Christianity

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An inscription in the Vatican states plainly, "He who will not eat of my body, nor drink of my blood, so that he may be one with me and I with him, shall not be saved." This is not terribly surprising, unless you consider that this is inscribed on the remains of the temple the Vatican was built on- one dedicated to the God Mithras. Mithras was a solar deity whose worshippers called him redeemer; his religion died out not long after the advent of Christianity.

Such eerie parallels between the pronouncements of Jesus and Mithras are not the only similarities between the two religions. Mithras was known to his followers as "The light of the world," or "The Good Shepherd," and exhorted his followers to share ritual communion meals of bread and wine. His preists were called "Father." Mithras was also born in a cave, with shepherds in attendance, on the twenty-fifth of December. (Alternatively, he is assisted in his birth from a stone by shepherds.)   Are these just coincidences? Absolutely not. Fourth century Bishop John Chrysostom writes : "On this day also the Birthday of Christ was lately fixed at Rome in order that while the heathen were busy with their profane ceremonies, the Christians might perform their sacred rites undisturbed. They call this the Birthday of the Invincible One; but who is so invincible as the Lord? They call it the Birthday of the Solar Disk, but Christ is the Sun of Righteousness."

  Consider this- several other Gods share the December birthday, and like Mithras, they are also solar deities, who are born in the winter solstices, often of virgin mothers, die, and are reborn. One of these, a pre-Christian deity called Attis, was called "The lamb of God," and his crucifixion and subsequent resurrection were celebrated annually, with ritual communions of bread and wine. His virgin mother, Cybele, was worshipped as "The Queen of heaven." It gets more interesting the further back we look- Attis and Cybele's predecessors are the Babylonian Goddess Ishtar, and her consort Tammuz...

In the small village of Medjugorje in Bosnia-Hercegovina the Virgin Mary has reportedly appeared every day.The reports started in 1981 when six children said they"d seen an apparition of the Virgin Mary on a hillside, ever since then it has been seen regularly - one local man even claims to see her on a daily basis. For almost 30years, the Virgin Mary has been said to appear daily in Medjugorje - a small village in Bosnia-Hercegovina.

Six children first reported the apparition in June 1981, and although the Vatican has not yet recognised the miracle, it has not discouraged the faithful. The village is the fastest-growing Catholic pilgrimage site in the world.

View: Full article | Source: BBCNews

Bone fragments believed to belong to St John the Baptist have been discovered in Bulgaria.The fragments were found in a box on Sveti Ivan Island near Bulgaria"s southern Black Sea. Scientists are due to conduct tests on the bones to try to confirm their origin. Bone fragments of St John theBaptist appear to have been found on Sveti Ivan Island near Bulgaria"s southern Black Sea.

He is considered one of the most important figures in Christianity. Further tests are still to be carried out on the fragments, which were discovered late last month.

View: Full article | Source: BBCNews

A Vicar has told parishoners to swear more because he believes it to be how Jesus would have spoken.Reverend Michael Land said that Christians need to adopt swearing in every day language because Jesus would have most likely used such language himself given his poor background. Reverend Michael Land, 67, said Christiansneeded to adopt swearing in their everyday language because it is how Jesus would have spoken.

He said too many people put Jesus "on a pedestal" and failed to realise that he was poor, relatively uneducated and preferred not to mix with the elite of his day.

View: Full article | Source: Telegraph