Genders, Deities, and Science

      

We are aware of the various gender developments. and labels given to those who may have their own unique sexuality. What do we know about the developmental stage of gender development? And why do we use religion to justify our lack of knowledge and prejudice against different genders? 

According to the teachings of Christianity, God created the universe and two human beings. The first human he created was a man (Adam) and the inferior human being was a woman, taken from the rib of Adam (Eve). 

In Islam, the Qur’an states Allah created a male from clay and mud whereas a female was created from a quintessence of fluid. Thus, rendering the female as a different substance. 

In both myths there is nothing said about who created God and Allah.  

The story of creation in the Hindu religion is written in four sacred books called Rig-Veda, written more than 1200 years before the birth of Christ. It was written in Sanskrit, known as the language of the gods.  

The one powerful universal spirit is called Brahma, the  

supreme Hindu god who was the architect of the Universe. 

It was believed Brahma sprang from a cosmic golden egg, good, evil, light and dark came from his own person. As a hermaphroditic deity, he believed that one male form would be impotent without the existence of a corresponding female element, implying a subsequent union of the two.  

As a result, Brahma created an ordered universe out of the chaotic mixture of water and darkness.   

Sexuality, Science and Learning  

During the nineteenth century, various scientists who were examining human and animal cells discovered that the cells contained sets of tiny rod-shaped particles that were later called chromosomes. 

The number of chromosomes in a cell of mammals appeared to depend upon the species from which it came.  

In the study of certain insect spermatozoa, it was discovered about half of the insect sperm cells contained eleven chromosomes; the others contained a twelfth “accessory” chromosome. 

In 1902, it was discovered that the accessory chromosome carried by half of the sperm is the bearer of these qualities which belong to the male organism.  

We learned that the normal human sperm cells contain twenty-two ordinary chromosomes plus either an X or Y chromosome. The normal human ova contain the same twenty-two ordinary chromosomes plus an X chromosome. If an ovum is fertilized by a Y-bearing sperm, the resulting baby has forty-four ordinary chromosomes plus one X and one Y chromosome (XY) in each of its bodily cells and it is chromosomally a boy. If the ovum is fertilized by an X-bearing chromosome, the resulting baby has forty-four ordinary chromosomes plus two X chromosomes (XX) in each body cell and is chromosomally a girl. The presence or absence of a Y chromosome determines maleness or femaleness. 

Many scientists using subtle chromosome-visualization techniques have discovered additional complex situations that enrich our understanding of gender development in human sexuality.  For example, some girl babies are born with three X chromosomes (XXX) instead of the usual two. Other girls are born with one X chromosome missing (XO). Some boy babies are born with an extra X chromosome (XXY) or two extra chromosomes (XXXY). 

Now of conception, the combination of genetic material from each parent starts a process that leads to the specific physical differences between females and males.  

The process of prenatal sexual changes and development is largely controlled by genetic and hormonal mechanisms.   

Our sexual differences lie in anatomy and biology, but our brain also dictate what we are and how we define ourselves.  

It’s a fallacy to suggest you can change a person from whom they are.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Women Were The First Spiritual Leaders of The World

The origin of religion began with phallic worship (sex worship). In this lies its importance. So true is this that it may safely be stated that anyone who neglects the study of phallicism, will never have an adequate understanding of the origin of religion.
In ancient civilization, life was short, the reproduction of new human beings was a priority. As civilization grew, men gained control over the land. Wise women and mothers were no longer important. They were captured, enslaved, demonized, and often murdered. Nature and reproduction were no longer important. War, conquest, pain, and suffering, created a new god that was once a goddess. The needs of an aggressive new world led to the development of new spiritual myths to control civilization and create political and spiritual powers over women and men.
In the earliest stages of religious belief, there was no known connection between the sexual organs and reproduction. Vegetation and prolificacy were indeed the observed results of the warmth and moisture of the earth and either the sun or moon was looked upon as the most powerful of all factors governing life. But the worship of the planets was not phallic. It had much to do with the evolution of phallic worship but, without further developments, it could not, in itself, constitute such a religion. The close association between nature worship and phallic worship was therefore a later development.
Fear of the unseen and mysterious forces of nature gripped the mind of ancient people. Lightning, thunder, earthquakes, wind, sun, moon, stars, darkness and daylight were all given human-like characteristics. The allocation of each spirit of nature were requisitioned as virile living entities. This is where memory and emotion came into play. The spirit residing in the sun, moon or sky, was at all times a potential source of good and evil, creation and destruction. Thus the moon, sun, stars, and the heavens became deities. They were recognized as the residences of gods or living beings, capable of communicating life and death to other creatures. In time they were given names of famous or infamous persons connected with the mythology of each country.
The moon and sun were joined by Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, and Mercury. The control of the universe was shared by these seven deities. We can find the remains of this belief given to the days of the week in the English, French, and Dutch tongues. It was believed that each day of the week had a particular influence over people. The worship of these gods was almost universal immediately before the victorious emergence of the tribal god Yahweh.

At the early stage of evolution, the importance of reproduction was realized. Vegetation was observed to grow, plants and trees reproduced themselves as if by magic, all mammals including human females bore young. There was no understanding of the process. Humanity was confronted with the results of some phenomenon that was dimly visualized as the reproductive force. This mysterious reproductive force was thought to have miraculous powers, such as the ability to produce animate beings from inanimate objects. Men and women were thought to spring up from stones and soil.
The moon was worshipped as a female deity. and it reigned supreme. Abraham of the Jewish, Christin, and Muslim traditions was well aware of her existence having lived at Ur, an ancient coastal city in Iraq.
The moon proceeded the worship of Yahweh by the Israelites as indicated in Jeremiah as the "queen of heaven," and sacrifices were made to the moon.
In the ancient near east a new moon was considered a good time for prophecies and the importance of the moon is shown in the lunar calendar which follows the lunar cycle.  During biblical times the New Year Festival consisted of a 15-day feast. The most ancient lunar calendars are Chinese, Hebrew, and Hindu. The Muslim or Hijiri calendar is also a lunar calendar used to determine the proper day on which to celebrate Islamic holy days and festivals.
With the introduction of Christianity, the matriarch died a painful death. No longer was the goddess and women treated with religious respect. In the older version of the Old Testament, it recorded sexual perversions with hostility toward women to incite fear of retaliation by God. Judges 19 reported the story of a householder who turned his concubine over to a mob of young men who abused her so badly, she laid dying in the morning. Her master, seeing her lying there, took a knife and killed her, dividing her body into twelve pieces, and sent the body parts into all the coasts of Israel. The symbolism is apparent. In ancient biblical times, the number twelve was associated with the rule. The sun rules the day, and the moon and stars govern the night and moves through the twelve months of the zodiac, through the twelve months of the year. This symbolizes the rule of man over woman.

  

Homelessness and addiction need as much help as possibe

There are times, when for some people there is nothing but hopelessness, rejection and depression. That's when compassion and sincerity should click in but, many well-off people see only junkies, unmotivated, and useless stereo-typical individuals.
However, there's always an opportunity for those who are destitute. All you need is faith in yourself and determination to grow. A patient once told me "I'm down so low there's no place to go but up."
The most important thing is to have a life-line. How can you go to for help or support? This might include a friend, family member such as a sibling, cousin, parent, best friend, church member, priest, or anyone you can trust.
One way to cope with homelessness and addiction is to spend more time thinking about taking charge of your life; such as believing in yourself instead of listening to others who are only interested in manipulating you for their own purpose at your expense.
Another way is embracing the prayers of religion.
The following is a little story about the Patron Saint of Homeless people.

                              Saint Benedict Joseph Labre

                                                        Patron Saint of Homeless People

Saint Benedict Joseph Labre was born on March 26,1748, and the eldest of 18 children. At age 16 he gave up his desire to study and became a pilgrim. Living off donations of food, he wore the rags of a bagger and shared his food with the poor. In Rome he lived in the Colosseum where he was called the bagger of Rome. On April 16, 1783 he dragged himself into a church in Rome and prayed four hours before he collapsed, dying peacefully in a nearby house. Immediately after his death the people proclaimed  him saint.
Benedict Joseph Labre was canonized by Pope Leo VIII in 1881.
His Liturgical Feast Day is April 16. 

 

The Benedict Joseph Labre Prayer

Saint Benedict Joseph Labre, you gave up honor, money, and home for love of Jesus. Help us to set our hearts on Jesus and not on the things of this world. You lived in obscurity among the poor in the streets. Enable us to see Jesus in our poor brothers and sisters and not judge by appearances. Make us realize that in helping them we are helping Jesus. Show us how to befriend them and not pass them by.
Saint Benedict Joseph Labre, you had a great love for prayer. Obtain for us the grace of persevering prayer, especially adoration of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
Saint Benedict Joseph Labre, poor in the eyes of men but rich in the eyes of God, pray for us. Amen
 

 

                                                      ST. BENEDICT JOSEPH LABRE

Baal-Peor in The Bible, Sexuality and Religion

In the spring of 1928, an Arab peasant working in his field on the Syrian coast of the Mediterranean struck his plough against a slab of solid rock. He loosened the ground from around the slab and lifted the rock out of the soil. He discovered that the slab had concealed a partially-broken stairway leading deep into the earth. With his lit lantern he followed the steps until he reached the  entrance of   a vaulted tomb. Inside the dusty tomb he found  a preserved number of artifacts including clay and metal vessels. Beyond the artifacts, and wavering shadows of his light, laid a city of the ancient dead.

Winin months after a report  of the discovery, a team of French archeologists started excavations. The location was known as Ras-ash Shamrah in Northern Syria, located in the outskirts of modern Latakia. The researchers unearthed, restored, and deciphered many cuneiform tablets that dated back nearly 4000 years. For a brief and thought-provoking moment they unearthed an ancient deity, the great god Baal who ruled his people some thirty centuries before the time of Christ. Baal was worshipped throughout the entire Middle Eastern world.
The excavation and discovery of Baal provided proof of a deity that was worshiped by the Babylonians. He was also called Mercury and Hermes by the Greeks, Jupiter by the Romans, and Adonis by the Phoenicians. The Canaanites always considered Baal as god of the sun and sex. His influence in Canaan was so great that many of the minor deities representing Baal were called Baalim, suggesting the god Baal was everywhere at once. In places of worship Baalim was placed in front of the worshippers and spoken of as Baal as if he was present before them. Similar to the concept of a father represented by the son.
To the Samitic world, baal, meant husband, possessor, or lord and prince. Everywhere, Baal was a living word. Mothers named their children after him; names like Hannibal (the grace of Baal), and Asdrubal (Baal is my helper). Cities dedicated in his honour were given the names of Baal-God, Baal-Parazin, and Baal-Hana.
The priests of Baal declared that the god was created by a primal universal force called El, the elemental god, and Athirate, the goddess of the earth who holds the ocean in her womb. They became the parents of the gods. Baal was their firstborn and was given the sun for his throne.  In later times, the priests decreed that Baal and El were one and the same, and Baal's consort was Astarte or Ashtoreth.
Ashtoreth, was also known as Aphrodite to the Greeks, Ishtar to the Babylonians, Nana to the Sumerians, and Venus to her devotees in Rome. Regardless of her name or place, she was the wife of Baal, the virgin queen of heaven who bore fruit although she never conceived.
Marble temples and alters honouring Baal and Astarte could be found on sacred hills throughout the land of Canaan. Occasionally a moat was seen  surrounding some temples that added to the natural beauty of the grounds. At the beginning of spring, evening fires were lit  on Canaan's hills where the worshippers of Baal made their way to the temple where they participated in and celebrated the life of the god.
The Canaanites believed the reproductive force was the most powerful and mysterious manifestation of creation. It was the cause of all life, and all things that came into existence; farm animals, grains for harvest, birds, fish  and human babies. This intimate association with the reproductive urge and the power of generation was the object of devotion. Baal was its personification.
Everything belonged to Baal.  The locations of the smaller temples and shrines were determined by the fertility of some natural object; a tree, a stone, a stream, flowers, wild animals, etc. In particular,  a stream suggested it was in the water that Baal lived.   When the god's shrines were built,  fruit trees were planted, and walls were constructed to sanctify the worshippers. It was also constructed to keep out beggars, lepers and venders.
The worshippers were restricted in how far they can enter the temples. Only the priests advanced into the inner sanctum where a muscular figure of Baal carved out of granite, sat upon a throne bathed in a light that filtered through an opening to the sky.
The influence of Baal was slowly reconstructed in the twentieth century. The archeological site at Ras-ash Shamrah revived the histories of ancient lands. As in my book When Sex Was Religion, the Semitic Canaanites were a religious and industrious, freedom-loving people. They were great admirers of horses and loved games in which horses played a major part. They had good knowledge of agriculture and expert artisans, creating impressive sculptured pieces in bronze, copper, gold, and silver, always reserving their ablest talent for creating statues of Baal.
Throughout the years, while hymns were sung to Baal, the psalms of the Israelites were chanted to Jehovah; and while the history of  Canaan's god was being dramatized, the story of the God of Israel was beginning. 

Ashtoreth at the entrance of ancient temples

Bas relief, Carmelite monastery Muhraqs, Mount Carmel, Israel. Depicting  priests and Baal, fire falling from the sky to the alter.                                         








The Temple of Baal in Palmyra, Syria. The Temple of Baal was destroyed by ISIS in 2017.


The mention of Baal in the Bible.
Judges 2:11  Deuteronomy 4:3    1Samuel 7:4    2 Kings 8:27, 11:18, 16:3, 28:2
Zephaniah 1: 4-6
1 Kings 16:31-33
             18:18-19,22,25-29
Jeremiah 2:23, 19:5
Numbers 25:3
Hosea 2:17

 
 

Very Special People You Will Never See Again

Count Orloff was a famous man because of his physical condition. His skin felt like a bone tissue and he was transparent. He was so translucent that the circulation of his blood could be seen and studied. When a light was placed against his breast a newspaper held across his back could be easily read.

Count Orloffs' real name was Ivannow Wladislaus Von Dziarski-Orloff, born in Budapest in 1864. He began to lose his strength at age fourteen and at eighteen his limbs could no longer support his body which forced him to remain sitting in a chair for the rest of his life. The softening of his bones and muscles caused the curvature condition of his limbs.

The Count was never without pain and was always seen smoking an opium pipe. to relieve his suffering.

He was exhibited at the Royal College of Medicine in Berlin for three years and was first shown in the United States in 1893.He died in 1904

 

Another medical condition were the  Siamese  twins Chang and Eng who were joined at the breastbone for their entire lives. They were born in Siam in 1811 and in 1829 they moved to the United States where they took up residence in Wilkes County, North Carolina and became American citizens.
In 1843 they married two daughters of a local farmer, Sarah and Adelaide Yates in a double wedding ceremony. Between the both of them they produced twenty-two children. The two families lived in separate homes a mile apart. Three days were spent with one wife and the following three days with the other. The twins earned the respect of their community as hard-working farmers. Occasionally the twin brothers would go on the road and be exhibited at Barnum's Museum.
Although they were identical twins they differed in physique and character. Chang was an inch shorter than his brother and was more aggressive. He liked to drink alcohol now and then, while Eng never drank. Interestingly, Eng did not feel the effects of Chang's drinking. Sometimes they quarreled  and went for long periods without speaking to each other.
One night in January 1874, Chang died and before a doctor could be summoned Eng followed him.
 

 

 

Another set of joined twins were Millie and Christine McCoy. They danced and sang duets (one was soprano and the other contralto) as they accompanied themselves on guitars.

The twins were born slaves in North Carolina in 1851 and were joined at the back, more closely than the Siamese twins. and they shared one digestive system. They possessed a common sensory nerve system in the legs, both feeling a touch on any of their limbs. Christine, (the one on the right) was the stronger and by bending could lift up her sister.  

They travelled throughout the world performing song and dance for entertainment. They died October 8, 1912 at the age of 61.

                              

This picture was taken in 1867 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HUMAN SEXUALITY AND IT'S INFLUENCE ON THE ORIGIN OF RELIGION

The origin of religion began with phallic worship. In this lies it's importance. So true is this it may be safely stated that no one who neglects the study of phallic worship can have any adequate understanding of the origin of religion. -  George Ryley Scott, 1941

                                    This image depicts the origin of phallic worship in India

Featuring the androgynous Brahma, first member of the Hindu Triad: Vishnu, the second member; and Siva, the third member: Personifications respectively of creation, preservation, and destruction.

(Reproduced from Gardner, Faiths of the World (1858)

                               

Comparison of human sexual behavior and religious practices of ancient cultures and modern data shows that, contrary to previous assessments, the origin of religion began with phallicism. If analysis of sex and religion is to be given credence, it must be indicative of the past and analogous to modern symbolism. An example of this relationship is in the interpretation of the Kama Sutra.

One interpretation was believed to be the precepts of love, and another interpretation indicated that it was silent with respect to exotic visual stimuli and arousal as a prelude to arousal in love play. Both hypothesis focus on love and sexual intercourse but nothing cited about religion. This suggests the analysis of ancient culture is selective and not adequately justified. The Kama Sutra was a Hindu Bible communicated as dogmatic theology, deigned to gain favor from the gods by sexual intercourse.

The unique sexological nature of this work is the study of sexuality from a religious perspective. The difference between ancient and modern  ideas of morality and ethics is the major obstacle in dealing with sex worship which causes many writers to avoid the subject. Most illustrations found in books devoted to phallicism such as Higgins (1836) Anacalypsis, Inmans' (1869) Ancient Faiths and Scott's Phallic Worship are symbolic. Moore (1810) in Hindu Mythology, stated: "The plates in my book may be turned and examined, over and over, and the uninformed observer will not be aware that in several of them he has viewed the typical representation of the generative organs or powers of humanity." Everything was considered to be relative to generative powers.

Phallicism was not due to the demand for progeny, it was a way of life based on the doctrine that happiness is the chief good for the gods and humanity ( hedonistic), though it's lacking in racial and ethical justification.

Evidence of relative literature shows that basic ideals remain the same. The concept of sexuality and reward are part of the religious paradigm. Scott (1941) implied that sex worship was more profound than any contemporary

 ry modern faith. His bias shows a lack of attention to the ancient mentality. Phallicism was not only a religion, it was a causation of dominance and sexual exploitation that remains part of our social structure

 

Pro Life - Pro Choice, A No-Win Situation

In 1869 abortion was completely banned in Canada. Nevertheless, illegal abortion flourished which saw the death of many young women. One example was the abortion trial of Emily Stowe in 1879.

The case began  after Sarah Ann Lovell, an unmarried teenager was found dead in August 1879. It was discovered that after her death, she had been pregnant and had been a patient of Dr. Stowe, one of Canada's first female doctors. Stowe claimed that she had first resisted performing an abortion butt Lovell seemed emotionally distressed and threatened suicide which led Stowe to prescribe  medication intended as a placebo. It was later discovered that the drug was not the cause of death. 

The trial was intended to discourage abortion in a widely publicized trial. 

Stowe pleaded not guilty in an Ontario County Court. The coroner was called in to testify and confessed he had lost all medical evidence. Another doctor was accused of being antagonistic to Stowe because she was a woman doctor, and of calling her a "bitch." Another such case Azoulay vs The Queen, reached the supreme Court in 1952. In both cases the alleged abortion provider was acquitted of responsibility for the woman's death.

The movement to liberalize Canada's abortion laws began in the 1960s. Abortion could be legally performed only to save the life of the mother.  The pregnant daughters of the rich were sent to reliable physicians who did abortions for cash. An estimate at the time show that these physicians would do twenty to thirty abortions a week. Women who were not rich were left to perform an abortion on themselves or seek an illegal abortionist. 

Back ally abortions continued. The method for aborting was pumping Lysol into the woman's womb. There was a high mortality rate among young women as a result of these amateur abortions..

The partial easing of abortion rules began after a 34-year old woman, Lottie Leanne Clarke, a mother of three, who died of a massive infection in 1964 after an illegal abortion in spite of medical treatment and antibiotics. At the inquest into her death the jury recommended that the laws about therapeutic abortion be revised.

In a March 2010poll, a majority of Canadians (52%) described themselves as pro choice while over one in four (27%) described themselves as prolife. (10%) described themselves as neither pro choice nor pro life, and 11% did not respond.