The Invention of God: The Natural Origins of Mythology and Religion Lauritzen, Bill (Author) ] { Paperback } [Bill Lauritzen] on leondumoulin.nl *FREE*.
Table of contents
He doesn't give any evidence for his drastic claims. I am not saying that his opinions are completely without value, but the way he delivers them and with a lack of support is appalling. He quotes from several cultures ancient or religious texts but only references websites in his notes page and we don't know how accurate the translations he is using are. And what he does is total coercion: He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life [volcano] and eat, and live forever. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side or placed in front of the Garden of Eden cherubim [lava bombs] and a flaming sword flashing back and forth [volcanic lightning] to guard the way to the tree of life.
He quotes in a similar way from the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead. It's like he is forcing his ideas on the reader instead of giving a strong foundation for them. I found his style heavy handed and overbearing and it overshadowed any value his interpretations may have had. It is not beyond the scope that the pyramids could represent volcanoes.
But random unexplained statements, such as the Garden of Eden was in Java, and Tibetan mandalas are representations of volcanoes do not sit well with me. I do not expect people to have particular religious beliefs, however, not believing in God does not mean that the spiritual world and the ancient texts of the world's cultures are trite and meaningless and for ignorant people. Religion and spirituality have their own innate value. It is a different kind of knowledge and wisdom and I feel as though it is condescending and ignorant of people who makes the claim that Lauritzen did in the preface that to "rid ourselves of religion, we need to understand how it started.
Yes, we need to rid ourselves of the violence that zealotry in any religion unfortunately causes, but there is a whole other side to religion that should not be eradicated. Why does religious and spiritual beliefs persist in countries where the government suppresses it? I would be very interested to hear from people who really like this book. Sorry for the tirade! View all 4 comments.
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May 13, Susi Bocks rated it really liked it. I've thought for a long time that religion was invented to answer questions that people needed to have the answers for, a guide for how to live their lives or used as a tool to just try to control others. But I'd never went back far enough to when the comprehension of those was simply natural observation of their environment. It was a fascinating read to put one's self into their situation and realize that this was probably the best explanation of how religion got started.
The evidence supports I've thought for a long time that religion was invented to answer questions that people needed to have the answers for, a guide for how to live their lives or used as a tool to just try to control others. The evidence supports it and the common sense factor only making it even more plausible. I'd never had an education in many of the fields that Bill touched on, but it was refreshing and incredibly enlightening to understand so much more about them. I appreciate his efforts in getting it all down on paper for the world to see and for challenging people to once again question what we know of god and religion.
His thought process, his idea that religion began because people had no other recourse but to believe in gods based on their natural surroundings and interpretations of natural events should naturally lead people to question this whole thing called religion even more now! I wish everyone had a copy of this book at their disposal.
Jun 24, Book rated it it was amazing Shelves: Bill Lauritzen's interesting background as a psychologist, engineer, inventor, ordained minister and just pure curiosity of our world has lead him to some fascinating theories about the origins of religion and science. This KB digital book is composed of the following three major parts: A meticulously researched book that provides a unique look at the origins of religion and science.
A well conceived theory backed by compelling evidence. How the religions of the world emerged from the same natural phenomena.
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I will never look at volcanoes the same way ever again. An interesting look at historical gods. Fire, earth, air and water How volcanoes inspired creation stories. The interesting story of Plato's Atlantis and the author's unique take. Did Atlas held the world on his shoulders? How volcanism was responsible for the large percentage of the land-masses of the Earth. An interesting list of potential catastrophic mega-explosions in the near future.
The Invention of God by Bill Lauritzen
Absolutely loved the chapter about the origin of spirits and souls! Thought- provoking interesting thoughts and quotes, "Man would rather believe than know The origin of science, an interesting look. The value of simplicity to convey ideas. A new twist on tornadoes. Hunter, gatherers and seafarers oh my. The purpose of pyramids. Great use of converging knowledge to reach sound conclusions. Tidbits of wisdom abound.
Good use of illustrations and tables. Some concepts do become repetitive. Poor use of format and font. The constant changing of fonts does distract. Some tables did not translate as well on the Kindle. Some may object to some speculation but I conclude that some of it was necessary and the author does a wonderful job of using converging knowledge to connect the dots.
In summary, the best way to describe this book is to compare it to a great independent movie. It may not have the budget, the polish, the backing of a major distributor but it has a great story propelled by the love and curiosity of its author. I enjoyed this book because it provides a unique look at religion and science and does so with very strong compelling arguments. Jan 14, sardit rated it it was ok Shelves: Terrible, but in an entertaining way. The author hypothesizes that volcanoes are the sources of all religion, oxygen the source of all notions of the spirit, and that Atlantis was located in Southeast Asia.
Sometimes, I thought he had a decent point though in most cases I thought he'd have done better to specifically eliminate the obvious argument that it could have just as well have been the sun, and in general say why his argument was better than the more traditional interpretations , and most Terrible, but in an entertaining way. Sometimes, I thought he had a decent point though in most cases I thought he'd have done better to specifically eliminate the obvious argument that it could have just as well have been the sun, and in general say why his argument was better than the more traditional interpretations , and mostly I thought he needed way more support for his claims.
But hey, now I know that angels are totally flying lava bombs. Jan 08, Sisa Petse rated it it was amazing Shelves: The book is a gift to humanity and it should be deemed an aberration not to read such an enormous work. It meticulously unearths the invention of God and consequently religion. Its a vital contribution to posterity. May 02, Tucker rated it liked it Shelves: Ancient Egyptian religion was based on imagery of volcanoes. The god-volcano parallels are methodically demonstrated in a way that would well serve an illustrator's needs, and some great visual art may yet be made of this.
I do fear that, in extending this metaphor to religion in general, the case is overstated, both because ancient Egypt did not have the last word on myth, religion and spirituality and because other interpretations which are not explored may be concurrently valid. The problem was stated as having to do with a regrettable tendency of modern people to believe that real space aliens and other unscientific woo I will lump into that category had something to do with Egyptian mythology and with a proposed atheist solution to this nonsense that involves replacing the aliens with volcanoes, thus giving a naturalist explanation for religion.
This is an unobjectionable pursuit but it seems to be a solution in search of a problem, as I was unaware until now of the allegations of ancient godly space aliens and I remain unthreatened by them since they do not exist. I anticipate that people who are committed to their space-alien theory will not bother to read a book that takes their theory away from them by proposing a volcano metaphor. If someone's bumper sticker says "My Alien is Thoth's Co-Pilot" it is probably because they do not read. Except for cereal box tops so they can send away for their Captain Cuckoo decoder ring.
Not only do I not know what to do about this, I don't know what to do with this. Fixing them with the power of logic is not my mission in life. My interest was piqued by mention of Osiris. Lauritzen gives attention to Osiris and Ra whose names appear in the Pyramid Texts nearly times each, according to Samuel A. Osiris, as god of the underworld, was important in ancient Egypt because he greeted newly dead souls and saw that their hearts were weighed against the Feather of Maat representing truth and justice.
I hoped to find discussion of Osiris's thorough dismemberment and physical reconfiguration, which is the part of the myth that most interests me. This was absent, which seemed odd, especially as it would have fit the metaphor for the blowout of Krakatau and the subsequent rising of the new volcanic island. A volcano would certainly remind one of a penis. At the end of the book, there is a pivot from volcanoes to oxygen: But so is oxygen. But oxygen is in all these things too. It may be that we are overvaluing spirituality or undervaluing oxygen.
Perhaps we should write odes to oxygen. I prefer Lauritzen's conclusion, since oxygen does indeed exist so scientists tell me , and breath is certainly of key importance in many spiritual traditions, both as metaphor and as physical practice. I have been in the past and probably will be again in the future interested in examining the Osiris myth, and when that happens, I will remember the volcano interpretation.
Nov 16, Joshua rated it did not like it. It's VERY rare a book I'm inclined to read is so bad that I cannot finish it, but this is clearly one of those unfortunate situations. I read a bit more than I wanted to because all the excellent ratings on goodreads had me convinced I was missing something, but I just don't think I am The author's entire thesis rests on the original stuff of the gods really being volcanoes and not nearly as supernatural as we've been led to believe, and while that's an interesting enough start, it's immediat It's VERY rare a book I'm inclined to read is so bad that I cannot finish it, but this is clearly one of those unfortunate situations.
The author's entire thesis rests on the original stuff of the gods really being volcanoes and not nearly as supernatural as we've been led to believe, and while that's an interesting enough start, it's immediately obvious that he's going nowhere with the idea. No serious author should use the phrase "mumbo-jumbo". The highlight of tenuous connections is his insistence that the Sphinx is really just an example that lava can solidify into various shapes.
So they made a statue out of it to represent that. Seriously, are you kidding me??? This book is terribly disappointing and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. View all 6 comments. Sep 08, Jim Whitefield rated it it was amazing. Bill's book is an essential read for anyone who wants to put perspective into all religious myth and legend and get a grip on how and why it all came about in the first place. We may think we have an idea but many would be entirely wrong. Bill takes us step by step through the origins of everything and how and why legend has evolved into what billions of people erroneously believe today.
Myth and legend evolved, as humans did, but not for the betterment of society. Easy reading and no jargon - p Bill's book is an essential read for anyone who wants to put perspective into all religious myth and legend and get a grip on how and why it all came about in the first place. Easy reading and no jargon - pleasingly plausible supposition in the rare instances where Bill allows himself to speculate. I learned a lot from Bill's book and I highly recommend it.
Saying more would really include 'spoilers' so that's it from me. Just read the book.
Religion and mythology
Mar 15, Dave Schey rated it did not like it Shelves: This is the worst book I've read in a long time, and I must confess that I only got about a third of the way through it. There was way too much speculation and imagining by the author with no supporting evidence whatsoever. The authors main premise is that man invented religion as a result of his relationship with volcanoes. As much as I like volcanoes, this is pure nonsense.
For much better books on the origin of religion, I would recommend: Genesis of Symbolic Thought by Alan Barnard, Conceiving This is the worst book I've read in a long time, and I must confess that I only got about a third of the way through it. Aug 21, Tahira rated it it was amazing. In Korean mythology, early leaders of Korea are said to have shamanistic qualities or to be descended from shamans. Dangun , the mythological founder of Korea was said to possess shamanistic traits and is sometimes portrayed as a mountain god, otherwise known as a sanshin.
Creation myths explain how the world began and where people came from. They typically include a first man or first woman who is responsible for creating the world. The story explains how the sky and the earth were separated by a giant god named Mireuk , who placed a copper column in each corner of the earth to hold up the sky. He created men from five golden insects, and women from five silver insects. Humankind was peaceful under Mireuk's rule, until another giant named Seokga appeared, and the two competed to rule the human world.
Seokga won, but his victory was unjust and is considered, in this myth, the source of evil and sin in humankind. It tells the story of Cheonjiwang the Celestial King , who comes down from the heavens to battle a rude man named Sumyeongmangja, but fails in his mission. Eventually, Cheonjiwang has his sons compete to become ruler of the human world.
The Invention of God
Sobyeolwang wins and punishes Sumyeongjangja by turning him into an insect. In some versions of the story, Daebyeolwang becomes the ruler of the underworld as well. Mago creates all the geological formations on earth using mud, rocks, and her own urine and excrement. Unlike creation myths about male deities, this myth was only passed down orally and was not included in formal records or rituals. The boys are teased at school for being fatherless, but learn about their father and ascend into the sky to meet him. He then gives Seomun the kingdom of Daehanguk, and Human the kingdom of Sohanguk.
Korea's ancient founding myths often include a story about the union of a sky father and earth mother. Korea's medieval founding myths instead established that Korean rulers had divine lineage but were not deities themselves. It is believed he founded Gojoseon in BC. Dangun's story was recorded in two documents from the 13th century A. Dangun's grandfather, Hwan-in, was the "Lord of Heaven," while his father, Hwan-ung, descended to earth and founded a society on the Korean peninsula. In some versions of the myth, his society is located on Mount Taebaeksan , and in other versions it is located on Mount Paektu.
When a bear and a tiger came to Hwan-ung asking to be made human, he gave them each a bundle of sacred food to eat and told them to stay in a cave for days, after which time they would become human. While the tiger gave up, the bear followed Hwang-ung's directions and was turned into a human woman named Ungnyeo. Ungnyeo mated with Hwang-ung and gave birth to Dangun.
Dangun ruled Gojoseon for 1, years before becoming a mountain god called a sansin. The son, Namu Doryeong, survived a flood by floating on the tree. He first saved a colony of ants from the flood, then a swarm of mosquitoes, until he had saved all the animals of the world.
Namu Doryeong finally saved a young human boy, despite the tree's advice against it. After the flood, Namu Doryeong met an older woman and her two daughters on Mt. Baekdu , where they had been safe from the flood. The woman told Namu Doryeong if he won a contest, he could have her daughter's hand in marriage. Namu Doryeong won the contest with the aid of a swarm of ants, who turned out to be the very ants that Namu Doryeong had saved during the flood. The hero Gangrim Doryeong is ordered to capture Yeomra, King of the Underworld, by his king Kimchiwonnim in order to discover the reason for the mysterious deaths of the three sons of Gwayanggaxi.
With help from Munsin , the door god, and Jowangsin , the kitchen god, Gangrim Doryeong captures Yeomra. After testing Gangrim Doryeong's wisdom, Yeomra tells Kimchiwonnim that the mysterious deaths are because the three sons are actually the three princes of Beomul, who were murdered by Gwayanggaxi. They chose to be reborn as Gwayanggaxi's sons to take revenge on their killers. Gangrim Doryeong became the death god, who reaps dead souls and brings them to the underworld.
Barigongju or Baridegi Hangul: In the story, the princess' parents abandon her because they are unable to have a son, and she is their seventh daughter.
Years later, the princess' parents became ill, and she travels to the underworld to find the elixir of life. With it, she revives her parents and becomes a goddess who guides the souls of the dead from earth to heaven. After being seduced by a monk , her brothers threatened to kill her for bringing dishonor to their family. She hid in a cave, where she gave birth and was later freed by her mother, a shaman from heaven. Sonnimgut is a myth about the 53 smallpox gods, called the Sonnimne, who lived in China. However, the Sonnimne wanted to live in Korea, so the beautiful goddess Gaxi Sonnim, lead three of the Sonnimne there.
See a Problem?
However, they could not cross the Yalu River. One day, a ferryman said that the three gods could cross the Yalu on his boat if Gaxi Sonnim made love to him. Gaxi Sonnim severed the ferryman's head with a dagger and then gave smallpox to the ferryman's seven sons, killing the eldest six. The seventh son survived, though he was disabled. Then, they crossed the Yalu on the ferryman's boat. When the gods reached Seoul , they attempted to sleep in the house of the rich Kim Jangja, but were refused.
Instead, they slept in the shack of the kind crone , Nogo Halmi. After blessing Nogo Halmi's granddaughter with longevity and good luck, the trio headed towards Kim Jangja's mansion. Kim Jangja hid his son Cheolhyeon in a high mountain, and burned peppers on every street because pepper was said to drive away the Sonnimne. The Sonnimne attacked Cheolhyeon, first luring him out of the mountain then whipping him.
The Sonnimne pierced silver needles in Cheolhyeon's joints, and finally, Kim Jangja promised to have a sacrifice made for the Sonnimne. However, the promise was false, and the angered Sonnimne killed Cheolhyon, and took him as the fifty-fourth Sonnimne.