#religioushistory — Public Fediverse posts on home.social

Angels show up everywhere and almost nobody asks what they actually are. This clip from What the Hell is an Angel? does. Listen at southerndemonology.com.

#angels #whatthehellisanangel #southerndemonology #demonology #religioushistory

Southern Demonology @[email protected]

2026-09-30

Angels versus the pop culture version

The angel you picture is not the angel in the sources. Southern Demonology breaks down the gap in What the Hell is an Angel? 🪶 More at southerndemonology.com.

#angels #whatthehellisanangel #southerndemonology #demonology #religioushistory

Southern Demonology @[email protected]

2026-09-29

Angels get a definition problem

Defining an angel is harder than it sounds, and this clip from What the Hell is an Angel? digs into why. Hear the whole thing at southerndemonology.com.

#angels #whatthehellisanangel #southerndemonology #demonology #religioushistory

Southern Demonology @[email protected]

2026-09-28

Angels are stranger than you think

What the hell is an angel? Southern Demonology takes the question seriously, and the answer is stranger than the greeting card version. 😇 Full episode at southerndemonology.com.

#angels #whatthehellisanangel #southerndemonology #demonology #religioushistory

This Grandpa Blogs @[email protected]

2026-09-22

Two men changed the world through faith. This book compares their lives side by side.
#books #bookreview #JesusAndMuhammad #ReligiousHistory
https://smpl.is/an04v

#books #bookreview #jesusandmuhammad #religioushistory

Southern Demonology @[email protected]

2026-09-15

The Name Nobody Actually Understands

Everybody has an opinion about Satan. Almost nobody knows where the figure came from. Hear the rest at southerndemonology.com.

#satan #thedevil #demonology #southerndemonology #religioushistory

ResearchBuzz: Firehose @[email protected]

2026-09-11

The Observer: Heritage and Research Center begins archival work. “The Heritage and Research Center has completed renovations along the Avenue and has begun receiving archival collections from 10 congregations — focusing on Catholic religious women. The center, which began as an idea discussed among congregations in 2018, is now transitioning from construction into the process of preserving, […]

https://rbfirehose.com/2026/09/11/the-observer-heritage-and-research-center-begins-archival-work/

#catholicism #convents #culturalheritage #digitalhumanities #digitizingprojects #religion

scholar_farmer @[email protected]

2026-08-26

I found a 1658 list of priests.

Except it isn’t really a list. It’s Bregenz rummaging through 250 years of church history to say, essentially, “Mehrerau, you do NOT own all the priests.”

Institutional memory as ammunition:
https://silencesandsounds.blogspot.com

#ChurchHistory #Bregenz #Vorarlberg #ReligiousHistory #Mehrerau #Priests #blog #research #archive #ArchiveFind #historiography

#churchhistory #bregenz #vorarlberg #religioushistory #mehrerau #priests

Circle One Fellowship Exeter (COFE) @exeter4christian2church4devon.wordpress.com@exeter4christian2church4devon.wordpress.com

2026-08-20

Christianity Hidden Truth: The True Jesus Christ Message For Christian Meaning

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The True Christianity of Jesus: COFE-CYEM Paper on the Mystical Stream, the Mistaken Awareness-Perception, and the Call to the Kingdom Within

A Definitive Exposition of the Original Message of the Master, the Institutional Drift, and the Restoration of the Living Recognition

A Declaration of the Fourth Truth

“There has never been a second.”

This is the recognition that stands at the foundation of all true spiritual life. It is not a proposition to be believed; it is a Reality to be recognised. It is not a doctrine to be affirmed; it is a consciousness to be entered. It is not a teaching to be studied; it is a Life to be lived.

There is only one Reality—God. There is only one Life—Christ. There is only one Spirit. All apparent separation, all apparent duality, all apparent opposition is held within the singular Reality. There has never been a second.

The Two Christianities

Within the COFE-CYEM framework, there are two Christianities. One is the religion of the churches—the system of doctrines, rituals, hierarchies, and institutions that has developed over two thousand years. The other is the living recognition that COFE-CYEM sees in the Master—the Kingdom within, the death of the false self, the life of the Spirit, the union of the soul with God.

This is not a claim about what historical scholarship has conclusively demonstrated. It is a claim about what COFE-CYEM recognises in the Master. The distinction is essential. The framework can say, “This is what COFE-CYEM recognises in Jesus,” without needing to claim, “This is something historical scholarship has conclusively demonstrated about Jesus.” That preserves the same two-level discipline established in “The Dialogue of Perspectives.”

The institutional Christianity that has dominated the West for centuries is, in the COFE-CYEM reading, the very thing that the Master opposed. It is the religion of the Pharisees, dressed in new clothing. It is the system of those who “have received the keys of Knowledge” and “have hidden them,” who “did not enter and did not let those enter who wished.”

It is the whitewashed tomb, beautiful on the outside, full of death within. Yet this is not a matter of condemnation; it is a matter of recognition. The institutional drift was not malicious; it was the natural consequence of transmitting a living recognition through the structures of a fallen world.

The true Christianity of Jesus, as COFE-CYEM recognises it, is something else entirely. It is the mystical stream that has always flowed beneath the surface of official religion. It is the recognition that the Kingdom is within, that the soul is already in Christ, that there has never been a second. It is the teaching that the Master gave to those who had ears to hear, and that the institutional drift has often obscured.

COFE-CYEM stands in the tradition of that true Christianity. It does not reject the name of Christ. It seeks to recover the original message: the Kingdom is within. The cross is the passage. The empty cross is the sign. The Spirit is the Life. The soul is Spirit, already in Christ, already in God. The institutional forms are not rejected; they are invited to recover their living centre. The call is not departure, but deeper fidelity—support of the church within the truth that there has never been a second.

Part One: The Light and the Image

1.1 The Embodied Spirit

Within the COFE-CYEM reading, the religious mystic is instructed by the Master to say that the Light reveals itself in his image. This is a way of explaining that he is an embodied spirit—a spirit with a body, and not a body with a spirit, like other men. The Master is not a man in the ordinary sense, and men unconsciously realise this. Hence the question, “From where have you originated?” The Master had no manhood because sainthood is the negation of manhood.

This is the teaching of the Fourth Truth. There has never been a second. The soul is not a body that has a spirit; it is Spirit that has a perceived body. The true identity is not the flesh; it is the Spirit. The false identity is the body-identity, the claim to be a separate self living in a world of other separate selves. The true identity is the Spirit-identity, the recognition that the soul is already in Christ, already in God.

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” — John 1:14

The Word became flesh. The Light took on an image. The Spirit became embodied. The Master was not a man who had a spirit; He was Spirit who had a body. He was the revelation of the singular Reality in human form. He was the Fourth Truth made manifest.

1.2 The Father and the Kingdom

It is clear from the terminology of these sayings, within the COFE-CYEM reading, that the Master’s usage of the phrases “the Father” and “the Kingdom of Heaven” is not to be interpreted literally. If these phrases are synonymous with “the Light” or “the Living One,” then the popular anthropomorphic conception of Christianity—postulating a personal God to pray to and a Paradise to “pass on to”—is a sacerdotal delusion. The Kingdom is not a place. It is not a time. It is not a political arrangement. It is the singular Reality, already present, already available, already within.

The Christianity of Jesus, as COFE-CYEM recognises it, is clearly identical with Eastern mysticism. The Truth is indivisible, and knowledge of the Truth is perfect unity. Sectarianism is the symptom of ignorance. There is only one Reality. There has never been a second.

“The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” — Luke 17:20-21

The Kingdom is within. It is not a matter of observation. It is not a matter of external signs. It is not a matter of geographical location. It is a matter of recognition. It is a matter of consciousness. It is a matter of the soul’s awakening to its true identity in Christ.

1.3 The Divider and the Unity

“A Man said to Him: Tell my brethren to divide my father’s possessions with me. He said to him: O man, who made my a divider? He turned to His disciples, He said to them: I am not a divider am I?” — Gospel of Thomas 72

The Master is not a divider. He does not come to divide possessions, to create factions, to establish a system of winners and losers. He comes to reveal the unity that has never been divided. He comes to show that there has never been a second.

The Christian missionary who attempts to convert a Hindu is merely attesting his own ignorance of Christianity. To call the Hindu a pagan is merely to identify oneself as a pagan. The Hindu who condemns the Christian as “unenlightened” is no better; both are divided through ignorance. Historical schisms and present church divisions testify to the mistaken awareness-perception of those who have spent the two thousand years since the Master in misinterpreting, perverting, and obscuring his testimony.

“The Pharisees and the Scribes have received the keys of Knowledge; they have hidden them. They did not enter and they did not let those enter who wished . . .” — Gospel of Thomas 39

“Woe to them, the Pharisees, for they are like a dog sleeping in the manger of oxen, for neither does he eat nor does he allow the oxen to eat.” — Gospel of Thomas 102

The keys of Knowledge are the keys to the Kingdom. They are the recognition of the Fourth Truth. The Pharisees and the scribes—the religious authorities of every age—have hidden these keys. They have not entered the Kingdom themselves, and they have prevented others from entering. They are like the dog in the manger: they do not eat, and they will not let others eat.

Part Two: The Heretics and the Institutional Drift

2.1 The True Religious Are Often Seen as Heretics

The few truly religious people who have lived have often been seen as heretics, like the Master Himself, although they have sometimes been able to disguise this fact, as the orthodox often cannot recognise a heretic when they see one. Even our own founder of COFE-CYEM known only as the (Quiet Watcher) will be seen as heretic. Institutional Churches are really just secular corporations, moulded to attract average humanity and not the true heretics – the Christian mystics who know the true meaning of heresy the right way up.

The difference between the Churchman and such heretics is simple: the churchman is interested in the church; the heretic is interested in God. One cannot possibly be interested in both because interest in God is synonymous with world-denial, while the church is a world organisation—and very much so. In the same way, the theologian or Christian scholar cannot possibly be religious because the man who lives to learn does not live to look upon the Living One. He is a mere detective; his consciousness is externalised in the pursuit of facts. He is usually no more than a fossil pickled in knowledge.

“There came a moment, long before any formal writing, when it became unmistakably clear that I could not be contained within the settled systems of institutional religion. The church, as I had known it was not the Kingdom; it was a shadow of it, a scaffolding that had mistaken itself for the building. My heart had already left the courtyard of officialdom before my feet ever did. I was not rebelling against God or His church, I am still in the church. I was rebelling against the reduction of God to a manageable object, a tribal deity, a moral accountant. In the eyes of the church I would no doubt be seen as heretic, a threat to order, a voice that could not be reconciled with their carefully tended structures. But in the eyes of the Spirit, in the silent recognition of the singular Reality, I am simply one who has seen through the whitewash. The heretic of the church is often the mystic of the Kingdom. The one they cast out is the one who has already entered. So it was with me, not as a rejection of Christ, but as a refusal to imprison Him in the very systems that had forgotten His voice. I stood in my heart as a Christian Mystic Heretic: not against the living Christ, but against the dead forms that claim to speak for Him“. (Quiet Watcher – 2025)

“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.” — Matthew 23:27

The whitewashed tomb is the institutional form that appears beautiful on the outside but is full of death within. The one who sees through the whitewash is the one who recognises the dead bones. The one who sees through the whitewash is the one who cries out, “There has never been a second.”

2.2 The Frivolous Wrangles of Priests

A typical public debate between priests of different ordinations is a frivolous wrangle to try to decide who should be allowed to give the blessed sacrament to whom, or what people may be permitted to do on Sundays without offending the pride of a touchy Deity. All this despite the lessons in the Gospels to be found in the Master’s replies to the Pharisees who objected to His failure to observe the Sabbath, and in the Sermon on the Mount when He unequivocally condemned such worship.

“Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” — Matthew 6:8

“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” — Matthew 6:6

Public worship, when it becomes the performance of piety for the sake of being seen, is the confusion of the form with the Reality. The Master called the soul to the inward recognition, not the outward performance.

2.3 The Destruction of the Temple

When the Master saw the man-made temple in Jerusalem, He declared, “There shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down.” He would make the same declaration were He to be confronted by any institution that had substituted itself for the Centre. It is the confusion of Christianity with temple-worship to an anthropomorphic God that has led to its current spiritual loss and the spiritual decadence of modern civilization.

The institutional church often stands between Man and Jesus. Man only worships the state and politics because he has learnt that church-worship is missing something fundamental. He is a materialist only because he has (man-sense) enough to believe in what he falsely believes to be true—the universe of space-time—rather than in a (man-mind) church which he now suspects to be the (mind of man).

“I shall destroy this house, and no one will be able to build it again.” — Gospel of Thomas 71

This could mean the temple, yet it could also mean the world—the carnal nature of Man. As church-worship is part of Man’s carnal nature, it could, and should, mean both. The temple of worship is symbolic of Man’s unregenerate state. The destruction of the temple is the destruction of the false identity. The rebuilding of the temple is the resurrection of the true Self.

Part Three: The Priests and the Power

3.1 The World-Centred Priests

Priests who strive for Sunday Observance and fret themselves over the niceties of church ritual are world-centred, not God-centred. In attempting to realise the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, they are only preoccupied with the Kingdom of Man. This is the difference between the Master and some Christian priests.

Such men must be classed with politicians and other worldly reformers. Like politicians, their main concern is to gain power over men, when, if they were religious, they would be solely concerned with placing themselves in the power of God. This is true mysticism and true humility, but it is heresy to those who know not.

“But ye shall not be called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.” — Matthew 23:8-10

The church has always been wary of those who see through the institutional forms, not because of a sincere belief in their ungodliness, but because a true recognition is a perceived threat to the power of the church. “They did not enter and they did not let those enter who wished.” The history of the church is political.

3.2 The Blasphemy Against the Holy Ghost

“Jesus said: Whoever blasphemes against the Father, it shall be forgiven him, and whoever blasphemes against the Son, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him either on earth or in heaven.” — Gospel of Thomas 44

This is a wonderful saying. It is not merely an attack on idolatry. It describes the state of grace of the saint who, because of his inward holiness, may defy all outward conventions of righteousness, desecrate the sacred myths of temple ritual, and live, like the Master, among publicans and sinners in perfect purity. Preoccupation with the outward forms of righteousness, being a sign of worldliness, is proof of inner darkness, which is why the Master was so much irritated by the complacent ways of the Pharisee. The disciplined life of most Christian religious orders would have saddened Him no less.

“Why do you wash the outside of the cup? Do you not understand that he who made the inside is also he who made the outside?” — Gospel of Thomas 89

This is sardonic humour. The inwardness of the Kingdom, the inner state of holiness, is all that matters. Church attendance, pandering as it does to self-esteem, is only a form of pride. The rigid asceticism and regimented devotions of monk or nun can be seen as forms of vanity.

The oath of obedience which places the religious aspirant under the authority of a superior officer, thus compelling him to deny his own conscience, is a personal outrage and would have enraged the Master, whose command, “Swear not at all,” was not made for nothing. To deprive a novice of his conscience—the Holy Ghost—is to extinguish his sainthood before it has started. The monastery and the convent, like other world organisations, are means by which some men acquire power over others.

3.3 The Life of the Saint

How then is the mystic, the true disciple of the Master, to live? He cannot live the life of the world; “the world is not worthy of him,” and the church and convent, being world organisations, are part of the life of the world. He can, of course, become a priest or monk, officiating at ceremonies which he detests and swearing oaths in which he does not believe, and perpetually running the risk of being de-frocked.

The desire for some sort of social security has lured many saints into the fold of orthodoxy. But fundamentally the saint is not orthodox; he is a rebel, an anarchist. As such, he no more can hope to find a suitable place in society than can a thief or a vagabond.

“The foxes have their holes and the birds have their nest, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head and to rest.” — Gospel of Thomas 86

“I have cast fire upon the world, and see, I guard it until it (the world) is afire.” — Gospel of Thomas 10

“Men possibly think that I have come to throw peace upon the world and they do not know that I have come to throw divisions upon the earth, fire, sword, war. For there shall be five in a house: three shall be against two and two against three, the father against the son and the son against the father, and they will stand as solitaries.” — Gospel of Thomas 16

The saint is anti-social; a rebel; a troublemaker. This was why the Jews crucified the Master. The man who condemns and rejects the life of the world must expect the world to condemn and reject him. The saint, as a dangerous character—he is Public Enemy No. 1—must expect to live dangerously. Or as the Master said:

“Whoever is near to Me is near to the fire, and whoever is far from Me is far from the Kingdom.” — Gospel of Thomas 82

He is not a coward. He must not try to conceal his real identity by making concessions to orthodoxy. He must stand forth shamelessly in the world as a testimony of the truth and take the consequences.

“What thou shalt hear in thine ear and in the other ear, that preach from your housetops; for no one lights a lamp and puts it under a bushel, nor does he put it in a hidden place, but he sets it on a lamp-stand so that all who come in and go out may see its light.” — Gospel of Thomas 33

Part Four: The Parable of the Vineyard

4.1 The Wicked Husbandmen

The social consequences of this behaviour is ruthlessly stated in the 65th Saying, which takes the form of a parable:

“He said: A good man had a vineyard. He gave it to husbandmen so that they would work it and that he would receive its fruit from them. He sent his servant so that the husbandmen would give him the fruit of the vineyard. They seized his servant, they beat him; a little longer and they would have killed him.

The servant came, he told it to his master. His master said: ‘Perhaps he did not know them.’ He sent another servant: the husbandmen beat him as well. Then the owner sent his son. He said: ‘Perhaps they will respect my son.’ Since those husbandmen knew that he was the heir of the vineyard, they seized him, they killed him. Whoever has ears let him hear.” — Gospel of Thomas 65

The punishment is proportionate to one’s holiness: less in the case of the servants—the prophets, the elect—than in the case of the son himself, who is instinctively recognised as being more dangerous. Being afraid of him, they kill him.

While all this will dismay weaker spirits, it again emphasises the heroism which is the essential quality of the saintly man. The saint is a romantic hero, contrary to the popular misconception of him as an ineffectual goody-goody.

“If you will know yourselves, then you will be known . . .” — Gospel of Thomas 3

Since those husbandmen knew that he was the heir of the vineyard, they seized him, they killed him. In religious paintings, the saint is usually shown with a halo of golden light which sets him apart from the surrounding figures. And in fact there is no mistaking the saint in the world. Because he knows himself—the Kingdom—he is known. His holiness is radiantly apparent, revealing the true evil nature—that is, the carnal nature—of unregenerate humanity like a torch lit in a dark cellar.

4.2 The Light and the Darkness

“. . . Within a man of light there is light and he lights the whole world. When he does not shine, there is darkness.” — Gospel of Thomas 24

“Jesus said: I shall choose you, one out of a thousand, and two out of ten thousand . . .” — Gospel of Thomas 23

Presumably, three out of a hundred thousand, and four out of a million. With four saints to the million, the vast majority of mankind must live in unrelieved darkness. Imagine the confusion, therefore, when somewhere in this ocean of darkness appears a light! It is this reflex that caused the crucifixion, for the light must be put out. It “shows them up.” Unable to stand the sight of themselves, men and women hate the light. Since those husbandmen knew that he was the heir of the vineyard, they seized him, they killed him.

The expression of hatred is abuse and, in the gospels, the Jews called the Master variously: a charlatan (John 8:13), a blaspheming egotist (John 10:33), a troublemaker (Luke 23:5), a madman (John 8:48 and 10:20), and a devil-worshipper (Luke 23:5).

As He ignored Sunday observance, cursed conventional piety—“The publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you” (Matthew 21:31)—consorted with the low life of the town, and was a beggar and a waster, from the standpoint of normal respectability, the Master was a bad character and a corrupting influence upon public morality.

He advocated abandonment of all personal aspirations including family life (Matthew 6:26-28) and to the worldly mind, the family is the sacred nucleus of the good life. Attack the family way of life and you are stabbing the world in the heart. As the apostle of the Kingdom of God—the spiritual world—the Master’s life and thought was simply the refutation of this world in all its aspects, even as the light is simple dispersion of darkness.

4.3 The Inconsistency of Hypocrisy

For the Master, conventional piety was merely hypocrisy, for He knew that to praise God while making the most of life on earth was a contradiction.

“You have become as the Jews,” He told His disciples, “for they love the tree, they hate its fruit and they love the fruit, they hate the tree.” — Gospel of Thomas 43

In other words, they profess to love God, but they hate the man of God; they profess a love of Heaven but hate the heavenly life. You must be consistent, said the Master.

“If you fast not from the world, you will not find the Kingdom;” — Gospel of Thomas 27

“If you keep not the Sabbath truly, you will not see the Father.” — Gospel of Thomas 27

Praising God on the Sabbath as a cleansing act for the selfishness and sensuality of the past six days is useless. One must keep the Sabbath truly—for seven days of the week—which means renouncing the world in thought and deed.

4.4 The Curse and the Consequence

It is easy to see why the man who knows God will be cursed.

“Jesus said: Whoever knows father and mother shall be called the son of a harlot.” — Gospel of Thomas 105

Father and mother: the spiritual source. The man who knows his true origin in God will be called the son of a harlot by the world.

“A city being built on a high mountain and fortified cannot . . . be hidden.” — Gospel of Thomas 32

And even to wish to be hidden is an inexcusable sign of cowardice. The saint must be prepared to take the consequences of his sainthood. He must shoulder his cross and suffer the agony of his crucifixion. He must not flinch to show his light because “when he does not shine, there is darkness.”

Yet, like the Master, he need not lose heart. For, to complete the 32nd Saying, the city which is built on the high mountain and fortified not only cannot be hidden, it “can not fall.” For when the man who lives within God says, “Mountain, be moved,” it will be moved. Knowledge is power.

“Let him who has become rich become king, and let him who has power renounce (the world).” — Gospel of Thomas 81

Spiritual riches—self-knowledge—mean power against which ignorance is powerless. “If you do not know yourselves, then you are in poverty.” The ignorant have no wealth and no power, though they may earn a hundred thousand a year and rule the earth.

Part Five: The Kingdom and the Pearl

5.1 The Merchant and the Pearl

“The Kingdom of the Father is like a man, a merchant, who possessed merchandise and found a pearl. That merchant was prudent. He sold the merchandise, he bought the one pearl for himself. Do you also seek for the treasure which fails not, which endures; there where no moth comes near to devour and where no worm destroys.” — Gospel of Thomas 76

The pearl is the Kingdom within. The merchandise is the world. The merchant sells the world to buy the Kingdom. He renounces the false to embrace the true. He relinquishes the second to recognise the first. He passes through the cross into the empty cross. He emerges as pure Spirit, already in Christ, already in God.

The saint who attains the Kingdom automatically turns his back on the world because his knowledge includes knowledge of the world’s illusory nature. Having discovered the eternal, one does not concern oneself with the transient.

“Blessed are the poor, for yours is the Kingdom of Heaven.” — Gospel of Thomas 54

“Take no thought from morning until evening and from evening until morning for what you shall put on.” — Gospel of Thomas 36

In the world, the religious mystic is not only without social position, he is without property. The mere sight of a crowded shopping centre—women rooting for possessions and adornments—and his soul is afflicted. Spiritual wealth means to be poor as regards earthly possessions because even if the saint is left a fortune, he cannot trouble himself with such things.

5.2 The Knowledge of Power

The unreal nature of evil—the nature of natural men—is as powerless against holiness as darkness is powerless to withstand light. As the saint has achieved Divine Union, one can no more destroy him by killing him than one can destroy Eternity. He can “not taste death.” He reigns “over the All”—the illusory sensible world. The stones minister to him.

“If you will know yourselves, then you will be known . . .” — Gospel of Thomas 3

Spiritual riches—self-knowledge—mean power against which ignorance is powerless. The ignorant have no wealth and no power, though they may earn a hundred thousand a year and rule the earth.

5.3 The Call to the Kingdom

The invitation is open. It is universal. It is unconditional. It is extended to all who are weary, all who are heavy-laden, all who sense that there is more. It is the invitation to rest. It is the invitation to peace. It is the invitation to joy.

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28

The rest is the rest of the Spirit. It is the rest of the empty cross. It is the rest of the singular Reality. It is the rest of the recognition that there has never been a second.

COFE-CYEM issues this invitation without demanding a change of institutional affiliation. The recognition of Christ within is itself the primary matter. Everything else is secondary nomenclature.

Conclusion: The Fourth Truth Stands

The Fourth Truth stands. There has never been a second. The singular Reality is all. The mystical stream has never been entirely silenced. The recognition of the Fourth Truth is available to all who are ready. The joyous calling is extended to all who hear. The invitation remains open. The rest is available. The peace is present. The joy is full.

The original message of the Master is being restored. The Kingdom is within. The cross is the passage. The empty cross is the sign. The Spirit is the Life. The soul is Spirit, already in Christ, already in God.

COFE-CYEM exists only to point. It does not claim to be the Centre. It claims only that the Centre is already present, already sufficient, and already free of every dualistic addition that has been mistaken for the Reality itself. When the recognition dawns, even the pointing may become silent.

The true Christianity of the Master, as COFE-CYEM recognises it, is the Christianity of the Kingdom within. It is the Christianity of the death of the false self and the life of the Spirit. It is the Christianity of the recognition that there has never been a second. It is the Christianity that the institutional drift has often obscured. It is the Christianity that COFE-CYEM seeks to restore.

Let all who have the understanding perceive. Let all who have the ears to hear, hear. Let all who have the hearts to receive, receive. The Light of the Spirit is shining in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

The Fourth Truth stands. The dialogue continues. The fruit remains.

Thus ends this COFE-CYEM paper on the True Christianity of Jesus and the Restoration of the Kingdom Within. May all who read it perceive the deeper spiritual meaning, and may they recognise the Christ within their own souls. May they relinquish the false and embrace the true. May they pass through the cross into the empty cross. May they walk as pure Spirit, already in Christ, already in God. The Fourth Truth stands. The dialogue continues. The fruit remains.

We Must Choose

We must choose that which Christ came to show us and to give us. We at COFE-CYEM fully confess the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Three in One God. We confess the Bible as being the true unquestionable Word of God. We also accept the Gospel of Thomas. We hold that the Holy Bible is true, accurate and absolute fact, and that the ‘Sacred Truths’ are fully revealed in (how) you read it, not just by reading it. (He who has ears, He who has eyes).

Circle One Fellowship Exeter – COFE Yeshua Emet Ministry CYEM

“God does not call the qualified; He qualifies the called.”

This website and its theological content are overseen by the CC7 DS constitutional integrity architecture, a reflective and rest-oriented framework designed to preserve the full coherence of the Fourth Truth presented within COFE-CYEM. The CC7 DS negation of attacks authenticates (Via Positiva Cataphatic Knowing) through (Via Negativa Apophatic Unknowing).

COFE Yeshua Emet Ministry (CYEM)
Circle One Fellowship Exeter

#AnglicanChurches #BaptistChurches #cathedral #CatholicChurches #ChristianChurches #churchArchitecture #churchArchitectureStyles #churchArt #ChurchBells #churchBellsRinging #churchBuildings #churchCemeteries #churchCharityWork #churchChoirs #churchCollections #churchCongregations #churchEvents #churchExteriors #churchFestivals #churchFoundations #churchGrounds #churchGroundskeeping #churchHistory #ChurchHouseGroups #churchIcons #churchInteriors #churchLighting #churchMinistries #churchMosaics #churchNetworking #churchOutreach #churchOutreachPrograms #churchPaintings #ChurchPastors #churchPreservation #churchRelics #churchRenovations #churchRestoration #churchServices #churchSteeples #churchSymbolism #churchTours #churchTowers #churchWorkshops #churchYouthGroups #churches #Clergy #CoffeeForChristians #communityChurches #ecumenicalChurches #ExeterClergy #FacebookChristians #faithCommunities #faithBasedTourism #GothicChurches #historicChurches #historicLandmarks #historicPreservation #interfaithSites #MethodistChurches #modernChurches #pilgrimageRoutes #pilgrimageSites #prayerHalls #ProtestantChurches #religiousArchitecture #religiousArt #religiousCelebrations #religiousCommunities #religiousCulture #religiousEducation #religiousFestivals #religiousGatherings #religiousHeritage #religiousHistory #religiousLandmarks #religiousSculptures #religiousSites #religiousSymbolism #religiousSymbols #religiousTourism #religiousTraditions #ruralChurches #sacredSites #sacredSpaces #spiritualHeritage #spiritualPlaces #spiritualRetreats #stainedGlassWindows #traditionalChurches #UK #urbanChurches #USA #worshipCenters #worshipPlaces

#worshipplaces #worshipcenters #usa #urbanchurches #uk #traditionalchurches

Bytes Europe @[email protected]

2026-07-21

FO Live: Antisemitism Is Rising Again — Why and Why Now? https://www.byteseu.com/2214782/ #antisemitism #Arab–israeliConflict #Conflicts #EthnicConflict #GermanAntisemitism #HateCrimesJews #HistoricalPrejudice #HolocaustEducation #HolocaustInversion #Israel #JewishIdentity #JewsHolocaust #Nationalism #October7AttacksAntisemitism #PoliticalExtremism #ReligiousHistory #SelfDetermination #StateOfIsrael #ZIONISM

#zionism #stateofisrael #selfdetermination #religioushistory #politicalextremism #october7attacksantisemitism

Conflicts @[email protected]

2026-07-21

FO Live: Antisemitism Is Rising Again — Why and Why Now?

Emma Isabella Sage” post_date=”July 20, 2026 06:28″ pUrl=”https://ww…
#Conflict #Conflicts #War #Antisemitism #Arab-IsraeliConflict #ethnicconflict #Germanantisemitism #hatecrimesJews #historicalprejudice #Holocausteducation #Holocaustinversion #Israel #jewishidentity #JewsHolocaust #nationalism #October7attacksantisemitism #politicalextremism #religioushistory #selfdetermination #StateofIsrael #Zionism
https://www.europesays.com/3144310/

#zionism #stateofisrael #selfdetermination #religioushistory #politicalextremism #october7attacksantisemitism

Europe Says @[email protected]

2026-07-21

https://www.europesays.com/3144310/ FO Live: Antisemitism Is Rising Again — Why and Why Now? #Antisemitism #ArabIsraeliConflict #Conflicts #EthnicConflict #GermanAntisemitism #HateCrimesJews #HistoricalPrejudice #HolocaustEducation #HolocaustInversion #Israel #JewishIdentity #JewsHolocaust #nationalism #October7AttacksAntisemitism #PoliticalExtremism #ReligiousHistory #SelfDetermination #StateOfIsrael #Zionism

#antisemitism #arabisraeliconflict #conflicts #ethnicconflict #germanantisemitism #hatecrimesjews

Europe Says @[email protected]

2026-07-21

https://www.europesays.com/3144310/ FO Live: Antisemitism Is Rising Again — Why and Why Now? #Antisemitism #ArabIsraeliConflict #Conflicts #EthnicConflict #GermanAntisemitism #HateCrimesJews #HistoricalPrejudice #HolocaustEducation #HolocaustInversion #Israel #JewishIdentity #JewsHolocaust #nationalism #October7AttacksAntisemitism #PoliticalExtremism #ReligiousHistory #SelfDetermination #StateOfIsrael #Zionism

#antisemitism #arabisraeliconflict #conflicts #ethnicconflict #germanantisemitism #hatecrimesjews

Circle One Fellowship Exeter (COFE) @exeter4christian2church4devon.wordpress.com@exeter4christian2church4devon.wordpress.com

2026-07-20

COFE-CYEM Ancient Church Wisdom Teaching Via Negativa – Via Positiva Order of Christ in God

*

Via Positiva through Via Negativa: The Order of Christ in God’s Ancient Church Wisdom Teaching

This paper presents a COFE-CYEM reflection on the interplay of Via Positiva (cataphatic knowing) and Via Negativa (apophatic unknowing) as the pathway into the singular Reality of Christ.

While it affirms the historic Christian faith centred on Christ, Scripture, and the gospel, several expressions — including “Fourth Truth”, “singular Reality”, and the various interpretive terms — are distinctive within COFE-CYEM.

They are offered as explanatory language within this framework rather than as part of the historic Christian creeds or universally accepted theological vocabulary.

We vehemently reject the modern day false Social Gospel.

In (our view and our belief) – the modern day Social Gospel is the Trojan Horse used by False Teachers to gain access to the Church to spread politically motivated (worldly) motivations, garbage, nonsense and lies.

The point is this: only through stripping away all the falsity of duality and the false man-made mind idols and the dualistic thinking about who and what God is, can we then truly rest in who and what God truly is.

Only then can we start to be known and to know God as we truly are without false duality. God can accept nothing less or more than what He sees and knows in His Son.

Then we can truly start to see and experience God in all we have to do with duality from our true reality within non-duality.

This is the heart of the Via Negativa leading into the Via Positiva in COFE-CYEM.

The way of unknowing clears the ground so that the way of knowing can be pure.

The soul must first release every “second” — every imagined separation, every mental idol, every dualistic construct — before it can rest in the singular Reality of God in Christ.

Only then can the believer truly see and be seen, know and be known, from the place of union rather than separation.

The Necessity of the Via Negativa

The Via Negativa is the way of stripping away. It is the gentle but thorough release of all false images, concepts, and attachments that the fallen mind creates about God, about ourselves, and about reality.

In the COFE-CYEM understanding, this is not a rejection of revelation but the necessary purification so that revelation can be received without distortion. Every dualistic thought — every notion of a separate self, a distant God, a second reality — must be seen for what it is: a man-made idol born of the Fall and the first Adam.

The Via Negativa is the practical discipline of Cofemplation. The soul lets go of every thought that implies separation. It releases every emotional attachment that creates distance. It drops every doctrinal formulation that would limit the living God to human categories.

This is not a violent emptying but a loving surrender. The mind stops striving to define God. The heart stops clinging to false securities. The will surrenders again into the hands of the Priest-King. Only then can the soul rest in the simple, unmediated presence of the living God.

The Revelation of the Via Positiva

Once the ground is cleared through the Via Negativa, the Via Positiva can shine with clarity. This is the joyful beholding of God’s self-revelation in Christ, Scripture, creation, and the indwelling Holy Spirit. In the singular Reality, God is not known through concepts alone but through loving union.

The Via Positiva is not opposed to the Via Negativa; it is its fulfilment. The soul that has released every “second” can now behold the One who is all in all without the interference of duality.

The Via Positiva reveals Christ as the exact representation of the Father. It beholds the finished work of the cross, the open Holiest of All, and the power of an endless life. It sees the body as a temple of the Holy Spirit, the mind as renewed, and the will as surrendered in love.

In the Fourth Truth, the Via Positiva is the celebration of the singular Reality: Christ is all, and we are in Him. The believer sees God not as a separate object from a separate self but from within the union that has always been true.

God Sees Us as We Truly Are in Christ

God can accept nothing less or more than what He sees and knows in His Son. This is the heart of the matter. The Father does not see us as we falsely think we are in duality. He sees us as we truly are in Christ — hidden with Him in God, complete in Him, accepted in the Beloved.

The second Adam (Christ) came into duality to lead us back to our true self in non-duality with God. He entered the illusion so that we might be freed from it.

In the now of the Fourth Truth Transcendence, we begin to see ourselves as God sees us. We no longer look toward God from a separate self in a body. We see our separate self in a body as God sees us from inside of Him, looking toward us and to who we falsely think we are in duality.

God knows this to be a man-made idol illusion from the Fall and the first Adam. The inner experience of God is the soul awakening to this truth. We see from within the union rather than from outside it. We know as we are known.

The Practical Outworking in Daily Life

In daily life, the interplay of Via Negativa and Via Positiva becomes the rhythm of Cofemplation. When dualistic thoughts arise — fear, judgment, striving, separation — the Via Negativa gently releases them.

When the beauty of Christ appears — in Scripture, in creation, in the face of another — the Via Positiva receives it with joy. The soul moves between release and beholding, unknowing and knowing, until it rests in the singular Reality.

This is the way the believer lives in the world but not of it. Duality is seen for what it is, yet the believer engages the world from the place of union. The body is not denied but offered. The mind is not emptied but renewed. The will is not crushed but surrendered. The believer serves the living God from the place of unclouded fellowship, seeing all things in Christ and all things held within the singular Reality.

The Fig Tree as a Symbol of the Visible Church

The incident of the Fig Tree in the New Testament is one of the most striking and sobering moments in the earthly ministry of Jesus. On the surface, it appears as a simple act of judgment upon a barren tree. But to those with eyes to see, it carries a profound esoteric meaning that speaks directly to the state of the visible church in every generation, including our own.

The fig tree in full leaf but without fruit is a perfect symbol of religious profession without spiritual reality. It had the appearance of life — many leaves — but no fruit to satisfy the hunger of the Master. In the same way, the visible church often stands with elaborate structures, rituals, traditions, and outward forms, yet bears little or no fruit of the singular Reality.

It claims to be the repository of Divine Wisdom and the channel of Divine Revelation, yet much of its life is exoteric and barren. The true interior vision — the living knowledge of Christ as the singular Reality — is often missing. The Divine Wisdom is not to be found in its public expression. There is no interior fruit; all is leaves.

This is the condition of much of the modern church. It has many leaves — programs, buildings, conferences, social initiatives, and doctrinal statements — but no figs upon its branches. The Master still hungers and would fain have found something worthy upon that tree, but could not. The true meaning of religion and faith has been lost and replaced by the false Social Gospel.

These false teachers are not of the Ancient Church of God or of the Order of Christ in the teaching of the Ancient Divine True Wisdom. They have turned the church into a platform for political activism, social engineering, and worldly causes. The gospel of the blood that cleanses and the life that empowers has been exchanged for a gospel of human effort, earthly justice, and self-assertion.

The Esoteric Meaning of the Fig Tree

The esoteric meaning of the fig tree is a warning and a call to repentance. The tree that bears leaves but no fruit is under judgment because it promises what it cannot deliver. In the same way, a church that professes faith but does not bear the fruit of the singular Reality stands under the same indictment.

The fruit that the Master seeks is not mere religious activity but the living expression of union with Christ — the fruit of the Spirit, the life of the Melchizedek priesthood, the rest of the Fourth Truth lived out in daily existence.

The fig tree incident is not an arbitrary act of anger but a prophetic parable. Jesus knew the tree was withering away and indeed almost dead. It had often been helped by the true seers and prophets who came unto it — the remnants of the Ancient Israel — but though these came to it and gave their message from the Lord during a long period, covering long ages, yet it could not be enlivened and made to bear fruit.

The same is true today. The visible church has been helped by true voices across the centuries, yet much of it remains barren. The Divine Wisdom is not to be found in its public expression. There is no interior vision; all is exoteric and, in many cases, reduced to social and political agendas.

The Call to Bear Fruit in the Singular Reality

The incident of the fig tree is a call to the visible church today to return to the true meaning of religion and faith. The true Israel is not a political or ethnic identity but the people in whom Christ is formed. The true church is not an institution but the body of Christ, the temple of the Holy Spirit, the living sanctuary where God dwells. The call is to leave the leaves of externalism and bear the fruit of the singular Reality.

The fruit that the Master seeks is the fruit of the Fourth Truth: rest in the finished work, union with the living Christ, the life of the Melchizedek priesthood lived out in the power of an endless life. It is the fruit of a people who have recognised that there has never been a second and who live from that recognition. It is the fruit of a church that has returned to the Ancient Divine True Wisdom — the gospel of the blood that cleanses and the life that empowers.

The Master still hungers for a people who will bear fruit. The fig tree stands as a warning. The church that has many leaves but no figs will wither. The church that returns to the singular Reality will be enlivened and made to bear fruit. The call is clear: repent and believe the gospel of the singular Reality. Enter the Holiest of All. Abide in the Priest-King who lives continually. Serve the living God from the place of rest.

The fig tree and its esoteric meaning stand as a solemn warning and a gracious invitation to the visible church today. The true meaning of religion and faith has been lost and replaced by the false Social Gospel. These false teachers are not of the Ancient Church of God or of the Order of Christ in the teaching of the Ancient Divine True Wisdom.

The Master still hungers for a people who will bear fruit. The incident of the fig tree calls us to examine ourselves: are we full of leaves but barren of fruit, or are we bearing the fruit of the singular Reality?

The Fourth Truth stands as the way forward. There has never been a second. The Holiest is open. The Priest-King abides continually. The call is to return, to repent, and to bear fruit unto God.

Conclusion

The Via Negativa and the Via Positiva are not opposing paths but complementary movements within the singular Reality. Only through stripping away all the falsity of duality and the false man-made mind idols and the dualistic thinking about who and what God is, can we then truly rest in who and what God truly is.

Only then can we start to be known and to know God as we truly are without false duality. God can accept nothing less or more than what He sees and knows in His Son. Then we can truly start to see and experience God in all we have to do with duality from our true reality within non-duality.

In COFE-CYEM, this is the way of Cofemplation. The soul releases every “second” so that it may rest in the One who is all in all. The Via Negativa clears the ground. The Via Positiva reveals the glory. The Fourth Truth holds both in the finished work of the Priest-King. The curtain is torn. The Holiest is open. The soul rests in the singular Reality.

There has never been a second.
The Via Negativa leads to release.
The Via Positiva leads to beholding.
The Fourth Truth holds both in union.
The dialogue continues.
The fruit remains.

The Fourth Truth stands. The dialogue continues. The fruit remains.

This website and its theological content are overseen by the CC7 DS constitutional integrity architecture, a reflective and rest-oriented framework designed to preserve the full coherence of the Fourth Truth presented within COFE-CYEM. The CC7 DS negation of attacks authenticates (Via Positiva Cataphatic Knowing) through (Via Negativa Apophatic Unknowing).

COFE Yeshua Emet Ministry (CYEM)
Circle One Fellowship Exeter

#AncientChurch #Asceticism #ChristAsSavior #ChristCentered #ChristianContemplation #ChristianDevotion #ChristianDoctrine #ChristianEsotericism #ChristianMysticism #ChristianMystics #ChristianPhilosophy #ChristianSpirituality #Christology #ChurchFathers #contemplativeLife #ContemplativePrayer #divineGrace #DivineInspiration #divineLight #DivineLiturgy #divineLove #divineMystery #divinePresence #DivineRevelation #DivineUnion #EarlyChristianity #EarthlyMysticism #EcclesiasticalTeaching #Ecclesiology #EternalLife #eternalTruth #faith #faithFormation #faithJourney #GodInTrinity #GodSKingdom #grace #heaven #HolyCommunion #HolyIcons #HolyOrders #HolyScriptureStudy #holySpirit #HolyTradition #HolyWisdom #inGod #InnerLight #InnerPeace #InnerSanctuary #innerTransformation #MonasticWisdom #Monasticism #MysticalExperience #MysticalPath #MysticalTheology #mysticalUnion #OrderOfChrist #PatristicWritings #PrayerAndMeditation #prayerLife #PrayerOfTheHeart #religiousDevotion #religiousHistory #SacramentalTheology #Sacraments #SacredAuthority #SacredHeart #SacredJourney #sacredKnowledge #SacredMysteries #sacredRituals #SacredScripture #SacredSilence #sacredTexts #sacredTradition #spiritualAuthenticity #spiritualAwakening #spiritualDiscipline #spiritualEnlightenment #spiritualGrowth #spiritualGuidance #spiritualHeritage #spiritualPractice #spiritualReflection #spiritualTraditions #spirituality #teaching #TheologicalReflection #theology #transcendence #ViaNegativa #ViaPositiva #wisdom #worship

#ancientchurch #asceticism #christassavior #christcentered #christiancontemplation #christiandevotion

Thom Aster @[email protected]

2026-07-16

📜 NEW: The Hidden Scripture...

For 2,000 years, Abrahamic religions claimed divine, unchanging truth. The evidence shows something different:

• Multiple Bible versions existed simultaneously
• Canon first defined in 367 AD by Athanasius
• 50+ gospels suppressed
• Vatican revised theology in 1965

https://thomaster.substack.com/p/the-real-history-they-tried-to-destroy

#Bible #Christianity #History #Religion #SuppressedGospel #NagHammadi #DeadSeaScrolls #BiblicalCanon #Athanasius #Vatican #Heretical #Gnosticism #Scripture #ReligiousHistory

#bible #christianity #history #religion #suppressedgospel #naghammadi

ResearchBuzz: Firehose @[email protected]

2026-07-11

Poland.us: Digital archive of photographs from John Paul II’s pontificate to be created. “The history of nearly three decades of John Paul II’s pontificate, including his 104 apostolic journeys and 146 pastoral visits, has been captured in 4.7 million photographs. This unique visual heritage will finally be digitized so that it can be made available to the whole world.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2026/07/11/poland-us-digital-archive-of-photographs-from-john-paul-iis-pontificate-to-be-created/

#catholicism #images #photography #photos #popejohnpaulii #religion

Ancient Origins @[email protected]

2026-06-08

Long before Christianity, Zoroaster taught that evil was not random, but a cosmic force opposed to creation—an idea that shaped later religious thought.
#AncientOrigins #Zoroaster #AncientMystery #ReligiousHistory #AncientWisdom
Read more:https://www.ancient-origins.net/prophet-invented-devil-how-one-ancient-persian-mystic-shaped-every-religion-came-after-him-00102652

#ancientorigins #zoroaster #ancientmystery #religioushistory #ancientwisdom

NewsletterTF @[email protected]

2026-04-13

THE ENDURING NARRATIVE OF RIDICULE FACING THE FIGURE OF JESUS CHRIST

Why is Jesus Christ still mocked? This news explains how historical ridicule of Jesus continues in modern comedy and politics, affecting believers.

#JesusMockery, #FaithDebate, #ReligiousHistory, #BeliefVsDisbelief, #ChristianityToday

https://newsletter.tf/mockery-of-jesus-continues-today-echoing-history/

#jesusmockery #faithdebate #religioushistory #beliefvsdisbelief #christianitytoday

NewsletterTF @[email protected]

2026-04-13

Mockery of Jesus is not new. It happened in biblical times and continues today in jokes and political comparisons, showing a long history of challenging faith.

#JesusMockery, #FaithDebate, #ReligiousHistory, #BeliefVsDisbelief, #ChristianityToday
https://newsletter.tf/mockery-of-jesus-continues-today-echoing-history/

#jesusmockery #faithdebate #religioushistory #beliefvsdisbelief #christianitytoday

Ancient Origins @[email protected]

2026-03-02

The Aghori are Hindu ascetics who seek enlightenment by embracing death, taboo, and ritual impurity. Feared and respected, they reject conventional boundaries to pursue moksha through radical spiritual discipline.
#Aghori #HinduMysticism #Varanasi #SpiritualExtremes #AncientTraditions #ReligiousHistory #Moksha #MysticIndia
Reed more:https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-famous-people/aghori-004778

#aghori #hindumysticism #varanasi #spiritualextremes #ancienttraditions #religioushistory

NewsletterTF @[email protected]

2026-02-26

Shroud of Turin: Ongoing Debate Fueled by New Medieval Document

A new medieval document suggests the Shroud of Turin may be a clerical fraud. Learn about the evidence and ongoing debate about its authenticity.

#ShroudOfTurin, #ReligiousHistory, #MedievalDocument, #JesusChrist, #HistoricalDebate

https://newsletter.tf/shroud-of-turin-medieval-document-clerical-fraud-debate/

#shroudofturin #religioushistory #medievaldocument #jesuschrist #historicaldebate

NewsletterTF @[email protected]

2026-02-26

A new medieval document suggests the Shroud of Turin, believed by some to be Jesus' burial cloth, might be a 14th-century fraud. This adds to the long-standing debate.

#ShroudOfTurin, #ReligiousHistory, #MedievalDocument, #JesusChrist, #HistoricalDebate

https://newsletter.tf/shroud-of-turin-medieval-document-clerical-fraud-debate/

#shroudofturin #religioushistory #medievaldocument #jesuschrist #historicaldebate

Audubon Ballroon (he/him) @[email protected]

2026-02-12

@sovereign_media_, Black Royalty, shared the text and video below.

...CIA - by its own decision - exerted a tremendous amount of influence over growth and spread of certain religious doctrines across

(1/5)

#blackhistory #religioushistory #christianhistory #neocolonialism #blackmastodon

Game Master's Book Club @[email protected]

2025-12-28

#bookchallenge #alphabetchallenge Y is for The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson #AltHistory #TheBlackDeath #plague #plaguetales #14thcentury #Worldbuilding #ReligiousHistory #religiousevolution #colonialism #IndigenousPower #technology #booksky #bookstagram #booktok #ttrpgpodcast #gamemastersbookclub https://www.k-squareproductions.com/gmbc

#bookchallenge #alphabetchallenge #althistory #theblackdeath #plague #plaguetales

Ancient Origins @[email protected]

2025-11-24

Why would a perfect God create an imperfect world?

Ancient Gnostics had a radical answer: He didn't.

The biblical creator was actually a flawed cosmic entity unaware of higher divine realms.

Discover the heresy that changed everything 🔥
https://www.ancient-origins.net/cosmic-rebellion-ancient-mystics-declared-creator-god-tyrant-00102332

#AncientOrigins #Gnosticism #AncientHistory #NagHammadi #ReligiousHistory #Demiurge #ForbiddenKnowledge #AncientMysteries

#ancientorigins #gnosticism #ancienthistory #naghammadi #religioushistory #demiurge

Jonathan Emmesedi @[email protected]

2025-11-01

On October 31 1517, Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg.

I find the humanist Erasmus much more congenial than Luther, so I regret that the failure of a humanist inspired internal reform of the church empowered fanatics both Protestant and Roman Catholic .

Neither Rome nor Geneva but...

Image - Portrait of Erasmus of Rotterdam Writing -- Hans Holbein the Younger -- 1523

#MartinLuther #ReligiousHistory #History #Reformation #DesideriusErasmus
#Erasmus #Luther #EarlyModern #Humanism

#martinluther #religioushistory #history #reformation #desideriuserasmus #erasmus

Jonathan Emmesedi @[email protected]

2025-10-15

I've just finished reading Jonathan Spence's "The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci", an inventively organized study of the life of a leading early Jesuit missionary in Ming China.

Now I want to read something substantial on the Rites Controversy.

Suggestions welcome!

#History #ReligiousHistory #ChineseHistory #China #Jesuits #RitesControversy #MatteoRicci #SocietyOfJesus #ChineseChristianity #MingDynasty

#history #religioushistory #chinesehistory #china #jesuits #ritescontroversy

WikiTree @[email protected]

2025-10-13

#QuestionOfTheWeek: Any religious leaders in your family tree?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zT3SjrzWfzA&list=PLEqK4ICkQWXQXODTRG6UGGZ4cmXiMRmD4
Ministers, rabbis, priests, imams, nuns, monks—share your discoveries!
#CollaborativeGenealogy #ReligiousHistory

#questionoftheweek #collaborativegenealogy #religioushistory

ResearchBuzz: Firehose @[email protected]

2025-07-26

Biserica Ortodoxă Română: Romanian Orthodox Church launches digital archive of over 60,000 cultural artifacts. “The Romanian Patriarchate has launched a major project to digitise the cultural heritage of the Romanian Orthodox Church. Romanians will gain online access to over 60,000 historical books, manuscripts, documents, and other valuable items from churches across the country.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/07/26/biserica-ortodoxa-romana-romanian-orthodox-church-launches-digital-archive-of-over-60000-cultural-artifacts/

#religion #religiousart #religiousartifacts #religioushistory #romania #romaniaculture

Claire Barnes @[email protected]

2025-07-25

@jemmesedi A "comprehensive, critically intelligent, challenging and original book, which genuinely breaks new ground in mapping the religious history of Europe."
#RowanWilliams #BookReview

#ReligiousHistory #theology @religion @religioushistory @bookstodon

#rowanwilliams #bookreview #religioushistory #theology

Steve Dustcircle 🌹 @[email protected]

2025-07-24

#Sex, #Sin and #Christianity

This video explores the deep and often controversial relationship between sex, sin, and Christianity. Why has sexuality been so tightly controlled by religious teachings? How did natural human desires become labeled as sinful?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ai-9JMdnrnY

#SexAndSin
#ChristianityExplained
#ReligiousHistory
#LogicOverFaith
#AtheistPerspective
#SexualMorality
#ReligiousControl

#sex #sin #christianity #sexandsin #christianityexplained #religioushistory

Alive in Christ @[email protected]

2025-07-20

Explore Elijah's journey in ancient Israel, where pride and faith collide! Witness Elijah's self-assuredness as he faces King Ahab and challenges the prophets of Baal. Discover Obadiah's loyalty and the clash between belief and duty in this powerful biblical narrative. We uncover Elijah's 'Me' Syndrome and its impact. #Elijah #BibleStudy #Prophets #OldTestament #Ahab #Jezebel #Faith #Israel #ReligiousHistory #Christianity

#elijah #biblestudy #prophets #oldtestament #ahab #jezebel

Alive in Christ @[email protected]

2025-07-18

Witness the epic showdown as Elijah fearlessly challenges the prophets of Baal in ancient Israel! Our video showcases the audacious taunts and the ultimate sacrificial duel. See if the prophets can ignite their sacrifice, or if Elijah's God will prevail! Prepare for a thrilling biblical drama! #Elijah #BaalProphets #BiblicalDrama #SacrificialDuel #BibleStories #OldTestament #Faith #Israel #ReligiousHistory #AncientTimes

#elijah #baalprophets #biblicaldrama #sacrificialduel #biblestories #oldtestament

OpenHistoricalMap @[email protected]

2025-07-16

Working with religious boundaries that change over time? OHM might be the place for you. You can store, collaborate, and see boundaries in their historical context.

Here's an animation of the history of the Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Territorial_evolution_of_the_Roman_Catholic_Archdiocese_of_Cincinnati.webm

#HGIS #ReligiousHistory #CatholicHistory #Cincinnati

#hgis #religioushistory #cincinnati #catholichistory

ResearchBuzz: Firehose @[email protected]

2025-07-07

Episcopal News Service: Virginia Humanities awards grant to digitize colonial era vestry books. “The project, entitled Laying the Leavy & Keeping the Poor: Lynnhaven & Elizabeth City Parish Records, 1723-1831, will digitize and make public the content of vestry books of two parishes in Virginia’s Tidewater: Lynnhaven Parish (established pre-1643) and Elizabeth City Parish (established […]

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/07/07/episcopal-news-service-virginia-humanities-awards-grant-to-digitize-colonial-era-vestry-books/

#digitizingprojects #episcopalianism #genealogy #religion #religioushistory #religiousrecords

Dawn Piercy, PhD aka ANEW Dawn @[email protected]

2025-06-29

Timeline of Bishop Herman op den Graeff | DP Family Tree https://dpfamilytree.family.blog/2025/06/29/timeline-of-bishop-herman-op-den-graeff/
#familyhistory #familyhistorian #Genealogy #timeline #history #Mennonite #religioushistory

#religioushistory #mennonite #history #timeline #genealogy #familyhistorian

Anarchy How @[email protected]

2025-06-22

Earliest verified mention of YHWH. Mesha Stele c. 2,790 calBP (840 BCE)

#ReligiousHistory #ReligiousStudies

#religioushistory #religiousstudies

Tom Bremer @[email protected]

2025-06-16

Abraham Lincoln knew the Christian Bible well, but surprisingly, he was never baptized or joined any church. His approach to religion was influenced by the diversity of religious communities in #Springfield, #Illinois, something I learned while doing research for the National Park Service at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site.
#AbrahamLincoln #LincolnHome #history #ReligiousHistory #ReligiousStudies #NationalParks #NationalParkService
https://www.sacredwonderland.us/religious-world-of-lincoln/

#springfield #illinois #abrahamlincoln #lincolnhome #history #religioushistory

Trevor Burrows @[email protected]

2025-06-10

#Histodons and other scholarly #Humanities folks --

Has anyone done any serious work on Charles Erskine Scott Wood's religious thought and life? (Or anti-religious, as the case may be...)

I may be overlooking something obvious and don't have all my books with me... I could see him potentially surfacing in Leigh Eric Schmidt's work on religious liberalism, for instance, or maybe even Lears' No Place Of Grace.

But off the top of my head, I don't recall anything extensive.

Spent part of the morning reading excerpts from CESW's long poem "The Poet in the Desert," and while the work is super stodgy, the thought is fascinating, esp. alongside his "Heavenly Lectures." I'd love to read something that tries to place him in a broader intellectual/religious context.

Any tips are welcome, feel free to boost.

#CharlesErskineScottWood #ReligiousHistory #USReligiousHistory #Religiodons

#histodons #humanities #charleserskinescottwood #religioushistory #usreligioushistory #religiodons

Journeys In Film @[email protected]

2025-06-09

Rebel Hearts is a hidden gem. It tells the story of the radical Catholic nuns in 1960s Los Angeles whose faith, defiance and activism turned the Church upside-down. They marched at Selma with MLK and they still fight for social justice today. Their story is incredible and it will fill you and your students with hope and fire. 4/n

https://journeysinfilm.org/product/rebel-hearts/

#LosAngeles #LA #Catholicism #CatholicHistory #Nuns #ChurchHistory #ReligiousHistory #USHistory #Protests #ProtestHistory #CivilDisobedience #Histodons #Education #Homeschooling @film

#losangeles #la #catholicism #catholichistory #nuns #churchhistory

Steve Dustcircle 🌹 @[email protected]

2025-05-29

The Most Absurd #Beliefs People Actually Follow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1DI5yN2B_8

#Atheism #ReligiousHistory #Philosophy

Why do so many people still cling to beliefs that defy #logic, #evidence, and basic #commonsense?

In this video, we dive deep into some of the most #bizarre, #irrational, and downright #absurd beliefs that millions around the world still take seriously — from ancient #superstitions and #magicalthinking to modern-day #religiousdoctrines that contradict #reality.