Virgin Mary, Ark of the Covenant

[Phatt Matt s]

There are some interesting similarities, but I actually don't buy that any one of the other ancient deities was THE precursor of Jesus. While the Egyptian saying "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life" was known to be copied (directly) from the Egyptian text, the Jesus that Paul invented was unique. (He did say he got his gospel "from no man" ... but from an hallucination.) It does have to do with Mithraism, (which was a form of Zoroastrianism) of which Tarsus (Paul's birthplace) *just happened* to be a center. It's a bit "obtuse" but it has to do with the concept "purification". In Hebrew culture, "purification" was an *external* (ritual-cleansing) concept. In Zorosastrian/Mithraism, it was internal (spiritual-cleanliness). They were very different. The Hebrews did not believe in immortality until it developed during the Apocalyptic period, after the Exile, when family units were disrupted, and the notion of "individualism" become important. Thus the Hebrew concept was CHANGED by Paul. It's some evidence he cooked up at least part of what came to be called "Christianity".

That is one reason I seek wisdom not just from Christianity. There is wisdom in all philosophers including unbleivers, Jews, Imams, wisdom from Buddha and other Buddhist Saints, Daoists, Confucianism, and wisdom/virtue from the Catholic Saints as well.

I have to have a strength and joy that is detached from and not shaken by material possessions and favorable external circumstances. Many of the Saints were able to die peacefully because their faith and hope was never shaken neither was their joy. I admire someone who has the balls to die for their beliefs.

I admire an atheist even more when they sacrifice, suffer, and die for what they believe to be true.