Christianity

Two years ago in France, shortly after my 50th birthday and two years after a painful divorce, I became a pilgrim. Though I did not put a scallop shell on the brim of my cap or walk with a staff, I asked Mary Magdalene to be the patroness of my quest for renewed faith and a healed heart.Her unfailing love for Jesus inspired my attachment to her. The mystery of her identity, however, impelled me to study the growing debates over her identity and relationship with Jesus.Mentioned more times in the New Testament than any other woman, she has arguably been the most misrepresented of all Jesus’ disciples. She is the subject of intense interest these days;indeed, I discovered a movement of devotees who for different reasons have turned to her as a muse, a champion and a spiritual friend. Over the past two years, I have interviewed and corresponded with these followers as well as some of the leading scholars, writers and artists inspired by Mary Magdalene.

As a result of those interactions, I see her now represented in four distinct “faces,” a woman of many epithets. For centuries, she was considered “the woman with the alabaster jar,” a reformed prostitute, despite the absence of biblical reference to her as such. This Magdalene has few advocates today. In early Christian communities, she was seen as a woman of courage and wisdom. Called “Apostle to the Apostles” for bravely bearing witness of Jesus’ resurrection, she was also known amongGnostics as “the embodiment of Sophia.” Since the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), she has been officially affirmed as “Apostle to the Apostles,” both in the new Catholic missal of 1969 and by Pope John Paul II in his 1988 encyclical Dignitatum Mulieris. In medieval Europe, particularly among the Cathars and some aristocratic families, it was widely believed Mary Magdalene was Jesus’ lawful bride, a sister to Martha and Lazarus of Bethany, mother to a “holy bloodline.” Some contemporary authors, such as Clive Prince and Lynn Picknett in The Templar Revelation, even assert Mary Magdalene was probably a priestess of the Egyptian goddess Isis and a member of a still-existing sect known as the Mandeans, now located in Iraq, who believe John the Baptist to be the true Messiah.......

The middle of winter has long been a time of celebration around the world. Centuries before the arrival of the man called Jesus, early Europeans celebrated light and birth in the darkest days of winter.Many peoples rejoiced during the winter solstice, when the worst of the winter was behind them and they could look forward to longer days and extended hours of sunlight.In Scandinavia, the Norse celebrated Yule from December 21, the winter solstice, through January. In recognition of the return of the sun, fathers and sons would bring home large logs, which they would set on fire. The people would feast until the log burned out, which could take as many as 12 days. The Norse believed thateach spark from the fire represented a new pig or calf that would be born during the coming year. The end of December was a perfect time for celebration in most areas of Europe.

At that time of year, most cattle were slaughtered so they would not have to be fed during the winter. For many, it was the only time of year when they had a supply of fresh meat. In addition, most wine and beer made during the year was finally fermented and ready for drinking. In Germany, people honored the pagan god Oden during the mid-winter holiday. Germans were terrified of Oden, as they believed he made nocturnal flights through the sky to observe his people, and then decide who would prosper or perish. Because of his presence, many people chose to stay inside. In Rome, where winters were not as harsh as those in the far north,Saturnalia—a holiday in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture—was celebrated. Beginning in the week leading up to the winter solstice and continuing for a full month, Saturnalia was a hedonistic time, when food and drink were plentiful and the normal Roman social order was turned upside down. For a month, slaves would become masters. Peasants were in command of the city. Business and schools were closed so that everyone could join in the fun. Also around the time of the winter solstice, Romans observed Juvenalia, a feast honoring the children of Rome. In addition, members of the upper classes often celebrated the birthday of Mithra, the god of the unconquerable sun, on December 25. It was believed that Mithra, an infant god, was born of a rock. For some Romans, Mithra's birthday was the most sacred day of the year. In the early yearsof ......

n 2001, two researchers and a Columbia University fertility expert published a startling finding in a respected medical journal: women undergoing fertility treatment who had been prayed for by Christian groups were twice as likely to have a successful pregnancy as those who had not. Three years later, after one of the researchers pleaded guilty to conspiracy in an unrelated business fraud, Columbia is investigating the study and the journal reportedly pulled the paper from its Web site. No evidence of manipulation has yet surfaced, and the study's authors stand behind their data. But the doubts about the study have added to the debateover a deeply controversial area of research: whether prayer can heal illness.

Critics express outrage that the federal government, which has contributed $2.3 million in financing over the last four years for prayer research, would spend taxpayer money to study something they say has nothing to do with science. "Intercessory prayer presupposes some supernatural intervention that is by definition beyond the reach of science," said Dr. Richard J. McNally, a psychologist at Harvard. "It is just a nonstarter, in my opinion, a total waste of time and money." Prayer researchers, many themselves believers in prayer's healing powers, say scientists do not need to know how a treatment or intervention worksbefore testing it. Dr. Richard Nahin, a senior adviser at the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, part of the National Institutes of Health, said in an e-mail message that the studies were meant to answer practical questions, not religious ones."We only recently understood how aspirin worked, and the mechanisms of action of various antidepressants and general anesthetics remain under investigation," Dr. Nahin wrote. He said a recent government study found that 45 percent of adults prayed specifically for health reasons, and suggested that many of them were poor people with limited access to care. "It is a public health imperative to understand if this prayer offers them any benefit," Dr.Nahin. ...

The common abbreviation for Christmas to Xmas is derived from the Greek alphabet. X is letter Chi, which is the first letter of Christ's name in the Greek alphabet.Oliver Cromwell, in England banned Christmas Carols between 1649 and 1660. Cromwell thought that Christmas should be a very solemn day so he banned carols and parties. The only celebration was by a sermon and a prayer service. In 1643, the British Parliament officially abolishes the celebration of Christmas.The Puritans in America tried to make Thanksgiving Day the most important annual festival instead of Christmas. Silent Night was written in 1818, by an Austrianpriest Joseph Mohr.

He was told the day before Christmas that the church organ was broken and would not be prepared in time for Christmas Eve. He was saddened by this and could not think of Christmas without music, so he wanted to write a carol that could be sung by choir to guitar music. He sat down and wrote three stanzas. Later that night the people in the little Austrian Church sang "Stille Nacht" for the first time. St Francis of Assisi introduced Christmas Carols to formal church services. Telesphorus, the second Bishop of Rome (125-136 AD) declared that public Church services should be held to celebrate "The Nativity of our Lord and Saviour." In 320 AD, Pope Julius I and other religious leaders specified 25 December as the official date of the birth of Jesus Christ. 26 December was traditionally known as St Stephen's Day, but is more commonly known as Boxing Day. This expression came about because money was collected in alms-boxes placed in churches during the festive season. This money was then distributed during to the poor and needy after Christmas. Melbourne, Australia has a sporting Boxing Day tradition. The Melbourne Cricket Ground hosts a Cricket test match. Sometimes this attracts 90, 000 spectators. Cricket is Australia's premier Summer sport. The first printed reference to Christmas trees appeared in Germany in 1531 In 1836, Alabama is the first state in the USA to declare Christmas a legal holiday. In 1843, the first Christmas card was printed in England for Sir Henry Cole. He was busy man who wanted to save time in his own Christmas letters, butwa......