Musings on God and Other Mythological Figures

Philosophical questions about Christianity and religious traditions.

The ultimate debate between Science and Religion is the existence of a God (or gods).  Scientists can prove most theories that have been expounded, so why can’t they prove or disprove the existence of a supreme being, or a pantheon of such?

  If there is only ONE true God, when did the other differing beliefs come into being, and why?  And why are there some startling similarities espoused by the major religions?

 

 

Religion in general has been around a LOT longer than most major modern denominations will admit.

  Shamans, druids, witches (Wicca), and many other religions are now considered to be pagan, even satanic, yet a lot of the customs that we now observe are handed down from just such beginnings.

  For instance, In the Christian religion, why is a TREE a symbol of Christmas?  Where did the tradition of burning a Yule log come from?  And what are the origins of the Easter Bunny hiding eggs? 

 

   Here are MY takes on these oddities:

 

The Christmas tree is a remnant from early Druidism, where the tree was worshiped as one of the longest lived manifestations of Gaea, the Earth Mother.  This symbol was adopted by Christianity to make it acceptable to the remnants of the druidic religion, thus absorbing the competition.

 

The Yule Log was handed down from Norse mythology.  It began as a winter solstice feast, with huge bonfires, and was celebrated in differing ways by different Norse tribes, to honor Odin, the ruler of the Norse pantheon.  Later, Europeans adopted the Yule tradition, believing that it incorporated beneficial magic.

 It continues the tradition of incorporating ceremonies from other cultures into Christianity to make it more acceptable to "pagans".

 

The rabbit is a symbol of fertility, as is the egg, so what better creature to represent Easter in the spring during the Easter celebration?  Rabbits have been around a lot longer than Christianity.  Again, here is a case of using another “pagan” symbol to make Christianity acceptable to a “cult” with the intent of absorption.

 

Wiccans have celebrated All Hallows Eve (or Samhain) in one form or another for many centuries.  You may know it better as Halloween.  This holiday originated with the Picts, and other early inhabitants of what is now Ireland and Great Britain, and was brought to the “new world” by immigrants.

 

  OK, let’s assume that there IS only one true God for a little bit.  What makes you so sure that YOUR God is THE God?  Faith, you say?  Everyone involved in any kind of religion has THAT.  Wouldn’t it be embarrassing to die and find out that your religion was the WRONG one?  Or does simply believing in something strongly enough make your belief so?  If that is the case, then there is no WRONG religion.  

 

  On the opposite extreme, what if there is NO God and we just fade away into nothing?

That would make religion the biggest con job of all time.  And it has been going on HOW LONG?

 

  I realize that I will take a lot of flak from religious supporters, but I mean no disrespect to ANY religion.  And if I gave you something to think about, consider it exercise for the mind.