Friday, May 27, 2011

Of Metaphor and Myth; The Creation



Except perhaps in the office of the psychotherapist, nowhere is the use of metaphor more common, and embellished than that found in religion.  In all the major religions we observe the same themes, and they are derivations of a much older mythology.  Indeed, when one comes to grips with the Creation mytheme, it is clearly evident the Creation story as told in Mormon literature is more corrupt than that of the ancient Semitic. 

Margaret Barker has demonstrably shown that the Semitic account of Creation and the ancient Priestly Order is a production of the Deuteronomists, who systematically rewrote the ancient history as had among the pre-Exilic Israelites.  Throughout the Old Testament texts the credibility of Israel’s priests and religious dogma reverberates, as though these ancient priests were compelled to prove their authenticity.  Superimposed on the credibility theme is an intense sense of inferiority, as though these priests of the post-exilic period had something to hide. Their transition from a belief in a pantheon of Gods to the One True God was so loudly heralded that the world has been in conflict over whose God is the True God ever since.  Millions of lives have been decimated througout the ensuing millennia over this conflict.  At the microscopic level we have Protestants accusing Mormons they worship a different Jesus than found in the Bible.  At the macroscopic level we have a remnant of the Khazars, a bunch of Turks who converted to Judaism, attempting to re-establish their world dominance, not just as rulers, but as the only pure, chosen people of God to inherit the earth via the New World Order.  It is no coincidence those wandering Turks adopted Judaism; the Israelites were also once known as the Shepherd peoples, a nomadic bunch who constantly squabbled with one another over territory and supremacy.  The inferiority complex is indeed quite ancient, and actually has its roots in the Fall, Flood, and the expulsion from “Paradise.”

For many years studying the Mormon Enochic and Mosaic accounts I stumbled repeatedly in my effort to reconcile those accounts with the more ancient, commonly known texts.  Nothing would line up.  There were only fragments that seemed to correlate, and then the whole assemblage would collapse as the respective stories diverged.  I discovered that at the Council of Nicea, the book of Enoch was discarded as heretical in favor of John’s Revelation, and was much perplexed by this.  Why would a bunch of priests of dubious authority collectively eschew an ancient text in favor of a more recent “vision” which is clearly as metaphorical as the Nostradamus quatrains?  Every religious prognosticator since that Council has attempted to align John’s vision with contemporary events, down to the most recent declaration of World’s End on May 21st, 2011.  The most common explanation is that the doctrines promulgated in the Enochic text were incompatible with the conception of God contemporary with the Nicean priests. My frustration was only heightened attending the Mormon temple and memorizing the Creation account presented there verbatim.  It wasn’t long before inconsistencies and a clear message of capriciousness in the behavior of the Gods solidified.  It soon became evident to me the Mormon Creation story was a jumbled mass of various themes thrown together in an attempt to recreate the much older Deutronomic account.  Just as a person naturally maneuvers to different areas of a grand, 1000 piece puzzle to fill in the obscure areas, so I was driven to drop this line of study of the Creation and begin elsewhere for more information.  Oddly enough, I stumbled on to a new vector while studying the most recent postulates concerning the Cosmos in the field of electricity.

It seems there is a confluence of research in various scientific disciplines, all pointing to a common origin.  Plasma physics has entered the realm of astrophysics in an attempt to explain observations and make predictions that are repeatable.  Astrophysics is the business of trying to explain the origin of the Universe, and subsequently our solar system.  And it’s theories and postulates have failed miserably until the entrance of plasma physics to the scene.  In a similar vein, researchers of the world’s Mythology were unsuccessful for centuries in completely explaining the motifs and symbology found around the world, all pointing to a common theme.  Again, enter the science of electrified plasma and suddenly the symbols and metaphors of the Creation Myths are identified and unlocked.  When researcher Dave Talbott was introduced to plasma physics by physicist Wal Thornhill, and Dave’s work verified to stunning accuracy by plasma physicist Anthony Peratt, suddenly the ancient Myths took on a new dimension of clarity and meaning.  In the midst of this artifact researcher Klaus Donna has conclusively shown the pre-megalithic ancient world not only spoke and wrote one common language, but were well acquainted with other civilized areas of the planet and traded commodities long before conventional science allows metal tools.  The material these researchers are bringing together is an unprecedented cohesive view not only of our planet’s history, but also its cosmological genesis.  The picture of our past, the origin of religions, the origin of Man, the concept of the Gods are all being laid out and identified in a cohesive Creation account, tying together virtually everything man knows about his past.

Some of the themes that never made sense to me in the Mormon Creation account are:

War in Heaven
Tree of Life
Son of the Morning
The Morning Star
The Serpent and its conflation with the Old Testament Jehovah
The Dragon who wars with the archangels
The Entwined Serpents as the symbol of Eternal Life
Paradise and the Garden of Eden
The creation of Adam and Eve
Eve’s seduction and the Fall
Creation of physical elements by unresurrected spiritual beings
Casting of Lucifer and his angels to the earth

Little did I know at the time I attended the temple ceremonies that an understanding of these themes could not be had by literal interpretation, but by metaphor.  All of these and many more are identified and have a logical context when interpreted by the tools of science applied to the metaphorical symbols of the Creation Myth.  Our ancient progenitors knew what they were talking about with regard to the Flood, the Fall, Paradise, one language, a time before the earth was divided, and their metaphorical use of Gods to explain the events of the Fall from Paradise.  It becomes clear what the Deuteronomist priests were up to when they subverted the Sumerian Creation Myth to their own purposes in re-establishing a nation once decimated for their intolerance, fundamentalism, and genocide.

Suddenly the pieces began to fit in this master puzzle, and the repercussion relative to Mormonism is simply that Joseph Smith never had a single revelation as purported in Mormon literature.  His Mosaic and Enochic accounts are as much a fraud as his Abrahamic account was shown to be nearly a half century past.  The entire structure of “scripture” invented from remnants of the Creation Myth derived from the Deuteronomist subversion crumbles, and with it, the entire Creation story of the temple as well as the Plan of Salvation.  The conflicting view of Christ as benevolent and long suffering with the vengeful Christ punishing His people disappears.  The mystery of the Atonement dissolves and is replaced with a more meaningful, gentler monograph of man’s fallible nature and his escape from that fallibility.

The phrase “All roads lead to Rome” is equally applicable to the evidence surrounding the fraudulent nature of the “Restoration” as proclaimed by Joseph Smith; the science, the mythology, the inconsistencies in doctrines, the disparity of his historical character as opposed to that propagandized, the lack of clear, unequivocal evidence for priesthood authority, and the bastardizing of Masonic ritual in the attempt to create a cult of loyal followers who would take the heat whenever he was found in violation of civil law.  In like manner, the growth of the three major religions on this planet and their roots in Egyptian-cum-Sumerian origin becomes manifest.

With the collaboration of researchers around the world we now have keys that unlock the stories of Man’s past, and the planet upon which he resides.  Our presence here is at once much older than the biblical account, and much younger than traditional science has pontificated.  It is an exciting and exhilarating experience to discover one’s connection and position in History, and to equally place the earth in the proper context of the Cosmos in a Creation story that answers and explains cultural heritage around the world and throughout recorded history.

SethSmee

Monday, May 23, 2011

Integrity and Conscience



My Departure from Mormonism

On May 6, 2007 I resigned membership in the CJCLDS, and excommunicated its authorities and organization from my life.  My reasons in detail are plethora, but can be summarized as Behavior Unbecoming of Professed Representatives of Christ.  In order to make such a valid declaration a person would need to know the personality of Christ.  That knowledge I do have, obtaining it by degrees from 1988 through 2003 in personal visitations.  Because of those experiences I can say without equivocation the church and its hierarchy from the top down know nothing of the Redeemer.

Summary list

Failure of the attitudes and actions of church officials to exemplify the doctrines and life of Jesus, and denials of convicting evidence, to wit:
  • Deliberate disparity between official Mormon history and the applicable civil and personal records, particularly of the founders.
  • Warring against: 1) homosexuals both spiritually and civilly, 2) women who stand up for equality and dignity, 3) intellectuals who in the pursuit of Godly intelligence discover anomalies in past & present doctrines, lies, subterfuge, and illegal political pandering.
  • Attempt by church officials to manipulate or behavior modify sexual preference by the use of pornographic materials on the BYU campus where possession of such materials is grounds for university dismissal and church disfellowship.  The use of millions of member’s monetary offerings to persecute homosexuals through political action to strip this minority of rights granted under the US Constitution.  Failure to abide by civil law to report child sexual abuse by church authorities and the implementation of established church sanctions against guilty church officials.  Minimization and harassment of the victims of sexual abuse by church officials to evade culpability. 
  • Deliberate rewrite of the church’s history to cover up the murder of members and non-members, including extortion, lies and perjury, sexual and physical abuse, spousal & family abandonment. Illegal marriages, seduction and membership blackmail of underage women, embezzlement of member’s estates, all performed by church authorities at high levels, and destruction of the family unit whenever it may conflict with the church’s public image.
  • Fear, shame and guilt are the chief methods of motivation. Conflicting doctrines taught by various members of the Twelve since the church’s founding are now denied and often discredited by contemporary church officials.
  • Continual denigration of men as family heads, castigation of fathers for a son’s mission non-preparedness, confinement of men and women to constrictive roles and subservience, the insistence that men cannot nurture as well as women, and other demeaning messages which destroy personal dignity, family unity and happiness.
  • Deliberate historical obfuscation of the so-called Priesthood restoration events not only showing it was a later addition to the doctrines long after the church was organized, but also their authenticity is highly dubious.
  • Perpetration of cult practices, particularly unquestioning loyalty to church officers. Suppression of crucial historical information, and the complete disregard for one’s own conscience or relationship with Deity in deference to First Presidency declarations.
  • The suppression of critical information relevant to Joseph Smith’s numerous conflicting First Vision accounts which demonstrably show embellishment with time, and conceals the fact that no one in or out of the church, including Joseph's family of origin, had ever heard of the First Vision before 1840.  Joseph's mother claims in her autobiography written after his death that Joseph's first vision experience was in his bedroom with an angel.  Orson Pratt personally published the first known account in a pamphlet that merely mentions two unidentified personages.  In 1842 Orson Hyde in his published version said that angels were committed the power, and that Jesus Himself (as Father AND Son) therefore would not personally do so.  Since this vision was unknown Joseph is lying about being persecuted for this vision from the time of 1820 forward in his final vision account published in the Pearl of Great Price.  Joseph Fielding Smith asserted in Doctrines of Salvation I that Joseph should be exposed as a deceiver and impostor if his claims and declarations were built upon fraud and deceit, subsequently manifesting errors and contradictions. Hugh B. Brown stated in his book The Abundant Life (which view is later reiterated by Gordon Hinckley) declares that if the First Vision is a figment of Joseph's imagination then the Church is indeed a wicked and deliberate imposture.
  • Obvious impossibilities in the Book of Mormon; Jaredites taking animals into ships too small for them, their feed, & fresh water, impossible waste disposal, and being tossed on the water for a year (344 days).  Nephi having a knowledge of cement, carpentry, metalworking, building construction, sailing, navigation, shipbuilding, expert hunting, smelting and mining, languages and writing before the age of 25—after having been in the wilderness for 8 years when actual Hebrew history and archeology shows a dearth of knowledge in these disciplines at the time of Zedekiah.  Evidence of advanced writing and construction skills during this period is unknown.  Numerous examples too many to list.
  • Glaring differences between the temple construction and iconography of today, claimed as revelation by Joseph and Brigham, and the known temple construction, iconography, and symbology of the original temples of Israel.  Inconsistencies in the Creation story presented in the temple (a product of the Deuteronomists in the sixth century BC), the disparity between the Cosmology taught by Joseph and 21st century observed astronomical phenomena.
  • Failure of the church dogma to account for the world-wide creation myth found in every major civilization, different than the Creation story in the temple.  Indeed, the church’s temple Creation myth is a highly bastardized form of the ancient Semitic creation myth which they borrowed from the Sumerian cult of Inanna.
  • Scientific and professional proof suppressed and publication of rationalized excuses to discredit the discovery the Book of Abraham translation is a fraud. Suppression of scientific proof the Kinderhook plates are genuine 1843 productions, validating the producers' story of their attempt to expose Joseph as a fraudulent seer.
  • Failure of numerous prophecies by past presidents/prophets of the church.  Two examples of many are the assertion that the CJCLDS is the stone cut out of the mountain foreseen by Daniel, when in fact history both modern and ancient demonstrate it is no such thing.  The assertion the Lord would return and the millenium begin in 1891, along with prophesying many early 20th century church members then living would see His return in Glory who are now dead.
  • Evidence recently published conclusively proves Sidney Rigdon and Parley Pratt were involved in the creation of the Book of Mormon manuscript, Sidney stealing the manuscript upon which the Book of Mormon is based, and had ties to Joseph Smith before joining the CJCLDS.  This evidence also proves unequivocally that Sidney often lied about his involvement with Joseph, and verifies eye-witness accounts of Sidney’s mendacity.  This evidence also conclusively shows Sidney’s authorship of early CJCLDS revelations published in the Book of Commandments and large portions of the Book of Mormon. CJCLDS authorities deny the credibility of this evidence.
  • The Urim and Thumim of ancient times is known to be precious gems, part of priestly vestment and never was a breast-plate of metal with clear stones set in a crossbow.
  • The room in which Moroni was supposed to have appeared to Joseph Smith is too small to accommodate anyone over six feet high except at the roof apex, precluding a man of large stature standing above the floor without his shoulders also penetrating the roof.
  • For fifty years the church spent member’s money searching central America for geological, cultural, and historical evidence to support the Book of Mormon story only to find no shred of credible evidence firmly establishing the existence of Lehite/Ishamaelite/Mulekite/Jaredite civilizations.
  • The admission by Joseph Smith twice in separate arraignments for the same offense; that he engaged in glass-looking and spiritualism as a means of providing income for his parents and siblings.  Subsequent admission of the same late in life to a member that the church was created to care for his family’s temporal needs.  This founding principle has been enlarged to include spiritual extortion, requiring commitment of all one's time and talent to building the church on the backs of the poor and disadvantaged to whom they offer token support only.
  • The First Presidency’s demand of a full account of one’s sins, whether repented of or not, in order to qualify for a marriage sealing cancellation.  Jesus in the New Testament makes no such requirement, and even in Mormon doctrine, the D&C holds that forgiveness must be extended to all men and remembered no more.

Conclusions

No genuine disciple of Christ would deny anyone membership in Christ’s church based on genetic sexual variation or gender discrimination, especially when the early church of Christ had female apostles who also laid on hands, or in the quest for knowledge and Godly intelligence questions arise concerning history, authority, and deliberate mendacity of CJCLDS authorities.  No genuine disciple of Christ would disparage the value of such persons while proclaiming the worth of every soul.  Christ’s qualification for membership in His “church” was penitence and baptism, nothing more.  No mention was ever made of Him casting people out of any assembly except the money-changing thieves in the Temple.

No genuine disciple of Christ would lay claim to prophethood without manifesting a personal account of ascension and transformation coupled with prophetic sight, as happened to all the ancient genuine prophets.

No genuine disciple of Christ would lie to save their ass whether in public or private.

No genuine disciple of Christ has need to hear or review for any cause another person’s “sins”, nor the explicit details of such.

No genuine disciple of Christ has need to obfuscate, suppress, rationalize, or rewrite Church history nor deny the facts when brought to light, which is an obvious attempt to whitewash the sepulchre.  Such action is prima facie evidence of and participation in fraud.

Because of this behavior of the authorities past and present of the CJCLDS, their fraudulent historical publications, and the silence of the Redeemer during His visitations to me on all issues concerning the CJCLDS, I am compelled to conclude His prophecy in Matthew 7 refers to CJCLDS authorities as much as the Scribes and Pharisees of His day.  Therefore in good conscience and to disassociate myself from the repugnant character of these men I excommunicated them all from my society and departed from their evil practices.

Seth Smee
11-30-08