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Old 11-18-2006, 06:03 PM   #1
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Default Atonement

Discussion over on GRD has raised some very interesting questions.

Quote:
The answer was fish. Fish, providentially, had escaped God's curse on the earth by living in the water. Water itself was an element of special sanctity, washing away the sins of the world in Noah's Flood, and the sins of the individual in baptism.
http://www.iidb.org/vbb/showthread.php?t=187053

There are several important points there. Water washing away sins from the earth is classic alchemic thinking.

Might eating fish be seen as a sacrament like Mass, but with a different form of atonement.

Why exactly is Jesus depicted as a fish?

Does the ritual of Baptism refer back to Noah?

Do we have a joining of two completely separate traditions - one of salvation by water, the other of salvation by blood sacrifice (except crucifixion is not bloody) to create xianity?
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Old 11-19-2006, 02:34 AM   #2
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Has anyone looked at the gospels from an alchemic perspective?

Do the elements, earth, water, fire, air appear? Why, where?

Are there stories of transformations?

Off the top of my head.

Water into wine, baptism of Jesus, curing blindness by spitting on clay, stories about using fish and bread to feed multiudes, the various boat stories, walking on water, the last supper.

Are there two - possibly more - theories of atonement present? A Noah one - we assume today it is a horror story but what if everyone who drowned was thought to have their sins washed away and they are thus in heaven? Does not the rainbow symbol state that explicitly?

And an Abrahamic sacrifice one?
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Old 11-19-2006, 02:59 AM   #3
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Sounds like paganism re-wrapped to me.

Blessed be
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Old 11-19-2006, 03:22 AM   #4
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Heresy! Calling xianity a pagan religion!
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