Tag: christianity

Buddha & St Benedict United!

UK: Buddha & St Benedict Entwined – a Retrospect! (10.9.2026)

Now, whilst in Hereford I befriended an Irishman (my family are part Irish) named “Brian Gray” – who was training to be a Catholic Priest. He was fascinated by Buddhism and liked to “spar” with me in gloved-boxing matches (I was a nasty bit of work in my late teens – as I discovered my natural physical strength). He introduced me to a “Father Thomas” the Abbot of the Catholic Hereford Cathedral. He wanted me to go to the Vatican to meet the Pope – and to join the Catholic faith – but of course, this was not my path. I am not attuned to entering these paths that discriminate against non-members for not being members. Also, at that point I was learning about how the Vatican supported fascism before, during, and after WWII. So you can see my predicament. Although I had friendly interactions on the personal level, there were certain political realities that had to be acknowledged and balanced. Anyway, the upshot of all this was that I was introduced to the study of the Rule of St Benedict followed by the monastics of the Catholic Church (and given the ring you can see here – although I am unaware of its significance).

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UK: “Soul” & “Psyche” (ψυχή) Are Not “Interchangeable” When Discussing Greek Philosophical Texts! (29.8.2026)

The term Tyndale translates as “soul” in English is the Greek term “psychas” (ψυχὰς) – is the “plural” the more familiar “psyche” (ψυχῇ) – which translates as “breath of life”, “to blow” and “to animate” (in Latin, the Greek term “psyche” is presented by the term “anima”). This probably represents the Hebrew term “Neshama” (נשמה) – meaning “breath”, “spirit”, or “essence” (inner self). The early Christians were radical Jews seeking to distinguish their thinking and practice from mainstream Judaism. The Gnostic Christians were content to use Greek philosophical terms and parallel many Greek paths of inner self-cultivation. Later, with the rise of the Catholic Church (empowered by the Roman State), the Gnostic Churches were suppressed and their scriptures outlawed. Catholic theologians, although continuing to use Greek terms (translated into Latin) – radically departed from the original philosophical meaning of those terms (the teaching and practice of Greek philosophy was banned). This process of moving away in meaning is particularly evident when it is understood that the Greek written form of “psyche” (ψυχῇ) has been replaced in translation by the Germanic (Pagan) term “soul”.

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Gustave Doré: illustration of the Wandering Jew The Wandering Jew, illustration by Gustave Doré, 1856.

UK: Kartosphilus (Greek) – Cartaphilus (Latin) – Gate-Keeper of Pontius Pilate! (19.8.2026)

The name “Joseph” means “he will add” or “God will increase”. It comes from the Hebrew Book of Genesis and is used in the Greek New Testament to refer to the husband of Mary – the Mother who Immaculately Conceives Jesus Christ (Joshua Ben Joseph). Within the development of the English language, “J” only becomes the 26th letter of the alphabet during the 17th century – often replacing “i” in spellings. As for “Y” – it would appear that Christian missionaries brought this to England during the 7th century – but it was slow to catch-on. For instance, the Hebrew “Yosif” was rendered “Joseph” in English (with an “i”) but was never spelt “Yoseph”. Many centuries later, the “Y” would be completely bypassed and the name would be presented as “Joseph” – where it remains today. 

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Comrade Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and President of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea

DPRK: Comrade Kim Jong Un Receives Greetings from Palestinian President on 81st Liberation Anniversary! (17.8.2026)

You can see the issue. Most in the West do not understand the minutiae of what is happening in Palestine – and mistakenly believe their is a united front. As an aside, the only organisation that attempts a broad united front is the “Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine” (PFLP) headquartered in Lebanon. Meanwhile, PA, whilst collaborating with Israel locally (a point that angers Hamas-supporters), backs the “Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions” (BDS) campaign that seeks to economically isolate Israel by encouraging ordinary people in the West not to give their money to Israeli-supporting businesses. PA, therefore, the organisation that has praised North Korea below, advocate collaboration with Israel locally – whilst encouraging those living outside the Middle East to wage an economic war against Israel. Yes – PA complains continuously about the ill-treatment of Palestinian prisoners and the violent behaviour of Israeli-settlers – but does very little about it in practical terms.

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St Paul's Commemorative Coin - 15.6.2026

UK: Climbing the Dome – Surviving the 528-Steps of St Paul’s Cathedral! (16.8.2026)

In fact – although one of the centres of the Church of England (CofE) – there seems to be an element of “Sadomasochism” to it all. As if those Church Authorities watching enjoy the spectacle of the fee-paying faithful (yes – you have to “pay” to voluntarily submit yourself to this madness) – or non-faithful (as the case may be) – inflicting pain upon themselves (a form of self-flagellation). It is the design of this building possesses a nasty side in its design. Who knows – when the Cathedral is closed the Church Fathers might draw pleasure by climbing the steps themselves. Of course, like all things “CofE” – the entire place, although of historical and archaeological importance, is subject to capitalist free market forces. The over-priced gift shop reduces Christianity to fluffy toys and cut book-marks – all over-priced – of course. I suspect that if you actually asked a question about religion – nobody working in there could answer it. Still, history is history, and other than the excessive steps – the history entwined in the stone-work of the building was good for the children to enjoy. At the entry point – the clerk shouted that there was no photography – but then said we could photograph anything we wanted to. So, we never quite worked-out what the rule was – and recorded everything we could see. Finally, when we got to what we thought was the top – it turned out there was actually over another hundred steps to go! In the video I say we had climbed the 528 steps – but I think there was around another 140 to go!

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3D Reproduction of Royston Cave - Royston Council

UK: The Bell-Shaped “Royston Cave”! (17.7.2026)

The analysis found that the short male costumes and the headdresses and hairstyles of the women both point to a time between 1360-90, and the Saint Christopher carving was dated to the same era. The report concluded that it was unlikely that any of the carvings were executed before about 1350 – a century after the Templars were active in Royston, and decades after their widespread suppression. What’s more, the carvings feature Christian iconography, lacking the symbolism typically associated with the Templars – depictions of the Holy Sepulchre and Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, for example, or of two knights riding one horse.

Although the Knights Templar were known for building round churches, the circular shape of the cave does not necessitate a Templar link either – the greatest proliferation of round churches is in Scandinavia, where no Templars ever set foot. Nor is the presence of Pagan symbols such as the sheela na gig particularly mysterious; the same image appears in medieval churches across Britain and Europe.

Why, then, the supposed Templar connection? Perhaps the things that make for a good story now also made for a good story in 1742. “The risk here is people have been wanting to tell stories since day one: ‘Come and see the Templar cave!’,” said Tobit Curteis, the conservator of the cave. “Just because someone made up a story 300 years ago, it doesn’t mean it was any more true back then than it would be now.”

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