The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #60629   Message #971061
Posted By: Rapparee
23-Jun-03 - 02:05 PM
Thread Name: What price the truth!!
Subject: RE: What price the truth!!
"a. God made flesh, the saviour and son of God
   b. His father is God his mother a mortal virgin
   c. He is born in a cowshed on Dec 25, Shepherds stood around
   d. He offers his followers the chance to be reborn again
      through the rites of baptism
   e. He miraculously turns water into wine at a marriage
      ceremony
   f. He dies a Eastertime as a sacrifice for the sins of the world
    g. He roses from the dead and ascended into heaven
   h. His followers await his return as the judge during the
      Last Days
   i. His death and resurrection are celebrated by a ritual meal
      of bread and wine which symbolize his body and blood."

a. Claimed by every religion, including that of the Egyptians (Osiris).
b. Claimed by many religions -- look it up.
c. December 25 was selected by the early Christian church in an attempt to offset the pagan Saturnalia. If JC existed, he was (the best historical thinking now goes) he was probably born in April or May.
d. Take a peek at the rites of Mithra.
e. And it is claimed that he also raised the dead, cured the sick, etc. Again, miracles are claimed by many religions.
f&g. These go together. Again, many gods are said to have died and descended into the Underworld, only to rise again to life. Have you looked at any of the stories surrounding fertility religions?
h. Yeah. Folks also await the coming of Odin, the return of Arthur (who may have been a Sun God, according to some theories), and for Drake's drum to beat when England is threatened.
i. Actually, the Catholic church teaches that the bread and wine is transubstantiated INTO the body and blood -- no symbols here! But if you want symbols, consider that wine is the "blood of the grapes" and that bread comes from the earth. If these are the body and blood of the godhead, then Christianity becomes a poorly disguised fertility religion.

Try reading the studies of the Jesus Group. Study the antecedents of Christianity, Judaism and Islam in the light of the religions of the Middle East. Look at the proto-religions of fertility. Note how the Christian church adopted and adapted the earlier religions of the Celts, the Saxons, the Vikings, etc. Then come back and talk to me about your hobby-horse.