Why is just Christianity targetted? other prophets praised

Dee6

Hi, Admittedly I am new to Thelema. Still just reading and learning, but one thing I thought weird was. And I am paraphrasing all of this.

I noticed that A.C. mentions the prophets of many of the other religions from Lao Tzu to Mohamed, they all seem to have had some influence on him, and get a little respect from him. He said something to the effect of "All prophets are right, yet that they know only a little". Yet he seems to go off on Christianity. And essentially said he would be the downfall of christianity.

Would it not make more sense to be the downfall of all Monotheistic religions, especially the Abrahamic ones? So Christianity, Muslim, etc.

I was just wondering why all the focus on christianity?

I am in no way trying to re-write thelema, I am only seeking answers to my questions. Not doubting A.C., just curious as to why it is all targetted on christianity, when I see just as many flaws in the Muslim Faith, Jewish Faith, etc.

Takamba

He differentiated between Christianity and it's prophet. He also differentiated between the "historical Jesus, if he even did exist" (and something about the probability he didn't exist the way Christians would think of him if he even existed at all) and their mythological Jesus. In short, he said little negatively about a so-called Jesus but plenty about the sheep who followed him.

Avshalom Binyamin

@Dee6 said

"
I was just wondering why all the focus on christianity?
"

Because he was raised Christian, and suffered quite a bit at the hands of so-called Christians throughout his childhood.

Crowley is not Thelema, though. Thelema's central text is a little more equal opportunity:

"49. I am in a secret fourfold word, the blasphemy against all gods of men.

Curse them! Curse them! Curse them!
With my Hawk's head I peck at the eyes of Jesus as he hangs upon the cross.
I flap my wings in the face of Mohammed & blind him.
With my claws I tear out the flesh of the Indian and the Buddhist, Mongol and Din.
Bahlasti! Ompehda! I spit on your crapulous creeds.
Let Mary inviolate be torn upon wheels: for her sake let all chaste women be utterly despised among you!"

Dee6

Thank you, that helps. I have many questions, it's nice to get some answers.

Jim Eshelman

To add:

It seems characteristic of the human mind to need to rouse enormous energy - almost to hatred sometimes - in order to break away from something in which it is comfortably entrenched. (There are evolutionary reasons for this.)

For example, a majority of adolescents would never leave home if they had healthy, respectful, pleasing relatioships with their parents. People wanting to leave a relationship or group usually create some variety of crisis as rocket fuel to blast them out, rather than just leaving.

When the Osiris Aeon supplanted that of Isis, the species undertook an aggressive suppression of what had gone before. We've had thousands of years of suppressing the feminine in numerous forms, dismissing children and the infantile, feeling separate from and acting cruelly toward animals - and, in general, suppressing subconsciousness itself and anything that psycholgically / culturally could remind us of it.

Christinity is the dominant Western civilization expressive of the Osiris Aeon. The mass-mind pull back into it is enormous; and yet, giving way to that back-sliding would seriously retard if not abort the species' evolutionary step forward. It isn't surprising that rage (sometimes to the point of hatred) is providing the fuel for that "absolutely, totally, irreversibly GET PAST THAT!" evolutionary step.

In 500-1,000 years we can probably come back and safely include it as "just another of the ancient gods, neither better nor worse than any of the others."

seekinghga

@Jim Eshelman said

"
It seems characteristic of the human mind to need to rouse enormous energy - almost to hatred sometimes - in order to break away from something in which it is comfortably entrenched."

Yes, yes, yes. I've noticed this a lot. I have friends who have "broken free" of Christianity in the past couple of years. Every one of them, at first, espoused contempt and bigotry toward the religion. But eventually their attitudes tempered into acceptance. I am pretty sure, looking at this from the psychology angle, that such a stage of behavior is indicative of chipping off and removing any "residue" left by the prior belief system.

I know that for myself the change from Christian to non-C went: belief -> questioning -> doubt -> hostility -> joy!!

To the OP:
From the psychology angle, again, I would say that there are two words which sum up the answer to your question: Plymouth Brethren.

Bereshith

I can't tell you how difficult it is to root out the fear of eternal damnation.

You can't simply rationally transcend something that is deeply ingrained in the psyche. In other words, for those who hell has always merely been one ridiculous threat among many ridiculous religious threats, the emphasis on Christianity probably seems lop-sided. For those who have been ingrained with the doctrine from youth, personal experience is the only cure. One must have the gods lead one by the hand through the storms of doubt and fear. If it is possible at all to speak in terms of the "creation" of Thelema's paradigm, at least psychologically, it seems particularly created to generate experiences to lead one out of that particular ingrained fear. Courage is required.

I would say that Christianity gets so much attention specifically because it perpetuates itself through the fear of hell, with itself as the only offer of salvation.

The most complex, the hardest to deprogram, the one most tied in to our cultures historical philosophical growth/stagnation - it should get the most attention.

Dee6

I can definitely relate to the this idea of needing to rebel, to break the chains, I definitely left home with a middle finger in the air.

I was raised Christian, used to drag my parents to church. Fast forward to present and my favorite shirt for the past year or two has a giant upside down cross on it. I know my attraction to the symbol is a giant eff you to the dogma that was holding me back, spiritually. (Even though its not even an evil symbol, the pope's got a upside down cross or St. Peters cross on his funny hat )

Thanks for your inputs.