Can you handle the Truth? ZeitGeist

[RaTix]

ZeitGeist The movie

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[Cancer]

Can I handle the truth, or your opinion of the truth?

[EagleOne]

Very Nice Ratix. Every Empire since the beginning of time has begun with a honest notion which in turn is transformed making it's citizens simple puppets. Fear is a great motivator, most of everything is fear driven and forces a society to reform and conform of their "safety and security". Perhaps history is doomed to repeat itself.

Where did you find this?

[RaTix]

I started with watching America: Freedom to Faciscm. And Then my buddy found this and brought it to my attention. The beginning part covers a lot about religion, which might not sit well with many people. Me, I have my faith, but have long turned my back on the structured organized religions. Religion is government that is not bound by borders of countries. Even if you want to dismiss the religion stuff, I urge everyone to watch the second half of the movie. As this touches on how your civil liberties are practically no more and how the American people have been suckered into slavery by the bankers and corporations. I don't think anyone should take all this at face value, but at least it should make you stop and think for yourselves.
I am a seeker of truth, So I put to anyone that watches this and disagrees, to show proof here as to what is false and what is not. I would love to believe that world we live in is not this sinister. Sadly, I think thats the case though.

[Cancer]

I'll watch the second half in a bit. I just watched the first half hour or so and decided it was stupid. It didn't seem to understand what it was talking about. Especially with the whole connections between the gods thing.

[RaTix]

It didn't seem to understand what it was talking about.

I believe you mean, You didn't understand what it was talking about. Watch the whole thing and if they use words you don't understand, keep Google open and ready.

"Some people need to Learn to Listen, for Listening is Learning."

[Muncher]

There is some good news that comes out of this. We don't have to pay our income tax because its not in the law. You would know what I'm talking about if you watched the part about how bad a central bank system is.

[Cancer]

No I understood it, at least the part I'm refering to. I especially thought the thing about how all of these gods are born on December 25 to virgins. Christ wasn't born on December 25. He was probably born sometime in April or May. And as for being born to a virgin, a virgin would obviously be pure and of course a god would be born to someone who is pure whether myth or reality.

[RaTix]

Christ wasn't born on December 25. He was probably born sometime in April or May.

1. Why do we celebrate the birth of Christ on Dec. 25?

2. What basis do you make the claim that he was probably born in April or May?

While on the topic, did you know the practice of decorating a evergreen was a pagan practice and has no significance to Christianity what so ever.

But I don't want to make this about religion really, as it's not whats truly important. Everyone should have their faith in some sense, and the principles of the teachings are whats important. Being a good person and treating your fellow man with the same respect as you would want to be given.

[Cancer]

Oh, sorry for not explaining myself. I had already typed it out but it didn't submit it for some reason and I was too lazy to type it again.

1. We celebrate his birth on that day because when missionaries first traveled to England, it was celebrated as a pagan holiday for the reasons stated in the video. They decided to keep the day but to celebrate it for a different reason. It eventually became widespread to celebrate December 25 as His birthday.

2. It really is unknown when He was born. Before it was December 25, it was January 6. But the shepards' activities at the time of birth suggest a spring or summer date (Yeah, I got some of that information of Wiki.). This is really just what I've been taught so I could be entirely wrong but it's what I believe.

[Rdaug27]

I haven't watched the film yet, but it sounds interesting. Yeah I saw on the History channel not too long ago about the holidays and how most of them started as Pagan celebrations for change of season, or for good crops and many other things. The Church couldn't get them to stop so they just made their own celebration and called it something different, and gave them a more "religious" meaning for the celebration. Just amazing.

[Zabka]

My understading is that Christmas is celebrated at the end of the calendar year (Julian calendar) because the Roman festival of Saturnalia around the last week of the year. As Christianity grew within the Roman Empire, the celebration of a Roman god, Saturn, was anathema to Christian beliefs. Celebration of Christ's birth was substituted. Many of the traditions were the same, however, such as gift giving. Some believe it may not have been Saturnalia itself, but other holidays that evolved as a result of Saturnalia. The Roman Empire didn't become officially Christian until the time of Constantine.

I have read that it is believed that Christ's birth was likely during the summer. Some theories exist that Christmas was pegged at Dec 25, in part due to a miscalculation of the date based on the scripture.

As for the virgin mother part, there are some who believe that is a result of a mistranslation from the Aramaic or Hebrew language of that time and region to the classical Greek that the New Testament was originally written in. The word could have multiple meanings--including both young woman/girl as well as virgin. I have never had this substantiated by a theologist, but having heard it, I believe it makes some sense as I studied a little classical Greek and translated some of the book of John and saw how poorly English captures the classical Greek--and would imagine that every translation would result in less precise wording. Having never attended Divinity school, I will make no claim about the accuracy of the above, but I think much of what I have written is ball park correct.

[CHRIST]

I'm popular... haven't watched movie, but this seems like an intriguing topic.

Funny thing though, there is a school in Niagara Falls called, Immaculate Conception Parochial School.

Odd name for a school

[Zabka]

Not for a parochial school.

The Roman Empire was split around this time and made Christianity legal under Constantine in the 300s or so. Constantine persecuted the pagans...I believe it was around this time that Christmas was created as Saturnalia remnants continued. I wish somebody who had a better recollection of world history could confirm this for me.

[CHRIST]

It's still more of an odd name than most religious schools, but anyways continue the original conversation.