Recently, news outlets have been sharing articles about a religious organization known as Zuism and the claims of its founders to be a legitimate religion based upon Sumerian principles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The history of this organization is dubious at best: numerous articles prior to 2018 highlight fraudulent criminal activity on the part of the organization\u2019s leaders. Others portray the organization as a joke religion whose sole intention is to provide Icelandic citizens with a legal loophole to avoid paying taxes meant to benefit religious institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As we know, the Sumerians valued ethics and order. Unfortunately those ethics are not being respected by the founders of this purported religion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It has been pointed out that the Zuist Church, or someone working with them, has deleted all content pertaining to Sumerian Pagan organizations, many of which predate the institution of Zuism as an Icelandic religion \u2013 some as far back as 1992, from Wikipedia and linked Mesopotamian Neopaganism directly to themselves. In doing so they have erased effectively over 25 years of Pagan history that predates Zuism in an attempt to re-write the history of Near Eastern Paganism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They have deleted entries for the following groups:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Temple of Sumer
Temple of Inanna and Dumuzid
Gnostic Temple of Inanna
House of Inanna
Garden of the Gods
Temple of Inanna
Gateways to Babylon
Tablet of Destiny
Twin Rivers Rising
Purified with Cedar
Mesopagans (and a dozen others)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All content relevant to Mesopotamian polytheist and pagan groups is redirected to Zuism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How sad that they have to go to great lengths to legitimize themselves in the eyes of their government and the world at large, despite their dubious criminal enterprises that have been brought to light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are published documents indicating that the Mesopotamian neopagan community was in existence long before Zuism came into the public eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One such compilation is a book entitled \u201cAnointed: A Devotional Anthology for the Deities of the Near and Middle East\u201d, others include \u201cThe Horned Altar\u201d and \u201cWhisper of Stone\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All three texts predate the formation of the Zuist Church, which seems to be at present, operating like a business: seeking to stamp out the competition all in the name of legitimizing themselves in the eyes of their nation\u2019s government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s something to be said about a \u201cdead\u201d culture that has managed to urge scholars to spend countless hours deciphering and translating its texts; archeologists to dig deeper to uncover its secrets; pagans and polytheists to find a spiritual connection with its pantheon; writers to be inspired by its rich mythology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For us, The Temple of Sumer is not just a Facebook group or page, it serves as a hub \u2013 an actual network, not merely limited to virtual interaction \u2013 of dedicated polytheists, pagans, authors, scholars, and researchers who look to Sumer, or as it was known to the Sumerians, Ki-Engir, for inspiration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We will not seek to defraud our respective governments or our peers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We will not engage in dubious practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We will not attempt to stamp out the presence of other pagan organizations that honor the same gods and the legacy of the people by coercion or other such threatening actions that seek to intimidate others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like the Sumerians, we value our community and our place in the world; we will continue to care for and protect them both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Temple of Sumer, nor its members, maintains no ties to Zuism or the Zuist Church, nor recognizes its legitimacy as a governing body over the affairs of Sumerian, Babylonian, Assyrian, or other pagan and polytheist groups that derive their practices and beliefs from the religions and cultures of the Ancient Near East.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Recently, news outlets have been sharing articles about a religious organization known as Zuism and the claims of its founders to be a legitimate religion based upon Sumerian principles. The history of this organization is dubious at best: numerous articles prior to 2018 highlight fraudulent criminal activity on the part of the organization\u2019s leaders. Others … Continue reading Controversy & Disclaimer<\/span>