Alkahest
Banned
Hey everyone!
Every once in a while you see threads where people ask if the Mithraic/Orphic/Eleusian/Isiac/Whateveric Mysteries could become a major religion. Now, the suggested methods of having Mithra or Dionysus or Orpheus or Cybele replace Jesus often, to me, seem to go against the whole concept of a "mystery cult". Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and other successful religions that have swept the world turned toward a mass audience, while the mysteries were reserved (in many cases, I'm fully aware that just calling something a "mystery cult" is often an over-simplification) for a relatively small number of initiates.
How can we make true "mysteries" last longer? How can Orpheus not replace Jesus, but remain a perfectly valid alternative on the spiritual marketplace? How can we break the monotheistic monopoly?
Every once in a while you see threads where people ask if the Mithraic/Orphic/Eleusian/Isiac/Whateveric Mysteries could become a major religion. Now, the suggested methods of having Mithra or Dionysus or Orpheus or Cybele replace Jesus often, to me, seem to go against the whole concept of a "mystery cult". Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and other successful religions that have swept the world turned toward a mass audience, while the mysteries were reserved (in many cases, I'm fully aware that just calling something a "mystery cult" is often an over-simplification) for a relatively small number of initiates.
How can we make true "mysteries" last longer? How can Orpheus not replace Jesus, but remain a perfectly valid alternative on the spiritual marketplace? How can we break the monotheistic monopoly?