Slave Species of god

by Michael Tellinger

  Hymn CLXXXV - Heaven and Earth:

  (Humans were generally impressed by the ancient gods. They were beautiful, they lived forever, they could fly away in their thundering ships of the sky and they had mighty weapons. They could appear any place, any time, without warning.)

  “How were they born? Who knoweth it, ye sages?

  These of themselves support all things existing:

  The Twain uphold, though motionless and footless, a widespread offspring having feet and moving.

  … protect us, Heaven and Earth, from fearful danger.

  May we be close to both the Worlds who suffer no pain, Parents of Gods, who aid with favour,

  Both mid the Gods, with Day and Night alternate.

  Protect us, Heaven and Earth, from fearful danger.

  Faring together, young, with meeting limits, Twin Sisters lying in their Parents' bosom,

  Kissing the centre of the world together.

  Who, beautiful to look on, make the nectar.

  Wide, vast, and manifold, whose bounds are distant, these, reverent, I address at this our worship,

  May both these Friends of man, who bless, preserve me, may they attend me with their help and favour.

  Enrich the man more liberal than the godless. May we, ye Gods, be strong with food rejoicing.

  I have uttered this truth, for all to hear, to Earth and Heaven.

  Be near us, keep us from reproach and trouble.

  Nearest of Gods be ye with your protection.”

  Judaism. Origin circa 2,000 BC.

  Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people and can be traced back to the Exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt. But Judaism, Christianity, Islam and the Baha'i faith all share Abraham as their founding father sometime around 2050 BC. This original development is marked by the divine covenant that was made between god and the ancient Israelites. Moses was the next leader of the Israelites, and probably the first ‘real’ Jewish leader, who led his people out of captivity in Egypt and received the ‘Law from God’. Then Joshua led them into the promised land where Samuel established the Israelite kingdom with Saul as its first king. King David established Jerusalem and King Solomon built the first temple there. But the history of the Jews is a tragic one. These chosen people of god have been in a perpetual state of conflict since the very first book of the Bible. In 70 AD the temple of Jerusalem was destroyed and the Jews were scattered throughout the world until 1948 when the state of Israel was formed. Jews believe in one creator who alone is to be worshipped as absolute ruler of the universe. He monitors people's activities and rewards good deeds and punishes the evil ones. This is the ‘god of vengeance’ of the Old Testament. The Jewish holy book is the Hebrew Bible, which is a collection of books which were written over a period of about 1,000 years and established in its full canonical form by the end of the first century AD. It is divided into three sections. The Torah, The Prophets and the Writings. The Torah, which consists of the first five books of the Bible, was apparently written by Moses, by divine instruction from God himself and cannot be changed. How convenient. A perfect example of the manipulative nature of the ‘god of vengeance’. Just command the people not to question and not to touch, otherwise they will be punished. The same old story that has plagued Humankind from the very beginning. Throughout their history, God would communicate with the Jewish people through prophets, high priests and sometimes even through oracles and oracle stones. The actual origin of the prophetic experience is not clear, but a prophet was simply anyone who believed himself to be summoned by God to preach his message. Some of these prophets became very powerful people, who held the attention of their fellow Jews without question. We can assume that there were many other prophets besides the more popular ones, who were less admired. The prophetic experience could range from the obscure mystical visions of an Ezekiel, to the clear ethical convictions of Amos. The word ‘Jehovah’ is a medieval misreading and does not appear in the Hebrew Bible.

  Jews believe in the inherent goodness of the world and its inhabitants as creations of God and do not require a saviour to save them from original sin. They believe that they are God's chosen people and that their Messiah will arrive in the future, gather them into Israel, where there will be a general resurrection of the dead, and the Jerusalem Temple will be rebuilt. This is a beautiful fairytale which belongs squarely in the realms of mythology. But somehow this naïve version of the evolution of Humankind escaped the historians' wrath, and remained a divine religion, never to be associated with the heathen behaviour of those who worshipped the Sumerian gods just a short time before. You may be surprised to find that the Jews may be a little unsure of the whole truth. Because even the Hebrews had different names for different gods, which once again resemble the ‘heavenly gods’ of the Sumerians who came before them. The scriptures mention only a few, like Shad-dai, which seemed to represent the storm god; also Elo'ah; Yah; Adonai and Elohim. But if they had these few gods pretty clearly identified, there must have been others. The most important one was ‘YHWH’ (pronounced as YAHWEH), generally taking on the meaning of ‘Lord’ and eventually became Jehovah. This word was apparently not pronounced by the early Hebrew priests because it was deemed to be the unpronounceable name of god. If you spend a while contemplating all the strange coincidences, you will begin to see the underlying common thread of the prehistoric Sumerian gods and the Anunnaki deities, who settled on Earth long before all this confusion among the humans began. As much as the Jews like to present a strong unified front, their religion has had many sects and cults over a 3,000 year period. From the Essenes of Jesus' days, who had very strong ties with the Aryans of Persia, to the Cabalists and the Karaites of the 8thcentury AD, who regarded themselves as ‘Children of the Scripture’, and only adhered to the five books of Moses and in addition they practised much stricter rules in their lives. The transformation from Hebraism to Judaism happened during the periods some time before the birth of Christ, to around 200 AD, by which time the writings of the Mishnah (set of six orders outlining the basis of Jewish law) were completed. It was a long and slow process from which Biblical Hebraism emerged as rabbinic Judaism.

  Zoroastrianism. Origin circa 1000 BC.

  From the north eastern parts of Iran, what was then known as Persia, emerged a prophet called by the Greek name of Zoroaster. His real name was Zarathushtra, and the religious faith that emerged from his teachings became known as Zoroastrianism. He preached what may have been the first monotheistic belief in a single supreme god, Lord Ahura Mazda, who was completely removed from evil. Ahura Mazda can be translated to mean ‘god of Light’, which would be in line with Sumerian descriptions of their gods, describing them as “radiant” and “shining like the light of the sun” and it instantly makes me think that Zoroaster must have encountered this ‘bright’ god who appeared from the west. The Sumerian gods were jostling for position, Marduk was forcing his will on the Egyptians and according to the tablets, also on the rest of Humankind everywhere, propagating the message that ‘he’ was the ‘god above all’. Until this point the gods of prehistory were ruling their lands collectively and were being worshipped fanatically by mortal humans. The people were protected by these localised gods who in turn had a closely developed relationship with their master-gods.

  We should not be surprised to learn that Zoroaster's teachings were so controversial and caused so much resistance, that Zoroaster had to flee for his life. A ‘single supreme god’ philosophy did not go down well in those days when the gods of ancient times were in control of the world. Zoroastrians believe in the dualism of good and evil as either a cosmic one between Ahura Mazda and an evil spirit of violence and death, Angra Mainyu, or as an ethical dualism within the human consciousness. The Holy Spirit establishes life and creates men and women. The Zoroastrian holy book is called the Avesta which includes the teachings of Zarathushtra written in a series of seventeen hymns called the Gathas. Although they were difficult to translate, his love for god was striking. It is a collect
ion of abstract, sacred poetry, directed towards the worship of the one god; understanding of righteousness and cosmic order; promotion of social justice; harmony and individual choice between good and evil. Zoroastrians worship through prayers and symbolic ceremonies that are conducted before a sacred fire which symbolises their god. They dedicate their lives to a three-fold path represented by their motto: “Good thoughts, good words, good deeds.” They also teach that the ‘System, Order, Principle and Rule’ which is to be seen in heaven, must be implemented on Earth. But he was also prepared to use the imagery of judgement at the point of death. Later Zoroastrians in the 9th century AD disagreed with the propaganda of the Christians and Muslims, so they wrote a set of books to defend their “Good Religion”. While the holy book of Zoroastrians was probably only written down in the 5thcentury AD, its roots go back a long way, many years before Zoroaster himself. But just like the other religions, and even though Zoroaster preached the supremacy of one god, there was an additional group of gods which surrounded the supreme one. And suddenly the whole Zoroastrian belief system joins all the others that actually submitted to a ‘leading’ god, who was master of several lesser gods. Zoroastrians had six ‘Bounteous Immortals’ who sat before the throne of god possessing special powers. They could be compared to what the Bible calls ‘angels’. Furthermore they believe that the world and all material things belong to God, while the devil and evil can only exist in an immaterial world, like a parasite, constantly trying to destroy God's world.

  The basic elements of original Iranian religion, are the traditional Aryan faith and the teachings of Zoroaster. So much so, that during the reign of Darius and Xerxes, Zoroastrianism was a strong influence in the courts. He was also respected in Greece at the time of Plato. And just like all the other religions, it has its own set of sects, cults and off-shoots which have evolved with time. We must remember that the Three Wise Men who visited Jesus at birth came from the east, and were called Magi. Zoroastrian priests were known as Magi, whose job it was to look after their religion.

  Buddhism. Origin circa 560 to 490 BC.

  After digesting thousands of pages in an effort to get a broader understanding of global religions, their origins and how they all fit into the Great Human Puzzle, I reached the conclusion that Siddhartha Gautama Buddha (Sanskrit version) was the first real rebel in the world of religion. The founder of what is today called Buddhism, began to question the meaning of life, the futility of life, why men are born only to suffer sickness and hardship and eventually death.

  With his new philosophies he basically flew in the face of what the other religions of his time were teaching. Most of what we know about the Buddha is derived mainly from canonical texts written mainly in Pali, an ancient language of India. Those who practise this faith in its native home call it Buddha-sasana, which could be best translated as ‘the way of life’ or ‘discipline of the Awakened one’. It is also known as the ‘Buddha-Dhamma’ meaning ‘the eternal truth of the Awakened one’. The young Gautama grew up in a hill town called Kapilavastu, which is in Nepal of today, being highly inspired by bald, wandering, ‘holy men’ known as ‘shramanas’, who devoted themselves to the pursuit of an ascetic life. That meant no sex, no personal pleasure of a material kind, and a total devotion to spiritualism. These bald wanderers were in search of answers to the futility of life and in a sense were the proto-Buddhists who showed Gautama the way. He was determined to find a solution to the problems of human existence.

  The difference between the Buddhists and Brahmins who lived in India during those days was mainly in their sacrificial rituals, which were rather elitist and excluded most of the common people. He joined a group of shramanas, mastered the art of meditation while in search of spiritual truth but in the course of his pursuit he was reduced to skin and bone, and almost died. He realised that this was not the way forward. Some time later he found himself in the province of Ganges where he was engaged by Mara, the ‘Evil One’ and his three daughters, who tried everything in their power to deflect the Buddha-to-be from his purpose.

  After a night of spiritual struggle in about 535 BC, he became “The Awakened” and entered a supposed state of transcendental being. Buddhists disregarded the Indian caste system of segregating classes, they accepted all humans as equal. And so the enlightened and Awakened Gautama Buddha began to preach the Dharma. The Buddhists call it “The Discourse of the Setting in Motion the Wheels of Dharma.” He travelled and preached for 40 years, during which he established the Order of the Buddhist Brethren and Order of Sisters. It is also written that he was confronted several times by ‘Mara the Evil One’, but Gautama defeated him each time. When he died in 490 BC, his body was cremated seven days after his death. Buddhists believe in reincarnation and that one must go through several cycles of birth, life and death. After a number of such cycles, if a person releases their attachment to desire and the self, they can attain Nirvana. In general, Buddhists do not believe in any type of god, the need for a saviour, prayer, or eternal life after death.

  From the Gospel of Buddha as written by Paul Carus we learn that one of the major philosophies the Buddha taught was, “Truth knows neither birth nor death; it has no beginning and no end… Truth gives unto mortals the boon of immortality.”

  So it seems that just like all the other religions, the pages of the Buddhist scriptures are filled by the obsession with immortality. In some religions it would be described as life after death. By now we have established that this idea originated from the Sumerian gods dating back to the flood some 11,000 BC and their interaction with the humans who survived. But as time passed their fascination with eternal life evolved into a variety of obsessions, many of which manifested themselves in the number of religious denominations which emerged. We learn further that “karma is undeniable… Like everything in nature, the life of man is subject to the laws of cause and effect.” Buddha felt strongly about the vanity of religious ritual. He had a whole new approach to life, clearly very influenced by the interactions between the many gods of prehistory and the control they exerted on Humankind, while demanding to be worshipped. He resisted it strongly and desperately wanted to free Humankind from the stranglehold of the Sumerian gods. “Rituals have no efficacy; prayers are vain repetitions and incantations have no saving power.”

  The teachings of Christ resemble the words of the Buddha in so many ways, that it seems impossible that the two are coincidental. “What love can a man possess who believes that the destruction of life will atone for evil deeds? Can a new wrong expiate old wrongs? And can the slaughter of an innocent victim blot out the evil deeds of mankind? Purify your hearts and cease to kill, that is true religion.” (Gospel of Buddha.)

  I found this gospel quite uplifting in the early days of 2005. It is filled with constant repetition regarding “brotherly love towards your enemies”; the great circle of fate which may turn the victor into the victim; reconciliation; truth and so on. It is the kind of wisdom we hear from peacemakers like Nelson Mandela on a regular basis, but I cannot recall Mandela ever proclaiming to be a Buddhist. “Come now and make peace, let us be brothers; he will gain a victory that is not a transient success, for its fruits will remain forever.” The Buddha believed that humans will not be reborn into suffering or lower forms of life or continue a karma of evil deeds, if they followed the appropriate steps toward enlightenment. We are assured of “final salvation”. It is not quite clear what that ‘final salvation’ might be, as we read on: “When they die, nothing will remain of them but their good thoughts, their righteous acts, and the bliss that proceeds from truth and righteousness.”

  But as with all the other religions, even Buddhism refers to the influence and involvement of the ancient gods. In this case however, it seems that the Buddha actually stood up to the violent gods of Sumer and the Old Testament, in an attempt to show them the way of peace and enlightenment. In the book of The Mirror of Truth (from the Gospel of Buddha) it refers very clearly to such interaction between the Buddha a
nd the gods; and men. “The Fully enlightened one; the wise; upright…The Bridler of men's wayward hearts; the teacher of Gods and men; the blessed Buddha.” Those gods of ancient times just happened to pop up everywhere. Are we still so sure that they were mythological figures? If we accept the Buddha as a real historic figure, should we not also accept the ‘gods’ of Sumer and all the latter cultures as real historical deities, although it goes against what we think we know? As vague as the so-called ‘salvation’ which the Buddha refers to may be, his teachings overflow with the unbridled embrace of truth and love. It is staggering to see how completely opposed by nature it is, to the brutal tales of violence which we read in the Bible and other religious scriptures like the Koran.

  But guess what? That mysterious shiny metal called gold, pops its head out even on the pages of the Gospel of Buddha. Where there was gold, there were the signs of the Anunnaki gods who controlled all of it. We read that even the Buddha was pleased to receive a robe of golden thread from a man of a lower caste. The most fascinating link to our gods of Sumer is beautifully revealed in the story of Buddha's birth. His mother was referred to as the “Queen of Heaven… beautiful as a water lily and pure in mind as the lotus”. She had a complexion bright and light, like many of the Sumerian goddesses as described in the clay tablets. Those were the days when humans were intermarrying with ‘Nefilim gods’ as we are told in the Bible and the Sumerian tablets. We were also shown that the Egyptian kings were required to be half human, half god. The Gospel of Buddha states that her husband the King “honoured her in her holiness”. Was the Buddha another one of the chosen prophets of the Anunnaki gods in an attempt to keep Humankind in line? And was he the son of a mortal king and a beautiful Anunnaki ‘goddess’? Would this heritage have given the Buddha superior knowledge to perform his role as a leader among men? There is ample written evidence that seems to suggest this very convincingly.