Fwd: Platonic Potpourri of Problem Places...

-----Original Message-----
From: b <rrdd3939@aol.com>
To: rrdd3939 <rrdd3939@aol.com>
Sent: Wed, Mar 28, 2012 12:33 pm
Subject: Fwd: Platonic Potpourri of Problem Places...

    The Return of  Plato's Man in the Cave Series - Platonic Potpourri of Problem Places

                                      Subtitle: Getting Acquainted with Osiris

                                 by Richard DePersio and Citizen Journalist

     The Other Parts of the Series are located on the Floors Below the One Containing

                the Historic Doyle/DePersio Collaboration and Next Door (Page Two)

 Reminder: Deists with a Splash of Plato; Moral Traditionalists; Respect/See Value in 

Jewish and Christian Faiths, Hindu and Buddhist Beliefs.

Citizen Journalist is a Citizen Journalist and, now, a Citizen Scientist too. He is

a Member of Team USA in SETI@Home - a participant in the search for

extra-terrestrial intelligence.

 

Over the past ten years or so, atheists, evolution, multi-verses, as well as, scientific

explanations for such things as miracles and near-death experiences have

received unprecedented exposure on the Internet, on cable-TV and in the print media.

Individuals and topics which would rarely be covered in the past out of fear of

offending the vast majority religious. Could such boldness be attributed in part to the

weakening of the once powerful Catholic Church in the United States by the child

molestation scandals that came to light about a decade ago?

Could it in part be do to a loss of patience and, therefore, a reconsideration of belief

by the religious due to the failure of the Messiah to return or to make his first

appearance, Christians and Jews, respectively. There is no question but that the

apostles expected Jesus to return within their lifetimes or shortly thereafter.

What will come of this new exposure to what was once perceived as forbidden ideas?

Presently, five percent of Americans identify themselves as atheists and five per

cent agnostic. We predict that those numbers will more than double over the next

decade which isn't necessarily a good thing,

 

The Problem with Religion and Science:

Up first: Religion

We enjoy writing about our Chosen People (www.quasarpolitics.blogspot.com

"...Alexander had tried by conquest to unite the known world. He had brought into

closer touch with each Greece, Egypt, Palestine, Babylonia, Persia, and even a part

of India. He founded Alexandria which grew into a great city where the scholars of

the time mingled. he and his successors overran Palestine and tried to hellenize

Jewish thought. from this time on, the Greek influence is evidenced in Jewish thinking..."

-"Handbook in the History of Philosophy" by Albert e. Avery (Barnes and Noble, 1961)

It isn't until near the end of the Old Testament that the idea of the bodily resurrection

enters the picture. It is in the Book of Daniel. Jews were about to go to war, therefore,

martyrdom for the faith had to be justified. Your body would be resurrected at the Last

Judgement prior to God creating a new Heaven and a new Earth. Also the need to

demonstrate that death wasn't stronger than God. Daniel knew nothing of soul. A

century late, Jews encountered Plato's concept of soul. It exists in Heaven, enters

corrupt body prior to birth, will return to Heaven while unnecessary body decays. They

combined Daniel with Plato in their thinking: body and soul will be resurrected. It is

part of Rabbinic Talmud and not Old Testament per se.

During the Enlightenment, some Jews felt that in order to be taken seriously certain

concepts had to be abandoned. Bodily resurrection of the decayed body seemed

absurd.

Will their be a Messiah and the creation of a new Heaven and Earth? See: "Plato's

Man in the Cave Series: Soul" downstairs and you will also ascertain how  Jewish

denomination of Reconstructionist Jew developed since the Enlightenment.

"This humble and self-sacrificing Jew represents a new vision of the Almighty: no

longer a stern and demanding tyrant intent on punishing even those who cannot help

themselves, but a loving and forgiving  father who offers rest and peace to imperfect

humans who accept his grace. Besides, by transforming this Jesus into a mystic Christ-

Redeemer Paul could become the Apostle-in-Chief of a new program of salvation with a

culture-wide appeal".-"Paul: The Founder of Christianity" by Gerd Ludemann (Prometheus

Books 2002). "Paul's self-reported appointment to be an apostle was also attributed

to the resurrected Jesus---although a number of the original apostles remained

unconvinced."-The Acts of the Apostles: What Really Happened in the Earliest Days of

the Church" by Gerd Lidemann (Prometheus Books, 2005).

Newt Gingrich's "Rediscovering God in America" (Integrity Publishers, 2006): "Historians

have long debated the extent of George Washington's faith. However, as historian

Michael Novak has recently observed, Washington's own step-granddaughter. 'Nelly' Curtis,

thought his words and actions were so plain and obvious that she could not understand

how anybody failed to see that he had always lived as a serious Christian.

You can see a line from Osiris to Hercules to Jesus; You can see how Plato and Philo

influenced Paul nearly as much as Jesus.

The apostles were practicing Jews while Paul, the Founder of Christianity, stopped pract-

icing it, for the most part, after discovering Jesus.

The apostles believed Jesus to be Messiah. Paul believed him to be Messiah and Son

of God. A few Apostles came to agree with Paul, including, Peter; most didn't, including,

Jesus' brother James. James was the first bishop of the Nazarenes (practicing Jews who

believed in Jesus; they can be considered Jewish-Christians) - the Bishop of Jerusalem.

As we stated in earlier installments, Paul's views prevailed. Did he hijack Jesus from the

Apostles (unlike Paul, they actually knew Jesus).

James remains in Jerusalem awaiting Jesis' imminent return and being critical of the

usurper Paul. Paul's assertion that pagans could accept Jesus without obeying the Law

(the Ten Commandments plus the other 603 commandments) was apparently abhorrent

to James. James 2:12 reads, "For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point

has become guilty of all of it. The upshot is that the author of James attacks passages

from the Pauline letters and thereby Paul himself. James may be considered an anti-Pauline

 document.

What about the Gospel of Mark? Gerd writes, "And it is the divinization of Jesus (a step that

comports with ---- if it does not derive from ---- Paul) by which Mark steers the gospel

tradition into a path that led inexorably away from the strict monotheism of Judaism."

Each Gospel appears to be written for a different audience. Mark: world is bad and about to end.

Save your soul. Apostolic - end of the world view - Paul's view. Mathew: Jesus is a great

teacher and interpreter of truth. Jewish audience. Luke: Jesus is Savior of all people and all

nations. Gentile audience, Paul's view.  John: more Gnostic, Holy Spirit-oriented.

"Jesus was a first century Palestinian Jew...The theology was Jewish monotheism...Jesus

shared the belief that Israel's god was the only true god...Jesus shared the belief that

Israel had been chosen to be YHWH's special people, through whom the world would be

addressed by its creator."-The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions" by Borg and Wright

(HaperCollins, 1999). The Apostles believed Jesus to be the Messiah - the fulfillment of the

Old Testament promise. Some would come to agree with Paul (the self-appointed 13th

Apostle) that Jesus was the Son of God. James didn't.

 

The Egyptian god Osiris goes back to about 3,000 B.C. Of course, they would have thought

that he always existed. The Egyptians believed that Osiris was of divine origin, that he

suffered death and mutilation at the hands of the powers of evil. After a great struggle with

those powers, he rose again. He became henceforth the king of the underworld and judge

of the dead and because he conquered death the righteous might also conquer death.

In a communion ceremony, the death of the grain and the death of Osiris are one and the

same. The cereal is identified with the god who came from heaven; he is the bread by which

 man lives. The resurrection of the god is symbolized by the rebirth of the grain.

Further, grain becomes beer: sacred to the gods; joy-giving to humans. Give us an hallelujah!

The Coptic (Catholic, Apostolic) Church was founded by the apostle Mark and has its HQ in

 Egpt. In the early Coptic Church (which separated out from the Roman Catholic Church),

Osiris was considered the prototype for Jesus and in the pictures and statues of Isis (Osiris'

wife) suckling her (their) son Horus, they perceived the prototype of Mary and her child.

Hercules in Greek Mythology would come later but before Jesus. We already discussed

the parallel between the lives of Hercules and Jesus.

 

Fwd: FOX NEWS ALERT (New/Expanded Version)

-----Original Message-----
From: b <rrdd3939@aol.com>
To: rrdd3939 <rrdd3939@aol.com>
Sent: Thu, Mar 22, 2012 5:59 pm
Subject: Fwd: FOX NEWS ALERT (New/Expanded Version)

FOX NEWS ALERT: "CJCS Comsats has been dormant for a week for the

reason given below and for the reasons given in the historic literary

collaboration between Doyle and DePersio via the Einstein/Rosen Bridge.

A FOX News Exclusive: We have the numbers for its last active week and for the

first time AddThis Analytics and Google Analytics don't corroborate each

other.

AddThis Analytics: Visits: 921, Readers: 253; Google Analytics: Visits:

1488, Readers: 377. We shall split the difference: 1209, 315. Our numbers

have been steadily growing over the past five months. We commenced

operations over two and a half years ago. We are rightly proud of our numbers!

We rightly thank our Readers/Cyber-Friends for those numbers.

Operations have been suspended indefinitely. New Readers, please enjoy recent

and older posts - most are completely or largely not time-sensitive; not out-of-

date -- we swear to NASA! You can connect to our comsats (web sites) via

Facebook: Second American Revolution or Twitter: Home Page.

WANTED: Individual for Intellectual/Social Intercourse in Cyber-Space, perhaps,

leading to collaboration in areas of mutual interest. I am Dago Red and I approve

of this message (in lieu of the absent but no longer missing Citizen Journalist).
Sent: Mon, Mar 12, 2012 4:25 pm
Subject: SEEKING CONTRIBUTORS...
QUALIFIED...not unqualified...CONTRIBUTORS WANTED: Science/

Technology; Humor; Politics; Poetry; Economics; History; Go where

your Muse takes you. Reach an audience of up to: Visits: 900;

Readers: 250.

WORKLOAD BECOMING TOO HEAVY TO CONTINUE SOLO. For more

info, see Doyle/DePersio - last chapter below. If interested, please

 leave message at Twitter: @rickaddsite or Facebook: Richard DePersio

Fwd: ...His Last Bow

-----Original Message-----
From: b <rrdd3939@aol.com>
To: rrdd3939 <rrdd3939@aol.com>
Sent: Thu, Mar 8, 2012 6:40 pm
Subject: Fwd: ...His Last Bow

Nota Bene': Chapter 9 (the final chapter) appears after (not before

Chapter 6; up and until now, we have been posting in reverse order; go

down 7 floors for Chapter 1 - Warning: elevator is still out-of-order; Chapter-

Order is a mystery in itself!)
Subject: ...Light in the Darkness & The Conclusion
Sent: Mon, Mar 5, 2012 6:30 pm
Subject: Fwd: The Adventure of the Priory School...
Chapter 8

   THE MUSGRAVE RITUAL & LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS & THE CONCLUSION

                                      by A.C. Doyle

                             CITIZEN JOURNALIST IS MISSING...FOUND!

                                              by R. DePersio

"Just one more thing."

{"Elementary...What are you doing here, Lieutenant?, inquired Sherlock.

"I haven't been to Mount Rushmore in ages," Colombo responded. "Give my best

to you know who." And, he was gone: trench coat and all.}

"You know my methods in such cases, Watson. I put myself in the man's

place, and, having first gauged his intelligence, I try to imagine how I should

myself have proceeded under the same circumstances. In this case the

matter was simplified by {Citizen Journalist's} intelligence being quite

first-rate...He had spotted the {new} place."

"The whole thing occurred in a moment---so quickly that I had no time to

realize it. I have a vivid recollection of that instant, of Holmes's triumphant

expression, and the ring of his voice, of the {tour guides} dazed face..." (At

last I would know what-the-blazes we were doing at Mount Rushmore!}

"Didn't I tell {you when we} started, said Sherlock with a laugh. "That's the

result of [our} study of {Citizen Journalist:} to get him a testimonial!"

"Never mind," I answered; I have all the facts in my journal, and the public

shall know of them. {Sherlock: "Your a regular Subject Journalist! I wonder if

our American audience will appreciate that meager attempt at wit?}

"...from his point of view, any sudden change would be likely to draw attention

to himself...There was no reason to suppose that he was going under an assumed

name. Why should he change his name in {his} country where no one knew his

original {and other} one {or do they? That's another case} I {garnered much

information by having those with whom I contracted,  systematically to every cab

proprietor...until they ferreted out  {useful information and he is my report, said

Mycroft}

{"I thought that you had lost interest in the case and returned to London," stated

Sherlock."

"Perish the thought! You know how I feel about CJ-RD. They are amongst the

few homo sapiens that I can tolerate having placed them in charge of my (Facebook)

Diogenes Club - American Branch."}

{"Mycroft, prior to your arrival, Sherlock was about to enlighten us regards his

solution to the case. I am confident that it will be fortified by your report."

{"Ellory, what brings you here?, says Sherlock. Another interruption, I, Watson,

 thought to myself. I've been waiting for what seems like an eternity for the

conclusion.}

{"He is, after all, a friend of mine too. I feel guilty - for the longest time, I have promised

to produce or contribute to an article at www.rickcmtsite.blogspot.com as you have

done on many occasions. It's been good seeing you all again." Ellory Queen was

about to depart when Sherlock said: "I want all of you to be my guest tonight for

supper, or, as the Americans say, dinner. I hope to have a surprise quest." Oh, no!,

I thought, I'd have to wait another eternity for the conclusion.}

 

 

 

Sent: Tue, Feb 28, 2012 5:12 pm
Subject: The Adventure of the Priory School...

                         THE ADVENTURE OF THE PRIORY SCHOOL

                                             by A.C. Doyle

                                CITIZEN JOURNALIST IS MISSING

                                        by R.J. DePersio

("Where in the World is Citizen Journalist" & "The Radio Show -one floor down)

{CJ was visiting Dago Red} "His absence was discovered at seven o'clock

{Friday} morning. His bed was slept in. He had dressed himself fully, before

going off,...There were no signs that anyone had entered the room, and it is

quite certain that anything in the nature of...a struggle would have been heard,

since {I was} in the inner room is a very light sleeper."

"When {CJ's} disappearance was discovered, I at once called {RD}." {Not the

police," said Holmes} Mr. Holmes, if you ever put forward your full powers, I

implore you to do so now, for never in your life could you have a case which is

more worthy of them." {Sherlock: "Who chose the 'Invisible Hand' to be

included in the last two articles." DR: "CJ." "For a writer, what two things are

nearly as bad as death?," said Holmes, thinking aloud.}

Sherlock has provided you with three clues above plus he gleaned two clues from:

'Where in the World..." - one floor down.
Sent: Fri, Feb 24, 2012 3:03 pm
Subject: The Musgrave Ritual...

      THE MUSGRAVE RITUAL                     MURDER IN WESTMINSTER

                                                by A.C. Doyle

                           CITIZEN JOURNALIST IS MISSING

                                             by R.J.  DePersio

 {Day One} "I confess that so far, Watson, I had been disappointed in my

investigation. I had reckoned upon solving the matter when once I had

found the {the fishing hole}, but now I was there, and was apparently as far

as ever from knowing what it was which had {been} concealed...It is true that

I had thrown a light upon the fate of {Citizen Journalist}, but now I had to

ascertain how that fate had come upon him..."

{Watson musings}. So for three mornings the mystery remained, so far as

I could follow it in the papers {on the news and Internet}. If Holmes knew more,

he kept his own counsel, but, as he told me {Andy Taylor} had taken him into

his confidence, I knew that he was in close touch with every development.

Upon the fourth day there appeared a long {email for Holmes}...which

seemed to solve the whole question.

"My dear Watson," said he, as he rose from the table and paced up and

down the room, "you are most long-suffering but if I have told you nothing in

the last three days, it is because there is nothing to tell. Even now this

report {he points to screen} doesn't tell us much."

{Sherlock and Mycroft have telephoned Ben, Adam, Hoss, Joe. Al, Rod, Dago,

Marion and the rest of the cast in search of clues}.

                                                       To Be Continued                                                        

 CONGRATULATIONS: YOU FOUND US! YOU ARE NOW HONORARY MEMBERS
OF THE BAKER STREET IRREGULARS and (Facebook) DIOGENES CLUB -

AMERICAN BRANCH.

 

    

'The Conclusion'     The Red-Headed League     The Adventure of the Empty House

                                                    His Last Bow

                                                    by Arthur Conan Doyle

 The Missing Citizen Journalist...Found! (As Yogi Berra would say: "It's

 de'ja' vu, all over again)          by Richard DePersio

{They gathered that evening at one of the 'restuarants' at the national landmark - the

ambience not commensurate with Sherlock's sometimes refined tastes.}

"And now to the great question as to the reason why." {"Do try a hot dog and a

hamburger, good sport," interrupted Ellory. Sherlock: "When in Rome...in the former

colonies do..". "I shall enjoy watching but will he enjoy eating?" Ellory whispered to Dago

Red who appeared as if mysteriously!} "Robbery had not been the object...for nothing was

taken. Was it politics, then, or was it a woman. That was the question that confronted

me. I was inclined...at first...to the latter supposition {"Prior to coming here, I paid a visit to

 Hef. We all know that Citizen Journalist has been....shall, we say....successful with the

 fairer sex. And, it had been one of the stops on his triumphant promotional tour."} "

"Political assassins are only too glad to do their work and to fly. {"We all know that Citizen

Journalist exercises his right to free speech by Offending with Truth and not apologizing

on Twitter for having done so. There are the liberal PC police who only believe in free speech

which conforms to their philosophy."} "...the perpetrator had left his tracks..." {"The word

invisible appears often in the last two articles at www.rickcmtsite.blogspot.com to which

Citizen Journalist contributed. Invisible is related to vanish."} "It must have been a private

wrong, and not a political one {although, Citizen Journalist is not guilty of such, his enemies

think otherwise} which called for such a methodical {action}. {In one of said articles he

makes reference to pain on his CMT hands...and the invisible hand. Was he the victim

of foul play? Dago Red, I'm not surprised by your appearance here. We all consider

ourselves friends of the missing Citizen Journalist. Your closeness to him is second only

to Richard DePersio. Tell me, why Calliope appears at rickcmtsite?" Dago: Not long ago, CJ

suggested that we post her painting with an article in the near future, in his absence, I

remembered his suggestion and instead found a way to incorporate it into a promo for

Facebook and Twitter. Sherlock: "I'm surprised that our mutual friend Richard DePersio isn't

here or is he; that's another case."}

{As I heretofore stated the two worst things that can happen to a writer are the loss of his

Muse and difficulty with his hands. The word hand appears often in the last two articles on

 which he worked as well. I contend that he and he alone staged his disappearance - making

himself invisible!"}

"A proposition which I took the liberty of doubting,"

"You did, doctor, but none the less you must come round to my view for otherwise I shall

keep on piling fact upon fact on you until your reason breaks down under them and

acknowledge me to be right. Now Mr. Jabez Watson here has been good enough to call

upon me this morning, and to begin a narrative which promises to be one of the most

singular which {he} listened to in some time. You have heard me remark that the strangest

and most unique things are very often connected not with the larger but with the smaller

crimes, and occasionally, indeed, where there is room for doubt whether any positive

crime has been committed. As far as I have heard it is impossible for me to say  whether

the present case is a crime or not {I think not}, but the course of events is certainly among

the most singular {that I have ever encountered. Proceed, Mr. Watson."}

{"Thank you, Mr. Holmes for this opportunity. I thought better and came around to his way of

thinking. The fishing hole' was a red herring. Inspiration: venues of prior conquests - the

grotto. More important: achievement - triumphant publicity tour. He would be found looking for

inspiration and his Muse."

{Thank you, doctor. I firmly believe that his Muse will return intermittently. One of his cyber-

friends who is qualified should offer to periodically submit an article to lighten his load - he

who is known amongst other things as: CITIZEN Your Shoot-from-the-Hip/Non-PC Cripple

JOURNALIST. CJCJ (Citizen Journalist/Cayuga Productions/Shamley Productions) Comsats

(web sites) enjoy up to 935 Visits and 265 Readers per week.

{"He or she can write on science or humor or politics or poetry or philosophy or music or

economics, says Dago Red, "or go where ever his or her Muse takes him or her - it's

awkward to be PC!"

{"Why would he perpetrate such an elaborate hoax," inquired Watson. "His superior mind

couldn't do otherwise and such a scheme was necessitated to engage my mind. I think

that he was confidant that I would bite. Part of him wanting to be found or caught - which is

often the case," answered Holmes. "Your superior mind?" "Modesty dictates..."

{"I was handed a letter by someone engaged solely for the purpose of delivering it; the letter

purportedly from Citizen Journalist. Dago Red, you are to go to this location with binoculars and

look at Tom; It is my understanding that Citizen Journalist considers Tom a friend." Dago

Red departed for the specified location. Ellory left for destination unknown.}

{"I consider Citizen Journalist a friend. Although, I have never seen him. We have corresponded

extensively and have participated in rather lengthy telephonic communications," revealed Holmes.}

{"I saw him once but I must admit that it was brief and at a distance," said Watson.}

{Watson continued.} "...I must confess to a start when...I saw the man...there...at my threshold."

{I at the end of the room.}" He is extremely tall and thin, his forehead domes out in a white curve,

and his eyes are deeply sunken in his head. He is clean-shaven, pale, and ascetic-looking,

retaining something of the professor in his features. His shoulders are rounded from  much

study, and his face protrudes forward and is forever slowly oscillating from side to side in a

curiously reptilian fashion. He peered at me with great curiosity in his puckered eyes."

{Holmes: "Are you sure that it was him." Watson: "What are you getting at?" "Could it have

been someone posing as him for your benefit." "Good heavens,Holmes, allow me on your

train of thought." "Are you certain that it was he." "Your causing me to doubt myself. Are you

doing it again - piling fact upon fact...until reason breaks down under them' ? "Are you certain

that it was he?" "I was expecting him that day. I assumed it was him." "Ah, you assumed.

What did he say?" "He said, 'I need to talk to you, doctor.' He looked at his watch and said,

'Not now, I'm running late. He was the only person to visit that day." "Could it not have been

potentially a new patient?" "Why do you do this to me?"}

{What do you think is transpiring between Citizen Journalist and Dago Red, Holmes."}

"Such was the remarkable narrative to which I listened on that {March} day---a narrative

which would have been utterly incredible to me had it not been confirmed by the actual

sight of the tall, spare figure and the keen, eager face, which I had never thought to see again.

...'Work is the best antidote to {my plight; though of necessity severely curtailed}...I have a

piece of work for us and if we can bring it to a successful conclusion will in itself justify a

man's life on this planet. In vain I begged him to tell me more to no avail; I would have to be patient."

{Holmes paced back and forth for what seemed an eternity. With his back to me, he said,

"Or, we are part of a ruse, concocted by a mastermind. Delicious! Watson: "Holmes, earlier,

you stated that's another case. What did you mean." "Watson, it will keep until we return to

London and Baker Street." I couldn't wait for more.}

{Back in London. I was staring out the window in deep thought. I was startled when Holmes

emerged from the WC and stated loudly, "I have a theory regarding Richard DePersio/

Citizen Journalist. Do you remember a couple of days ago when I said that I was surprised

that Richard De{ersio wasn't here for his good friend---or, was he? Who is tying this. Consider

the staff of CJCS Comsats which, includes, us. The members are listed at

www.rickcmtsite.blogspot.com Mycroft finally contributes, "Some can't type for one reason while

 the others can't type for the other reason. "Are they fake; are they posing?," asked Watson.}
"No, no, don't call it a pose. A pose is an artificial thing. This is quite natural {for him/them.}

{Unsurpassed ingenious entertainment and an intellectual exercise to boot. It is a reality.}
"Another glass..." said Mr. Sherlock Holmes as he extended the bottle of Imperial Tokay.

{"Another glass, Mycroft.}

"This is good wine, Holmes."
"A remarkable wine, Watson. Our friend upon the sofa has assured me that it is from Franz

Josef's special cellar at the Schoenbrunn Palace.

{Of course Holmes can do more than one thing at a time---ever the experimenter.}

"Might I trouble you to open the window for chloroform vapour does not help the palate.

 

                                                                          THE END          

The first review is in: "Superb...Thought-provoking... I see a movie version in the future."