The illuminati were a faction opposing the church, not christianity. They only existed for about 10 years. The only thing they managed to achieve, but that was something that would propably have happened without them, was breaking the unchallanged godly rule of the church. Illuminates as well as other well known persons did question the church, not the religion, but the institution. Many of them were said to be illuminates like Galileo, but there is no prove.
Also there are very few cases of true proved illuminatic influences in the history. The early years of the american states were heavily influenced of the believe that Thomas Jefferson was an illuminati, something that is very questionable, since the order was founded 1775, after the war of independence already started.
Also the illuminates never actually had the eye and the pyramid as there symbol... the did choose an owl (Owl of Minerva, similar to the one from Athene, a symbol of wisdom).
And speaking of Voltaire... he was very religious. The only thing he question and that was common for that time, was the monopol the church had over basically all parts of life. They said how people should live, how the world looks like etc. Voltaire did never attack the christian religion, he did attack the institution. One of his most famous quotes is: "If god did not exist, we would have to invent him." He actually spended money to allow the building of churches etc.
The difference between Voltaire and the church as institution was that Voltaire had a deistic believe. He believed that god created the world and gave her the rules we all know, but he didn't influence anything that happened after that, he propably just watches. That believe was widely spread amongst scientiest, because they couldn't explain why laws of physics are how they are (since they are quite precisely set), but they don't believe that god still shapes the world, because they would have to see it. Also Voltaire joined the illuminates in 1776, after he finished most of his works.
Also the illuminati influence in the french revolution is highly questionable. First the french revolution was not against religion or anything in that regards. It was also mainly fueled by the tremendous lack of efficiency... people simply did run out of food and if people don't get something to eat they get angry, so it was a solid base for any revolution. That it was mainly formed and shaped by the bourgeoisie and the reason for this was easy. The higher clerus sided with the king... so the people had to oppose them, but the lower clerus (simply priests etc.) actually sided with the revolution, which clearly showed that the french revolution had nothing to do with church at all it was just the masses without power against the few with power... something that happened again in the mid of the 19th century and lead to first democratic reforms in a lot of european countries.
This thread makes it sound as if the french revolution was something bad. Together with the war of independence the french revolution is one of the first steps towards the modern society we life in. And we have to thanks people like Voltaire and many others (like Lessing or Kant) who gave the people the idea that they should use their own brain to think and don't believe everything that is said from those above.
And I also highly question that anybody thinks of that when he watchs the gem. I don't see an eye, I see a triangle with some spikes (no thats not a star of david... it would have to be two triangles for that) and a line randomly drawn inside. Also the eye and the pyramid had a symbolic meaning before. The swastika is a symbol of life and fertility... and that didn't change just because hitler used a mirrored version of it as a symbol.
Reading this gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling,
especially seeing that OP did not respond afterwards.
Last edited by Nightmare90#4217 on Jan 10, 2014, 5:17:23 AM
You are the one insisting I deserve your contempt and that I am a "scum", and I am the hateful one? Democratic logic, with no consistency whatsoever. Ofcourse, I could digress into a lengthy tirade about why I don't like Jews. But I don't want to be banned by the thought police, now do I? You see, I'm not even allowed to defend my thesis. Democracy, as long as you're a democrat. Isn't that the moral of the story?
"Thought police"? You typed that shit on a forum, a moderated forum with rules. Welcome to fucking society.
Current IGN: TheBearerOfLight
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Last edited by BoltThrower87#3044 on Jan 10, 2014, 9:19:36 AM
I've moved this to offtopic, as its gone way off topic.
As for the argument on the nature of mathematics, I'm putting my money on the mathematical platonists. (As it has the coolest implications for game design).
Plato? Really? My least favorite Greek philosopher.
Although I can see it.
"This world is an illusion" references the Platonic distinction between Form and Matter in a very interesting way.
The "skill gems" are poor reflections of "virtue gems" - again Form v. Matter
Thanks for the interesting insight, Qarl.
(And this thread belonged in Off-Topic the whole time, there was nothing feedback worthy in the OP. Even if there were, the text of the OP was enough to know were this thread would end up, totally off-topic.)
Symbolically, this gem implies that the Jews are the enlightened chosen race.
Historically, this symbol wasn't related strictly to jews, it was used by early christians and muslims as well. It's a very old solar symbol, such are swastika and the cross(which is quite newer, compared to the rest).
But nowadays star of David is weighted with different meaning, which you described, it's true.
Same for swastika.
p.s. BTW I also consider that religious symbols got no place in a computer game.
Now it looks like there's one in team, that favored his own religion
'An open mind is like a Fortress with it's gates unbarred and unguarded'.
