Tag: Jesus

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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Worshippers at a Mass organised by the Society of Saint Pius X in Switzerland on Wednesday

Vatican: Followers of Global Catholic Sect [Society of St Pius X] Excommunicated! (3.7.2026)

More recently, efforts had been made to reconcile with the SSPX, but the Vatican’s response to this week’s events was more aggressive than before, and more severe than predicted.

It was widely expected that Wednesday’s event in Geneva would lead to excommunication of the bishops involved.

But the excommunication of all those lay people who continue to be a part of SSPX was a surprise to many, with the traditionalist group now as far from the centre of power of the Roman Catholic Church as it has ever been.

Excommunication is one of the harshest punishments that can be given by the Church, effectively expelling the offender from the religion and excluding them from Catholic life.

It means a baptised follower is “out of communion” with the Church – meaning they cannot receive the sacraments, for example going to confession, or get married within the Roman Catholic Church.

The Vatican said on Thursday: “The sacred ministers of the Society of St Pius X administer the sacraments illicitly, while the sacrament of penance they administer and the marriages they witness are invalid.”

It means SSPX members now have to choose whether to stay part of a group that is in “schism”, or leave behind the things they believe are right in order to stay part of the Catholic Church.

However it is clear that many SSPX members believe it is the Vatican that has moved away from true doctrine, not them.

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The Term "Martyr" Originally Meant to "Bear Objective Witness" - Not Die for an Ethereal Belief!

UK: Examining & Deconstructing the Greek Term “Martyr”! (29.6.2026)

In modern usage – there is the disturbing trend of an individual being blown into non-functioning pieces being described as a “Martyr” – or performing the function of a “Martyr” (this is a term claimed by political systems regardless of hue – and all three religions of the Abrahamic persuasion). I understand that it is a human-habit to try make it seem that a pointless death possessed some type of ethereal meaning – but does it really? Dying for a noble cause is certainly acceptable – but the cause – whatever that may be (as noble causes tend to be a relative matter) – does not in any way alter the demeaning process of hot pieces of metal being forcibly penetrated through the body. Surely, it would be a far more noble cause to “remove” the ignorance from human society – and the human-mind – that causes all forms of oppressive death, be it through weaponry, abuse, torture, injury, illness, or starvation. Why not permanently change the basis of the situation – rather than passively give-in to – and normalise the oppression? In that sense, the original Chinese-language concept of 烈士 (Lie Shi)  is much more preferable. 

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Where Are the Zombies?

Biblical Studies: Who Wrote the Four Gospels? Not Who You Think! (27.5.2026)

If this actually had happened we would have incredible eye-witness accounts penned by Jews, Romans, and followers of Jesus (reformed Jews) – but no – there are no records of any of this occurring and many in the Church find such claims to be embarrassing for their faith. I suspect a group of non-Jewish Greeks wanted to be associated with the otherwise xenophobic and racist Jewish theology (which had evolved out of Babylonian philosophy and history) and concocted a miraculous story of a “magic-man” that no one outside the movement ever met or independently verified as existing. Jesus the “magic-man” made it acceptable for non-Jews to pretend to be Jews – and the Jews hated it just as much as the gentiles loved it! Whatever the case, no one knows who originally wrote the four gospels included in the received Bible (there are many more discovered in the 20th century which are now available for you to study).

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