In the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Phenomenology is described as:
“The study of structures of consciousness as experienced from the first-person point of view. … as a discipline is distinct from but related to other key disciplines in philosophy, ontology, epistemology, logic, and ethics.”
In the case of my book which took more than 20 years of research, 4.5 years of it while assigned to NATO LSE HQ, Izmir, Turkey and travels throughout the Mediterranean, the phenomenology consists of “key disciplines in philosophy as well as the history and evolution of religion from prehistory to disciplines of today. That includes the Oxford Companion course of Psychology of the Mind.
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy complements my personal volumes of the Encyclopedia of Philosophy and historical reference books obtained during the period of my research and study at the University of Maryland European Chapter of 4 years (constituting traditional two years full time university courses). What may seem out of order to my studies, I was a relentless reader of the Writings of Thomas Jefferson, who was not just a political philosopher, but also a prolific religious philosopher.
Thomas Jefferson was a man of logic and reason, so much so that he could be considered to be a Unitarian – a person who believes in one ultimate deity who is the Creator, and whose identity is described in various languages as: “God”, “Allah”, and the “Great Spirit”. His interest in the phenomenology of religion as well its history and significance in human philosophy, expanded across Western and Eastern civilization and his study of Native Americans of North America. Most likely that included Central and South America, where the Mayan and Aztec religions developed and eventually died out because of self-destruction and the advent and conversion by the (Roman) Catholic Church. In that itself, the first organized Church, unified doctrine established at the First Council of Nicaea in the year of 325, originating out of the Christian movement of Rome attributed to Emperor Constantine (Constantine the Great) had encouraged missionaries to venture everywhere to establish the “Word of God” had been divided between Western and Eastern civilizations – one in Rome and the other in Constantinople (now Istanbul after the Islamic conquest). Today, because Catholicism has not been divided for centuries, it is called simply the Catholic Church. The Eastern Catholic Church, established in Constantinople, is now referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church based in Western Asia and Eastern Europe – Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Turkey, Balkans, Transylvania, and the Caucasus (Georgia, Abkhazia, Ossetia, etc.).
“It was written in their Qu'ran [Western spelling - “Koran”] that all nations which had not acknowledged the Prophet were sinners, whom it was the right and duty of the faithful to plunder and enslave; and that every musslman [“Muslim”] who has slain in this warfare was sure to go to paradise.”
When Jefferson became our 3rd President, he was again forced to confront the Tripoli based Barbary Pirates, who had captured and enslaved American sailors demanding more ransom payments. Alexander Hamilton and Federalist James Wilson wrote extensively about the importance of a legislature to declare war and as well as the president's authority on the matter, described in The Federalist #69. Jefferson chose to be different from the kings of old and stick to the principles of republicanism, but the weakness of the American Navy was not able to provide any substantial security to protect American sailors abroad. The newly established American Navy consisted of six frigates and was operational when Jefferson was sworn in as president. Congress had previously passed naval legislation that authorized ships dealing with piracy “to protect our commerce and chastise their insolence – by sinking, burning or destroying their ships and vessels wherever you shall find them.”
So Jefferson refused to pay Tripoli's demand of $225,000 and sent three frigates and one schooner with a compliment of U.S. Marines under the command of Commodore Richard Dale, who was instructed to protect the ships and their crew from hostility by taking action against the pirates. In response, Pasha Yusuf Karamanli of Tripoli declared war on the United States on May 14, 1801. All of this I related to describe events of Thomas Jefferson's experience and study of Muslims and their religion of Islam.
Thomas Jefferson was also a principle character in the development of religious freedom that was incorporated in the Constitution of the United States in the First Amendment of the “Bill of Rights” established by James Madison and with the help of authors like Alexander Hamilton via the Federalist Papers. Jefferson drafted the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom in 1777. To Jefferson, the logic was coincided with the Enlightenment of thought, viewing freedom of religion as a natural right of humanity.
So, in effect, Thomas Jefferson was my principal mentor when it encompasses the realm of the philosophy of religion and religious philosophies. He could best be described a “Unitarian” based upon his writings of religion and his “cut and paste” version of the Holy Bible that ultimately was published after his death. It has become known as the “Jefferson Bible” (1820) and is by no means an alternate version in the sense that he rewrote the Bible, but in fact it is a compilation of its wisdom and philosophy especially established by Jesus of Nazareth (“Christ”) omitting the mysticism and the views of the disciples turned to apostles who emphasized the spirituality of Jesus and his ultimate view as a deity. The early Christian church had become divided in doctrine and thus Emperor Constantine felt the need to call for a Council at Nicaea in order to establish a fundamentally agreed upon doctrine that would establish the gist of the Christian Church in a unified process. Thus the transition of Jesus from a spiritual sage and prophet to a deity directly descended from the Creator ideology becoming the gist of Christianity in the form of an established Holy Trinity encompassing the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
“Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, 'Abraham!' And he said, 'Here I am', He said, 'Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you'. So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance. Abraham said to his young men, 'Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you'. Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, 'My father!' And he said, 'Here I am, my son.' And he said, 'Behold the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?' Abraham said, 'God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.' So the two of them walked together. Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his on Isaac and laid him on the alter, on top of the wood. Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, 'Abraham, Abraham!' And he said, 'Here I am'. He said, 'Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.' Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son.”
Scholars and historians alike have discussed and concluded that this event was the transition from ancient prehistorical Hebrew tribal “burnt offering” that included both human and animal (primarily lamb) to just “burnt offering” of animal alone.
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| THOR AND HIS WOLVES & RAVENS |
In the Celtic and Norse religious culture, especially the Celtic of the British Isles, human sacrifice had been a tradition long after the death of Jesus until they transformed to the Christian faith. In the Old Norse tradition, human sacrifice occurred every nine years, as depicted in the historical drama film, Vikings series (2013-2020). Romans who thought this practice of human sacrifice to be barbaric (thus those that were not Romans were deemed “barbarians”), only sacrificed to their multiple gods and goddesses animal sacrifices primarily of bulls and birds.
There are other references in the Old Testament concerning human sacrifice and the forbidding of it, as in Leviticus 2o:2-3:
“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones. And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name.”
“Molech” was the Canaanite god that the Canaanites would sacrifice both human and animal to.
Again, forbidding human sacrifice occurs in Deuteronomy 12:31 [KJV]:
“Thou shalt not do so unto the Lord thy God: for every abomination to the Lord, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in their fire to their gods.”
In the Book of Psalm – 106:37-38:
“Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood.”
There are other references to the subject of human sacrifice, sixteen in all, but this represents the significance of human sacrifice being forbidden to the ancient Hebrews of the Scriptures.
In the New Testament, the books therein addresses the biography of Jesus, mysticism in the form of miracles, and the spiritual ideology that transformed into Christianity that did away with “burnt offering” sacrifices all together. Following the Ten Commandments and living an honest and spiritual life combined with humility, kindness and forgiveness in regards to thy neighbor as well as praying for one's own forgiveness prescribed by Jesus of Nazareth was paramount replacement to any burnt offering ritual in order to achieve spiritual enlightenment that progresses to the vision of afterlife.
Stories of Jesus traveling eastward to study and converse with Eastern mystics of Persia, India and Tibet to the fabulous belief he visited North America. Indeed, the Mormons believe that to be so and consider native Americans to be descendants one of the “Lost Tribes of Israel”.
Is there any evidence that Jesus traveled so far for enlightenment and spiritual growth?
Did Jesus spend those years working with his father in his carpenter shop in Sepphoris, Galilee?
Nothing written suggests this. Called a “walkabout” by the Australians, could those missing years spent away from Nazareth and Galilee wandering about?
Did Jesus spend his youth at 12 years and older spending time in Sepphoris learning to read in the Aramaic language? The Gospel of Luke stated that Jesus went into a synagogue and read from the scroll of prophets, so obviously he knew how to read – but never has anything written been attributed to Jesus. His yearn to travel, experience the world beyond Galilee and Nazareth could have enticed him when reaching 13 years of age. Today we think of such a thing a young teenager would be doing, one must remember that in that time, the age of 12-13 was considered young manhood.
According to Saint Issa, from the age of 13 to 29, Jesus was both a student and a teacher for Buddhist and Hindu holy men.
According to the Gospel of Luke – Jesus “advanced in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men.” Therefore some say this suggests that Jesus lived that whole time in Galilee. It is interesting to note that during this period of history, the age of bar mitzvah and the age of secular maturity came about. Such legends can be found in the New Testament apochypha and early Christian documents like pseudepigrapha that fills the gap of those years.
In medieval period among the legends that spawned among stories of King Arthur, connections of documented Jesus travels was attributed to Joseph of Arimathea, also part of the Arthurian legend as well as the Holy Grail.
In 1887, a Russian war correspondent by the name of Nicolas Notovitch, claimed that while he had visited the Hemis Monastery in Tibet. He claimed that the monks at the monastery had spent time with Jesus studying Buddhism before returning to Jerusalem at the age of 29. Of course this theory was condemned because Notovich finally confessed it was fabricated.
However, viewing the fact that the monks of Tibet retained ancient records dating far back into history and to my knowledge no Western scholar has been afforded the opportunity to research those texts dating to that period.
In 1922, Swami Abhedananda went to the Himalayas on foot and reached Tibet where he studied Buddhism and Tibetan philosophy. Allegedly he found a manuscript translated by Notovitch. Inquiries after Abhedanamda's death in 1939, but the monks stated the document had disappeared.
In 1908, Levi H. Dowling published the Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ in which he claims that “Akashic Records” portrayed the true story of the life of Jesus and included the “eighteen lost years that had not been portrayed in the New Testament.” The book follows the travels of young Jesus into India, Tibet, Persia, Assyria, Greece and Egypt. Dowling's work was later used by Holger Kersten and elements from Ahmadiyya beliefs in his works.
Modern scholars like Paula Fredriksen, John Dominic Crossan, Marcus Borg and Robert Van Voorst have rejected all of the above and they mystery of the lost years of Jesus remains a mystery to be solved.
Of the religion of Islam, it is the youngest of the other three religions, founded about year 600, long after Christianity had been established. Confucianism was established about the same time as Buddha began his philosophical and theological teaching - 500-600 BC. That is addressed in Phenomenology of Religion previously mentioned and listed below.
Before the advent of these philosophical religions whose gist was the spiritual world and the intellectual and spiritual development of humanity, the mythologies of ancient religions gave the gods and goddesses human characteristics.
CONTINUED RESEARCH:
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