Yes, the Gospel of Judas.

I think Gorepslatter's arguments for Caesar and Judas are very good, even though I obviously think it was the worst crime anyone ever committed it had to be done to cleanse humanity of its sins. I never look down on Judas for what he did, just as I never look down on Pontius Pilate. It is according to Inferno that both went to Hell if I remember correctly but Pilate never wanted to send Jesus for crucifixion and both had to fulfil their roles to kill Jesus. If they hadn't done it he would have likely been assassinated any way by the mob.

So Judas was talking with Jesus and followed his directions...

So, Judas Priest?

You can't eternally punish someone for playing their pre-ordained part in a cosmic plan and then pretend to be morally perfect. It takes a special kind of fool to buy that act.

I'm pretty sure that's where I'll end up. Hopefully there's some magazines.

EDIT:Oh, I'm sorry. Looks like you fucking idiots are having another spirituality discussion. Please enjoy yourselves, fucking idiots.

Yep. Seems my thread got hijacked. Shame.

Great shame.

I am psychologically unable to be shamed by this.

because the original idea behind this thread was so much better

Hm...my greatest sin is...well, not for this public thread. Maybe I'll hide them in a coded message for my #1000 post. Everyone remember. I guess I can confess to petty theft. Where does that land me?

Also, are you just going to read off the circles, or actually come up with a creative and ironic punishment?

I once stole a chewing gum when I was kid cos I forgot to pay and I was eating it right in front of the store clerk. Where does that put me?

Well, I was going to read the punishments described by Dante, cause he went the poetic irony route, often surprisingly graphically. But I could take a bit of artistic license if people want. :)

One of my favourites; you guys will hang around with the Thieves, in the seventh Bolgia of the eighth circle, guarded by Cacus, a monstrous centaur with a dragon on his back. Here you are attacked constantly by venomous reptiles, whose bites burn your skin away like acid. As ironic punishment, you yourself are 'stolen' - your identity is no longer your own, and after regrowing from the venom, you will be in a corrupted shape, often blended with other people... particularly the ones you hate.

I wrote a book that depicts the gruesome torture of those who disobey my rules with the intent to con the gullible of their money. Where does that put me?

Dante wrote his three codices as scientific and religious accounts but he never went on a rampage preaching about humanities sins in fact it was likely his books were sold from apothecary shops as was standard at the time. So not really a con.

Perhaps you should ask were falsely accusing people based on your own blighted interpretations would put you.

An account is a record of something that happened. Dante made up pure fantasy and tried to sell it as religious cannon; he is a conman.

He didn't sell it as religious canon, this is primarily signalled by the fact that the main protagonist in his story is...well himself. He never actually said that he had been to Hell and only made Allighierian Hell based on presumptions and what he perceived Hell to be like. He didn't actually say to people that this is Hell, he was even exiled for the work. Over hundreds of years however, some people believe his canto's to be truthful.

THIS JUST IN! - anyone who writes a book that's supposed to suggest a moral message is a conman! Such authors as...

Homer
Virgil
Aeschylus
Plutarch
Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
J. R. R. Tolkein
J. K. Rowling
Mary Shelley

...and many, many more, are now to be considered con artists, and their works as deceptions to take your money. Up next, is nearly every single movie ever made a con? More at eleven!

My old RE teacher did an essay on that for his final qualifications at uni.

We can play vidya for eternity. I'll meet you by The Forest of Slightly Sticky Candy.

I don't die when I'm killed.

I wouldn't call Dante a conman, and I'd call the Divine Comedy more of an interpretation than a pretension to religious canon.

I know very little very little about Dante's motivations behind writing, apart from a vague understanding it was politically motivated.

Can you not comprehend the bold text. J.K. Rowling never tried to convince people that there were really wizards living amongst us in society and in Scotland there is a magical castle where they learn to do magic. Dante sold books which declared what he knew to be bullshit as truth.

EDIT: And Homer as an author of a morality story? I think Mein Kramf has about as much moral as the Iliad.

What he perceived hell to be like? How did he come up with that perception then?

Haha

Nice contradiction.

Dante sold books on the premise of what he knew to be bullshit as truth

But

At the same time, his version of hell was his perception of it

Which is it?

Hitler was forwarding his own morals and ethics in Mein Kampf, Homer was forwarding Grecien morals and ethics in the Iliad and the Odyessey. How do you not see that?

My perception of your posts is that they are full of shit.

THIS MUST BE THE TRUTH

I never claimed that it was his perception of hell. That was entirely my point; he had no reason to believe that in hell you are attacked by a three-headed-monster (and then go on to describe it in detail) so obviously it is bullshit; and he knew it.


And how do you not see that it does not matter whose morals they are. I was not saying Homer was immoral I was saying the story was.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_universalism

Homer did not have the same moral compass as you. His works espouse and glorify cultural virtues.

Pretty much spot on that it was politically motivated. I think he also wrote it somewhat for himself, as he did put himself next to his favourite poet for the whole journey.

Your perception of something is basically how you look it it. If that is how he imagined Hell, then that is his perception, and that is all that he wanted to share with other people. Much like any fiction book, or any other vaguely religious text.

Saying that he had no reason to believe in those things? Well, what reason did anyone have to believe that Jesus came back from the dead, that the Red Sea was parted, and that the world was made in six days by some kind of almighty being? Nothing. It was just people's perception of what happened.

Also, The Iliad and The Odyssey both had pretty well defined moral ideals, some even applicable today.

So it was fanfiction?

Ahahahaha, I suppose, in a sense, it IS ancient fan-fiction :p

I've tried that on before, but apparently people get grumpy when you dismiss the Sistine Chapel ceiling as fanart.

But it got so many views on Michelangelo's deviantart!

Over 600 last time I checked.