Rod's Religion Page

from The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets The Jesus who was called Christos, "Anointed," took his title from Middle‑Eastern savior‑gods like Adonis and Tammuz, born of the Virgin Sea‑goddess Aphrodite‑Maria (Myrrha), or Ishtar‑Mari (Hebrew Mariamne). Earlier biblical versions of the same hero were Joshua son of Nun (Exodus 33:11), Jehu son of Nimshi, whom Elijah anointed as a sacred king (1 Kings 19:16), and Yeshua son of Marah. The Book of Enoch said in the 2nd century B.C. that Yeshua or Jesus was the secret name given by God to the Son of Man (a Persian title), and that it meant "Yahweh saves."[1] In northern Israel the name was written Ieu.[2] It was the same as Ieud or Jeud, the "only‑begotten son" dressed in royal robes and sacrificed by the god‑king Isra‑El.[3]  Greek versions of the name were Iasion, Jason, or Iasus—the name of one of Demeter's sacrificed consorts, killed by Father Zeus after the fertility rite that coupled hi...

Egyptian Religious Concepts Both Islam and Christianity "were in agreement with the basic outlook of the ancient Egyptians in that they also promised eternal life; they could therefore appear to a very ancient attitude of mind. We can say whether Egyptian mummies may not have had something to do with the Christian concept of 'resurrection of the flesh', which belongs neither to the Old Testament religion nor to that of the earliest Christians, let alone to that of the Greeks? To the Christian it may seen natural that man's everlasting life should be based on God. But other religions, such as those of the Israelites and of the ancient Greeks, teach that God's power does not extend beyond the limits of this earthly existence; it cannot penetrate the dark realms of Sheol or the gates of Hades." - Seigfreid Morenz, Egyptian Religion (a) "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name sha...

Christianity and the Fish Symbol In the early history of Christianity, Christians were often persecuted. To identify themselves to each other secretly, they used the image of a fish as a symbol. The Greek word for fish is ΙΧΘΥΣ (or ιχθυσ). That is, iota, chi, theta, upsilon, sigma. Anglicized, the word is written "ichthys" which may look more familiar: ichthyology is the study of fish. The word is said to be an acronym for "Ιησους Χριστος Θεου Υιος Σωτηρ" ("Iesous Christos Theou Huios Soter"), which means, "Jesus Christ, God's Son (or Son of God), Savior." So the fish became a symbol of Christianity. This symbol apparently has nothing to do with eating fish on "meatless" Fridays; that practice may derive from a Medieval belief that fish spontaneously generated rather than being the result of sexual reproduction, which apparently made them not count as meat. Christian History Fish Symbol The fish outline is a logical symbol ...

To the Romans, religion was seen as a contract: Du ut des - "I give so you give." There were spirits of the family, of the house, of trees, etc. as well as the Mystery religions Pontifex Maximus was the head priest of Rome. ("Pontifex" from which "Pope" was derived.) There were the six vestal virgins chosen from the aristocracy: 6 learn, 6 preach, 6 teach. Rome itself was deification from Roma. The notion of the ruler as also a religious figure (i.e. divine) started when Alexander travelled to Rome with Greek ideas. Mystery religions Dionysus - the god of inspiration and passion, having a hold over men’s minds. He originally was a nature god. Associated with Dionysus are: Tragedy - the great song; worship and sacrifice in song. Also associated with ecstasies - being outside oneself. Enthusiasmus means being affected by god Dionysus. The term mania referred to divine madness. Heliopolis - largest temple to Dionysus. Demeter was also called...

The following are a catalog the historical documents that attest or refer to the historical Jesus. 1. Tacitus on the Jews: (Tacitus' Histories Book 5, ch. 5, translated by W. H. Fyfe., part of Tacitus' introduction to the story of the conquest of Judaea by Titus. See ch. 1-13 for the entire account. Written c.A.D.100-110.) “Whatever their origin, these rites are sanctioned by their anti­quity. Their other customs are impious and abominable, and owe their prevalence to their depravity. For all the most worthless rascals renouncing their national cults, were always sending money to swell the sum of offerings and tribute. This is one cause of Jewish prosperity. Another is that they are obstinately loyal to each other, and always ready to show compassion, whereas they feel nothing but hatred and enmity for the rest of the world. They eat and sleep separately. Though immoderate in sexual indulgence, they refrain from all intercourse with foreign women: among themselves anything...

by B.P. Reardon "It was in the depths of winter. There was a bitter wind from the north, and frost. The pebbles were so glued together by the frost as to look like a network of crystal, and the water was what one would expect it to be in such a climate. When the manifestation of the god was made known, my friends came with me, also sane doctors who knew me well, and others, some anxious on my account, some out of scientific curiosity. There was a great crowd besides, for there happened to be a distribution of largess outside the gates, and everything could be seen very well from the bridge. There was a doctor named Heracleon, a friend of mine who confessed to me the next day that he had come convinced that at the very best I should be seized by a tetanic recurvation or something similar. When I came to the river, I had no need of any encouragement. Still full of the warmth of the vision of the god, I tore off my clothes, and, without even asking for a rub-down, jumped into the d...