A theological question

ColdRedRain

2 nights ago, I had a weird dream. I dreamt that an angel named Macaroni visited me with Billy Ocean and told me to spread the word about the god Uranus. It also told me that I will have a girlfriend in the future. (If you didn't know, I have this parody church called the Church of the unholy Trinity where the 3 gods in that trinity are Bacchus, Uranus and Billy Ocean.)

It brought up a theological question to me though. What makes my theological dream just the REM sleep of a certified madman and the dreams of Daniel to be theologically inspired? We both had visions from our gods telling us prophetic visions, but yet, if you told any Xtian about my dream, he'd tell you that my dreams weren't theologically inspired, yet Daniel's were, simply because his god is from a collection of myths written by 40 hebrew men called the bible and my myths are from the mind of a part Hebrew-part black-part Hindu-part English-part Native American kook.

Who's to say that Daniel may have been a kook?

Golf

Where is your 66 books of myth?

funkyderek

It's all a matter of time, CRR.

Try to get a few followers now. Over the decades and centuries, they and their successors will be able to alter your writings to make it seem as if your prophecies came true. If they gain sufficient converts, then they can declare anyone who questions your writings to be a heretic or apostate.

The more outrageous and nonsensical your writings, the more interpretations are open which is a good way of future-proofing. If people aren't sure what you said, then they can't be sure you're wrong.

JustTickledPink

Because he said his visions were from God and people believed him. That's what makes it different. We don't believe your dreams are divinely inspired.

It's just like the people who believe that Mary was found on the glass building in FL a few years ago, it was a divine miracle.

Same people that believe that Mary was also in the 5 year old sandwich that was sold on Ebay.

Someone just has to believe it to make it true.

ColdRedRain

Because he said his visions were from God and people believed him. That's what makes it different. We don't believe your dreams are divinely inspired.

But mine were divinley inspired. In fact, my deity, unlike Daniel's Jehovah, could be touched and has spoken to people directly.

Mary

I think the real question isn't about dreams, I'd say it's more about what were they smoking when they had these "visions".

Actually, I have a theory about the book of Revelation and Daniel and how they might have come about. I was reading the book A Perfect Storm a few months ago, and part of the story focused on 3 people headed for Bermuda who had to be rescued by the Coast Guard. They had been awake for over 48 hours straight in the waters trying to stay alive and after they were rescued by helicopter, the one woman told of how she looked out the window and "saw the pyramids of Giza" and other sites. She wasn't asleep when she saw this, she was awake, but she was suffering badly from sleep deprivation and had just undergone a lengthy, very stressful situation where she could have lost her life. I'm wondering if it was this combination that made her hallucinate and see these "visions", even while awake.

If so this might be a clue how John saw these "visions" in the book of Revelation. If memory serves, hadn't he been persecuted and thrown on the island of Patmos when he wrote this book? If his persecution involved sleep deprivation, beatings and prolonged stressful situations, and if he was on the island by himself, it may not be that surprising that this combination of events could perhaps have caused him to hallucinate and see all the "visions". Back 2,000 years ago, someone would almost certainly attribute these visions to God.

I have no idea if this is what happened, but I think it might be a possibility. Any thoughts?

funkyderek

I have no idea if this is what happened, but I think it might be a possibility. Any thoughts?

Definitely a possibility, Mary. I think part of the purpose of the religious traditions of fasting and self-immolation is to bring about such experiences.

Another explanation may be the psilocybic mushrooms that cover the isle of Patmos. John was probably off his tits when he wrote Revelation.

ColdRedRain

Just a note, I don't really believe I was visited by an angel named Macaroni nor do I really believe that Billy Ocean is a conduit to great deities. (I can't believe I'm actually saying this.)

Anyways, you're right, I have had a bunch of stressful situations happen to me this month. My girlfriend dumped me, my mother threw away a bunch of my collectables that I spent good money on and I ran out of my anti-depressants for 3 weeks straight, and as soon as I got back on my anti-depressants, I had those weird and "prophetic" dreams again.

It just goes to show, most of these "holy men" were probably insane fucks that took stuff that nowadays, would have been controlled substances.

gumby

I think the wild crazy bastard rebel Joseph Smith was 14 when god first came to him. Russell was in his early 20's. Imagine a youngen like that today sayin god has a plan for you and people believing you to the point of following you. I think in todays enlightened world it will be harder for weirdo's to do their magic......although there will always be braindead people looking for someone to follow..........there always has been.

Gumby

Mary

Another explanation may be the psilocybic mushrooms that cover the isle of Patmos. John was probably off his tits when he wrote Revelation.

ROFLMAO!! I didn't even know those mushrooms grew on Patmos!! That would most definitely explain it!

A theological question

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