Sunday 21 October 2012

Petra - Atlantis of the Desert

Hedgehog artifact from Petra... or clay idol of Rod Meredith?
It was described by Lawrence of Arabia as the "most beautiful place on earth," and in its heyday boasted "irrigated gardens, and streets lined with temples and luxurious homes."  The royal palace featured heated rooms and a flushing loo, an "almost obscene display of money and power."

Thus it was in Petra, the rose red city of the Nabataeans, and even now a predicted bolt hole for those apocalyptically-minded folk hoping to flee an upcoming Great Tribulation.

German website Spiegel Online, reporting on an exhibition at the Basel Museum of Ancient Art, brings us up to date with what is now known about the ancient city and its inhabitants, even including a reference to their fish god, Dushara.

A fishy god and a penchant for obscene displays of wealth?  No wonder religious con artists like Herbert W. Armstrong built Petra into their twisted End Time mythology.

A nod in the direction of Jim West for the link on his blog.
Posted by Gavin R at 13:27

1 comment:

  1. Anonymous22 October 2012 at 04:18

    And yet...

    I am not fond of scorpions and cobras.

    Besides, it's going to be crowded with over 200 other (non Armstrongist) groups vying for comfortable resources because they see doomsday coming too (in non British Israelism psychotic fantasies), and I think some major hotel chains are considering some luxury temporary accommodations there.

    Of course, 3 1/2 years is a long time for 10,000 (?) [the Armstrongist cult splinters keep getting smaller, and face it, none of them cooperate] to "live off the land", especially one so desolate as Petra.

    Since the rest of the world just doesn't seem to be heading out toward the vision of Herbert Armstrong, Garner Ted Armstrong and Gerald Waterhouse (all dead, I should point out -- and we were all so sure they would lead us into the Kingdom back in 1972!), there may be some opportunities for people to support themselves in such a terrible environment (where are the diabetics going to get their insulin and other meds?).

    Petra has been a popular place for making movies, like the Indiana Jones series and Transformers. In order for cult members to support themselves and their Leader for the time (before they return home embarassed by The Great Disappointment to rebuild their wrecked lives) they are there, they could be extras in even more extravaganza blockbusters, many of which will probably be science fiction.

    And if there's one thing Armstrongists know, it's being extras in a science fiction "B" movie.

    Besides, it will be fun for them to dress up as aliens to match their current thinking.

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