Other gods today - Shaping gods to our vision

There are still many polytheistic (many-gods) religions being practiced in the world today, the most familiar being the Hindu faith, which lists more than 1000 separate deities in their pantheon of gods.

So, how does that work?

If you ask a Hindu which god he or she worships, he or she will tell you that they prefer one manifestation of god over another, but that the manifestations all represent one "sense of deity" that is reflected in thousands of ways. Ganesha, who is represented as a seated man with the head of an elephant, is one; Krishna is another. Krishna, in turn, is said to be the 8th manifestation of Vishnu the creator; in that respect, Krishna is a reincarnated god from another god.

It can get very confusing, but the principle is the same: each god represents an aspect of belief that is slightly different from the others, so that each believer can experience god in the way that best suits them at a particular time. Many family members in one family can all be worshipping different gods, because each one worships the god that most resembles what they need and expect from their god at the time.

Imagine having a god that is whatever you wish it to be, with faces and aspects that change depending on what you can understand and appreciate.

Now imagine your God.

See the difference?

Baal and the Folks

Baal was the Phoenician "Lord of High Places", said to have sprung from the
rain-drenched mountains of the Levant (the ancient geographic area that now includes Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine); his consort was Astarte, the goddess of Byblos (Tower of Babel ring a bell, anyone?) and goddess of fertility and love.

The word Baal basically meant "lord" and was simply a title of respect which would be augmented with another "personal" name for each regional version of Baal, depending on which village you were in.

By using only the word Baal and not any other regional names, the priests of Baal in the story of Elijah represent not just one specific location and followers of one specific local god, but all false gods and all those who follow them.

And now you know.

An Elijah Primer

...from a younger, simpler perspective.

It's all here, just without the orchestra. And the soloists. And the big paperback score. So, when your kids, grandkids or anyone of a youngish age asks what you are singing about, you can direct them to this.

And enjoy.

http://bible-stories.org/el1.htm

And a little bit on Mendelssohn.

Actually, quite a lot on Mendelssohn. In fact, probably more than you ever wanted to know about Mendelssohn. With an option to read it all in German, if you are so inclined.

And bilingual. Otherwise, those long compound German words are going to make your head spin.

Link. Read. Enjoy.

http://www.themendelssohnproject.org/