Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and Christianity share so many features that it seems that there must be a connection between them. Does this connection really exist? If so, how did it happen? And how much of the similarity between these faiths is due simply to parallel evolution, rather than direct contact and influence? The simplest answer to […]
Archives for May 2017
ZOROASTRIANISM, JUDAISM, AND CHRISTIANITY – Hannah M.G.Shapero
The Obscure Religion that Shaped the West
How did Zoroastrian ideas find their way into the Abrahamic faiths and elsewhere? According to scholars, many of these concepts were introduced to the Jews of Babylon upon being liberated by the Persian emperor Cyrus the Great. They trickled into mainstream Jewish thought, and figures like Beelzebub emerged. And after Persia’s conquests of Greek lands […]
The Dying God pdf
History of the Ancient Sumerians
The religion of the ancient Sumerians has left its mark on the entire middle east. Not only are its temples and ziggurats scattered about the region, but the literature, cosmogony and rituals influenced their neighbors to such an extent that we can see echoes of Sumer in the Judeo-Christian-Islamic tradition today. From these ancient temples, […]
Blood Sacrifice (full article)
Historical pagan practices have also included ritual animal sacrifice and utilized animal parts within ritual and magic. Traditional religions such as Christianity inherited their attitude towards blood and animal sacrifice from pagan origins, such as the way in which the Abel and Cain story was copied from the Sumerian story of Enkimdu and Damuzi6. Neo-paganism, […]
Animal Sacrifice in World Religions
“One thing God really loves is the sweet stench of burned flesh. In fact, He loves it so much that there are several detailed passages in the Bible on just how to slaughter an animal, what to do with its blood and how to burn its remains just right – all according to God’s taste.” […]
Yahweh/El Gods of Israel
In a September 22nd, 2002 speech to visiting Christian Zionists, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon asserted, “This land is ours… God gave us the title deeds… However, recent scholarly research, including discoveries by an archaeological team from the University of Tel Aviv, not only deconstruct the Biblical Old Testament and Torah stories upon which this […]