The more popular claims of borrowing or influence between Christianity and the mysteries pertain to the birth/death/resurrection of Jesus Christ. What were the mystery religions? The mystery religions (contrary to George James’ book Stolen Legacy: Greek Philosophy is Stolen Egyptian Philosophy) were really Hellenistic religions, called ‘mystery’ because they involved secret ceremonies that were thought to bring their initiates some special benefits. They were more or less based on the annual vegetation cycle of life (spring) and death (fall). Each religion originated from different areas. From Mesopotamia—Tammuz or Dumuzi (the Sumerian version); from Egypt—the cult of Isis and Osiris (later called Serapis); from Greece—the cults of Demeter and Dionysus which later developed into the Eleusinian and Orphic mystery religions; from Phrygia in Asia Minor—the cult of Cybele and Attis; from Syria/Palestine—the cult of Adonis and from Persia (modern Iran)—the cult of Mithra (twin brother of the Zoroastrian god Ahura Mazda). Before responding… read more
birth
There is also a theory out that, as an embryo develops, its many appearances at different times reflect its `evolution`. This applies to all embryos, whether it be a bird, as turtle, or a human. I was taught this theory in college. Do you know when this theory was proven wrong? Back in the 1920`s. As someone once said, `There is nothing more fun than to watch an intelligent man expound on a stupid idea`. So what can you say? The above theory was called the `Biogenetic Law`, and it has been proven wrong or proven totally implausible so many times that it is ridiculous to even consider it. “This theory is now completely discredited by most embryologists.” – Dr. Jeffrey Bryne Over fifty years ago, Dr. Waldo Shumway [sp] of the University of Illinois said: “Experimental embryology demands that this hypothesis be abandoned.” If that’s the case, why is… read more
Movies are fun, they take us from our everyday world into stories beyond our imaginations and for a few hours we are placed into a world of mystery and wonder. The one thing besides the trailers that gets our attention when we go to the cinema are movie posters, with their bright colors and slick design, they are sometimes more visually exciting than the actual movie. Below we showcase some of the best Christian Movie Posters that captured our attention. Quo Vadis (1951) Robert Taylor plays Marcus Vinicius, commander of Rome’s 14th Legion and in love with Lygia (Deborah Kerr), a member of the Christian sect accused of undermining Roman values. Peter Ustinov, wrapped in purple-robed petulance, is the all-powerful Nero. The destinies of these three and of the Empire play out in a tale whose visual highlights include the parade of triumphant legions, the burning of Rome and… read more
Today’s testimony is brought to you by an anonymous friend, she has been a great encouragement to me and is an inspirational woman of faith. Testimony My siblings and I were raised by a single mother and the occasional step-dad (around three years in total with that guy). We moved a lot and rarely stayed in one place too long; I think four years may have been the longest. We were always either in trailer courts or government subsidized housing in the urban, inner city or suburban ghettos. We were rarely supervised so life was free and without rules, so trouble and/or bad choices seem to ensue where ever I lived. I can now laugh with my siblings and proclaim that we were truly feral animals. Due to this environment I learned a lot about how to survive mentally and physically. I did a lot of fighting growing up to… read more
If I could tell you one last thing before I died…, I would tell you about how I live life to the fullest. I would tell you about the great joy I have in my heart. I would tell you about a man who came from Heaven to earth, named Jesus. He came to give us life to the fullest. He told of two paths, one path is wide and there are many people on it. The other is narrow and few travel on it, yet it leads to life in the fullest. The wide path is easy to travel on; it is the path we are on from birth, our default path. The narrow path is a path that you have to choose to walk, it is not always easy, but it is the most rewarding. There is no middle path and each path leads to different places. The… read more
A Little Perspective Wallpaper. One of my first elective classes in college was Psychology 101, on the first day of class, the teacher came in and introduced himself and started an introductory speech that I found had nothing to do with the topic of psychology. He was explaining that religion on a whole, has got it all wrong and that religion teaches that they have the answer to man’s problems; he went on to say that the Bible in particular is just a book of myths and fables and we should not place our trust in it. He then went on to say that the Bible has many errors! Example, the Bible teaches that the world is flat!! Obviously I was very shocked that he was saying these things to the students. The teacher seemed very uninformed and had a lot of prejudice; he obviously did not study history. Historians,… read more