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Old 07-21-2004, 10:54 PM   #25
Elspode
When Do I Get Virtual Unreality?
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Raytown, Missouri
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Well, let's see here...the Taoists give us:

T'ien-shih
T'ien-shih was the title awarded to Chang Tao-ling (157-178 A.D.), the founder of the Yellow Turban Taoists (he is also claimed as founder by the Cheng-I and Five Bushels of Rice sects). It is believed that he received the Ling-pao (spiritual Treasure) Scripture written on golden tablets, from the Gods. He succeeded in finding the elixir of immortality, swallowed it, and ascended to Heaven, leaving his secrets, including his seals and demon-dispelling sword, with his son.

Shinto:

"Izanagi no Mikoto, his task having been accomplished, and his power great, ascended to Heaven and made report of his mission. There he dwelt in the smaller palace of the Sun."

More Buddhism:

"Moreover, since this country is a land of slander, the protective deities, hungering for the taste of the Law, have abandoned their shrines and ascended to heaven, so evil demons have entered them in their stead and provide guidance for many people.

And then there's this, which is informative and shows pretty definitively that, in mythology at least, Jesus was scarcely the first to do anything really cool/Godlike/magickal:

http://www.bandoli.no/nooriginaljesus.htm

That's why I referred to "distilled mythologies" in the earlier post...because there was nothing new under the religious sun by the time Jesus came along. IMHO, his followers just tended to come from societies which were more advanced technologically, and were able to either carry the Christian credo along on their paths of conquest of the world, or actually use that credo as an excuse for subjugating everyone possible.
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