The Masonic Scholar

The Zietgiest: Film Destroying Christianity?

My good friend and fellow LDS researcher/scholar Ben McGuire has yet again written a profound response to a very good question which we Christians run across from time to time. McGuire's response is seriously thoughtful, and powerfully discussed. Well worth the reading! Thanks Ben for allowing me to post this!

The Question is:

I recently came across a video presentation courtesy of my ex  wife 

called zietgiest (one and two) which talks// shows parallels of  saviour figures 

thru mythology and biblical parallels...quite convincing  figures that predate 

christ and the hidden symbology meanings..has  anyone come across this..quite 

sophisicated anti christian thing before  and is there any information that 

dicusses this on a scholarly level..i  understand this is meant to destroy faith 

and the position of christ as  the saviour<<

Ben McGuires' Response:

There are several things that go on with this kind of claim. I know one of the professors at BYU who teaches statistics. One of the things he introduces to his students is the notion that apparently weird stuff happens. His example that he likes to use is of the guy who wins a million dollar lottery twice in

What Does ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν Mean Anyway?

What Does ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν Mean Anyway?

Kerry A. Shirts MM, 32, RAM, CM, KT
Nov 25, 2010
Eagle Rock Lodge #19
Idaho Falls, Idaho

UPDATED already! In just 2 hours, I thought of something else that ties in well with this Logos theme from the Old Testament... I include the update at the end of the article. I suspect there is an enormous amount of parallels, themes, and commonalities everywhere if one looks. I will do so as I can.
In reading through several of my Greek lexicons for pure pleasure, I am finding an absolute wealth of information that I shall share as I can. For now here is something on the Logos of John 1:1 and the idea of the Greek word πρὸς (pros) meaning in general "with" someone or something.

1. The Meaning. It is the same as προτί (proti) and ποτί (poti). The root-idea is ‘near,’ ‘near by,’

Biblical Exegesis for Freemasons: "Blessed Are the Peacemakers"

Bible Exegesis for Freemasons: μακάριοι οἱ εἰρηνοποιοί – “Blessed are the Peacemakers”: The Classical Greek and Hebrew Background to a Lexical & Historical Analysis of Jesus’ Statement in His Sermon on the Mount

 

Kerry A. Shirts MM, 32°, RAM, CM, KT

Eagle Rock Lodge #19

Idaho Falls, Idaho

November 14, 2010

 

First, an explanation

Some of the footnotes at the end of this paper I acquire from my Logos Bible Software from the electronic edition, and many of the abbreviations I am not sure of as of yet. There are multitudinous ones in the lexicons and dictionaries of which it would take many weeks to sort out and spell out in full, hence I leave them abbreviated. Footnotes 4-12 below were found in Spicq, C., & Ernest, J. D. (1994). Theological Lexicon of the New Testament Volume 2:432-434. Peabody, MA.: Hendrickson Publishing. Footnotes 23 to the end are from the same source, Theological Lexicon of the New Testament, but from Volume 1:424-438.

 

The information in the footnotes is incredibly enlightening, and comparisons from the classical Greek writers of antiquity with that of the Greek writers in the Bible are  worth reading and important if we are to understand the nuances in the Bible. They give a much broader and deeper range of meanings, intents, and explanations than reading the Greek from the New Testament alone. In fact, the Greek Classical writers such as Homer, Thucydides, Pindar, Xenophon, Herodotus, Dio Cassius, Hesiod, Plutarch, etc. are the Greek background for the New Testament themes, ideas and philosophies in many respects. The New Testament ideas are an inheritance from Classical Greek antiquity, and it is essential to grasp the basis for it.

 

I also include many notes from my own library and do not distinguish whether I got them electronically or from my own library, though I include every reference in the

Secrecy in Freemasonry & Early Christianity: Some Parallels

The Secrecy of Masonry & Early Christian Parallels

 

Kerry A. Shirts, MM, 32°, RAM, CM, KT

Eagle rock Lodge #19

Idaho Falls, Idaho

November 12, 2010

 

I shall begin my exploration concerning secrecy in Masonry with a very pertinent and true story which happened to me recently. We Freemasons here in Idaho Falls had just had a joint meeting with the young men of De Molay, and were gathered around feasting, as usual! With the result that one of our very best kept secrets, which brother Randy Brill exposed, is that Masonry’s “most closely guarded secret…” is that “when you become a Mason, you gain weight!”[1] As I sat across from a brilliant young man he asked me in all seriousness and said he had wondered about this for quite some time. “What is the big deal of secrecy? What’s up with that?” I sat waiting for my mind to engage because if I immediately blurt out “Because!,” that obviously wouldn’t do.  So I said something like “Well…. I’ll tell you…” and I continued eating my salad for a moment. I then pointed my fork at him and asked