Pagan and Christian Creeds: Their Origin and Meaning

CONTENTS Introductory Solar Myths and Christian Festivals The Symbolism of the Zodiac Totem-Sacraments and Eucharists Food and Vegetation Magic Magicians, Kings and Gods Rites of Expiation and Redemption Pagan Initiations and the Second Birth Myth of the Golden Age The Saviour-God and the Virgin-Mother Ritual Dancing The Sex-Taboo The Genesis of Christianity The Meaning of it All The Ancient Mysteries The Exodus of Christianity Conclusion Appendix on the Teachings of the Upanishads I Rest II. The Nature of the Self Index Edward Carpenter (1844-1929) had a Cambridge education, and then joined the church as a curate. He left the church in 1874 and came a lecturer in astronomy. He was born into a wealthy family, but he eschewed the trappings of wealth because he believed that the first step toward Utopia, or the "New Life," was the elimination of the class hierarchy.