Baby Einstein … not so much

According to this article:

the Walt Disney Company is now offering refunds for all those “Baby Einstein” videos that did not make children into geniuses.

They may have been a great electronic baby sitter, but the unusual refunds appear to be a tacit admission that they did not increase infant intellect.

So, it turns out that turning on a box and walking out of the room does nothing to increase your child’s intellect. That’s crazy. Next thing you’ll tell me is that Einstein himself didn’t just passively sit in from of a TV to get so smart. What is a parent to do. I’m starting to have my doubt that splashing water on a baby’s forehead will make them magically a good person.

Parthenogenesis (Virgin Birth)

Gnostic Media’s show on Virgin Birth

A Universe From Nothing by Lawrence Krauss

The Spectre is Now a Christian Shill

It’s official, The Spectre is now a Christian shill. I’ve recently had the immense displeasure of reading Crisis Aftermath: The Spectre and it may have ruined my interest in the supernatural comic book genre.

Ok, I’m not really much of a comic reader of late. I was simply trying to re-connect with my youth and catch up on what’s been happening with some of the more interesting and mysterious characters in the DC canon. And enjoy some more light hearted reading, of course (too much science and biblical criticism can make one rather narrowly focused).

Truth be told, I had not really read much of the Spectre when I was a youthful comic reader, either. But, I had always though him to be a pretty intriguing looking character, always just lurking in the background – his intention or purpose being just outside of the scope of the Justice League stories I enjoyed. I had recently read the Crisis on Infinite Earths bound edition comic, so I figured that a Crisis Aftermath title would be a pretty good follow up read. Next thing I knew, I had been suckered into buying a big hunk of Christian propaganda. The Spectre is now working for Yahweh.

In his born again re-invention, Mr Specre announces to his new human counterpart that he had previously forgotten his “true nature” on Earth, but he now realizes that he is actually “God’s instrument of divine justice”. A matter of a few pages later, however, he back tracks to infinity by announcing that the decision for damnation or redemption isn’t his to make, and that he is actually just “preparing” the sinners for judgment. And, this is done by killing all the criminals they find in ironic and painful ways reminiscent of the worst of Buddhist hells.

I could see myself enjoying this re-invention, if done right. I enjoy Judeo-Christian mythology (the Exorcist is one of my favorite films), I’m just not a fan of the Christian version of “justice”. I find it rather appalling and distasteful, even in fictional form. And, it could be a coincidence, but I find it odd that the one character that manages to survive more than a have dozen panels just happens to have a Jewish name.

In the same Amazon order I also picked up a Dr Fate title … I’m looking at it with trepidation now. What sort of re-invention might have befallen the sorcerer?

God of the Week: El

God of the Week 10/19/09: El

El was was the ancient Canaanite chief of the gods, and was was often called Tôru ‘Ēl or “the bull god”. A  tablet dated to 2300 CE has El listed at the top of a list of 70 gods.

He is believed to a god of the desert since his myths say that he built a sanctuary with his children in the desert. He is also depicted as residing on top a mountain.

Canaanite El worship appears to have syncretized with Hebrew mythology, the later perhaps evolving out of the former, and there are instanced of this evolution present in the Hebrew bible. In the earlier texts, their god is refereed to as El, or variations of the name. In Exodus 6:3-4,  their god makes this statement:

And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob by the name of Ēl Shaddāi, but by My name Yahweh was I not known to them. And I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers.

This announcement of a name change appears to have been a scriptural method of converting the Canaanite followers of El to Yahweh worship. Originally, these appear to have been two separate gods, Yahweh being a sky/storm god, El a desert/creator god.

Further reading on early Canaanite myths and their evolution into Hebrew myths:

• Canaanite Myth and Hebrew Epic
• The Origins of Biblical Monotheism: Israel’s Polytheistic Background and the Ugaritic Texts

35 Is The Holy Highway

Just when you thought Christians couldn’t get any stranger, a Christian Movement has come to the conclusion that Highway 35 is the Holy Highway.

A growing number of evangelical Christians around the world are convinced that Interstate 35 is a holy highway. The movement, which began in Texas where the interstate begins, has some strong local supporters in Minnesota.

This group is convinced the Interstate 35W bridge collapse was a sign from above. They say the source is the Bible verse from Isaiah 35. It says: “A highway will be there, a roadway, and it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it. “

The verse in question is below:

And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but is shall be for the redeemed: the wayfaring men, yea fools, shall not err therein. (Isaiah 35:8, ASV)

Unfortunately for prophecy, there are quite a few atheists that take Highway 35 to our monthly meeting, so they would be unclean (in the Christian sense). And, with all the stinky people in the world, there are real unclean people traveling on it consistently. And the previous verse mentions jackals specifically, so the chances of it referring to the US Highway system is pretty slim, possibility of real prophecy aside.

And the glowing sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water: in the habitation of jackals, where they lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes. (Isaiah 35:7, ASV)

But, seriously folks, the very next verses in the chapter display very clearly the intent of the section.

No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast go up thereon; they shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there: and the ransomed of Jehovah shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads: they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. (Isaiah 35: 9-10, ASV)

It’s pretty clearly speaking of the Hebrews return back to their homeland, either the southerners return to Judah following the Babylonian Exile, or the Northerners return to Israel after the Assyrian invasion (depending on the age of the passage) and it is predicting a peaceful journey home. It says nothing of future events or bridges collapsing. Isaiah wrote during the time of King Hezekiah, so this would suggest that it is speaking of the Assyrian Invasion, though the last few chapters of that book change in style and appears to have been added to by his successors later. Verse 35 is at the cuspe of that change, so it could go either way.

One way or another, prophesy that needs to be twisted, parts ignored, and other parts embellished, does not work as prophesy. Isaiah was either a well renowned religious leader of his day, or a really crappy prophet for today.

Who Needs a Prop 8?

With bigots like this working in the government, who the fuck needs any laws against any sort of marriage?

A Louisiana justice of the peace said he refused to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple out of concern for any children the couple might have.

And, for the record of dumbest quote of all time!

“I’m not a racist. I just don’t believe in mixing the races that way”

Keith Bardwell, justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish, tries to treat everybody equally by refusing to marry all interracial couples. So, apparently, that makes it all fair and equal. Yep. His logic, not mine. Looks like somebody missed a couple of logic classes.

Superstious Stare At Sun To See God

A group of superstitious Irish, chose October 12th to stare at the sun until they started to see things. They apparently expected to see a manifestation of a female character in a two thousand year old Jewish myth. Their experiences differed though, if this turns out to be like other sun staring events, I’m sure, they will eventually reconcile them the differences and all claim a unified religious experience.

One sun starer described his hallucination this way:

“I witnessed the sun go all different colours, yellow, red and green. Then it completely darkened and began shimmering. Sometimes the sun emitted a clean, bright light, then it would darken again”

While another described it as such:

“The sun was spinning in the sky. I experienced a feeling of total happiness. It is a feeling I would love to experience again. It was amazing. I felt marvellous.”

Neither of them described seeing a two thousand year old Middle Eastern woman.

God of the Week: Ishtar

God of the Week 10/12/09: Ishtar

Ishtar is the ancient Assyrian goddess of war, and sweet sweet lovin’. She was the lover of the dying and rising god Tammuz and was portrayed as causing his death.

She is believed to have been the personification of the planet Venus and variations of her as the Queen of Heaven was worshiped in many of the surrounding cultures.

From Tammuz and Ishtar by Stephen Langdon:

In Babylonian religion the earth goddess appears in three aspects in her relation to the dying god. As in the Semitic, Phrygian, and Hittite cults she was here regarded as the mother and wife of Tammuz, and as in the Egyptian cult she was also regarded as his sister and wife. We have here at the very beginning of historic Sumerian religion as strange mixture of principles which probably arose from a mixture of the Sumerian and Semitic cults.

The entire book can be downloaded at Archive.org: Tammuz and Ishtar: a monograph upon Babylonian religion and theology By Stephen Langdon

I have learned that it is very difficult to find information on Ishtar; not because it’s not there, but because it’s difficult to weed out the crappy movies, world music, and neo-pagan references.

Garden of Eden Critiqued in 360 AD

The Garden of Eden Myth Critiqued by Julian the Apostate (360-363 AD):