4000 years ago

The worshippers of Mithras held strong beliefs in a celestial heaven and an infernal hell. They believed that the benevolent powers of the god would sympathize with their suffering and grant them the final justice of immortality and eternal salvation in the world to come. They looked forward to a final day of judgement in which the dead would resurrect, and to a final conflict that would destroy the existing order of all things to bring about the triumph of light over darkness.

Purification through a ritualistic baptism was required of the faithful, who also took part in a ceremony in which they drank wine and ate bread to symbolize the body and blood of the god. Sundays were held sacred, and the birth of the god was celebrated annually on December the 25th. After the earthly mission of this god had been accomplished, he took part in a Last Supper with his companions before ascending to heaven, to forever protect the faithful from above.


it seems theres been more than one immaculate conception and resurrestion.


However, it would be a vast oversimplification to suggest that Mithraism was the single forerunner of early Christianity. Aside from Christ and Mithras, there were plenty of other deities (such as Osiris, Tammuz, Adonis, Balder, Attis, and Dionysus) said to have died and resurrected. Many classical heroic figures, such as Hercules, Perseus, and Theseus, were said to have been born through the union of a virgin mother and divine father. Virtually every pagan religious practice and festivity that couldn't be suppressed or driven underground was eventually incorporated into the rites of Christianity as it spread across Europe and throughout the world.


the rest of it is here

www.ku.edu...**.html


thers a temple here
museums.ncl.ac.uk...



i found it to be an enjoyable read.

whoa...

VERY interesting read

Originally posted by squintingcat
The worshippers of Mithras held strong beliefs in a celestial heaven and an infernal hell. They believed that the benevolent powers of the god would sympathize with their suffering and grant them the final justice of immortality and eternal salvation in the world to come. They looked forward to a final day of judgement in which the dead would resurrect, and to a final conflict that would destroy the existing order of all things to bring about the triumph of light over darkness.

Purification through a ritualistic baptism was required of the faithful, who also took part in a ceremony in which they drank wine and ate bread to symbolize the body and blood of the god. Sundays were held sacred, and the birth of the god was celebrated annually on December the 25th. After the earthly mission of this god had been accomplished, he took part in a Last Supper with his companions before ascending to heaven, to forever protect the faithful from above.


it seems theres been more than one immaculate conception and resurrestion.


However, it would be a vast oversimplification to suggest that Mithraism was the single forerunner of early Christianity. Aside from Christ and Mithras, there were plenty of other deities (such as Osiris, Tammuz, Adonis, Balder, Attis, and Dionysus) said to have died and resurrected. Many classical heroic figures, such as Hercules, Perseus, and Theseus, were said to have been born through the union of a virgin mother and divine father. Virtually every pagan religious practice and festivity that couldn't be suppressed or driven underground was eventually incorporated into the rites of Christianity as it spread across Europe and throughout the world.


the rest of it is here

www.ku.edu...**.html


thers a temple here
museums.ncl.ac.uk...



i found it to be an enjoyable read.

I believe that the Zoroastrian Religion was the first, the concept of Hell came later.

Evidently, Satan implanted these ideas in earlier cultures to confuse god fearing christians.

They looked forward to a final day of judgement in which the dead would resurrect

This is kinda unbelievable for the ones which know about Osiris, and he will also come back to the living when Horus and Seth (so-called good and so-called evil) have fought in the end of days. (Egyptian mythology).

Originally posted by Sapphire


I believe that the Zoroastrian Religion was the first, the concept of Hell came later.

you might be right although being the oldest we know about isnt guaranteed to be the oldest theres been.

i wonder if the zoroastrians with their ideas about fire had anything to do with the invention of hell.

Who said hell was invented because they related it to fire? Wasn't hell fire itself... and no they probably didn't invent it, they described something that happened... hell is exactly the same for Lucifer and his angels as the Apocalyps is for us...

[Edited on 14-12-2003 by LeenBekkemaa]

Originally posted by LeenBekkemaa
Who said hell was invented because they related it to fire? Wasn't hell fire itself... and no they probably didn't invent it, they described something that happened... hell is exactly the same for Lucifer and his angels as the Apocalyps is for us...

[Edited on 14-12-2003 by LeenBekkemaa]

actually no-one did but since your saying that hell is in fact fire i can see you do associate hell and fire as being one and the same thing.

Originally posted by Helioform
Evidently, Satan implanted these ideas in earlier cultures to confuse god fearing christians.

Originally posted by squintingcat

Originally posted by LeenBekkemaa
They described something that happened... hell is exactly the same for Lucifer and his angels as the Apocalyps is for us...

actually no-one did but since your saying that hell is in fact fire i can see you do associate hell and fire as being one and the same thing.

I didn't say it is only fire, I also said hell is exactly the same as the Apocalyps... Apocalyps is not just fire... Apocalyps has to do with the fury of God.. just like hell... fire itself doesn't...

What for example if the Gods wars (which are described in every religion) in fact was a technological war.. and the persons back then witnessed aircrafts being shot down and catching fire and stuff...

That is not exactly what you call hell which they they invented because of fire itself... if that is true for instance it would describe what happened...

Originally posted by squintingcat

Originally posted by Sapphire


I believe that the Zoroastrian Religion was the first, the concept of Hell came later.

you might be right although being the oldest we know about isnt guaranteed to be the oldest the, res been.

i wonder if the zoroastrians with their ideas about fire had anything to do with the invention of hell.

hi squintingcat, Most definately the idea of hell was only a story which could very well have derived from just about anything relating from sightings of fire rings in the sky that ate people up, to meteorites to pure imagination.

Originally posted by Sapphire

Originally posted by squintingcat

Originally posted by Sapphire


I believe that the Zoroastrian Religion was the first, the concept of Hell came later.

you might be right although being the oldest we know about isnt guaranteed to be the oldest the, res been.

i wonder if the zoroastrians with their ideas about fire had anything to do with the invention of hell.

hi squintingcat, Most definately the idea of hell was only a story which could very well have derived from just about anything relating from sightings of fire rings in the sky that ate people up, to meteorites to pure imagination.

hi saphire,the mithras had an infernal hell long before the christians copied them,i just wonder if hell came about through tales of the zorastrian armies or the fire rituals the priests introduced or even the truth and fire ordeals that seemed popular.
maybe it was to do with the even earlier fire cults.

maybe the battles of good and evil the gods raged were really just a few hundred men in a muddy field going at it with primitive weapons.