|
Rules of Attraction, The (2002)
IMDB rating: 6.60
Plot: Camden College. Sean Bateman (James Van Der Beek) is the younger brother of depraved Wall Street broker Patrick Bateman. He’s also a drug dealer who owes a lot of money to “fellow” dealer Rupert Guest (Clifton Collins, Jr.), as well as a well-known womanizer, for he sleeps with nearly half of the female population on campus. Lauren Hynde (Shannyn Sossamon) is, technically, a virgin. She’s saving herself for her shallow boyfriend, Victor Johnson (Kip Pardue), who’s left the States to backpack across Europe. Her slutty roommate, Lara (Jessica Biel), has the hots for Victor as well. Paul Denton (Ian Somerhalder), who used to date Lauren, is openly bisexual and attracted to Mitchell Allen (Thomas Ian Nicholas), who’s dating Candice (Clare Kramer) to prove to Paul that he’s not gay. Sean loves Lauren. Paul loves Sean. And Lauren may love Sean.
|
Directors: Avary Roger
Actors: Sossamon Shannyn,James Van Der Beek,Ian Somerhalder,Bosworth Kate,Biel Jessica,Pardue Kip,Comedy,Drama,Romance,Thriller,
Religious questions. Hate mail Welcome just don't be too mean.?
The belief in "god" seems to be ubiquitous through the ages.
We know, for example, that the ancient Egyptians believed in their gods so fervently that they built massive structures like the Great Pyramid — still today one of the largest and most enduring human constructions ever created. Despite that fervor, however, we know with complete certainty today that the Egyptian gods were imaginary. We don’t build pyramids anymore and we do not mummify our leaders.
More recently we know that tens of millions of Romans worshiped Jupiter and his friends, and to them they built magnificent temples. The ruins of these temples are popular tourist attractions even today. Yet we know with complete certainty that these gods were imaginary because no one worships Zeus any more.
Much more recently, we know that the Aztec civilization believed in their gods so intensely that they constructed huge temples and pyramids. In addition, Aztecs were so zealous that they were sacrificing hundreds of human beings to their gods as recently as the 16th century. Despite the intensity, however, we know today that these gods were completely imaginary. The Aztecs were insane to be murdering people for their gods. Killing a person has no effect on rainfall or anything else. We all know that. If the Aztec gods were real, we would still be offering sacrifices to them.
Today’s "God" is just as imaginary as were these historical gods. The fact that millions of people worship a god is meaningless.
The "God" and the "Jesus" that Christians worship today are actually amalgams formed out of ancient pagan gods. The idea of a "virgin birth", "burial in a rock tomb", "resurrection after 3 days" and "eating of body and drinking of blood" had nothing to do with Jesus. All of the rituals in Christianity are completely man-made. Christianity is a snow ball that rolled over a dozen pagan religions. As the snowball grew, it freely attached pagan rituals in order to be more palatable to converts. You can find accounts like these in popular literature:
* "The vestiges of pagan religion in Christian symbolic are undeniable. Egyptian sun disks became the halos of Catholic saints. Pictogram’s of Isis nursing her miraculously conceived son Horus became the blueprint for our modern images of the Virgin Mary nursing Baby Jesus. And virtually all the elements of the Catholic ritual – the miter, the altar, the doxology, and communion, the act of "God-eating" – were taken directly from earlier pagan mystery religions."
* "Nothing in Christianity is original. The Christian God Mithra’s – called the Son of God and the Light of the World – was born on December 25, died, was buried in a rock tomb, and then resurrected in three days. By the way, December 25 is also the birthday or Osiris, Adonis, and Dionysus. The newborn Krishna was presented with gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Even Christianity’s weekly holy day was stolen from the pagans."
It is extremely hard for a Christian believer to process this data, but nonetheless it is true. All of the "sacred rituals" of Christianity, and all of Christianity’s core beliefs (virgin birth, resurrection, etc.) come straight from pagan religions that were popular around the time of Jesus. Articles like this and this can help you learn more. Once you understand the fundamental truth of Christianity’s origins, the silliness of this whole thing becomes apparent.
Obviously the pagan believers, from whom Christianity derived its myths, worshiped gods that were imaginary. And thus our "God" today is just an extension of these imaginary forerunners. All human gods are imaginary.
These Facts are True, This Is what I believe Christianity is. I want the opinions of other people. I know, That This seems biased, and I probably am a little biased but, So are a lot of christians too. So don’t bother with the Prejudices of atheists.
=Rules=
1) Please don’t try to expose loopholes or something like that to get around the question. That doesn’t answer the Question.
2) Don’t say it’s not comparable either. I get that A lot with these questions and they never seem answer them.
Uhh there’s been a lot of stupid people answering this questions and I can tell most of you didn’t even read through the whole explanation.
*snores* huh wha? im sorry i fell asleep reading the long piece of crud in front of me.
Colin | Nov 16, 2009
What IS the question?
Rachel | Nov 16, 2009
dont give me orders….my mom is dead. You arent her..JESUS IS THE TRUE RELIG…OTHERS ARE FLSE THAT DENY HIM BEING SAVIOR….WE USE THE SAME DAYS BUT WE ARE NOT WORSHIPING HEATHEN GODS…BIG DIFFERENCE..
WAY TOO LONG….KEEP IT SHORT
Fireball | Nov 16, 2009
Well, I’d go get my miner’s helmet and dig through that absurdly long novel you decided to write, but honestly I just don’t care that much.
Eye of Mars | Nov 16, 2009
<<The "God" and the "Jesus" that Christians worship today are actually amalgams formed out of ancient pagan gods>>
Or perhaps they were primitive forms of understanding that had not yet been enlightened. The pagans knew there was a God, but couldn’t get it right. Not until Abraham, were people finally able to grasp the truth of One God.
I don’t agree with the assumption that since pagans worshiped a certain way, they own everything they did, and anyone who does it after wards derives their beliefs from paganism. That is just limited.
When you are a child you know some things, and some things you do not yet understand. But the fact that you do not understand it, does not mean it does not exist. As human beings have grown in their understanding of God, they have changed in how they worship. Looking at the word of God, what you see is God leading his people forward out of the darkness and into the light. Abraham’s parents were pagans, and yet Abraham was called out. He took the next step.
So, no I don’t see Christianity as just warmed over paganism. I see paganism, as man’s first feeble attempts to hear and know God.
Misty | Nov 16, 2009
The claim of pagan influence is always one so clumsily overstretched, and sometimes blantantly falsified (see Zeitgeist). Amazingly, no one ever actually sources these claims.
Tom Z | Nov 16, 2009
Yes of course religious beliefs and practices are developmental all of human existence is, we can only understand something in context of what we have known and what we know now. We have no way of looking into the future, we can only look to the past. All this means is as people and societies grew and developed their beliefs and practices came to a new understanding or a new way of being and most of the past was abandoned. Of course some vestiges remain.
However none of this is counter to the existence of God ( as you try to make the leap), it is only counter to our previous perceptions of God.
To jump to such conclusions as saying therefore their Gods were imaginary or God now is imaginary is neither reasonable or logical. WIll our Perception and religious practices and beliefs change. I am sure of it. When it does will it carry vestiges still from the path of course.
What you point out here is simply no more then the developmental process of people, not anything about the accuracy or existence of God.
titania_woodland_fairy_queen | Nov 16, 2009
You could have left out the Egyptians/Romans/Aztecs in your article, made it too long so the people that really "should" read it are not likely to. They probably aren’t anyway, I suppose, but do make it easier just in case.
Basically, over the last few years, I have seen all of the stuff you’ve presented and you are correct. Would have liked to see some sources/citations included though. Would probably learn some new sources for my own readings. I am e-mailable if you would like to exchange resource material, we might both gain from it.
Eclectic Heretic | Nov 16, 2009
I can’t tell what your question is (or most of what you were saying) but I could tell you think that christianity is fake and a copy of fake religions. This is not true. I am biased (that is true), but that is because I know the truth. I am a christian! I don’t know why there are similarities to other religions, but I do know that christianity is not fake! Neither is worshiping the devil for a matter of fact! The devil and God are real, and they both know that they exist. Maybe the other (false) religions that you brought up just got there base off of christianity. Many of the things that Jesus did were predicted in the old testament quite a while before He came to the earth. He also was not born on Dec. 25th! that is just the date that we have chosen to celebrate His birth. Alot of the christian artwork was inspired by other art. To say that because they copied anothers religion so there for it must be false is absurd! Christianity is not based on paintings! and the saints are not anything more than mere humans like me and you. email me at maxmiller610@yahoo.com and I can try to answer your other questions the best I can
John F. | Nov 16, 2009
One thing wrong with your logic is that when you mention Jupiter, etc. Christianity was around during that time. 2,000 years later Jupiter, Mithra, etc. are all gone yet Jesus still lives. If you consider both the Old and New Testament then the principles and prophecies of Christianity has been around for 5,000 years, yet the religion is still here. Should have disappeared by your "fade over time" analysis.
What is more Christianity is full of prophecies, predictions about future events. What does the Bible say about the middle east, that affects us still today? Surely in your analysis you should be able to cast aside the prophecies of Christianity, but for some reason you have chosen not to.
Truth to the matter is that everything you say, is just your opinion. There have been millions of minds greater than yours that have accepted Christianity. When you talk about science, you will find really significant contributions in science and mathematics, made by Christians. You can talk about genetics founded by the priest Mendel or the Big Bang formulated by the priest Georges Lemaitre. Can you calculate anything about the stars without using the theories founded by Christians like Newton, Galilieo, Copernicus, Kepler? I think you can not. When you throw in philosophy, music, art, mathematics, and any other academic subject,again you will find significant contributions made by Christians. In lieu of this, what reason should anyone care about your opinions? You don’t even bother to substantiate anything you have said with the scientific method. Funny thing is that if you did, you would be using once again a conception made by a Chrisitan, Francis Bacon.
ignoramus_the_great | Nov 16, 2009
I think that it is important to acknowledge that these attacks are against all Christians and not just Catholics, although they attack Catholicism in particular. Some seem to be suggesting that if it had not been for syncretism between pagan religions and Catholicism that all Christians would be Arians based on the information that some pagan religions had beliefs similar to Christian Trinitarian beliefs therefore the Trinity is wrong and Arius was right. If I was to list all of the pagan religions that believed in oneness as did Arius and his modern day heretical followers, would that prove that Arius was influenced by Pagans and thus heretical for his beliefs and practices? I pray all can see the folly of such arguments. Are we to accept such comparisons which persuade only by their volume those that are ignorant and not on the truthfulness and application of the comparisons but on the gullibility and prejudice of the hearer?
Other claims are not based on pagan religious practices but on Platonic philosophy. Certainly there was an influence of Greek philosophical thought in the early Church as the early Christians even in Jerusalem had contact with the diaspora Jews who were the early converts to Christianity. St. Paul was one of them. However, the argument for Hellenistic influence falls apart when one realizes that Jesus taught what would be understood to be Hellenistic influence if it was not for the realization that it was not only the Greek
