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Pagan and Christian Creeds Their Origin and Meaning Edward Carpenter 9781495931031 Books

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Pagan and Christian Creeds Their Origin and Meaning Edward Carpenter 9781495931031 Books

What can I say about this book...I absolutely loved it. I have recommended it to many friends. It has affirmed what I always felt and believed instinctively from a very early age. For anyone interested in Anthropology, Psychology, Pagan belief systems, ancient folklore, and the very important but no longer acknowledged, ancient Pagan origins of religious and cultural traditions that were around long, long before Christianity, but were either covered up by. or sometimes absorbed into Christianity. Please ignore the goofy cover image, this is a very good and thoughtfully written book.

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Pagan and Christian Creeds Their Origin and Meaning Edward Carpenter 9781495931031 Books Reviews

I downloaded this book for free onto my and used the Text Reading feature to listen to it while commuting from work. I have a background in Biblical Literature and Church History and I've seen this book quoted by others as authoritative and felt I should give it some time to listen to, even though I knew going into it that it was coming from a different perspective than my own. You don't learn by just listening to people and tradition you already agree with and so I approached the book with an open, albeit critical frame of mind.

Taking into account that the book is almost 100 years old, it's not particularly fair to measure the book against more recent scholarship in terms of recent findings and analysis. I couldn't help however, including that in my own processing of the book. The themes of the book were pretty consistent and in my opinion, often repetitive with the similarities between Christian and "Pagan" (Greek, Egyptian, Sumerian etc.) traditions and beliefs. There is no question in my mind that the existing religious beliefs of the surrounding cultures related to early Christianity had impact. That's clear in many of the traditions that exist in Christendom. Given this, it wouldn't at all be surprising to find parallels in thinking, theology and spiritual values as well and indeed, Carpenter finds many of them. The traditions of virgin birth, resurrection, substitutionary atonement can be found if one looks hard enough at other traditions and particularly if the seeker is willing to take the time and effort to frame what is found to emphasize the similarities while minimizing the differences.

The common saying goes that correlation isn't necessary causation. What arises in literary, religious or cultural contexts may indeed be a direct import from another source separated by time and geography, or there may be another common source or a similar concept may have arisen in both places with no direct relationship other than the propensity or inclination of common humanity. It's in this arena that I found Carpenter most lacking but I can't necessarily criticize him for that without owning my own bias and proclivity toward a belief that Christianity, particularly in its early forms before being institutionalized, is a form of direct revelation. It doesn't surprise me to see common themes because I believe there are common roots to all cultures that encapsulate these themes within them in different forms and they testify in my understanding in the common revelation found in nature and man's conscience rooted in the image of God. Given that it's not surprising that there would be similar themes in all major religions and cultures.

I'm glad I listened to this work. It was dry in places and as I said repetitive but it also was thoughtful and provided some insights I hadn't been familiar with in the past even though I wasn't completely in line with the associations being made and the conclusions drawn.

3 stars.

bart breen
This is very scholarly and very dry. I think the most apt audience for this book would be college students looking to beef up the bibliography of a humanities term paper.
Not what I expected.
As a historical document, it's a good read, but scholarship in the century since it was written has left its musings not very insightful for modern seekers.
Not what I expected. More of a history lesson than actual info.
I would like to highly recommend this book. I don't even know where to start but I swear it is mind blowing. There is so much more than what meets the eye viewing the title. Aside from the trivial and moot coincidences between Pagan & Christianity that we have faintly heard through our lives; this book delves so much more incredibly deeper than you can possibly imagine.

I read this book on and decided to purchase a paperback edition; that I can reread as well as research the credibility of some of E Carpenters innumerous claims, albeit these claims do not seem too far fetched by any stretch of the imagination. I was awestruck throughout its entirety, it never got boring, and even the appendix at the end is an astonishing addition, as well. It is extremely well written and not written from a narrow minded, bigot point of view; like an atheist on his soap box railing against the church. It appears that he is, without adding personal emotion or otherwise, simply pointing out some interesting discoveries he and others have made. It is clear that he believes in God as well as the necessity of the church, as it has played its part in the evolution of our consciousness.

A few notes that pop out

Nearly every tradition on this Earth has some connection with astrology. Because the humans of antiquity age didn't have a lot on their plate like work, stress, my favorite TV show; it boils down to basically sex and food. So, in regards to the latter, we got very concerned when the sun went south for the winter because it concerned our need for food. Our simplistic minds were worried that it wouldn't come back. That's why so many deities, like Jesus were born around the winter Solstice sun, and why Easter and other similar pagan holidays are celebrated in spring; as it meant the salvation of mankind with the re-growth of crops and the multiplying of animals.

Right now the rising of the sun occurs in the astrology sign of Pieces thus the fish symbol in Christianity. But the 2 thousand years prior to that, it rose in Aries thus the sacrifice of the lamb. Prior to that it was Taurus and that explains why, when Moses took too long talking to the lord; the people fell back upon the old tradition of the Bull thus the Golden Calf.

There have been around 100 ancient deities that were born around Dec 25th of a virgin, suffered for humanity, died went to the underworld or hell and resurrected. The reason for this is that, originally when we were at harmony with the world, nature and the tribe; everyone thought altruistically, what's best for the tribe or the world around us. Then the second phase of conscious evolution came in, what's called self-consciousness; now the altruistic way is abandoned and replaced with "what's in for me, how may I benefit from this" thus Cain kills Able.

So, man now sins against his brother out of selfishness; he is cut of from the tribe. He now, for the first time suffers the pain of separation from the tribe/God. He feels new things, like shame and guilt, and longs to return to the tribe. But a penance is required, a sacrifice must be paid, whether he pays back what he took, shed some of his own blood or sacrifice an animal to share with the tribe; atonement is made thus religious rituals are born.

I could go on for a month but I will give one more account of an aspect I have recently verified. A missionary, Bishop Colenso, trying to teach the gospel to the Zulus found that he was bombarded by questions he could not answer; like the crossing of the Red Sea. Such as these backward Zulus informing him of the following... If you were to place the people of Israel 5 abreast; this would create a train 100 miles long, not to mention the accompanying servants, provisions and all the animals. They wouldn't make it across in a week, let alone in one night.

This missionary, Colenso, full of zeal and excitement returned to Europe to inform the Church of his discovery! He not only discovered that the Church didn't share in his zeal, he also found himself dismissed from his position and labeled a heretic, as was usual practice for our church of the middle ages. I say our church because regardless of which faction of Christianity you cling to, you can trace your roots back to the Roman church.

I cannot stress to you enough, how astonishing this book is. It appears to me, that it is a prelude to Ekert Tolle's "The Power of Now" and most definitely "A New Earth." If Ekert wasn't directly influenced by this book, he most definitely has been indirectly influenced through other means. This book has immediately made its way to my top best 5 books ever. Please read this book.
This book was interesting, and presented various facts related to the similarities among so-called pagan religions and Christianity. There was a lot of verbiage to wade through, however. I managed to get through the whole thing, then sought to find out the date of publication -- it was 1920 !!!
What can I say about this book...I absolutely loved it. I have recommended it to many friends. It has affirmed what I always felt and believed instinctively from a very early age. For anyone interested in Anthropology, Psychology, Pagan belief systems, ancient folklore, and the very important but no longer acknowledged, ancient Pagan origins of religious and cultural traditions that were around long, long before Christianity, but were either covered up by. or sometimes absorbed into Christianity. Please ignore the goofy cover image, this is a very good and thoughtfully written book.