How parallelism works

[Hagoth]

I am often surprised at how mormonized by brain still is.

This morning I was studying the rituals of the Tewa Pueblo Society of New Mexico and I got a good lesson in how LDS apologists generate "amazing" parallels that appear to support Mormon beliefs.

Someone from another faith tradition would undoubtedly interpret the Tewa Finishing Ceremony very differently, with emphasis on different aspects of it, but a Mormon apologist would see these features jumping off the page:

The ceremony is an "endowment" of sorts that introduces young Tewa into their adult role. It is given to both boys and girls but boys are endowed with greater responsibility and called to serve as representatives of the gods on earth, while the girls are reliant upon the boys to mediate with the gods on their behalf.

-Before the ceremony begins the participants must wash themselves.
-Then they are given a new name that they are not to share with others.
-They are to be admitted into the kiva, but first they must go through a series of rites that take them from one antechamber to the next.
-They must swear not to reveal what they are about to see or hear to anyone on the outside.
-At one point they are slashed across the ribcage with a yucca blade.
-A blanket is hung as a veil between the initiates and the god.
-The god is then revealed to be just a man (relative or neighbor) standing in for god.
-The initiates are then admitted into the kiva.
-Boys have special spiritual privilege. They are expected to impersonate the gods in ceremonies for others.
-But girls must be admitted by boys, and can only do so once.
-The ceremony also ties one generation to the next.
-A special marriage ceremony is performed in addition to the traditional wedding. The bride and groom accept each other by saying "yes."

You can see how easy it would be for an apologist to focus on these details and form a conclusion that this is a degraded imitation of the true temple endowment that was passed down from the Nephites. It would make a great BYU Studies paper.

[Lucidity]

Great points. Really interesting. The pull to find parallels is very strong. I recently read DMT: The Spirit Molecule, and had been talking to my TBM friend about DMT prior to my reading. I was struck at how often I saw parallels with certain Mormon concepts with people experience while on the substance. But I also found many with Buddhism and Vedanta, both of which I study.

An example would be that people very often find them selves approaching a wall of indescribable geometric color and light, and that entities often emerge through this wall and either commune with them or take them back through this barrier to a indescribable world of beauty. Truly another dimension. In the book Strausmen even often refers to it as the a “veil”.

I remember thinking how much more I would of attended the temple if this kind of experience awaited. Haha. Even funnier I imagined knocking at the veil in the temple and an old dude passes you a DMT pipe through the opening. Lol.

The premise of the book is that since DMT is a natural occurring substance in the human body as well as most of nature that a large dump for whatever reason could very well explain peak spiritual experience, communion with angles, God’s, demons etc. The DMT trip can also be also insanely similar to alien abduction stories as well as NDE.

There are of course many parallels most other religions. I personally believe that most religions were founded on these peak spiritual experiences, whether naturally induced or with the aid of entheogens.

I’m quite familiar with these substances and the experience of taking them and to put it simply the DMT realm feels more real than our world. For many who have ventured in the idea that it’s just all in your head or symbolic like a dream seems absurd as B&W TV is more real than our experience in everyday life.

So if someone were to have an experience like this, in say the context of Paul on the road to Damascus, the experience would be undeniable, and life altering. Something people would even die for.

[Hagoth]

I personally believe that most religions were founded on these peak spiritual experiences, whether naturally induced or with the aid of entheogens.

Me too.

So if someone were to have an experience like this, in say the context of Paul on the road to Damascus, the experience would be undeniable, and life altering. Something people would even die for.

And there are many ways that such experiences can happen. I am fascinated by the early Christian art that has mushrooms associated with Jesus.

[moksha]

This might be related to the discussion:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=vWGDZawXEf0