Melbourne Philosophy Meetup (PEL)

## Details

## EXISTENTIALIST MEETUP - Melbourne, Australia.

Our monthly online Meetup presentation on the History of Religion.
The presentations are followed by questions, comments and discussion.
All viewpoints welcome.

Early Religion: An Alternative History.
What do the historians and archaeologists think of the veracity of religious legends? Legends are an amalgamation of history and mythology. But how much of each?

"THE QUEEN MOTHER AND THE PERSIAN EMPIRE'S TRINITY"

The Persian Empire (549-330 BC) had swallowed Babylon (539 BC) and Egypt (525 BC). The culture and religions of those ancient civilisations influenced the Empire.
During the reign of Artaxerxes II (404-358 BC) major changes occurred in the Empire's Zoroastrian religion. Temple-worship commenced, and a Trinity was formed: The Holy Family - Mazda the Father, Anahita the Mother and Mithra the Son.
Were those changes provoked by the Queen Mother, Parysatis, who worshipped the Babylonian Goddess, Ishtar?

And what about the Zurvanite 'heresy'? Zurvan (Time, Infinity, Eternity) has similarities with the Hindu concept of Brahma (Father of the gods; a god beyond the gods).

The “God of the Gaps” argument—claiming that God explains what science cannot—has long been criticized for shrinking as human knowledge expands. But what if there’s a more nuanced version of this argument? One not rooted in ignorance, but in the fundamental limits of human understanding itself.

Enter Gödel’s incompleteness theorems, which mathematically prove that within any consistent system of logic, there will always be true statements that cannot be proven within that system. Does this open the door to a rational acknowledgment of mysteries that may remain permanently beyond human explanation—whether those mysteries point to God, the transcendent, or simply the limits of reason?

In this session, we’ll explore:

What Gödel’s theorems actually say—and don’t say—about the limits of human knowledge.

Whether the “God of the Gaps” argument, when reframed as an acknowledgment of intrinsic limits rather than temporary ignorance, holds any philosophical merit.

Alternative secular explanations for the unknown, such as human cognitive limits, multiverse theories, or epistemological humility.

How this question intersects with science, philosophy, and personal belief systems across the spectrum.

This conversation is for skeptics, believers, and anyone intrigued by the boundaries of what we can know. It’s less about proving or disproving God, and more about asking: When we reach the edges of knowledge, what—if anything—should we place there?

Format: Lecture and discussion

Note: social time for our community 15 minutes before the presentation.