ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY THEN AND NOW: 9 Sites of Cult Massacres and Suicides

Having entered the Christmas season, we ask those who find the work of the Mystagogy Resource Center beneficial to them to help us continue our work with a generous financial gift as you are able. As an incentive, we are offering the following booklet.

In 1909 the German philosopher Arthur Drews wrote a book called "The Myth of Christ", which New Testament scholar Bart D. Ehrman has called "arguably the most influential mythicist book ever produced," arguing that Jesus Christ never existed and was simply a myth influenced by more ancient myths. The reason this book was so influential was because Vladimir Lenin read it and was convinced that Jesus never existed, thus justifying his actions in promoting atheism and suppressing the Orthodox Church in the Soviet Union. Moreover, the ideologues of the Third Reich would go on to implement the views of Drews to create a new "Aryan religion," viewing Jesus as an Aryan figure fighting against Jewish materialism.

Due to the tremendous influence of this book in his time, George Florovsky viewed the arguments presented therein as very weak and easily refutable, which led him to write a refutation of this text which was published in Russian by the YMCA Press in Paris in 1929. This apologetic brochure titled "Did Christ Live? Historical Evidence of Christ" was one of the first texts of his published to promote his Neopatristic Synthesis, bringing the patristic heritage to modern historical and cultural conditions. With the revival of these views among some in our time, this text is as relevant today as it was when it was written.

Never before published in English, it is now available for anyone who donates at least $20 to the Mystagogy Resource Center upon request (please specify in your donation that you want the book). Thank you.

April 27, 2010

9 Sites of Cult Massacres and Suicides

By NileGuide

Cult. For you, the word may conjure up images of The Rocky Horror Picture Show or Kevin Smith’s Clerks, but there’s a big difference between cult classics and classic cults. The former are fun, lovable, and infinitely re-playable pieces of nearly pop culture. The latter are scary, overzealous, and fanatic organizations that reap real harm on victims and their families.

Cults have existed for as long as people have been getting together and listening sincerely to the most charming guy in the room. In modern times, we’ve seen a resurgence of charismatic religious prophets guiding their flocks with drug-induced visions of apocalyptic futures. Race wars, judgment days, alien infiltration; all are fair game for tall tales that will get a large group of people to commit horrible acts like mass suicide or massacre. Let’s take a look at some of the most infamous destructive cults, where to find their headquarters, and what to do while you’re touring the abodes of those bat-guano crazy cult leaders.

Read the list of macabre tourist sites here.