Thread: Christianity as a solar myth

The solar myth theory of Christianity, as I understand it, was first described by Gerald Massey in the 19th century in his book 'Ancient Egypt, Light of the World'.
A good summary of his work is found in the book 'Gerald Massey's Lectures'. This was extended by Thomas Doane in his book 'Bible Myths' to include other religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism (assuming it to be a religion) and pagan religions.
The theory is based upon rituals concerning the passage of the sun in the skies of the Northern Hemisphere. Hence Christ is born 3 days and 3 nights following the winter solstice, John the Baptist at the summer solstice, Easter is connected to the Vernal Equinox, Lady Day to the Autumnal Equinox. The comparisons between Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism are most striking in a long list of tables given by Doane. The extensive references to the works of other writers in the book seem to prove that much debate was raging in the 19th century as to origin of religion. This type of debate seems to have been forgotten in favour of political correctness today.

http://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/09-02-25#feature

The link is a review of Zeigeist: The Movie. While I don't have the book with me, in about a week or two I could get out a couple books from the school library that deal with early Christianity, its relationship to the Mediterranean religions of the Roman Empire, and the influences these religions had on Christianity.

Evolution of religion is a fascinating subject.

Originally Posted by ox

The solar myth theory of Christianity, as I understand it, was first described by Gerald Massey in the 19th century in his book 'Ancient Egypt, Light of the World'.

not bad

note that in torah, and the bible that Moses was supposedly sent floating on the river and was gathered from the water by the Pharoahs daughter.

Well then pharoahs were considered God(s) back then so Moses talking to God was kind of normal.

Well Moses is who supposed wrote the torah (first 5 books of bible). So that core will be deeply from egyptian mytholgy/beliefs

As well it was in egypt that Ra, the light, sun, thoth... the list of works is hugenormous regarding the eminence given to the 'light'

heck 'light' as electromagnetism is electric and magnetic fields at perpendicular planes; so if i held a 1m wavelength of light and pointed it at you

it would be a "cross"

kind of weird but then noting the anhk; see the Loop as time.

Then note that 'mass' is just energy affixed in time (basically what E=mc2 shared)

kind of weird eh?


or lets try something weird once again.

if light is the energy between all mass. Basically, all mass combines because of energy associating to combine the atom into a molecule.

each molecule can only retain a certain set of wavelengths and each combination can be observe an evolution of energy from the previous combinations.

ie.... 2 men can lift more together than the sum their their individual maximums.

Then to progress to a living cell, when one splits, divides to make the next generation, then in reality a portion of the energy (light) from the previous continues onto the next generation..

to evolve to mankind, then it is easy to comprehend that the very first life (light) has never had a break in it since the beginning of time.

and to know you have the light (life) of all your previous generations in you as you stand;

then to know the light; the fathers are raised to the flesh...


kind of weird how that works?


light be a good ting

Originally Posted by Lynx_Fox

Evolution of religion is a fascinating subject.

the best is when we can combine 'evolution' within the sciences and religions

and they all work!

ie... the sciences cannot define the progression of energy to maintain life (metabolic system at the em (light level); because of chemistry's reductionary constraint)

and we all know, not many a religious folks liked darwin until the last few years but anyone can see how knowledge (and the religions) have EVOLVED

a clear method of observing this truth is to note a baby is taught where the first meal is andevery word in the universe was created by mankind (continually evolving)

try mine: gonapsyphilherpelaids............. (wanna KISS)

As I understand, the cross represents the sun at its 4 extremes. Rising in the east (right arm of cross), setting in the west (left arm), at midday (top) and midnight (bottom, ie under the earth). Sometimes the sun is represented at the centre as in the celtic cross, to surely prove that the cross is indeed a solar symbol.
It's interesting to note the link with Buddhism where the cross is represented as a swastika which sits at the solar chakra in art. In Christian art Christ is shown with a halo emitting rays of light. There are ways in which the solar mythology found its way from Hinduism through to Buddhism and on to Christianity. Most probably it was via the trade routes such as the Silk Road.
It can't be any coincidence that Christ is represented as the 2nd member of the Trinity when the earlier Krishna was also the second in the Hindu Trinity (as the divine earthly incarnation of Vishnu).
Remember also that Christ, Buddha and Krishna were virgin born as a reference to the resurrection of the sun in the northern hemisphere on 25th December.

Originally Posted by ox

It can't be any coincidence that Christ is represented as the 2nd member of the Trinity when the earlier Krishna was also the second in the Hindu Trinity (as the divine earthly incarnation of Vishnu).

the trinity as a metaphor is far easier to comprehend but many have different opinions.

Such as the Krishna, in which to know the old stories, that guy was supposed to have had 16,ooo girlfriends (gopis).

If that be true, then i can see why many call em a god!

Or the cross could represent a literal crucifix! Oh sorry thats just me making sense again.

Originally Posted by Bishadi

ie... the sciences cannot define the progression of energy to maintain life (metabolic system at the em (light level); because of chemistry's reductionary constraint)

How so?

I've been enlighted to read in a newly published book by Andrew Parker called 'The Genesis Enigma', that Genesis is in fact scientifically accurate. (Sort of maybe, give or take a few billion years). He goes on to say that:
'...the feeling of something beyond mortal life was important in human survival during the ice age. Spirituality lifted human morale during a period of great deprivation...the concept of God evolved to raise our emotional state, in which case God is a concept only, and does not actually exist...I am beginning to concede that the stronger our belief in God the higher our morale'.

Well, sure when the sun shines people have a tendency to be happier than when it's raining. The ancients depended on the sun and needed its position in the sky to remind them when to sow crops. Get it wrong and the crops would fail, resulting in potential famine. Morale rises in the spring and declines when winter approaches. Watching the sun getting ever lower in the sky towards the winter solstice still induces a sinking feeling, but on 25th December, the sun is at last seen to rise slightly from its heavenly grave, and is reborn. A true miracle, even today.