Well,
what do you know; it's almost the 25th of December. But before we greet the Son
of Man on his alleged—and still open for debate—date of birth, let us not
forget the other gods that came before him.
First
off on this list is Krishna, the Supreme Being of the Hindus. He was born of
the virgin Maia on the 25th of December 3228 BC. Ever notice the
similarity of his name with Christ? Krishna in some other texts is also spelled
as Chrishna; which is most like where the title Christ came from. Oh and get
this, when Krishna was born, it was said that Kamsa, the ruler at the time of
his birth sought to kill him because of a prophecy that states Kamsa’s
overhrowing in the hands of Krishna (anyone here remember the story of King
Herod?).
Second
on the list is Tammuz, a deity of the Sumerians. Born as the only begotten son
of Ea on the 25th of December 2600 BC, Tammuz’ mother, Ishtar,
conceived him as a virgin. It was said that because of his beauty while he was
still a baby, the goddesses Aphrodite and Persephone fought for his custody.
Most noteworthy here is that this happened even before custody for babies were
fought in court and that the biological mother has an actual say on who should
have the baby.
Next
off is the Egyptian sun god Horus. Often depicted as one with the falcon’s
head, Horus was born on December 25, 2500 BC. He was born into this world by
the equally important Egyptian goddess Isis, who is—surprise—a virgin.
Then
there’s Mithra, from Persia. Born on the 25th of December 1500 BC,
shepherds witnessed his birth and gave him gifts (Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh
perhaps?). The religion that follows him, Mithraism, teaches of humility,
brotherly love, rite of communion, the use of holy water, and baptism among
many others.
The
last and youngest on this list is Siddhartha Gautama Buddha. Born in India on
the 25th of December, the Buddha does not consider himself a god,
but an enlightened being—one that shows the way to the others. He was exalted
to a god status by some of his followers posthumously. Oh and before I forgot,
his mother Maya was also a virgin when she gave birth to him.
I still know of other gods and metaphysical beings born on the same date in the same
manner (i.e. born of a virgin), but they would just make this a longer post.
I'm
really not a believer for I am an Agnostic. I do not believe in gods, but I
cannot prove nor disprove that they are real or not. In other words, I cannot
claim that a god is real or unreal unless some sort of empirical proof surfaces
and proves either way. Hence, I claim ignorance on the existence and/or
non-existence of gods. But it is an ignorance I am proud of; for in my
ignorance, I shall seek to know, not simply believe that I know just because I’ve
been told to believe to know. I will not be bound by traditions for I do not
believe in them. Likewise, I will not be burdened by the pressure to prove that
a god does not or cannot exist.
 |
| The way religion goes, anyone can be a god. Like Gabe Newell here, who is affectionately called 'Lord Gaben' by the gaming community. |
Kind of a convenient
point of view isn’t it? But I rest my case on that. Maybe what I’m trying to
say is that I will celebrate this holiday not because some god was born but
because its spirit is all about love, generosity, and peace. I don’t care if
you worship this god or that god. The way religions go throughout history, anyone can be a god, given
the right circumstances and time. So long as you don’t force me to believe what
you believe and that you treat me nicely, we’re cool. All the same though, for
all you believers out there: Happy Whatever-Day-You-Believe-It-Is!
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