Yea, there is a school of thought, that some parts of The New Testament were edited at some point, which I tend to believe, as it would explain many of the contradictions. For instance, the 'Son of Man' phrase (being just one of those puzzling things) that Jesus had supposedly used in reference to himself, sort of contradicts the 'Son of God' thing, in a way. There are those who believe that this phrase was actually indirectly influenced by the Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus, who wanted to be worshipped as a god, which (ironically) most Christians and Jews (as well as myself included) think is not only extremely abhorrent and narcissistic, but also extremely sick. (Supposedly, there is evidence that some of the early Christian Theologians had some kind of connection to some of the later Roman Emperors, for example). Also, some of the other puzzling things in relation to Jesus telling his followers to turn the other cheek, may have been put in there, to give free rein to the then leaders of the Roman Empire during that period, to abuse the early Christians any way they wanted (to prevent a possible insurrection for example) and to make them believe, that this was sorta' like God's will! i.e. "He who wants to be my follower must carry his cross and follow me" vs "I have come that you might have life, and have it more abundantly." (Are just several of those seeming contradictions). And the puzzling passage: "He who loves mother, father, brother or sister more then me is not worthy of me." Which any sensible person knows is like a big red flag, and a direct reference to a cult. i.e. Jim Jones, etc. I mean, the official (and full) name of the Catholic Church is really: The 'Roman' Catholic Church! So yea, even though THERE ARE some extremely insightful, and even brilliant (and even some very prophetic and powerful) things in the Bible as a whole, one has to still use common sense, and understand that it is still (ultimately) written by man...
Just my two cents here, as the reason for posting this particular video, and in researching and understanding history, and learning the real truth behind things, in relation to that...
Yea, the Roman Emperor Nero, was rightly considered to be a seriously sick f*ck, and quite possibly, even of the same gene lineage leading up to the Mafia, and Organized Crime. (Which became a plague in Italy at some point, that some had even tried to eliminate from the country; as was the case with some in ancient Rome, in relation to Nero himself). But yea, I agree with this guy's interpretation, that the number 666 in the Book of Revelation, is really a (hidden and coded) reference to the Emperor Nero. (He was also an Emperor who wanted to be worshiped as a god, if I'm not mistaken). In fact, most Catholic Scholars also seem to agree with this interpretation. (As I still have a Catholic Bible, with a footnote in relation this passage, that provides that exact same interpretation!) Although, I admit, that I am not (nor do I necessarily want to be) a biblical scholar. Just think the whole thing is kinda' interesting, especially in light of all the crazy interpretations of this strange book. Could it still have some kind of a dual, or even deeper spiritual meaning? Possibly, I guess. But the book (as history has shown us, and as often is the case with a fundamentalist interpretation of the Bible itself) does seem to have a particular propensity for often attracting the craziest of the craziest (in more ways then one) for sure. (I have sometimes wondered, and attempted to analyze why that is, myself).
Eric Rudolph, David Koresh, The Branch Davidians, Jim Jones (and many others) for instance, are like a perfect example of this. And this seems to even go back to ancient times. So, that is why I can understand why there are (seemingly sensible) people who choose to be atheists; although it really doesn't fully explain the larger picture. Once again, I strongly believe, that you just have to use common sense, and have a sound mind. (And if you don't, get some help). Too Deep...
"We as a people have a long history of letting the worst men rule us. Sad that thousands of years later and we haven't gotten any better." -leatyellowSNO (YouTube viewer) Well said.
I agree, and why I think historical stories like this can be so interesting. It's like an alternate study in Psychology and Sociology, as part of History; and how it is all related, as to why things are the way they are. In fact, that part of this historical story of Nero's burning of Rome, and then blaming it on the Christians; oh yea, too deep. (Sound familiar? It should). And the ruling body under the Emperor were actually called: Senators!!! Damn. No further comment. Whew. Sad. Yea, "No one I think is in my tree..." -John Lennon Yep. Too Deep. Gotta' stop blogging like this. Ironically, as in the case with John Lennon, I definitely get the feeling that it makes the crazy people (and bad guys) loose their freakin' minds!!! And that blows MY mind. Just an innocent blog, pretty much minding my own business. (As the saying goes: "Its all about location, location, location." I know what I mean). Sad...
