Life On Earth, Science Vs Religion

[jd_1984]

I don't wish to denigrate any individuals beliefs, but I am curious how this story is received by those who follow religion and the origins of the earth taught through religion.

Do some Christians take the biblical accounts of creation literally, believing that they describe exactly how the universe and human beings were created.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/life-earth-started-300-million-6664589

[jim360]

Yes, Naomi, but as I said I have the entire text of the Mahabharata, and can't find the passage you quote (which is, incidentally, entirely copied and pasted verbatim from the source I quoted earlier, ancientnuclearwar.com). So I'm not much advanced by your last post -- so I'll ask the same question. Whereabouts is it in (your version of) the text?

[naomi24]

I've never made a note of it, Jim.

[Zacs-Master]

Naomi, as I think you consider yourself 'well acquainted with ancient documents' heres a link to the complete works. With your extensive knowledge you presumably know roughly where to look:

http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/maha/

[jim360]

I have found the phrase "Brahma weapon" a few times:

" Drona obtaining from Rama the most exalted of all weapons, called the Brahma weapon, became exceedingly glad and acquired a decided superiority over all men." (Book 1, section CLXVIII)

Your passage about knowledge of relativity I can't find either: the character Revati got six mentions and Kakudmi none. Not that it matters anyway "different planes of existence" has exactly nothing to do with relativity whatsoever, so interpreting it as relativity seems to show a lack of understanding of both the original text and the modern science.

[naomi24]

Incidentally, my quote wasn't' from the same source as yours. If you look, you'll find it's a commonplace translation.

[jomifl]

/ Is it trolling or stalking?/ No it is trying to inject a little sanity into this discussion which has been reduced to the level of priests arguing over angels and pin heads, but nobody dares admit it.

[Zacs-Master]

I think I did.

[jim360]

Yes, fair enough -- it might appear elsewhere; although it's still the same as the version on the site I'd mentioned, so pasting it from elsewhere without a book/section reference is still just as helpful (ie not).

[naomi24]

Jim, //"different planes of existence" has exactly nothing to do with relativity whatsoever//

Are you sure you read the rest of it and understood it?

[naomi24]

Divebuddy, //Naomi, Maybe it's time (as they say in the movies) to put up or shut up. //

Some here don't surprise me at all - but I'm surprised at you. What could have been an interesting discussion - albeit we disagree - has just become nasty. I'll leave you to it.

[jomifl]

What happened to the science part of the discussion..

[jim360]

Can't really claim to have read the rest and understood it when I can't even find it in the original text. I've gone through all 637 occurences of "Brahma " in my copy and that passage appears nowhere -- and as mentioned earlier one of those characters doesn't appear at all with that spelling.

Short of an actual book/section/ page reference there's little more I can do. If you can't come up with that I can't comment on the original source.

[Khandro]

jim;//I have found the phrase "Brahma weapon" a few times://

I think this is one of the many references and manifestations of the Vajra (or Dorje in Tibetan), a thunderbolt of awesome power and still used symbolically in Buddhist ritual;

[Zacs-Master]

Maybe it was a crashing spaceship?

[Hypognosis]

Why is it that people with off-mainstream ideas always want the people with the academic credentials to do all the blooming legwork?

I've seen this so many times, over the years that it should have a trope name by now. Anyone know what it's called?

[jim360]

Thanks Khandro. Quite independently of a discussion that strikes me as similar in nature to the plot of Galaxy Quest, it's been a nice chance to look at ancient Sanskrit texts for the first time ever. I don't think Naomi's interpretation is remotely justified, though -- not least because of the apparent absence of her supporting quotes from the original source material.