It just seems so odd

People indeed have basic psychological tendencies that are "milked" by governements these days, but traditionally people were milked in the same ways by religion. Sociologically & psychologically speaking, all people have the basic need to understand the "why are we here" & "what's it all about" mysteries that are faced by individuals and societies. That's how cults proliferate. Evangelicals use identical tactics to cults. Learn hypnotism then watch an evangelical service ~ you'll be frightened by how identical the techniques are. Anyone who claims to have "inner/secret/mystical knowledge can get away with truck-loads of crap before being found out or exposing themselves by inherent failings.

In addressing beliefs it's easy to get uptight, so I like to stick to facts as they exist and get away from belief not founded upon fact. I also enjoy finding out exactly where facts as well as beliefs originate. History can be very revealing!
Facts such as these ~
Pagan myths of the BC era have been "christianized" (*).
The Greek God Dionysis and the Egyptian God Osiris both had certain "myths" associated with them as follows (**). See if any sound familair:

1. Saviour of mankind**
2. Equal with Father God**
3. Born of mortal virgin**
4. Ascends to heaven after death to assume immortality**
5. Born in a cave on December 25th or January 6th**
6. Birth prophecied by appearance of a star**
7. Born in a grove shaded by a sacred grove of trees**
8. Visited by Maggi at birth**
9. Gold Frankincense and Mrryh given in BC Pagan God worship*
10. Baptism by water a BC Pagan right to the mysteries*
11. Holy man who baptizes Jesus has same name as BC Pagan god of water & shares birthdate with Pagan water festival @ summer solstice*
12. Saviour portrayed as meek & gentle with long hair and beard**
13. Turns water into wine at marriage ceremony**
14. Pagan sages mythically heal the sick, exocise demons, provide miraculous meals, catches of fish & calm stormy seas*
15. Pagan sages are wandering wonder-workers without home or family*
16. Not at first recognized as divinity, transfigured in glory before disciples**
17. Have 12 disciples**
18. Rides in triumph on a donkey**
19. Followers falsely accused**
20. Willingly goes to death predicting will rise again**
21. Betrayed for 30 pieces of silver* (motif in story of Socrates ~ Plato)
22. Body equated with bread & wine, disciples follow suit after death**
23. Dies as sacrifice for redemption**
24. Corpse wrapped in linen, annointed**
25. Hung on tree/crucified**
26. After death descends to hell, resurrects 3rd day, disciples witness, ascends to heaven awaiting to reappear as divine judge**
27. Death and resurrection of Christ on same days as both Osiris & Dionysis**
28. Tomb empty on visit by three women followers**
29. By sharing passion offers followers chance of being born again**

Because only those who truly seek will find , the following ~
Before you-all go and swamp me with "prove where this and that comes from" blah blah blah ~ the information is available in any book that covers Pagan religions or the Osiris & Dionysis cults of ancient history. That knowledge is well synopsied in The Jesus Mysteries by Timothy Freke & Peter Gandy (Thorsons Publisher)

 

I think Osiris is the father, Isis the mother, and Horus is the miracle baby, born after Osiris is dismembered by Set? no?

 

Oui

Here's a rough outline of Osiris & Dionysis worship ~
Note that in the image of Dionysis how he is positioned!
http://home.earthlink.net/~pgwhacker/ChristianOrigins/PaganChrists_Isis_and_osiris.html
http://home.earthlink.net/~pgwhacker/ChristianOrigins/PaganChrists_Dionysos.html

The details of Osiris' myth are complicated and, to us moderns, silly. But the core of the myth is familiar: the God is killed and (eventually) resurrected, after which he becomes immortal and goes into the beyond to be the God of the dead.
Osiris' followers knew their fate after death depended on the morality of the life they lead before death. The ancient Book of the Dead pictures resurrected believers stand in the presence of Osiris as their judge. If they could recite a list of their good deeds in life, Osiris rewarded them with eternal life








Birth Dionysus' mom was the mortal woman, Semele; his dad was the supreme God Zeus.

Death and resurrection The mysteries of Dionysus celebrated the death of the God in the myth of young Dionysus-Zagreus, who died -- was torn apart by the Titans, boiled, and eaten. Only his heart was left; it was buried and from it Dionysus was resurrected and ascended to heaven. Isn't it amazing how ridiculous other peoples' myths are!
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Salvation as far back as the archaic myths, Dionysus went down into Hades, the place of the dead, and brought his mother back to life.
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In Italy, in the third or fourth century BC, texts written on gold plates and buried with the dead, describe the souls of Dionysus followers in the afterlife, drinking not from one particular spring in Hades, but from another cool pool -- and that will give them divinity and eternal life.

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(By the way, don't think of Hades as Hell, a place uniquely of punishment, think of it as Hades the place of the dead. The idea of the dead ascending had not yet developed -- but it would, in time for Christianity to borrow it.)
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Dionysus was celebrated in Civic religion and in mysteries.
The Mysteries of Dionysus included
​

initiation by bathing -- baptism​

a sacred meal ​

a myth about the death and resurrection the god​

salvation​

Dionysus was identified with the lamb, and called "King of Kings," "Only Begotten Son," "Savior," "Redeemer," "Sin bearer," "Anointed One," the "Alpha and Omega."
​

All of which is laughingly explained away thuus ~

The early Christians acknowledged that Dionysus (his Greek name) / Bacchus (his Latin name) came before Jesus. How? The Christian Father Justin Martyr, writing in the 100s AD, wrote that the Devil, reading the Old Testament prophesies of the Messiah sent Bacchus early, to trick men about Jesus: "The devils, accordingly, when they heard these prophetic words, said that Bacchus was the son of Jupiter, and ...having been torn in pieces, he ascended into heaven." [Justin Martyr, First Apology, 54]


One must ask "how is it that Justin Martyr knew so much detail about the devil's activities in deceit? One wonders.
Very odd indeed.

 

We three kings of Orion are.......

I heard once that that was the original lyric.
Mithra is a dead ringer for the miracle man too.

 

The Catholic Church intermingled paganism with Christianity in order make things more spiritually palatable. Thats why there is a saint for this that and the other thing.


"Passion" was good and but the gore was a bit over the top.(huge understatement eh?) I thought the end was really anticlimactic. It seems like Mel Gibson added the ressurection as an after thought. According to the Bible Jesus's death is as important as his resurrection. Instead of having crosses all over the place perhaps depictions of an empty tomb would be more appropriate?

 

he still got the resurection in there tho,maybe he wanted to leave it as an after thought,jesus had conqured death.and the blood guts and gore was more sevear than that movie would ever be alowed to depict,the bible says that his flesh was ripped and his body beaten so badly that he was unrecognisable!