The Pagan Christ - Tapa dura

...a startling look at the pervasiveness of myth, at the way members of all religions are brothers and sisters.--The United Church Observer A thoroughly captivating book...[Harpur] describes and shares his intellectual journey extremely powerfully.--The Globe and Mail A truly remarkable work.--The Edmonton Journal Those who cannot accept literal orthodoxy and those whose spiritual quest is not yet at an end, will find renewed faith and hope in Harpur's brave work.--The Calgary Herald ...a remarkable study into the roots of our conceived beliefs...--The Guelph Mercury Full of convincing research on the parallels between Christianity and ancient religions and philosophies.--Canadian Press The Pagan Christ reminds us that beneath our political and economic systems, beneath both culture and character, lies the spiritual imagination.--The Republic Of special interest to Christians, [The Pagan Christ] provides nourishing food for thought for questing members of all religious faiths. --The Hamilton Spectator The Pagan Christ...challenges complacency and opens new vistas of insight to the serious thinker.--The Toronto Star The message of The Pagan Christ, if we choose to hear it, is ultimately one of hope and liberation.--FFWD

In sharing his personal exploration of spirituality, Tom Harpur has guided thousands of readers on subjects as controversial as the true nature of Christ and life after death. In "The Pagan Christ", his most radical and groundbreaking work to date, Harpur digs deep into the origins of Christianity. What he has discovered will change the way we think about religion. Long before the advent of Christ, the Egyptians and other peoples believed in the coming of a messiah, a Madonna and her child, a virgin birth, and the incarnation of the spirit in flesh. The early Christian church accepted these ancient truths as the very tenets of Christianity, but disavowed their origins. What began as a universal belief system based on myth and allegory became instead a ritualistic institution headed by ultraconservative literalists. As he reconsiders a lifetime of worship and study, Harpur reveals a cosmic faith based on ancient truths that the modern church has renounced. His message is clear: our blind faith in literalism is killing Christianity. Only with a return to an inclusive religion where Christ lives within each of us will we gain a true understanding of who we are and who we are intended to become.