Phoenicians and Flying Ships (ritual, beliefs, soul, grace, hell)

[MaddLlama]

You may prefer literal interpretation, but that's not always the best course of action. Allegory is the best method for interpreting Greek stories and myths, because that's what they used. This is evident throughout all of their writings. If the writers intended something to be symbolic, and you interpret it as literal, then I'm sorry, but your interpretation is not as valid as someone who actually understands symbolism.

I disagree with you interpretation of Greek writings. That's the bottom line. I shouldn't have to keep my mouth shut if I believe your ideas are contrary to history, and I'm not one of those people who believes in the idea that the universe is relative and everyone is right. This is a diverse place with a lot of people who may disagree with your ideas. If you can't accept that, then maybe you should think about why you came to an interfaith forum in the first place. I realize this isn't intended to be a debate, but I don't see any reason why I shouldn't be able to point out that your information is wrong if it is. I personally take offense to the idea that Hellenism is an "alien based religion". And, I have no qualms about saying so.

[yuvgotmel]

It has been said or alluded to in this thread that the ancient civilizations did not know about astral travel or spacecraft. The following excerpts from the Bhagavatam will prove otherwise.

http://vedabase.net/sb/2/7/16/
The Lord resides in His Vaikuṇṭha planet. No one can estimate how far away this planet is situated. It is said, however, that anyone trying to reach that planet by airships or by mindships, traveling for millions of years, will find it still unknown. Modern scientists have invented airships which are material, and the yogīs make a still finer material attempt to travel by mindships. The yogīs can reach any distant place very quickly with the help of mindships. But neither the airship nor the mindship has access to the kingdom of God in the Vaikuṇṭhaloka, situated far beyond the material sky.


http://srimadbhagavatam.com/10/77/en2
(These texts from Chapter 77: Lord Krsna Slays the Demon Salva in the Srimad Bhagavatam describe a battle of AIRSHIPS between the gods.)

One excerpt of many on the link above:

SB 10.77.4: Gada, Satyaki, Samba and others began killing Salva's army, and thus all the soldiers inside the airship began falling into the ocean, their necks severed.

http://bhagavata.org/downloads/bhagavatam-canto7.html
(53) Nârada said: 'All the asuras who in battle by the power of the Lord were defeated by the godly, took shelter of the greatest and best of them all, Maya Dânava. (54-55) He constructed for them three huge cities, made of gold, silver and iron, that were immensely great and of an uncommon traffic and of peculiar specialties [they were reported to hover as airships over one another in the sky].


http://www.geocities.com/dipalsarvesh/viman1.html
"The seven greatest capital cities of Rama were known in classical Hindu texts as 'The Seven Rishi Cities'. According to ancient Indian texts, the people had flying machines which were called 'vimanas'. The ancient Indian epic describes a vimana as a double- deck, circular aircraft with portholes and a dome, much as we would imagine a flying saucer. It flew with the "speed of the wind" and gave forth a 'melodious sound'. There were at least four different types of vimanas; some saucer shaped, others like long cylinders ('cigar shaped airships')."
- D. Hatcher Childress, "Ancient Indian Aircraft Technology"
In The Anti-Gravity Handbook

http://causelessmercy.com/SB3.33.1.htm
The statement in this verse that Kardama Muni’s household affairs were envied even by persons who travel in outer space refers to the denizens of heaven. Their airships are not like those we have invented in the modern age, which fly only from one country to another; their airplanes were capable of going from one planet to another. There are many such statements in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from which we can understand that there were facilities to travel from one planet to another, especially in the higher planetary system, and who can say that they are not still traveling? The speed of our airplanes and space vehicles is very limited, but, as we have already studied, Kardama Muni traveled in outer space in an airplane which was like a city, and he journeyed to see all the different heavenly planets. That was not an ordinary airplane, nor was it ordinary space travel. Because Kardama Muni was such a powerful mystic yogī, his opulence was envied by the denizens of heaven.

[exit_and_how]

thought it was interesting that France would release documents (previously secret) concerning UFO investigations. Supposedly, 28% of the cases are "Class D" which are "inexplicable despite precise testimonies and the (good) quality of material information gathered." Some 100,000 documents in all...

but the real question is if they do exist, what do extra-terrestrial beings have to do with earthly life and human religion? perhaps the previous post gives some explanation, but does anyone here buy it?

[yuvgotmel]

Originally Posted by exit_and_how

thought it was interesting that France would release documents (previously secret) concerning UFO investigations. Supposedly, 28% of the cases are "Class D" which are "inexplicable despite precise testimonies and the (good) quality of material information gathered." Some 100,000 documents in all...

but the real question is if they do exist, what do extra-terrestrial beings have to do with earthly life and human religion? perhaps the previous post gives some explanation, but does anyone here buy it?

I would recommend this collection of information about Gnosticism (early Christianity) as it concerns ExtraTerrestrials (which Gnostic texts refer to as Archons).

http://www.amazon.com/Not-His-Image-.../dp/193149892X
"Not in His Image: Gnostic Vision, Sacred Ecology, and the Future of Belief" by John Lash

You can also download three hours worth of a radio recording with author John Lash here:

2006-02-16 - Hour 2 - Coast to Coast AM with George Noory
Scholar and mythologist John Lash shares revelations about aliens and UFOs that he gleaned from his research of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Nag Hammadi texts. — 13,870 KB
2006-02-16 - Hour 3 - Coast to Coast AM with George Noory
Scholar and mythologist John Lash shares revelations about aliens and UFOs that he gleaned from his research of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Nag Hammadi texts. — 13,803 KB
2006-02-16 - Hour 4 - Coast to Coast AM with George Noory
Scholar and mythologist John Lash shares revelations about aliens and UFOs that he gleaned from his research of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Nag Hammadi texts. — 12,986 KB

You might also be interested in this website concerning the Gnostic interpretation of the Archons (which are thought to be the equivalent of the modern-day "extraterrestrials" or what the New Testament terms "powers and principalities").

http://www.metahistory.org/AlienIntrusion.php

Also here is a recent news article from The Canadian National Newspaper (online) concerning Gnosticism and ETs/UFOs:

http://www.agoracosmopolitan.com/hom.../21/01414.html

[yuvgotmel]

Interesting documentary on Google concerning the evidence for the Vedas--

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...en+Archaeology