alfgar's posterous

alfgar's posterous

Will Linden  //  Resident in New York (capital of the world) Queens (the forgotten borough).
Member of the New Church ("Swedenborgian

See:
http://www.newyorknewchurch.org
http://www.cdny.org
http://www.yeatssociety.org (webmaster)
http://nybellydance.tribe.net (manager)
My Google Profile

 
May 12 / 9:12am

William Blake and Emanuel Swedenborg - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com

While the connection between William Blake and Emanuel Swedenborg is a difficult topic to address, especially when considering Blake's early years, one may assume from Blake's later writings that he was heavily influenced by Swedenborg's religious teachings. Some argue that Blake was born into a Swedenborgian household, whereas others refute the idea entirely claiming it to be nothing but a legend (Schorer 157; Erdman 247). Whether Blake's boyhood was steeped in New Church discussions or not, it is clear through Blake's annotations on two of Swedenborg's texts, and his direct references to Swedenborg in later works, that Swedenborg held a profound influence on Blake. Through a comparison of Blake and Swedenborg's writings one can easily see the similarities between the two; in concepts, beliefs and prophetic visions; both Blake and Swedenborg adhered to Christian doctrine while shedding new light on alternative, more mystical views
.
Read more via voices.yahoo.com

There is somewhat more to this, as we know that Blake attended the first General Conference in 1789, and it has been asserted that he wrote "The Divine Figure" as a hymn for the occasion.
It has also been suggested that it was after he went home that he wrote that "Priests in black gowns were going their rounds/And binding with briars my joys and desires."

Filed under  //  Christianity   New Church'   Swedenborg   Swedenborgian   William Blake   anti-religion   mysticism   poetry   theology  
 
Apr 30 / 2:49pm

Mehak returns

Mehak Restaurant is back in business, shabash!


via WordPress http://ecben.wordpress.com/2012/04/30/mehak-returns/

 
Apr 10 / 1:13pm

There they go again with "potential"!

GetReligion weighs in on How to Cover a Hate Crime

By leading off the discussion with my complaint about the misuse of "potential", I provoked a "Heated Debate", the first time I have managed it.

Filed under  //  "hate crime"   "potential"   English   religion   solecisms  
 
Feb 13 / 8:19am

Succinct | Catholic and Enjoying It!

via patheos.com

And why don't "pro-choice" gang want us to have any choice about paying?

 
Sep 7 / 2:31pm

From Project Conversion: The Martyrdom of Guru Teg Bahadur

Here lies one of the most distressing and heroic biographies of a man–religious or otherwise–I’ve ever encountered. Guru Tegh Bahadur is famous for how he died. At a time when the emporer of India was consolidating his power by forcibly converting all under his rule to Islam, 500 learned Hindu holy men pleaded with the guru to speak on their behalf to the emporer. The guru made a deal with the emporer saying that the Brahmins would convert to Islam if the emporer could convert him.

For days, the emporer had the guru’s companions tortured. He is reported to have said in defense of the Hindus,

“Hinduism may not be my faith, and I may believe not in the supremacy of Veda or the Brahmins, nor in idol worship or caste or pilgrimages and other rituals, but I would fight for the right of all Hindus to live with honour and practice their faith according to their own rites.”

Unable to convert the guru, the emporer had him beheaded. Thus, the guru died for the religious freedom, not of the Sikhs, but Hindus.

via blog.beliefnet.com

 Wahaguru!

It is Sikh month at Project Conversion, and I was moved to read this. Follow the rest of Andrew's journey at Project Conversion, or join the "congregation" on Facebook
Filed under  //  Gurus   India   Indian history   Sikhism   Sikhs   interfaith   religion  
 
Jul 22 / 4:45pm

Oh, good grief!

Scientists warn of 'Planet of the Apes' scenario

Action is needed now to prevent nightmarish "Planet Of The Apes" science ever turning from fiction to fact, according to a group of eminent experts.

 

Their report calls for a new rules to supervise sensitive research that involves humanising animals.

One area of concern is "Category Three" experiments which may raise "very strong ethical concerns" and should be banned.

An example given is the creation of primates with distinctly human characteristics, such as speech.

Exactly the same scenario is portrayed in the new movie Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, in which scientists searching for an Alzheimer's cure create a new breed of ape with human-like intelligence.

via telegraph.co.uk

So, we are to take scientific cues from movies, or what?

Does it occur to them that it might on the other hand lead to the world depicted in L. Neil Smith's "North American Confederacy" novels, with chimpanzees and gorillas voting and running businesses?

Of all the silly things to try to scare us with......

 

" The Morning Star is read by people who think the country ought to be run by another country; and The Daily Telegraph is read by people who think it is." -- Jim Hacker