Re: Asian natural disaster or evolution in action?

From: Precision (precision_at_Usenet.com)
Date: 01/02/05 

Date: Sun, 2 Jan 2005 03:41:27 -0800

"Al Klein" <rukbat@pern.invalid> wrote in message
news:7v3ft0hjifpbk0qaab2jhs510ngstve98t@4ax.com...
> On 1 Jan 2005 10:16:49 -0800, roger_pearse@yahoo.co.uk said in
> alt.atheism:
>
>>Before this gets entirely out of hand, I think both sides might wish to
>>know that there is no date for the birthday of Mithras, or the Persian
>>Mitra, specified in any ancient text. I know that the idea that
>>Mithras was born on 25th December goes around. But it's not true.
>
> http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa122397b.htm "Mithras,
> the sun-god, was born of a virgin in a cave on December 25, and
> worshipped on Sunday, the day of the conquering sun."
>
> http://www.takeourword.com/Issue022.html "Modern scholars believe
> that the cult of Mithras was based on the secret understanding of an
> astronomical phenomenon know as the "precession of the equinoxes",
> that is, the background of fixed stars is not really fixed. They knew
> that solar events such as solstices could be used to plot the movement
> of these stars. Also, as the days begin lengthening after the winter
> solstice, it is a time of new beginnings and hope for the future. Thus
> Mithras' birthday was set at the winter solstice, which is usually on
> December 22. However, due to the insertion of intercalary days (days
> inserted into the calendar to correct for accumulated error) and
> confusion with the Roman festival of Saturnalia, it has slipped to
> December 25."
>
>>2. People who know that the Romans worshipped a deity called Sol
>>Invictus suppose that this day was a festival of Sol Invictus. This is
>>wrong: the cult was created in 274AD by Aurelian, while the name of the
>>day is primitive in Rome. The sun cult celebrated its festivals in
>>warmer weather!
>
> "Sol Invictus" was the Roman name for "Mithras". The Zoroastrian
> Mithras was the Sun god.
>
>>4. One of them may have learned that Mithras is also sometimes called
>>Mithras Sol Invictus (Mithras the unconquered sun) and supposed that
>>this means Mithras=Sol Invictus (it does not).
>
> See above - it does.
>
> "When it comes to specifics, Christians are as deceitful and two faced
> as ever. They are utterly unable to deny that 25 December was the
> birthday of the Unconquerable Sun, the Roman name of Mithras. What
> they say is that it does not matter! Suddenly all Christians become
> fundamentalists because the New Testament does not say when Jesus was
> born. The church decided Jesus was born on 25 December precisely
> because it was already the highly popular birthday of Mithras, and a
> national holiday. What it was was the midwinter solstice, a solar
> festival and therefore associated with a solar god. The reason the
> Christian bishops were happy to accept this as a Christian festival
> was because Christianity was seen by everyone as a solar religion-even
> the Christian bishops." - ibid
> --
> "They laughed at Newton, they laughed at Einstein, but they also laughed
> at
> Bozo the Clown."
> - Carl Sagan
> (random sig, produced by SigChanger)
> rukbat at verizon dot net

Thanks for the additional historical perspective!

Just so you know, Jehovah's Witnesses do NOT celebrate Christmas. We believe
that Christ would have never wanted his holy name associated with the pagan
god you so aptly described.

This is important for you to know because you said "Christians are as
deceitful and two faced as ever" (in regards Christmas). You should know
that not all Christians fall into this category! There are those on Earth
today who practice Christianity as it was practiced in the first century
C.E. when no Christian celebrated the birth of Christ. Rather they
celebrated his LIFE and the sacrifice he made to save mankind from sin that
deprives our souls of immortality.

Jehovah's Witnesses celebrate the one most sacred day of remembrance in the
year, known by many as the Lord's Evening Meal on the passover that Jesus
himself ordained his true followers to keep in remembrance of the Lord:

(Luke 22:14-20) 14 At length when the hour came, he reclined at the table,
and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them: "I have greatly desired
to eat this passover with YOU before I suffer; 16 for I tell YOU, I will not
eat it again until it becomes fulfilled in the kingdom of God." 17 And,
accepting a cup, he gave thanks and said: "Take this and pass it from one to
the other among yourselves; 18 for I tell YOU, From now on I will not drink
again from the product of the vine until the kingdom of God arrives." 19
Also, he took a loaf, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to them, saying:
"This means my body which is to be given in YOUR behalf. Keep doing this in
remembrance of me." 20 Also, the cup in the same way after they had the
evening meal, he saying: "This cup means the new covenant by virtue of my
blood, which is to be poured out in YOUR behalf.

No other celebration was ordained by Christ as worth celebrating. You have
helped confirm my original concerns about holidays such as Christmas and
their origins.

Perhaps you should have said, "When it comes to specifics, Christians with
exception to Jehovah's Witnesses are as deceitful and two faced as ever."

Although I'm sure that many who celebrate Christmas have good intentions...
and many consider good intentions as better than asphalt in paving roads...

Relevant Pages

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