In the New Testament of Christian Bible, a provocative and most serious challenge is laid on the whole of Christianity. Since it bears directly on our subject, we will quote it: "...if Christ be not risen, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is also in vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God. And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins." (I Cor 15:14, 15, & 17)
In the New Testament there is a warning given to all who would build a house. Namely, before you lay the foundation, find out what the foundation itself will rest on - solid rock, or sand? The reason is obvious ... or said another way; "You need to stand under the foundation to get a true under-standing!"
THE FOUNDATIONS Let's closely examine the original, conceptual foundations of the faith, and then decide "...if Christ be not risen. " But in order to do that, we must go back, not 2.000 years to the birth of Christ, but 8 to 10,000 years to the birth of modern man. For when one seeks to establish foundations, one must begin at the beginning.
Many thousands of years ago in what we refer to as the the "primordial world" of the ancients, human life was a far different experience to that which we enjoy today. While it is true that we have less documentation on that prehistoric world than we have on our own age, ample enough is known from the ancient writings to paint a rather clear picture of our primitive ancestry. If we have learned anything at all, it is this: The more we change, the more we stav the same. And nowhere is this more clearly demonstrated than in the history of man's quest for "God", and the ancient religion we still keep holy today.
According to the best understanding we have gleaned from the available records, life for our ancient forefathers was a mixture of wonder and fear. Each day, just finding food for one's family without becoming a meal yourself for the roaming predatory animals, was a life and death struggle. (If you have ever ventured out on a cold night with insufficient clothing, and without friend or family near, you could quickly see how fearful the dark, cold primordial nights could be) And then came winter!
It was from these meager, distressful conditions of the human race that our long history of the search for God and meaning has come. Any evolution, at it's most accelerated rate, is always agonisingly slow. But from the beginning, man's' profound questions demanded answers. When no clear answers were forthcoming from the universe, man turned inward, and developed his own. Keep in mind that all the theological teachings of the Western World were developed in the Northern Hemisphere. The study of this subject is properly called - "Astro-Theology" or, "The Worship of the Heavens".
ASTRO-THEOLOGY This is the first, original, and therefore the oldest, and most respected story on Earth! It did not take ancient man very long to decide that in this world the single greatest enemy to be feared was the darkness of night, and all the unknown dangers that came with it. Simply stated, man's first enemy was darkness.
Understanding this one fact alone, people can readily see why the greatest and most trustworthy friend the human race could ever have was by far, heaven's greatest gift to the world ... that Glorious Rising Orb of Day: ... the SUN
With this simple truth understood, we can now begin to unravel an ancient and wonderful story. Today, as in all mankinds' history, it has once again been told anew.
Modern-day Christianity has often belittled our ancient ancestors who are not here to defend themselves. They falsely accuse that they were nothing more than ignorant worshippers of the sun. Therefore we can, with assurance, summarily dismiss thousands of years of human spirituality as ignominious myth, believed by well-meaning, but gullible primitives. Too much of this kind of spiritual arrogance and religious pride has continued without challenge. The time has come to set matters straight.
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