Zeitgeist - AHB

After my last blog I figured it would be appropriate to review the film Zeitgeist and consider some of its ideas and messages. Unfortunately, as we all know, the internet connection here is pretty atrocious, so this is in no way meant to be a review of the entire film (I'm streaming it online). The film begins by a quote that effectively sums up the main contention in the film: "They must find it difficult . . . Those who have taken authority as the truth, rather than truth as the authority." What the filmmakers go on to do is investigate a lot of different claims of truth made by politicians and religious figures. On the one hand this movie feels like an absurd conspiracy-theory, but I don't think that it so be so readily dismissed. For one thing this short film has become huge in certain circles, and is interesting for that reason if nothing else.

Part I of the film investigates the central claims of Christianity. The primary message is that very few of Christianity's central claims are original. Most were taken from Pagan and Egyptian religious beliefs and practices. Principally, Pagan religions focused on the sun and the twelve constellations of the Zodiac. The Sun was seen as the divine messenger between God and earth/mankind. The Egyptian's built on to this belief by turning the generic Sun-God into Horus (3000 BC). Horus was also the God of light, and he was locked in a titanic struggle against the "prince of darkness" (so to speak) Set. Their battle took place daily which explained the rising and setting of the sun. There are also many other similarities that Horus shares with Christ: born of a virgin on Dec. 25th (obviously Christ's birth in this sense is traditional rather than actual), worshiped as a babe by 3 kings underneath a peculiar star, became a teacher at 12, began public ministry at 30, and gathered 12 disciples who helped him perform miracles and walk on water. Horus was betrayed, crucified, dead for three days, and then resurrected.

Following this discussion of Horus the film goes on to demonstrate that many other religious deities (Krishna, Attis, Dionysus, Mithra) had these same characteristics, so much so that it is nearly impossible to know who came first. The point is that these "solar messiahs" have existed throughout human history, and Christ is only the most recent among many. The whole system is entirely astrological, but I won't go into the whole explanation here.

If we assume that myths are an extremely essential part of human life, we must ask ourselves another question: which myth do we believe? Are all religions just a reinterpretation of this main theme? And if so, why ascribe to Christianity before all others?

There will always be rounds and rounds of arguments over claims like this - and I am in no way saying that I buy in to the contention made in this film. Here, for example, is a religious studies professor making counter-claims - http://singinginthereign.blogspot.com/2007/07/zeitgeist-movie-is-christianity.html - The point I want to make is that it is so difficult to determine truth in these kinds of circumstances. Some might say that this creates the need for myth, but what is that myth supposed to make us feel? Should we believe any religious claims simply on the basis that they give our lives a false sense of worth? Most arguments like this make me want to forget the whole damn thing.