. \n\nThe Da Vinci Code has raised public interest in the origins of the Bible and of central Christian doctrines such as the divinity of Jesus Christ. These topics are important and valuable to study, and we hope that interested readers will be motivated to study some of the abundant scholarship on them that is available in the non-fiction section of the library. \n\nThose who do further research and exercise critical judgment will discover that assertions made in The Da Vinci Code about Jesus Christ, Mary Magdalene, and Church history lack support among reputable scholars. By way of example, The Da Vinci Code popularizes the idea that the fourth century Roman emperor Constantine invented the doctrine of the divinity of Christ for political reasons. The historical evidence, however, clearly shows that the New Testament and the very earliest Christian writings manifest Christian belief in the divinity of Christ. Other examples of discredited claims presented in The Da Vinci Code can be found in this FAQ from Catholic Answers or at the US Bishops' website, www.jesusdecoded.com. For those who are willing to take the time to get to the bottom of the issues raised in The Da Vinci Code, we recommend reading The Da Vinci Deception, De-Coding Da Vinci, or The Da Vinci Hoax. \n\nWe also want to point out that The Da Vinci Code’s depiction of Opus Dei is inaccurate, both in the overall impression and in many details, and it would be irresponsible to form any opinion of Opus Dei based on The Da Vinci Code. Those interested in learning more about the real Opus Dei may wish to read What is Opus Dei?, by Dominique LeTourneau, or Uncommon Faith, by John Coverdale. For those interested in further information about the various false impressions The Da Vinci Code gives of Opus Dei, please continue reading. \n\nPlease let us know if you need someone to speak about Opus Dei for a panel or other event about The Da Vinci Code -- we may have a speaker available in your area.  Also, free resource downloads for study groups and parishes are available from the group, Da Vinci Outreach.\n\n\n1. Opus Dei and monks \n\n\nThroughout The Da Vinci Code, Opus Dei members are presented as monks (or, rather, caricatures of monks). Like all Catholics, Opus Dei members have great appreciation for monks, but in fact there are no monks in Opus Dei. Opus Dei is a Catholic institution for lay people and diocesan priests, not a monastic order. \n\nOpus Dei’s approach to living the faith does not involve withdrawing from the world like those called to the monastic life. Rather, Opus Dei helps people grow closer to God in and through their ordinary secular activities. \n\n“Numerary” members of Opus Dei – a minority – choose a vocation of celibacy in order to be available to organize the activities of Opus Dei. They do not, however, take vows, wear robes, sleep on straw mats, spend all their time in prayer and corporal mortification, or in any other way live like The Da Vinci Code’s depiction of its monk character. In contrast to those called to the monastic life, numeraries have regular secular professional work. \n\nIn fact, The Da Vinci Code gets Opus Dei’s nature 180 degrees backwards. Monastic orders are for people who have a vocation to seek holi
607230
yea i read them a while ago and thought they were interesting.his book"what god wants" is also good,because the answer he gives which is "nothing" is true.how could god want anything-god is complete already.\nif you found those books interesting you would probably like eckhart tolle's books too."the power of now "and his latest one "a new earth."
1145776
Read it for yourself and decide. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/lostgospel/_pdf/GospelofJudas
554568
Hi bellbree,\n\n I was walking to the corner market for a loaf of bread when I had to pass by a neighborhood church. I was somewhat acquainted with the structure as it was always mentioned in the newspaper's community section. Known as "The loft," folks would gather there on Thursday evenings for poetry readings. \nHowever, this day happened to be a Saturday afternoon and a pair of gentlemen greeted me as I walked by. They invited me inside to sample an hour of their presentation. Ok, I went inside and found myself to be a prospective new recruit for their brand of religion. \n\nMost of the pews were filled with hooded monks chanting a haunting rhythm. There were others who like me, were wearing their regular denims. The service began like most other church-goers would be familiar with. A grand master of ceremonies led the group through some songs and gave a sermon. Near the end of the hour it was time for their ritual of "laying on of the hands." Some of the parishioners would come forward and ask for prayers for their ailments or for a sick grand mum who fell down in the tub. All the hooded dudes whose faces could not readily be seen would all place a hand on the person and their combined energies were presumed to have a strength and expedite a solution to the problem. \n\nOK now, there was another new guy in the pews who was watching eagerly. I recognized Mark W. Reinhold from the wanted poster at the post office. When he saw a chance, he approached the ring of conspirators and described how he was never able to settle down. The hooded goons closed in upon him, all to make a physical connection. The master of ceremonies began a prayer, a dogmatic mix of logic and pure hocus-pocus. I immediately saw the effects as the tension went out of Mark's body. When the beseeching was near an end, the master asked, "Are the brothers ready?" \n\nA suspenseful few moments passed until he almost shouted, "NOW!" \n\nOn that cue, the brothers began to pummel their hapless victim. Continually delivering blows over head and to the solar plexus until Mark was down on the floor getting stomped. After another minute, the grand Pooh-Bah decided the treatment administered was sufficient to induce a relaxing calm that would assuage the nervousness in Mark for a long, long time. \n\nI can't say for certain that Mark W. Reinhold was apprehended and locked up because, I had a loaf of bread to buy and some other errands to do that day. I hope for you bellbree, that you find a sense of closure to this bad episode of life. \n\n-Bryce
1120350
haven't read it yet.  but I'm currently reading "misquoting jesus" by bart ehrman, it's quite good.
579694
Are you thinking of doing a paper on the gods?\nDon't ever sell these unscientific accounts short. Edward Furlong (not the actor) broadcast a two part series on the CBC AM 'Ideas' program in January, 1990 entitled The Immortals. Do your best to obtain either a recording or a transcript of this two part series. He covers five pre-Christ mythologies surrounding the Middle East. Believe me, his narrated collections will figuratively blow your mind.\nIf anything, it will certainly help you look at mythology from a different perspective.
522004
Yes, the book is definitely trustworthy.  Yes, you can believe it to be true.\n\nGod made Himself into a man.  As the previous answer indicates, His name is Jesus Christ.  While here He healed the sick, rebuked demons, He walked, talked & ate with man, He cried with man, He resurrected dead men, He purged evil spirits and He performed miracles.  Most importantly, He came as the Sacrificial Lamb and died and resurrected Himslelf to save man from sin forever.  I can't wait to walk with Him in my second life.  I hope you'll be there with us.
379421
Yes I have, several times in fact.\n\nIt's an excellent novel, both in the terms of a fiction book, and as a general introduction to the many types of Philosophy. I read it first whilst I was at college (about 16 years old), and it help my attention.\n\nI do recommend it if you are wanting a good read, or wanting to find out more about Philosophy but aren't wanting to be swamped by text books.
563850
Well I´ve read the book and enjoyed it throughly! But sad to say there is a lot of thingd in the book that is false, \nbut it does makes you wonder. \n\nWhat I can´t understand is that a few years ago there were some old scripures found, but wouldn´d be accepted by the church. These scriptures underwent all the neccassary test to prove its validity(and it was found to be written the time Jesus was alive and 100 after he died).But it was a little bit contridicting to what is in the bible.\n\nAnyway what the da vinci code does is start to put doubt in the minds of people, and why did  the church reacted so strange to this book which is a novel! \n\nAnd okay the thought that Jesus actually has a living heir is strange, but Dan Brown was not the first to write about this there are many other listed books. And ´if´ that were true then the church would clear not want that knowledge to be known because it would loss a lot of credibility.\nSome modern writers,including Dan Brown, have come forward with claims that Mary Magdalene was the wife of Jesus. These writers cite Gnostic writings to support their argument. Sources like the ´Gospel of Philip´ do depict Mary Magdalene as being closer to Jesus than any other disciple. \nHowever, there is no known ancient document that claims she was his wife and Gnosticism was generally non-supportive of sexuality. The closeness described in these writings depicts Mary Magdalene, representing the Gnostics, as understanding Jesus and his teaching while the other disciples, representing the Church, did not.\nMary Magdalene appears with more frequency than other women in the canonical Gospels and is shown as being a close follower of Jesus. Mary's presence at the Crucifixion and Jesus's tomb, while hardly conclusive, is at least consonant with the role of grieving wife and widow, although if that were the case Jesus might have been expected to make provision for her care as well as for his mother Mary. Given the lack of contemporary documentation, this scenario cannot be proven, and although some consider the idea desirable to believe, most scholars do not take it seriously.\n\nAn argument for support of the married status of Jesus is that bachelorhood was very rare for Jewish males of Jesus' time, being generally regarded as a transgression of the first mitzvah (divine commandment) — "Be fruitful and multiply". According to this reasoning, it would have been unthinkable for an adult, unmarried Jew to travel about teaching as a rabbi.\nA counter-argument to this is that the Judaism of Jesus' time was very diverse and the role of the rabbi was not yet well defined. It was really not until after the Roman destruction of the Second Temple in A.D. 70 that Rabbinic Judaism became dominant and the role of the rabbi made uniform in Jewish communities.\nPaul of Tarsus was an example of an unmarried itinerant teacher among Christians. Jesus himself approved of voluntary celibacy for religious reasons and explicitly rejected a duty to marry: "There are eunuchs, who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven. He that can take, let him take it." (Matthew 19,12)\n\nThe idea that Mary Magdalene was the wife of Jesus was popularized by books like the pseudo-historical Holy Blood, Holy Grail (1982) and The Da Vinci Code (2003), a novel heavily influenced by the former book. These assertions have found no acceptance from scholarly circles.\n\nAnd secret societcy are meant to be kept secret so I don´t expect the historians to find a lot of concrete information about the Priory of Sion. \n\nAnd maybe Leonardo did discover something and instead of just saying or exposing it out right he decided to be clever and hide it within his works of art. After all he was known as a genuis.\n\nSo I(am born and raised catholic, but was taught to have an open mind about things.) personally an very intrigued by this idea of Dan Browns, but I am neither for it nor against it. I
362940
I have been reading about that as of late and find it interesting.  plausible. The bible has seen a lot gone through a lot in that i mean translations.  It also stands that some books were purposely left out.  With that in mind I don't feel it proves with out a shadow of a doubt that its true.  However it does leave enough room for the thought and probability.
936187
I read about a third and stopped.  Dr. Bock is a competent writer but it's very old ground that's been plowed over for two hundred years and he's added absolutely nothing new with one more traditionalist book for the laity. \n\nI think you can pretty much sum up the psuedepigrapha with one admittedly subjective distinction: the non-canonical material is even sillier than the material that made it in, and it doesn't take more than a long magazine article to explain what it is and why it's not canonicial.
1060660
Read about it here.\n\nhttp://www.biblebelievers.org.au/moongod.htm
933967
Hey, bud.  If you look hard enough, you should be able to find yourself a copy online.  That said, you're going to have to look pretty hard because the Church of Satan vociferously defends all of its copyrights and that includes Lavey's Satanic Bible.  If it's really worth it to you to read Lavey, I suggest you shell out the eight bucks at your local bookstore.  \n\nThat said, what you're describing doesn't fit into Lavey's concept of Satanism at all (at least in his later years, what he pushed early on is up for debate).  Anton Lavey taught that ultimately the individual is master of his own soul.  Going to anyone, be it Jehovah or Satan, for punishment or reward would be degradation from what I've read of LaVey.  \n\nBear in mind, I'm not saying your self-description is bad or your belief system faulty, I'm just saying maybe you need to look somewhere else to find information that would complement and grow your worldview.  Personally, I think that intuition that honor is owed to some of what we label good and some of what we label as evil is spot on.  Rather than accepting the definitions handed to you of Jehovah and Satan and viewing yourself as hedging bets between them, consider that this might be your soul nudging you in the direction of a more integrated, expansive definition of the Divine (and thus of yourself, as we usually aspire to be like what we honor).  I kind of agree with our concerned Christian friends - believing in both Jehovah and Satan will lead to spiritual and mental fracture.  It might be best to let go of both of them and move on to a definition that you map out for yourself.\n\nIf you're interested in going that route, I suggest you take a look at the Internet Sacred Text Archive.  They've got a lot of information for you to explore on your own (if you're really interested in satanism, go to their search page and shoot that into the system and see what you get), but not Lavey's Satanic Bible.  \n\nhttp://www.sacred-texts.com/index.htm\n\nGood journey to you.
932565
I don't think there are actually writings original to the mithras sect anymore. I believe the information is mainly from secondary sources.\n\nI could be wrong, though--and would liek to know of a good translation if anyone out there is aware of one!
1016494
Hi Anna M\nThis book looks interesting. I think I'll buy and read it.\nThanks.