12.22.11

Mithra

A joke or two and then if I may, I would like to say a few words about god. The first joke is sort of dirty so it that's not your thing, leave now. A male's joke, if you will.

Why does a dog lick his balls? The quick answer is usually because he can. The actual answer is because he can't make a fist.


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The next one I told my buddy with the lymphoma because after all you have to laugh, right?
The old man is dying and he calls his son over to him. " Sammy, boychik, you are the apple of your father's eye. I think that I smell your mother's delicious rugelach baking. Be a good son and get your father a piece."
He waits and waits and finally Sammy returns to his bedside empty handed. " Sammy, no rugelach?" "Sorry pops," Sammy says sheepishly. Mom says they are for after the funeral."


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I was talking to my friend M the other day and he kind of made me chuckle. M, like me, is a nonbeliever. I asked him if he knows that the world considers us apostates on the same order as rapists and he corrected me. "That's atheists, I'm agnostic." I started laughing to myself. "You think that you are a rung up, in the clear somehow with these people because you say "I don't know" instead of "no fucking way?" Appears lots of nonbelievers are running with the agnostic tag these days, don't risk the ire of the masses and maybe hedging their bets just in case... Might be a smart move really, they could start rounding nonbelievers up, way things are headed.

I had an old friend come into my office today who has gotten pretty evangelical since his retirement. Great guy. I told him that I was an atheist and he blanched. "I know, I know," I said. "We are as bad as rapists."

I don't know why these people should care if the rest of us have a belief system or not but they evidently do. Should feel happy that I haven't yet been burned at the stake.

My friend told me flat out that he believed that jesus was the son of god. I thought for a moment. Is there a daughter of god? Is there a mom of god? (My mother's favorite swear -Holy mary, mother of god) Does the god family vacation together and where exactly is the heavenly pad? And if god has lived forever does that make him older than his own mother. As you can see, this line of inquiry is pretty deep.

Anyway I hadn't seen my friend in ages and he walked into my shop yesterday and said that he had something to tell me. He says," Do you remember that question that you asked me fifteen years ago? Well, I finally have an answer for you." Well now it was my turn to be befuddled. What question? "You asked me if we christians were still sore att he jews because you killed Christ. The answer is we're not."

Now I don't recall asking but it does sound like a question I might ask, but snarkily and in jest. Should I be worried that it took fifteen years for him to make up his mind?

I told my wife that I had told my old friend today that I was atheist. You're not an atheist she says. You're an agnostic. Safe.

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In the honor of the solstice let us praise the god who had twelve disciples and was raised from the dead. No that one, the other one, the first one, Mithra. 

Mithra was a persian god from approximately 600 b.c. He was born on December 25th as an offspring of the Sun. He was called "the light of the world."Next to the gods Ormuzd and Ahrimanes, Mithra held the highest rank among the gods of ancient Persia. He performed miracles and was known as a great teacher. Mithra was called "the good shepherd, "the way, the truth and the light, redeemer, savior, Messiah." He was identified with both the lion and the lamb. "Mithra owed his prominence to the belief that he was the source of life, and could also redeem the souls of the dead into the better world ... The ceremonies included a sort of baptism to remove sins, anointing, and a sacred meal of bread and water, while a consecrated wine, believed to possess wonderful power, played a prominent part."


He was born of a virgin, crucified, buried in a tomb and after three days he rose again. His resurrection was celebrated every year. Mithra cults were quite popular in Rome way back around year one...

Amazing how things keep coming back around again and again.