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#i don't think this was the actual bereshit
leroibobo · 1 month
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the cover of a 1926 printed edition of bereshit (the book of genesis). the illustration was done by russian jewish artist joseph tchaikov.
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So, I don't want to just reblog this with a description that isn't under the image, cause it gets confusing out of order.
So, here's the post by @cryptotheism :
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I gotta know what you think of this
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[Image description:
A tweet by James Lindsay, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ @/ConceptualJames , “It's called a "dead name" because adopting a trans identity is a ritual of death and rebirth in Queer Gnosticism. Technically it's a crude, external (simulated) step towards Hermetic ascension to the level of self-begottenness so that one's gender soul might actualize.”
A reply by Buffalo Shaman Baryphonic @/TheBaryphonic , “A corruption of Christian rebirth; cf. "new communist man" ”
And another reply by James Lindsay, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ @/ConceptualJames , “I think gnostic/Hermetic rebirth predate Christian, but yes.”
End description.]
@bestpigeon
1) Hell yeah that's a cool way of thinking about it
2) "hermetic/gnostic" is a problematic term. The theologies we're similar but Gnostics and Hermetics generally hated each other. The mechanisms of the transcendence of the soul were different in important ways. To vastly over-summarize: Gnostics hated the body and saw it as a corrupt obstacle to oneness with the pleroma. Hermetics thought the body was alright.
3) Claiming that Gnosticism predates Christianity is a bit of a stretch in this case imo. Like I know they're occasionally described as "Jewish Gnosticisms" but don't pull Bereshit and Merkava mysticism into this. The ideas about the body that he's describing here are very Christian.
4) Orphism was right there come on. They loved that sex and death and rebirth shit.
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An addition by @thebestpigeon :
Its crazy how the most insane far right thinkers will describe being transgender as like this mystical pagan ritual process, literally the coolest and correct way to view being trans, and then add "this is bad btw"
What is it about being trans that makes far right heads explode like this that they have to google what hermetics is to explain us when all of the quote tweets are just like
"Oh i just wanted a different name, cool theory though 👍"
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An addition by @mrs-edgewick :
This is annoying to me because there's literally nothing christian about changing my name, to me. It was a deeply personally meaningful process to me. I am much more interested in the civic power of a court order legally changing my name than any kind of weird religious or ritual sentiment.
It's called a "deadname" because to me, that name is now incorrect, and I want never to be called by it again. Let it "die" a civic death, and pass from the memories of all who know me.
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