Jackson, the search function on this forum didn’t work to me. I used google instead…

(Edited: I am not able to paste the google search url in the forum. To I just wrote site:www.centerforinquiery.net/forums+zeitgeist+movie in google)

Here is the first result I got:

http://www.centerforinquiry.net/forums/viewthread/2642/

“The Companion Guide to ZEITGEIST Part 1” E-Book
http://www.stellarhousepublishing.com/zeitgeist.html

erasmusinfinity - 27 December 2007 08:29 AM

Sophos - 26 December 2007 09:09 PM

Although, bear in mind that there was no such thing as circumcision or baptism in Egyptian theology.

—http://www.d.umn.edu/~mcco0322/history_files/image002.jpg

 

Thanks for the links. Erasmus thanks for *.jpg—I was going to ask if you were sure it was not faked but the WWW address looks like it can be checked.

I’ll locate my references to add to this cloud where it isn’t redundant.

I think that some of what is in the Zeitgeist movie (religion section) is true but not all. Part of the Jesus legend is based on previous legends but you can find some WWW sites which claim that all these earlier gods (Horus, Krishna, etc etc) were born of virgins on Dec 25, and yet when you look closer there as some similarities but not such identical stories. So you have to cross-check the Horus stories etc.

Nativity Scene in the Temple of Luxor

“Thousands of years before Mary nursed the baby Jesus, the Madonna and the Child existed in Egypt as Isis holding her infant, Horus. Isis (Sirius) “Virgin of the World.” On the walls of the temple of Luxor, there were carved four scenes adopted by the Gospels:

* The first scene depicts a group of angels on a cloud making the annunciation of the coming of the Messiah King to a band of shepherds in the fields

* The second represents a single angel announcing to a young maiden that she is to be the mother of the awaited Messiah.

* A third pictures the Nativity scene, with the two animals, the ox and the ass, present.

* And the fourth shows three Magi kneeling before a babe and offering gifts, at a date as early as 1700 B.C.
http://tinyurl.com/3dyrdo

Acharya’s article - http://www.truthbeknown.com/luxor.html

Earl Doherty’s thoughts -
http://home.ca.inter.net/~oblio/supp13D.htm

OK Jackson, now you’ve gotten me excited.  He he he.  I am quite confident that it is not faked because I have seen circumcision imagery on the walls of temples in Egypt myself.  I also have reputable Egyptology reference books at home with similar images.  The scene that I have posted is just one of many.

The Egyptian king list can be found HERE.  Its validity is extremely accurate, being literally written on the walls of virtually every Egyptian tomb.  Amenhotep IV (or Ahkenaten) was Pharaoh from roughly 1350-1334 BC.  The time of the Exodus, according to Exodus, is usually calculated within the span of a few decades after.

During his reign, Ahkenaten officially changed Egypt’s pagan religion to a monotheistic one that placed a single Sun God, which he called “The Aten” as the sole god of the universe.  He moved the capitol to Tel El Amarna.  The site of this capitol can be visited and the web site for it is HERE.  Immediately upon Akhenaten’s death, the previous pagan religion was reinstated, the capitol was returned to its previous location, and much of Akhenaten’s monuments to The Aten were defaced.  Ahkenaten was subsequently branded as the “heretic king” in later dynasties.

So, there is a clear chronological connection between the last remnants of this cult and the Exodus.  Also, according to “The Bible” the exodus involved the crossing of the Red Sea (which supposedly parted) and not a crossing of the geographical land connection to Israel in the North.  This places the point of departure precisely within the vicinity of where residual monotheistic sun cults were active.  The dance around the golden calf corresponded to common dances around golden calves made in pagan Egypt in honor of the Apis bulls and/or the bull goddess Hathor.  These clearly would have been deemed “false gods” by monotheistic sun worshipers.  Here is a picture of a “golden calf.”  Such artifacts abound in modern day Egypt.

It strikes me as the most plausible theory that the jewish religion began as something of a splinter of this original Aten cult.

To deny influence because the sources are not exact depictions of what came later seems silly to me.

Inspiration for myths comes from a variety of sources.  It seems very likely to me that the myths of the bible were at least inspired by what came before.  Concepts derived from previous metaphysical theories surely had some influence.

Even today, people have revised existing religious doctrine to fit their current beliefs, or goals.  I consider these all to be evolved from some lineage of myth, dating far into history.

It did not begin with the Christ myth, and does not end there.

erasmusinfinity, can you get ahold of some photos of the Nativity scene at Luxor from your Egyptologist friend? I see several drawings but I’ve yet to see a real photo.

Robert Price did a whole (2 part podcast) with the Minnesota atheists call Parallel Myths or something like that.  He sees the Jesus myth as being rewritten myth also.  He relates the story to previous myths.

Hi Freethinka, glad to see you here!  Don’t forget to introduce yourself to everyone.

I did a google image search and found these on the internet via http://www.tonh.net/theosofie/hpb_cw_online/articles/v8/y1887_048.htm.  They are very difficult to see, but its all I can find for now.

SCENES OF THE ANNUNCIATION AND OF THE QUEEN CONDUCTED TO THE BIRTHROOM.

SCENE OF THE DIVINE BIRTH
ON THE SAME WEST WALL, IMMEDIATELY TO THE RIGHT OF THE PREVIOUS SCENES.

Those are hard to see and not much better on the site.  :(  Are the other pics what is on the wall?

I sure wish I could provide better pictures.  For what it’s worth, I have been to Luxor temple and seen them.  But then again, I’m just some guy on the internet so I’ll need better evidence than that.  I’ll keep my eyes out.  No pun for Horus intended

“The Companion Guide to Zeitgeist, Part 1, by Acharya S is an absolute must for anyone who wishes to fully understand the significance of the movie.”

“Well-referenced, with numerous quotations from renowned Egyptologists and classical scholars, Acharya’s penetrating research clearly lays out the very ancient pre-Christian basis of modern Christianity. Those who espouse Christianity beware! After digesting the evidence, you will never again view your religion in the same light.”

Robert M. Schoch, Ph.D.
Professor of Natural Science
College of General Studies at Boston University
Author, Pyramid Quest, Voyages of the Pyramid Builders and Voices of the Rocks

Sophos - 26 December 2007 08:44 PM

If you haven’t heard of the film, you may do just that at http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com

This movie attacks Christianity directly, and the religious institution as a whole indirectly in its first part, and in the other 2 parts goes into a rant about a 9/11 and World Banker conspiracy theory, respectively. But I would like to discuss the first part, that attacks religion.

Now, after I saw the film, I realized that they were actually making some pretty tall claims.

Zeitgeist goes way overboard and into la-la land.  And I too did my own research and found a lot of the movie’s claims were gross exaggerations or mischaracterizations of reality.

It’s a shame because the topic of the monetary system is very relevant.  I did an interview with Paul Grignon, author of “Money as Debt” and he buys into the Zeitgeist hype, but his documentary on the subject of money as debt doesn’t have all the bizzaro conspiracy theory stuff and is a better choice to watch.

“ZEITGEIST, Part 1” Debunked? NOT!
http://tbknews.blogspot.com/2008/04/zeitgeist-refuted-not.html