…Manichaeism originated in Babylon and was expressed in Syriac and Persian terms. The religion quickly spread to other lands such as India, China, Tibet and even into the Western hemisphere. In the West adherents were severely persecuted and murdered. In more…
This video shows that the name Zurvan was the Persian designation of God used by Mani the founder of the Manichaean religion. Quotations are from historical Manichaean manuscripts. Additional information with sources as available here.
Members of the Jehovah’s Witness organization are known for their canvassing neighborhoods knocking on doors in order to distribute literature and ask for contributions for their worldwide work….
In a recent Facebook post, attorney Steven Unthank acknowledged the courage and sacrifices made by children of a congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Victoria, Australia where Unthank said that the children suffered sexual abuse at the hands of fellow church more…
New PDF document available on the WCHR Web site under “Manichaean Papers” briefly explores the question “Did the Prophet Mani Reject the Old and New Testaments?”
…Manichaeism originated in Babylon and was expressed in Syriac and Persian terms. The religion quickly spread to other lands such as India, China, Tibet and even into the Western hemisphere. In the West adherents were severely persecuted and murdered.
In China, Monijiao accepted both the general Buddhist scriptures alongside those of Daoists. Monijiao accepted Amitabha Buddha (Amida), Ksitigarbha, Laotzu, and Manjusri as divine messengers as well as the majority of other Bodhisattvas. In the Monijiao tradition, Mani (Moni) is viewed as an emanation of Laotzu.
… During and after the 14th century in southern China, adherents of Monijiao became more involved with the Pure Land Mahayana schools of Buddhism.
Read excerpts from a lecture presented in Beijing on September 16, 2012 concerning Monijiao (Manichaeism) in China.
This video shows that the name Zurvan was the Persian designation of God used by Mani the founder of the Manichaean religion. Quotations are from historical Manichaean manuscripts.
Additional information with sources as available here.
Members of the Jehovah’s Witness organization are known for their canvassing neighborhoods knocking on doors in order to distribute literature and ask for contributions for their worldwide work…. (more…)
In a recent Facebook post, attorney Steven Unthank acknowledged the courage and sacrifices made by children of a congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Victoria, Australia where Unthank said that the children suffered sexual abuse at the hands of fellow church members. (more…)
New PDF document available on the WCHR Web site under “Manichaean Papers” briefly explores the question “Did the Prophet Mani Reject the Old and New Testaments?”
It has been evidenced time and again that Christian and Muslim accounts of the Prophet Mar Mani and the Manichaean Religion can’t always be trusted for completely accurate information regarding the ancient Religion of Light.
It’s always best to go to the source when researching or documenting a religious group due to the obvious biases that exist in the writing of authors who are outright opposed to the group you’re studying. Unfortunately, for some of the more ancient religions that were heavily persecuted by both Christians and Muslims, their original texts are very difficult to locate and often times near impossible. Translations of such texts are usually made by those who persecuted the group in which the text belong, making the translation biased and unfortunately at times even worthless. (more…)
“I was gazing at my Twin-Spirit with my eyes of light, beholding my glorious Father, him who waits for me ever, opening before me the gate unto the height. I spread out my hands, praying unto him; I bent my knees, worshipping him also, that I might divest myself of the image of the flesh and put off the vesture of manhood.” (Mar Mani’s account of his encounter with the “Twin-Spirit”; from L.J.R. Ort’s Mani: A Religio-historical Description of His Personality, Brill Archive, 1967)
In all of my scholarly studies on the Manichaean Religion, and several other faiths that originated in the Middle or Near East, little if any was ever referred to about the topic of revelation, specifically divine or continuing revelation from a Higher Source or from its founders or prophets. Scholars write tome after tome about an ancient religious group, but their studies are always devoid of the possibility that divine revelation could even exist, either during the foundational years of the particular religious movement or in later years.
Even some followers of modern day revisions of some ancient religions or even those that have existed since ancient times without any period of decline, tend to relegate the subject of continuing revelation to a footnote or a brief note in passing tucked away in the corner of an appendix. In mainstream Christianity, for example, the belief exists that revelation was in fact part of the “early church,” but that such revelation came to a conclusion early in the first or possibly second century A.D. with the death of the last apostle. (more…)
“There are good grounds for affirming that Zendo was acquainted with Manichaeanism and that he borrowed some parts of his system, at least, from that religion.” (Excerpt from Shinran and His Work – Studies in Shinshu Theology) (more…)
This book, published by the world headquarters of the Jehovah’s Witness sect, contains, as do any of their publications of this nature, a plethora of highly questionable and bogus chronology.
The anonymous author(s) attempts to give a basic commentary on the Biblical book of Daniel from a Jehovah’s Witness point of view, using their own devised chronology.
My use of the term “bogus” is in reference to the Watchtower organization’s choosing of 607 BCE to derive at the year 1914 CE. All respected scholars, encyclopedias and Biblical reference volumes, except of course for Jehovah’s Witnesses, indicate that Jerusalem fell between 586 and 587 BCE. If the Watchtower agreed with the truth of the matter and reversed its thinking on the date, then this would change the date of the rulership of Jesus, according to Jehovah’s Witness thinking, and the fact that the Society was not chosen by Christ in the year 1919. The very existence of Witnesses rests on this particular date and very peculiar use of chronology. If that was to change, many more Witnesses would walk away from the Watchtower organization as they did when the Society changed its doctrine on the “generation of 1914″ several years ago.
This has to be one of the worst attempts to explain the book of Daniel I have ever encountered. I do not recommend it to any serious student of the Bible or history. (more…)
I have read this book several times since it first came out. In fact, I try to read it at least once or twice a year.
Whatever a person’s religious background may be, this book can speak to many people on a variety of levels.
From the description:
Although the Rebbe’s teachings are firmly an chored in over two thousand years of scholarship, he applies age-old truths to contemporary life, showing us how to prepare ourselves to enter the new millennium. The Rebbe teaches and embodies a distinctly universal message, calling for all humankind to lead productive and virtuous lives, and for unity between all men and women and all nations.
…Manichaeism originated in Babylon and was expressed in Syriac and Persian terms. The religion quickly spread to other lands such as India, China, Tibet and even into the Western hemisphere. In the West adherents were severely persecuted and murdered.
It has been evidenced time and again that Christian and Muslim accounts of the Prophet Mar Mani and the Manichaean Religion can’t always be trusted for completely accurate information regarding the ancient Religion of Light.
“There are good grounds for affirming that Zendo was acquainted with Manichaeanism and that he borrowed some parts of his system, at least, from that religion.” (Excerpt from Shinran and His Work – Studies in Shinshu Theology)
This book, published by the world headquarters of the Jehovah’s Witness sect, contains, as do any of their publications of this nature, a plethora of highly questionable and bogus chronology.