- Calvin
----- Original Message -----
From: cantrl. a
To: CF-Community
Sent: Friday, December 19, 2003 3:46 PM
Subject: Re:Great religious truths
People with half a brain recognize them all...
... as the dangerous opiate of the masses
:)
ok ok - no religious bashing so close to christmas I guess - I thought this was actually kinda cool - ripped from USENET:
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
On December 21st, the sun reaches its nadir and this travels across Earth's
horizons, an event we call the Winter Solstice. The Sun appears to hesitate
for
the next three days before beginning its six-month return to zenith on June
21st, which we call the Summer Solstice.
In ancient times it was believed that the Sun began is ascent exactly at
midnight three days after the Solstice. Though there were no clocks in those
days, our ancestor' method of calculating that precise moment was accurate.
The
same method is not quite as accurate today, due to the slight shift in the
heavenly bodies. This ancient method is as follows:
At nightfall on December 24th, in the eastern sky you will see three
prominent
stars. These are the belt of the constellation of Orion. These stars are
often
called the Three Wise Magicians, or the Three Kings of the Orient. If you
imagine a straight line through these stars towards the east, you will come
to a
point on the horizon that the Egyptians, in 2000BCE called "Aptah", which
means
"crib or cradle". It is exactly at this point that in a very short time the
brightest star in the winter sky, Sirius, will appear. The place of Sirius'
emergence marks the exact spot where the Sun will make its appearance at
dawn.
The birth place of the newborn Sun is in the foreground of the constellation
of
Virgo, the Virgin. The constellation of Taurus, the Bull, and Capricorn, the
Goat, are situated close by, which is why this area of the sky was called
"the
Stable". So we have before us in the winter sky the entire nativity scene:
the
three kings of the Orient pointing to a star that marks the precise
birthplace
of the infant God-King, born of a virgin in a celestial stable.
The ancients charted the travel of the star Sirius as it moved westward. At
the
mid-point of its travels, it marks the rebirth of the night Sun at midnight
of
December 25th, the beginning of many gay festivities and celebration, then
just
like today. To our ancestors this meant the Sun had won out over Old Man
Winter,
that all life would be saved by its warm, life-giving rays. The Sun had
experienced death for three days, but on December 25th it was resurrected,
reborn on Natalis Solis Invicti, "The Birth of the Unconquered Sun."
"Christ's
Mass or Christmas", really means "Sun's Mass." The title Christ may be
traced to
the Chaldean "Chris" a name of the Sun. Its Hebrew equivalent, "Heres"
occurs
several times in the Old Testament where it is always translated as "Sun".
Solar theology has inspired some religions to bolster their own deities by
borrowing from the power of the Sun, and much confusion exists because of
this
practice. However, anyone can look for themselves: on a December midnight
clear,
the truth is revealed. To know that the Sun will bring us warmed, green
crops,
and renewed life is certainly grounds for rejoicing.
Blessings to all
>1. Moslems do not recognize Judaism as a religion.
>2. Jews do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah.
>3. Protestants do not recognize the Pope as the leader of the Christian faith.
>4. Baptists do not recognize each other in the liquor store or at Hooters.
>
>:-)
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