Below is a great place to find out about your local astronomy club. If everyone in the world were to learn about astronomy and the vastness of the cosmos, they might be less impressed with the comparatively puny gods of human religion. They may realize that no "Creator" of such an infinite and wondrous cosmos - which many scientists assert most definitely has life elsewhere - would be fascinated by and obsessed with humanity's religious doctrines and rituals, such as mass prayer multiple times a day, etc. Hence, astronomy will dominate the world, rather than one myopic and megalomaniacal manmade cult or another.
How can one possibly gaze at the Andromeda Galaxy, for example - with its estimated one trillion stars and, according to some astronomers, likely life of some sort - and still be convinced that any of mankind's personal and petty tribal gods is "the God of the cosmos" omnipotently in charge of everything? And that's just one of countless stellar landmarks extending out trillions of miles in a multiverse of "bubble universes" that seemingly goes on to infinity! Perhaps "God" is just a tad bigger than what is depicted in archaic "holy texts" written thousands of years ago by human beings with an enormously limited view of reality?
Astronomy classes should be mandatory in all schools globally, so that humanity can progress beyond its Stone-Age barbarian cults and truly move into the "space age." Along with this astronomical education should be made available wide access to the myths that have accompanied astronomical observations and inspired cultures globally to create massive archaeoastronomically aligned edifices and entire cultures based on reverence for the celestial bodies and natural world. This study is called "astral mythology," "astromythology,' "astral religion" or "astrotheology." In this way, cultural understanding would be fostered, and humanity might stand a chance for peace at last.
Astronomy Clubs bring the wonders of the universe to you
Astronomy clubs who regularly share the sky and the inspiration of NASA science with their communities.
Get Go StarGaze, the iPhone app that helps you find astronomy clubs and events!
100 Greatest Discoveries - Astronomy
It should be noted that, while this video starts out perfectly fine with the discussion of ancient observations or archaeoastronomy, it becomes Eurocentric at a certain point when it describes the discovery of heliocentricity as having occurred only with Copernicus. From the evidence, especially via myths, it appears that Copernicus's "discovery" is a re-discovery of knowledge possessed by ancients in other areas, such as India, for one. The same may be said of other astronomical observations, many of which appear to be much older than accounted for through the historical record. Evidence of this contention can be found, again, in the myths and also in the astronomically aligned edifices worldwide that date back several thousands of years.
In fact, this astronomical knowledge is one of the greatest purposes for mythical and religious ideation, dating back thousands of years, as these ideas served to preserve scientific observations whenever cultures were destroyed - and huge numbers of cultures have been destroyed over the past many millennia, leaving no trace other than the myths, stories and legends. These astrotheological myths/stories were often the only way any culture was preserved, and they thus should be scrutinized more thoroughly in any investigation of ancient ruins and other artifacts, as well as for inferences of astronomical knowledge.
(Please note that the title and top image of this post are meant as a tongue-in-cheek parody of the global-domination edict of organized religions such as Christianity and Islam.)
Further Reading
Does the Cosmos Know the Pope Exists?
Astrotheology of the Ancients
What is a Mythicist?
The 2012 Astrotheology Calendar
The Origins of Christianity
The Roots of Islam
Astronomy Resources
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|2011-09-25 20:38:57 PennyI really like this idea of meeting up with other peeps interested in astronomy:
Quote:"Use the NASA Night Sky Network to enter your zip to find local Astronomy skywatcher clubs. However, keep in mind that most skywatcher clubs are not members so, you may still need to do a Google. If that doesn't work make an effort to organize your own astronomy skywatcher club in your own local area - don't give up! "
- Astronomy, Space & Earth Resources
Do they have something similar for the mythology/astrotheology too?
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|2011-09-26 16:43:35 FTL"Solstice Gift-Giving: Just like Christmas or Hanukah gift-giving but on the Solstice. Science-related items such as telescopes and microscopes, books and music, and educational toys are ideal Solstice gifts.)"
"ATHEISTS: There has been a recent increase in solstice observances by Atheists in the U.S. For example, The American Atheists and local Atheist groups have organized celebrations for 2000-DEC, including the Great North Texas Infidel Bash in Weatherford TX; Winter Solstice bash in Roselle NJ; Winter Solstice Parties in York PA, Boise ID, North Bethesda MD, and Des Moines IA; Winter Solstice Gatherings in Phoenix AZ and Denver CO: a Year End Awards and Review Dinner (YEAR) in San Francisco, CA."
- Secular Solstice and Equinox Celebrations: Community without the Dogma
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|2011-09-26 23:31:40 FTL"History has a sad antagonism towards the "new," & ironically, those who are least qualified to comment on a new subject are also those most actively engaged in denouncing it. St. Augustine's personal distaste for astronomy alone held back advances in the study of the heavens for 12 centuries!"
- St. Augustine's distaste for astronomy
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|2011-09-27 13:22:30 Hypathia - CosmogonyTotally agree--100% Astronomy in school.
And Astrology too-- should be taught in Sunday School.
Since the Zodiac is the oldest Bible on the Planet. When interpreted properly!
Everyone needs Astronomy and Astrology to understand the ONE Ancient World Religion. That appears to be coming back to Life...around the Zodiac we go...like a merri-go-round.
New Age is just Old Age--all over again...Wheels within wheels.
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|2011-10-05 14:30:41 Larrymeh, we don't "need astrology" - that's a kookie load of BS that is used to bludgeon the true science of astronomy to death by associating them together. It's absurd. One is a real science the other is a joke, which ruins it when we're trying to bring new people into astronomy.
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|2011-10-01 00:38:10 TartarusExcellent idea. ^^
I've always found astronomy a fascinating subject, and it would certainly be interesting to see it becoming a mandatory subject in schools throughout the world.
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|2011-10-04 20:24:47 Nina C.Fulford - Astronomy mysteryWho gave us the Horoscope?
It certainly couldn't have been our human ancesters as we have only just come into the most elemental knowledge of the stars. It takes 2.000 years and three months for each sign of the zodiak to go through each sign and no one does a problem just once. It takes at least 3 times to prove a scientific problem.
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|2011-10-05 14:38:16 Larry - Astrology is NOT AstronomyNina, astronomy has absolutely *NOTHING* to do with horoscopes. Astrology is NOT Astronomy. You're confusing the real science of astronomy with astrology. Astrology is NOT a credible science.
All one needs to do is actually read the blog and the links in the sources area at the bottom:
Astrotheology of the Ancients
The Origins of Christianity
The Origins of Islam
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|2011-10-04 23:13:06 Anonymous - trust meastronomers are some of the most religious people you will meet.
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|2011-10-05 00:42:28 yaridanjo - ARE ASTRONOMERS EVEN SCIENTISTS?Astronomers can not even find the Brown Dwarf star in our own solar system, a body that, along with the masses of the Jovian planets and the Sun, has been known about for 4300 years! Note that Neptune and probably Uranus cannot even be seen with the naked eye.
http://www.theufochronicles.com/2011/10/hovering-ufo-directs-beam-of-l ight-down.html
Hovering UFO Directs Beam of Light Down Onto Nuclear Missile Silo at Ellsworth AFB:
"This web page has a video of a bunch of ICBM launch military officers talking about UFOs/Saucers shutting down USA ICBM missiles, It is worth watching because it blows the lid off the UFO thing."
Alien information is used to justify the existence of a brown dwarf in our solar system, one with a 4969 year orbital period.
http://www.barry.warmkessel.com/vulcanrevealed.html
VULCAN (the Sun's brown dwarf companion star) REVEALED
Extra-terrestrial aliens have warned us about the brown dwarf and the comet/ meteor threat it generates to our Earth. If you trust the integrity of the Air Force officers controlling our ICBM missile launch complexes speaking about these UFO/alien interventions, it is reasonable to accept the data that the aliens have given us about the brown dwarf star in our solar system is likewise valid.
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|2011-10-05 00:43:14 Maurice TaylorTruly reinforces my belief that religion is the greatest ever con job and curse ever inflicted on mankind. It is truly the catalyst for most of the world's conflict. All due, it seems, to, as Einstein put it, ..."childish superstition".
An even greater curse is that it is difficult to conceive that it could be eradicated.
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|2011-10-05 05:42:05 Blair T. Longley - I sympathize with the views in that article.I think we have infinitely deeper to go to connect ourselves to THAT.
I would suggest that
Energy is Spirit.
Entropy is Evil.
And so on, for some kinds of religious translations?
We should apply our best understanding of energy laws and general systems theory to ourselves! Except, when we do, we discover things like our governments are merely the best organized gangs of criminals, that have the power to legalize their own lies, since nobody else can stop them.
Attempts to privatize God followed through with privatizations of the environment, and most of those strange amalgams of "sacred" stories about who were, and where we came from, and therefore, how we should behave, turned out to be nothing more than the biggest bullies' bullsh*t.
But nevertheless, developing some approach to relating the relatively finite to the absolutely transfinite beyond conception is still necessary for all human beings.
We have to tell stories to ourselves. All of those stories are fundamentally subtractions, and across the boundaries defined by those subtractions there must be acts of robbery.
Reality is always organized systems of lies, operating organized robbery, by definition. Attempting to flow with the energy that flows through that is quite the spiritual task, is it not?
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|2011-10-05 14:40:59 LarryBlair T. Longley, sounds like more kookie religious BS to me. The blog is about astronomy not some euphoric religious concept.
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|2011-10-05 20:00:11 Ankhatononyoutube""t trillions of miles in a multiverse of "bubble universes" that seemingly goes on to infinity! Perhaps "God" is just a tad bigger than what is depicted in archaic "holy texts" ""
CORRECT
and the beauty is that the really interested
can check that out
by piercing the whole pyramide structure of 7 heavens
each higher one with a finer/purer time space environment
almost up to the top
which is not existant ( Buddha said that and we can check it out )
THERE IS ONLY THAT STRUCTURE
see my 1$ ebook
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|2011-10-11 03:09:41 shazbac - The electric universeFor people who really would like to learn about the universe, please consider this website, www.thunderbolts.info Modern astronomy and astrophysics is full of nonsense. This can be easily shown. See the alternative 'plasma universe'. This is what the universe is; a plasma one. Just as it is so much better for us to know what true religion is, it is better for us to know the true nature of the universe. Let go of lies, not just religious ones but scientific ones as well. Criminals dominate the full spectrum of the establishment.
"At Stonehenge in England and Carnac in France, in Egypt and Yucatan, across the whole face of the earth are found mysterious ruins of ancient monuments, monuments with astronomical significants. These relics of other times are as accessible as the American Midwest and as remote as the jungles of Guatemala. Some of them were built according to celestial alignments; others were actually precision astronomical observatories... Careful observation of the celestial rhythms was compellingly important to early peoples, and their expertise, in some respects, was not equaled in Europe until three thousand years later."
- Dr. Edwin Krupp, Astronomer and Director at Griffith Park Observatory in Los Angeles
"Now when the ancient Egyptians, awestruck and wondering, turned their eyes to the heavens, they concluded that two gods, the sun and the moon, were primeval and eternal; and they called the former Osiris, the latter Isis..."
- Diodorus Siculus (90-21 BCE), Greek Historian, Christ in Egypt, page 28
Early Church Father Tertullian ironically admits the true origins of the Christ story and of all other such godmen by stating in refutation of his critics, "You say we worship the sun; so do you." (paraphrase from the Catholic Encyclopedia)
- "Christ Conspiracy" 158
"All the gods of the Greek and Roman mythology represent the attributes of the one supreme divine power - the SUN."
- Macrobius, Roman Scholar around 400 CE, "Suns of God" 67-68