You've Lost Sight of the Esoterica

originally posted by: Compendium
a reply to: whereislogic

You need to understand the primary principle of true Gnosis

Well, according to the first claim in your quotation, we can't know that for certain (that I need to understand that).

The only thing you can ever know for certain in this world is that you exist. Everything else is open for debate

Well, if I am to believe the first claim, we can't know for certain that everything else is open for debate.

Personal belief, is not the same as knowing

I agree with that statement, yet if I am to believe the first claim, we can't know that for certain.

The veil Biblical understanding of things such as knowledge, ironically, refer to themselves in reflection of those who can't understand such simple concepts

I'm taking you get it now? According to the first claim, we can't know that for certain.

Do you think my quote sounds familiar?

Yes, it's Descartes' agnostically motivated conclusion, promoting apathy regarding truths/facts/certainties/realities or trying to figure them out (very useful if you want to sell speculation, pseudoscience and myths as "knowledge/science", "wisdom", "insight", "understanding", "enlightenment" and worthy of your consideration; usually in writings that have no value in that regards, writings that do not bring enlightenment, insight, wisdom, understanding and do not share knowledge). It suggests the pursuit of real science/knowledge (from the Latin scientia, meaning knowledge; and knowledge essentially means a familiarity with facts/certainties/truths/realities, i.e. things that are factual/certain/absolute/conclusive/true/correct, without error; all synonyms where you see a /) is a fruitless endeavor. I don't believe that is the case, i.e. I disagree with that unverified philosophy/idea/notion. For one, I think it's factual that I just typed this comment. I also think that Descartes' unverified philosophy/notion (which relates to the philosphy of relativism, see further below) is the pinnacle of closed mindedness (regarding anything else that might be true/certain/factual as well, closed minded regarding the truth of other matters). I also think it's factual that Descartes' conclusion is discussed in this article:

“What Is Truth?” (1995)

THE two men facing each other could scarcely have been more dissimilar. One was a politician who was cynical, ambitious, wealthy, ready to do anything to advance his own career. The other was a teacher who spurned wealth and prestige and was prepared to sacrifice his life to save the lives of others. Needless to say, these two men did not see eye to eye! On one matter in particular, they disagreed absolutely​—the matter of truth.

The men were Pontius Pilate and Jesus Christ. Jesus was standing before Pilate as a condemned criminal. Why? Jesus explained that the reason for this​—indeed, the very reason that he had come to the earth and undertaken his ministry—​came down to one thing: truth. “For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world,” he said, “that I should bear witness to the truth.”​—John 18:37.

Pilate’s reply was a memorable question: “What is truth?” (John 18:38) Did he really want an answer? Probably not. Jesus was the kind of man who could answer any question asked of him in sincerity, but he did not answer Pilate. And the Bible says that after asking his question, Pilate walked straight out of the audience chamber. The Roman governor likely asked the question in cynical disbelief, as if to say, “Truth? What is that? There is no such thing!”* [According to Bible scholar R. C. H. Lenski, Pilate’s “tone is that of an indifferent worldling who by his question intends to say that anything in the nature of religious truth is a useless speculation.”]

Pilate’s skeptical view of truth is not uncommon today. Many believe that truth is relative​—in other words, that what is true to one person may be untrue to another, so that both may be “right.” This belief is so widespread that there is a word for it​—“relativism.” Is this how you view the matter of truth? If so, is it possible that you have adopted this view without thoroughly questioning it? Even if you have not, do you know how much this philosophy affects your life?

An Assault on Truth

Pontius Pilate was hardly the first person to question the idea of absolute truth. Some ancient Greek philosophers made the teaching of such doubts virtually their life’s work! Five centuries before Pilate, Parmenides (who has been considered the father of European metaphysics) held that real knowledge was unattainable. Democritus, hailed as “the greatest of ancient philosophers,” asserted: “Truth is buried deep. . . . We know nothing for certain.” Perhaps the most revered of them all, Socrates, said that all that he really knew was that he knew nothing.

This assault on the idea that truth can be known has continued down to our day. Some philosophers, for instance, say that since knowledge reaches us through our senses, which can be deceived, no knowledge is verifiably true. French philosopher and mathematician René Descartes decided to examine all the things he thought he knew for certain. He discarded all but one truth that he deemed incontrovertible: “Cogito ergo sum,” or, “I think, therefore I am.”

A Culture of Relativism

Relativism is not limited to philosophers. It is taught by religious leaders, indoctrinated in schools, and spread by the media. Episcopal bishop John S. Spong said a few years ago: “We must . . . move from thinking we have the truth and others must come to our point of view to the realization that ultimate truth is beyond the grasp of all of us.” Spong’s relativism, like that of so many clergymen today, is quick to drop the Bible’s moral teachings in favor of a philosophy of “to each his own.” For example, in an effort to make homosexuals feel more “comfortable” in the Episcopal Church, Spong wrote a book claiming that the apostle Paul was a homosexual!

In many lands the school systems seem to engender a similar type of thinking. Allan Bloom wrote in his book The Closing of the American Mind: “There is one thing a professor can be absolutely certain of: almost every student entering the university believes, or says he believes, that truth is relative.” Bloom found that if he challenged his students’ conviction on this matter, they would react with astonishment, “as though he were calling into question 2 + 2 = 4.” [whereislogic: how ironic, since that's what those that believe that truth is relative are doing]

The same thinking is promoted in countless other ways. For instance, TV and newspaper reporters often seem more interested in entertaining their viewers than in getting at the truth of a story. Some news programs have even doctored or faked film footage in order to make it appear more dramatic. And in entertainment a stronger attack is mounted on truth. The values and moral truths that our parents and grandparents lived by are widely viewed as obsolete and are often held up to outright ridicule.

Of course, some might argue that much of this relativism represents open-mindedness and therefore has a positive impact on human society. Does it really, though? And what about its impact on you? Do you believe that truth is relative or nonexistent? If so, searching for it may strike you as a waste of time. Such an outlook will affect your future.

Next page:

Why Search for Truth?

originally posted by: whereislogic
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Yes, it's Descartes' agnostically motivated conclusion, promoting apathy regarding truths/facts/certainties/realities or trying to figure them out (very useful if you want to sell speculation, pseudoscience and myths as "knowledge/science", "wisdom", "insight", "understanding", "enlightenment" and worthy of your consideration; usually in writings that have no value in that regards, writings that do not bring enlightenment, insight, wisdom, understanding and do not share knowledge).

Which is what Descartes earned a living with (along with selling or marketing himself as someone worth listening to, clever, intelligent and knowledgeable and willing to share his knowledge and wisdom to whomever would hear him out or listen to him). While in reality, he was offering nothing worth listening to, no enlightenment, no useful/beneficial knowledge or teaching and no true wisdom, insight or understanding. You can learn more (regarding these things) from listening to the wind, or staring into the sun for long periods of time as some Eastern mysticists and gurus encourage people to do (for example that it will ruin your eyesight and damage your eyes, and that perhaps it isn't too wise to listen to these people and get scammed in the process thinking they have something of value to offer in terms of wisdom and beneficial teaching, teachings that will benefit you rather than ruin your eyes thinking you're going to learn or obtain something profound, insightful or enlightening from it, or that it will bring you closer to Nirvana, or that it will make you a more enlightened person; which it won't regarding anything that isn't already obvious like the things I just mentioned about eyesight and your eyes for example).

The philosophy of relativism and Descartes' related philosophy (as described in the bolded part of the article), is also very useful if you're "a liar and the father of the lie" (John 8:44) and want to get people to believe your lies, i.e promote your lies and deceive as many people as you can.

Why Be Truthful? (2007)

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Manfred’s predicament is typical. Should he tell the truth, or should he cover up for his classmates? To give a truthful answer would mean trouble for the others and make him unpopular. Is it all right to tell a lie under those circumstances? What would you have done? We will return to Manfred later, but let us first consider what is involved when we are called upon to decide whether to speak the truth or not.

Truth and Untruth​—A Fundamental Rivalry

At the start of mankind’s history, everything was based on truth. There was no twisting of facts, no manipulation or misrepresentation of the truth. Jehovah, the Creator, is “the God of truth.” His word is truth; he cannot lie, and he condemns lying and liars.​—Psalm 31:5; John 17:17; Titus 1:2.

That being the case, how did untruth come to be? Jesus Christ provided the authoritative answer when he told his religious opposers, who were seeking to kill him: “You are from your father the Devil, and you wish to do the desires of your father. That one was a manslayer when he began, and he did not stand fast in the truth, because truth is not in him. When he speaks the lie, he speaks according to his own disposition, because he is a liar and the father of the lie.” (John 8:44) Jesus, of course, was referring to the event in the garden of Eden when Satan induced the first human pair to disobey God and thus fall victim to sin and death.​—Genesis 3:1-5; Romans 5:12.

Jesus’ words clearly identify Satan as “the father of the lie,” the originator of lying and untruth. Satan continues to be the chief proponent of untruth and, in fact, is “misleading the entire inhabited earth.” He bears a heavy responsibility for the damage that widespread lying has done to humans today.​—Revelation 12:9.

The fundamental rivalry between truth and untruth, started by Satan the Devil, still rages today. It permeates all levels of human society and affects every individual. The way a person lives puts him on one side of the issue or the other. Those on God’s side base their life course on the truth of God’s Word, the Bible. Anyone who does not follow the way of the truth falls, knowingly or unknowingly, into the hands of Satan because “the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.”​—1 John 5:19; Matthew 7:13, 14.

Why the Tendency to Lie?

The fact that “the whole world” lies in the power of Satan tells us why many people lie. But we might ask, ‘Why did Satan, “the father of the lie,” do so?’ Satan knew that Jehovah is the rightful Sovereign of all that He has created, including the first human pair. Yet, Satan desired for himself this lofty and unique position, something to which he was not entitled. Out of greed and selfish ambition, he schemed to usurp Jehovah’s place. To achieve this, Satan resorted to lies and deceit.​—1 Timothy 3:6.

What about today? Do you not agree that greed and selfish ambition are still very much the motives that impel many people to lie? Greedy business, corrupt politics, and false religion are rife with deception, falsehood, manipulation, and fraud. Why? Is it not because people are often motivated by greed and ambition to get ahead or to reach out for wealth, power, or position to which they are not entitled? A wise ruler, King Solomon of ancient Israel, warned: “He that is hastening to gain riches will not remain innocent.” (Proverbs 28:20) And the apostle Paul wrote: “The love of money is a root of all sorts of injurious things.” (1 Timothy 6:10) The same could surely be said of the inordinate desire for power or position.

Another factor behind lying is fear​—fear of the consequences or of what others may think if the truth is told. It is only natural that people wish to be liked or accepted by others. This desire, however, can move them to distort the truth, even if only a little, in order to cover up shortcomings, to hide unflattering details, or simply to leave a good impression. Appropriately, Solomon wrote: “Trembling at men is what lays a snare, but he that is trusting in Jehovah will be protected.”​—Proverbs 29:25.

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Context in the playlist "Real science, knowledge of realities compared to unverified philosophies and stories":

False Religion is a Snare and a Racket

The subsequent videos in that playlist are:

The Pagan Religious Roots of Evolutionary Philosophies and Philosophical Naturalism (part 1 of 2)
He is a liar! (part 1 of 2)

The last being about Satan again, and the doctrine of the Trinity, the main Satanic lie discussed in those 2 videos. This article series discusses 6 more lies, myths/false stories popular in Christendom (and some other religions, the first one can be found in almost all religions of this world):

One Myth Leads to Another (first page)
Myth 1: The Soul Is Immortal (and immaterial, that's usually part of that myth/false story, as the ancient Babylonians put it “Death was a passage to another kind of life.”—The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria (Boston, 1898), M. Jastrow, Jr., p. 556.) Ancient Babylonian religious concepts and practices are found in religions worldwide: “Egypt, Persia, and Greece felt the influence of the Babylonian religion . . . The strong admixture of Semitic elements both in early Greek mythology and in Grecian cults is now so generally admitted by scholars as to require no further comment. These Semitic elements are to a large extent more specifically Babylonian.”—The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria (Boston, 1898), M. Jastrow, Jr., pp. 699, 700. See Babylon the Great (Reasoning From the Scriptures).

Soul (Reasoning From the Scriptures)

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What is the origin of Christendom’s belief in an immaterial, immortal soul?

“The Christian concept of a spiritual soul created by God and infused into the body at conception to make man a living whole is the fruit of a long development in Christian philosophy. Only with Origen [died c. 254 C.E.] in the East and St. Augustine [died 430 C.E.] in the West was the soul established as a spiritual substance and a philosophical concept formed of its nature. . . . His [Augustine’s] doctrine . . . owed much (including some shortcomings) to Neoplatonism.”—New Catholic Encyclopedia (1967), Vol. XIII, pp. 452, 454.

“The concept of immortality is a product of Greek thinking, whereas the hope of a resurrection belongs to Jewish thought. . . . Following Alexander’s conquests Judaism gradually absorbed Greek concepts.”—Dictionnaire Encyclopédique de la Bible (Valence, France; 1935), edited by Alexandre Westphal, Vol. 2, p. 557.

“Immortality of the soul is a Greek notion formed in ancient mystery cults and elaborated by the philosopher Plato.”—Presbyterian Life, May 1, 1970, p. 35.
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“The problem of immortality, we have seen, engaged the serious attention of the Babylonian theologians. . . . Neither the people nor the leaders of religious thought ever faced the possibility of the total annihilation of what once was called into existence. Death was a passage to another kind of life.”—The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria (Boston, 1898), M. Jastrow, Jr., p. 556.

I would like to encourage you to pay attention to the Bible quotation at the start of the song below (which is a heartfelt message from Jehovah God to all of mankind, especially those who take their information and teachings from Babylon the Great (false religion) and its spiritual father, the father of the lie + his pawns and victims::

Try to understand or notice that the " water", "wine", "milk" and "bread" it is talking about is talking about spiritual food (compare with the text under my profilename).