EASTER BASKET
Longtime Real Art readers know that I don't really care for Easter, but here it is again, so what can you do? I'm putting on my bunny suit and bonnet and putting together a nice little basket filled with eggs and chocolate!
First, courtesy of J. Orlin Grabbe (and I must give a tip of the hat to my buddy Kevin for getting me interested in this subject to begin with), a feature that makes the existence of an actual Jesus Christ as seen in the Bible seem unlikely:
PAGAN CHRISTS
Q: Where did the dying-reborn God myth start?
A: Asia minor. The ancient Greeks and Romans inherited and adapted Gods from ancient Asia Minor (Assyria, Babylon, Phrygia, Persia, Mesopotamia, Egypt, places like that). These old-ancient religions were pretty basic Mother Earth, cycle-of-nature affairs. You probably won't be surprised to hear Mother Earth religions had Gods who personified the cycle-of-nature by dying in the autumn and being reborn in the spring. We don't know exactly when these dying-reborn Gods began -- they date back thousands of years, basically fading into prehistory.
We do know their names, and some of their rituals. And we can trace the evolution of their ideas to Greece and Rome -- and on to the church in your neighborhood this weekend. Amazing, huh?
By the time of Jesus of Nazareth, as for centuries before, the Mediterranean world roiled with a happy diversity of creeds and rituals. Details varied according to location and culture, but the general outlines of these faiths were astonishingly similar. Roughly speaking the ancients' gods:
Were born on or very near our Christmas Day.
Were born of a Virgin-Mother.
Were born in a Cave or Underground Chamber.
Led a life of toil for Mankind.
Were called by the names of Light-bringer, Healer, Mediator, Savior, Deliverer.
Were however vanquished by the Powers of Darkness.
And descended into Hell or the Underworld.
Rose again from the dead, and became the pioneers of mankind to the Heavenly world.
Founded Communions of Saints, and Churches into which disciples were received by Baptism.
Were commemorated by Eucharistic meals.
Click here for the rest.
Along these lines, and again courtesy to J. Orlin Grabbe, I present part 3 in my "Famous Stoners in History" series:
Jesus 'healed using cannabis'
Jesus was almost certainly a cannabis user and an early proponent of the medicinal properties of the drug, according to a study of scriptural texts published this month. The study suggests that Jesus and his disciples used the drug to carry out miraculous healings.
The anointing oil used by Jesus and his disciples contained an ingredient called kaneh-bosem which has since been identified as cannabis extract, according to an article by Chris Bennett in the drugs magazine, High Times, entitled Was Jesus a Stoner? The incense used by Jesus in ceremonies also contained a cannabis extract, suggests Mr Bennett, who quotes scholars to back his claims.
Click here for the rest.
So...Jesus didn't so much perform miracles as get people high on dope. Amazing! Speaking of getting high, I must observe that Easter is a day when millions of people indulge in the relatively safe and legal high that comes from munching on chocolate. So, as a public service, I offer (again courtesy J. Orlin Grabbe):
The Science of Chocolate
General sweetness aside, there are various chemical elements specific to chocolate that may help to stimulate cravings. In fact, chocolate contains over 300 chemicals and it is not known how all of these affect humans.
And
Several more obscure chocolate ingredients seem to act by affecting the brain's own neurotransmitter network.
Neurotransmitters are the chemical messengers of the brain. They work by transporting electrical signals between nerve cells. These signals cause changes in the sensations and emotions that we experience.
And
The same is true of anandamide, the current favourite candidate for a psychoactive chocolate ingredient. Anandamide is a neurotransmitter that targets the same brain structures as THC, the active ingredient in cannabis. But to make a substantial impact on the brain's own natural anandamide levels, experts estimate you would need to eat several kilos of chocolate!
Click here for the rest.
And what kind of Real Art Easter would it be without a link to my Easter-bashing essay from a couple of years ago:
EASTER GRINCH
The resurrection is the most important Biblical point for Christians. It seemingly supersedes even the first and second greatest commandments according to Christ, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” and “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
I just can’t get into the concept of the resurrection and it’s not just because I have trouble believing that it happened. The older I get, the more I experience I gain, the more problematic the notions of good and evil, punishment and reward, and personal responsibility and personal choice become to me.
Click here for more.
Hoppy Easter!
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