Caves appear to have always been a part of the religious idea. More than 40,000 years ago at Shanidar cave, for example, "Neanderthals interred the bodies of their beloved dead, creating a sacred space and a dwelling for the spirits."
As a result, caves "then became sacred spaces where the living could receive enlightenment, as at Lascaux and Altamira."
In fact, "the cave is an important element in many religious cults. In Mayan ceremonial centers, for example, nearby caves were filled with offerings—obviously places of cult worship. At the Acropolis, the cave was a great symbol of religious enlightenment and experience."
These caves were tombs, which begs the question of whether people thought they could gleam enlightenment from their deceased relatives or from a god or gods, or if there was any real difference between the two.
And from the caves, humanity domesticated itself into temples, and applauded itself for being humble enough to stand in awe of itself, and call it God.
This makes it incredibly ironic that Catholic theologians like St. Augustine ever used the writings and ideas of Plato to support the legitimacy of Catholicism, since Plato's Allegory of the Cave was therefore an indictment of the very same religions that had saw fit to execute his mentor, who was said to be "the wisest man in all of Greece," Socrates.
And what's really crazy about that, is that the Gnostic gospels tend to agree much more with Plato's assessment that organized religions cast shadows on walls, than Augustine's claim that Plato's "logos" was referring to the Catholic God.
As a result, caves "then became sacred spaces where the living could receive enlightenment, as at Lascaux and Altamira."
In fact, "the cave is an important element in many religious cults. In Mayan ceremonial centers, for example, nearby caves were filled with offerings—obviously places of cult worship. At the Acropolis, the cave was a great symbol of religious enlightenment and experience."
These caves were tombs, which begs the question of whether people thought they could gleam enlightenment from their deceased relatives or from a god or gods, or if there was any real difference between the two.
And from the caves, humanity domesticated itself into temples, and applauded itself for being humble enough to stand in awe of itself, and call it God.
This makes it incredibly ironic that Catholic theologians like St. Augustine ever used the writings and ideas of Plato to support the legitimacy of Catholicism, since Plato's Allegory of the Cave was therefore an indictment of the very same religions that had saw fit to execute his mentor, who was said to be "the wisest man in all of Greece," Socrates.
And what's really crazy about that, is that the Gnostic gospels tend to agree much more with Plato's assessment that organized religions cast shadows on walls, than Augustine's claim that Plato's "logos" was referring to the Catholic God.
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