Intergalactic Summit

I with to clarify a bit. I am not accusing the Theology Council of being corrupt. Nor am I accusing them of altering scripture to suit the whims of their political masters, or themselves. I am not saying that the Scriptures should remain static, untranslated from their original. The Scriptures should be readily accessible to all that would desire to read them.

What gives me pause is the possibility of translating the Scriptures with an agenda. Even more so with the Theology Council having an interest in the outcome. Even more so with one of the recent leaders of the Theology Council being a Blood Raider.

The Scriptures were presented to me as words inspired by the divine that reveal the will and mysteries of God. Now, I find out that the translations and edits may be biased. Again, I am not certain one way or another. That gives me doubt, and doubt is the antithesis of faith.

But, isn't the ultimate decider of what is accurate the Theology Council? Also, would they not be the greatest concentration of Scriptural scholars?

Edit: Apologies if I seem belligerent, it is not my intention.

Strictly speaking, every translation has an agenda. As the Scriptures are partly political in nature, partly have implications for politics, the agenda of translating the Scriptures and interpreting them (as every translation is always also by necessity an interpretive act) is always somewhat politcal.

What Needs to be done, then, is not to ensure that a translation is done without an agenda, but that it is done with the right agenda. Part of that is done by the standards of proper exegesis, about which I already wrote here on the Summit, which includes peer Review, as Admiral Lok'ri stressed. The other is the drawn out education and selection process for those that get into the Theology Council. And as far as I know None of the leaders of the Theology Council were Blood Raiders, you might confuse this with the Heretic Karsoth, who was Court Chamberlain, which is quite distinct from being a leader of the Theology Council. Though even he wasn't part of the Blood Raider cult, but cavorting with them.

Even though the Scriptures are words inspired by the divine that reveal the will and mysteries of God, they are, quite probably, biased here and there. They have been written down by humans after all, at a certain time, for a certain time. Bias is something intrinsic in the human condition. This, though, is no reason to stop striving to find God's plan for oneself and use the best tools available for this. The flaws of humans, that are caused by our seperation from God, shouldn't be what makes us doubt that we need reconciliation with God - quite the contrary! So, the bias we find even in the Scriptures should remind us that we are not supposed to idolize a text, but strive for the true healing that lies in reuniting with God.

The Scriptures are about the best tool we have, if we use it with reason, as reason certainly is a faculty God bestowed upon us not so that we don't use it. Still, one should never forget that even the Scriptures are not an end in themselves, will never reval the enitre fullness of God and are flawed compared to Him. They are a means to an end. We should use them as a tool to grow our faith, but that means that we Need to use them the right way. Salvation doesn't depend on the Scriptures being entirely free of bias. We can't demand a book that ensures our slavation. Salvation is, ultimately, something that is acquired by personal effort. Why should we hope to circumvent that by reading a book?

Rather, reading the Scriptures is something that demands personal effort to discern the will and mysteries of God. Will and mysteries of God aren't revealed to the casual reader of the Scriptures, and the IGS demonstrates that there are countless ways of misinterpreting the Scriptures, as demonstrated by heathens that think they understand them because they read a few fragments of them and now share their eisegesis with the general public. Only true dedication to discerning the will of God and His mysteries, the oppenness to recieve, rather than to introduce ones own egoic wishes, will allow one to recieve what is revealed.

If God is first in ones mind, every text will be alike Scripture, in fact. As God speaks to us constantly in all His creation. It is us who need to listen, though.

As to doubt being the antithesis of faith, I don't quite agree. There are two kinds of doubt: The doubt that is destructive, which leads us to abandon all hope and lay our human potential fallow, and the doubt that is constructive, Wakes our curiosity and activates our potential to recognize what is true. Doubt is a test of faith and only if we succumb to the fallacy that if there is doubt, then there is no space left for the Truth of God, then it is that it is antithetical to faith, because it is a test failed.

I would call that a distinction not a difference. It would have been better if they granted some dispensation for her. Something along the lines of: "Sure, she's a clone, but she's clearly chosen by God, so who are we to argue?" What they did was essentially declare a lie to be truth.
After interacting with Lord Filth on the IGS, I looked into the Godflesh doctrine and I have to say, it doesn't make much sense to me.

No, I do not have first hand knowledge of Empress Jamyl being a clone, nor do I have firsthand knowledge of evidence of her being a clone. It simply seems like the most rational, simplest explanation. Either way, her being a clone or not does not matter to me, so I'll drop the issue.

Father Constantin, you have assuaged almost all of my doubts. I guess I simply did not fully understand the number of people in the Empire that concerned themselves with translating Scripture and ensuring accuracy.

Ms. Mithra, your words, as always, are insightful and a wonderful thesis.

The thing about the Theology Council is that they are a council.

If an individual has a political agenda they won't gain the support of their peers.

I enjoy witnessing the double standards surfacing within this topic. The ways of the faithful clearly are translated differently amongst the different parties.

I wonder how many agendas are involved.

Ms Vea,

I will try to keep this short, but a little excursion into history will have to precede my arguments.

Since its establishment the Empire, it was ruled by emperors, who, as first among equals, were elected by and from the Council of Apostles, which Amash-Akura, our first emperor, established more than fifteen millennia ago. It was for thousands of years that the Empire flourished and rose to greatness. And its sanctified order prevailed—until Heideran V was elected, may the Lord curse this day.

Heideran V, may the Lord curse him and his offspring, declared those who disagreed with him “heretics” and guilty of “prideful disobedience.” What followed was civil war. (A pattern which must seem familiar to those following some recent discussions.) During the turmoil of civil war, which ended with the deceiver’s victory, the Scriptures were manipulated corresponding to the lust for power of Heideran V. For this purpose, and to fill the gap of the Council of Apostles, Heideran V invented the “Theology Council”, to act as a mouthpiece of the emperors.This very syndicate which had sinned against the Word of the Lord, designed the “Succession Trials” from scratch, inventing traditions such as “Shathol'Syn.” All this was coined “Moral Reforms,” for every savagery clothes itself in euphemisms and lies.

Much like Zaragram II had dreamed of, the devoted followers of the new order consider the emperor to be God-like. Is there something more blasphemous?

Take a look at the Scriptures. Most theologians, even the most devious, agree that Book I and II stem from the time of Dano Gheinok, our first prophet, who brought the light into darkness. Long before the Empire was established it was written:

The Wrath of God is Immense. His Justice is Swift and Decisive. His Tolerance is Limited.
Be Careful. Pure Thought is the Instigator of Sin.
Be Watchful. Free Thought is the Begetter of Disorder.
Be Respectful. Uniform Thought is the Way of Life.
The Mercy of our Emperor is Limitless. His Rule is Benign and Righteous. His Love is Perpetual.
- The Scriptures, Book I, The Code of Demeanor

Now, why do the Scripture speak of “our Emperor”? Is it another term for God? But isn’t God usually referred to as “the Lord”? The answer is that the TC (or Zaragram II before them) blasphemed against the Lord, deceiving people into believing that the Word speaks about the Emperor, where it speaks about the Lord Himself, closing the theme of the verse:

The Mercy of God is Limitless. His Rule is Benign and Righteous. His Love is Perpetual.
- The Scriptures, Book I, The Code of Demeanor

The Empire has experienced and battled many such deviant tendencies and heresies. For sure you are familiar with the “Equilibrium of Mankind” the “Sani Sabi.” Now imagine, those cults would have emerged victorious during civil war. Wouldn’t they claim that they are the legitimate rulers of the Empire, which have always been right?

It isn’t about translation. It is about schismatic and criminal forgery.

With kind regards,
Odelya Negin Intourtsetseg of House d’Hanguest

P.S.: It is “Duchess” [no name] or “Your Grace.”

People like to claim the Empress is a clone, but I've never seen them present any evidence to support that claim.

On one hand, we have the Theology Council, an organization with a strong incentive to not have a clone on the throne. They did a through investigation into the Empress' return and have access to all her relevant medical data.

On the other hand, we have Random Capsuleer #285 who says she's a clone based on... their gut feeling. Their investigation into the issue is them reading a new article and they have no access to any tests or medical information.

Why would anyone believe the RC #285?

Indeed.

And it's not only the Theology Council which agrees that Jamyl I should be Empress. The Privy Council does too. And the Speakers. In fact, every organ of the Amarrian state not only supports her now, but also supported her when she was declared Empress.

As such, it's hard to see how Random Capsuleer #285 has a leg to stand on when they question her legitimacy.