(urth) Merger

[Lee Berman]

>Andrew Mason:Christianity certainly holds that there have been divine appearances
>in human form.
 
Interesting. I was not aware of that (perhaps not being a Christian). Who did God appear as?
 
 
>It would be odd to use 'God' as a _name_ for the creator in a world where it is assumed (at 
>least in popular religion) that there are many gods.

Well, I am a bit more focused on BotNS, and as Roy nicely points out, there is a use of "God"
in that story. But it is associated with the Increate, not the Pancreator. And I think it is
significant that these two are not necessarily the same in BotNS as they might be in modern 
Christianity.
 
>As for 'Jahveh', that name is traditionally treated as unspeakable.
 
Nobody is more aware of that than me. I spent many years dutifully reading Hebrew prayers and
Torah with the abbreviation (rendered in English) "YH" as "Adonai"(our Lord) without knowing why 
nor being offered an explanation. I first heard the name "Yaweh" as god of the Jews in a 
comparative religion portion of public school 6th grade history. Quite a light went on, I can 
assure you.
 
But most Christians aren't so anal about it, and some are quite willing to use the "Jehovah" 
version of it out loud. Wolfe is willing to use a version of it in listing the maker of Terminus
Est- Jovinian.
 
 
>However, there are precedents (C.S. Lewis and Wole Soyinka, at
>least) for identifying Dionysus with the Christian God. That his
>identity as god of wine is emphasised is significant; he has other
>aspects which it would be harder to interpret in Christian terms,
 
>In the original, Platonic sense of 'demiurge', in which it simply
>means 'maker', undoubtedly the terms are similar. But the Christian
>God can also be called a demiurge in that sense. I don't see any
>reason to identify the Pancreator with a demiurge in the more specific
>gnostic sense.
 
I am not an expert on such things. But my current understanding is that many have felt the "God" of 
the Old Testament (the genocidal one) was a Pancreator/demiurge divorced in some manner from the true
God or Increate. That Pancreator/demiurge might be some version of Dionysus.
 
I think, furthermore, that some think that part of the coming of Jesus Christ was a conciliation and 
joining of Pancreator and Increate. God certainly has seemed to treat humanity better since the coming
of Jesus. No Godsent plagues or floods or mandation of genocidal warfare anymore. They are all human
products now, I guess.
 
I have no personal opinion on such matters, of course. But all I can do is report that I get the feeling
that in BotNS/Briah.  Wolfe has created a universe in which Pancreator and Increate were never reconciled/
unified.  Thus, despite their advanced technology they remain spiritually backwards- plagued by polytheism, 
monsters, possession, witches, etc. All the things our world was plagued by before Jesus Christ set things 
(mostly) right.
 
Perhaps each universe gets its own Pancreator (but Increate is above all?) I dunno. But I don't see
the same religious rules working in Briah as for our own universe.