Mithra and Jesus compared…

Mithra or Mitra is even worshipped as Itu (Mitra-Mitu-Itu) in every house of the Hindus in India. Itu (derivative of Mitu or Mitra) is considered as the Vegetation-deity. This Mithra or Mitra (Sun-God) is believed to be a Mediator between God and man, between the Sky and the Earth. It is said that Mithra or [the] Sun took birth in the Cave on December 25th. It is also believed that Mithra or the Sun-God was born of [a] Virgin. He traveled far and wide. He has twelve satellites, which are taken as the Sun's disciples.... [The Sun's] great festivals are observed in the Winter Solstice and the Vernal Equinox--Christmas and Easter. His symbol is the Lamb....

The Persian priests had their legend of the chief of their religion, and they tell us that prodigies announced his birth. He was exposed to all sorts of danger from his infancy, was obliged to flee into Persia, as Christ was obliged to flee into Egypt; he was pursued as him by a king who wished to destroy him; an angel transported him into the skies, from when they said he brought back the book of the law; as Christ, he was tempted by the devil, who made him magnificent promises, if he would but follow him; he was pursued and calumniated, as Christ, by the Pharisees; he performed miracles, in order to confirm his divine mission and the dogmas contained in his book.

Such was the history of the god Mithra given by the Persians--squaring exactly with the history of Christ given by his worshippers.

Now, Mithra was but a personification of the Sun--and we dare to say, what all intelligent readers will certainly think, that Christ was no more--nay, that the Christian religion is a mere copy of the Persian--a branch of the same allegorical tree.

Because of its evident relationship to Christianity, special attention needs to be paid to the Persian/Roman religion of Mithraism. The worship of the Indo-Persian god Mithras or Mithra dates back centuries or millennia prior to the common era. The god is found as "Mitra" in the Indian Vedic religion, which is over 3,500 years old, by conservative estimates. When the Iranians separated from their Indian brethren, Mitra became known as "Mithra" or "Mihr," as he is called in Persian.

What are we to make of this comparison?

Church Music - Old and New !!!!!!!

A man accustomed to a mainline church went to a seekers' service one Sunday. He came home and his wife asked him how it was. "Well," he said, "it was interesting. They did something different. They sang praise choruses instead of hymns."

"Praise choruses?" said his wife. "What are those?"

"Oh, they're okay, I guess. They're sort of like hymns, only different," said the man.

"What's the difference?" asked his wife.

He replied, "Well, it's like this. If I were to say to you,

'Martha, the cows are in the corn,' that would be a hymn. Suppose, on the other hand, I were to say to you:

'Martha, Martha, Martha, Oh, Martha, MARTHA, MARTHA,

the cows,

the big cows, the brown cows, the black cows, the white cows, the black and white cows,

the COWS, COWS, COWS are in the corn, are in the corn, are in the corn, are in the corn,

the CORN, CORN, CORN.'…..

Then if I were to repeat the whole thing five or six times, that would be a praise chorus."
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As luck would have it, the same Sunday a young woman accustomed to seekers' services attended a mainline service. She came home and her husband asked her how it was.

"Well," she said, "it was interesting. They did something different, however. They sang hymns instead of praise choruses."

"Hymns?" said her husband. "What are those?"

"Oh, they're okay, I guess. They're sort of like regular songs, only different." said the woman.

"What's the difference?" asked her husband.She replied,

"Well, it's like this. If I were to say to you, 'Ernest, the cows are in the corn,' that would be a regular song. Suppose, on the other hand, I were to say to you:

Oh Ernest, dear Ernest, now hear thou my cry;

Incline thine ear to the words of my mouth.

Turn thou thy whole wondrous ear by and by to the righteous, inimitable, glorious truth.

For the way of the animals who can explain?

There is in their heads no shadow of sense!

Hearken they not in God's sun or his rain.

Unless from the mild, tempting corn they are fenced.

Yea, those COWS in glad bovine, rebellious delight broke free from their shackles, their warm pens eschewed.

Then goaded by minions of darkness and night.

They all my mild Chilliwack sweet corn have chewed.

So look to that bright shining day by and by, Where all the corruptions of earth are reborn, Where no vicious animal makes my soul cry, And I no longer see those foul cows in the corn.……

Then, if I were to sing only verses one, three, and four, and if I were to do a key change on the last verse, that would be a hymn."
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(....To each his own !!!!!)