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So here it is…
This seasonal survey has found that more than 25% of all UK adults don’t know where Jesus was born. They are also lacking in knowledge when it comes to other aspects of the Nativity.
I’m sorry, but when did it become required to have in-depth knowledge of fairy stories?
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2 Responses to “So here it is…”
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Wolfs Stuff
Wolfs Helpers
Frankly I’m surprised that the stats weren’t higher. There is no historical proof that Jesus was born, lived or died. Even biblical scholars state the presumed birthdate cannot be substantiated. Hence it would make much more sense if the vast and overwhelming majority of those surveyed simply stated “I don’t know”.
The word solstice comes from the Latin solstitium — sol meaning “sun” and stitium “stoppage.” The Winter Solstice marks the shortest day and longest night of the year. From now on, the days begin to grow longer and the nights shorter. In ancient cultures, the winter solstice was an auspicious moment. It meant the end of declining hours of sunlight and provided a sense of renewal as the Sun began its daily climb higher in the sky.
Prior to the Christian era, Romans called Winter Solstice Dies Natalis Invicti Solis, the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun. Earlier in Rome it was the time of Saturnalia, a notoriously wild holiday. In fact there were so many different Sun deities connected with Winter Solstice that the Roman emperor Aurelian (@270 AD) officially rolled them all into one single festival and proclaimed December 25 “The Birthday of the Sun”.
In 46 BC the winter solstice fell around December 25th. Despite calendar reforms, these celebrations — and the observance of christmas by early christians — remained locked to the 25th.
I think that one of my major objections to ‘organised’ religion (certainly in the Christian world) is that they use an “authorised” version of the Bible - the King James. This implies that there was something in the previous version he didn’t like, so he changed it. But we are still told that the Bible is the Word of God. But how can it be? And how many times was it changed before King James got his hands on it? This continues all the way back to the guy that originally wrote the story 2,000 years ago. Does this mean that today’s storytellers, in 2,000 years time, will be held as writing accounts of true events?
To me the Bible - and similar works, pick your religion - were simply tales told as entertainment that happen to have survived the test of time. I don’t believe any of it really happened.
Of course, none of that negates the belief in God. I just don’t think that God happens to conform to the way that Man presumes to protray Him/Her/It.
[Edit by Wolfie: This comment has been edited for clarity]