I had the chance to watch the new film, Heretic when it premiered on MAX a few days back. It’s a very well-acted film. It kind of remined me of the films that were being created during the pandemic, where the entire feature would showcase only two or three or four actors in order to keep interpersonal exposure down. This film is very much like that.
 
For those of you who know me, you know, I am not into horror, slasher, gore, or psychological thriller films where people get hurt either physically or mentally. That’s just not my scene. Unfortunately, this was the underlying premise of this movie. But, that’s not what struck me the most about this film…
 
To tell the story, and the movement of realization that led to this blog, the lead character in this movie, played by Hugh Grant, turned out to be one of those people who tears into the history of religion in order to find its essence and/or possible truth. At one point in the film, he confronts the two Mormon young ladies, who came to him on their mission of conversion, with the fact that it wasn’t just Jesus who was born to a virgin mother on the 25th of December, but several other religious figures, as well.   
 
The fact is, a number of religious icons are purported to have been born to a virgin mother on that day, include, (in the order of history): Horus, The Buddha, Krishna, Zarathustra, Hercules, Mithra, Dionysus, Thammuz, Hermes, and Adonis, all born before Jesus.
 
As we are watching the film, my lady blurts out, “I didn’t know that!” Wow, that so surprised me. I thought everyone knew that.
 
But, and as I said, this is what caused be to write this piece, realizing the fact that so few people know very little about the true history of their religion, and other religions. Me, I have studied and deep dived into the history of Christianity and other religions forever. I find it really interesting.
 
Now, I’m not trying to piss off any Christian here, but the facts are the facts. Just like in any new religion, ideas and ideologies are borrowed from previous religions. In the case of Christianity, the Gnostic religions and certainly Judaism played a very large influence. Jesus was a Jew, just like The Buddha was a Hindu.
 
The plot of this film was that Grant’s character concluded that the ultimate purpose of religion is, control. All religions are based upon fabricated untruths to reach that plateau. But, from that, and because of that, came the part of the film I did not like, a lot of mind fucking and gore.
 
I know in the Christian faith one of the key components spoken to all adherents is, “Just have faith,” or, “You must have faith.” And, that’s great! Great, if that is what you want to have.
 
I mean, think about it, religion has played the biggest role in the All and the Everything of humanity since the dawn of time. And, faith has helped a lot of people through a lot of things, via whatever religion that individual follows.
 
Me, I have more of an analytical mind. I like to trace things to their source. I like to the know the origins of the truths that are purported to be spoken. But, that’s just me. That’s just my investigative mind. But, I do not want to use any of that to, “Control,” anyone like in that film.
 
Mostly, this is just something for you to think about. What do you know about what you believe you know?  Do you know the historical origin of what you believe; not just based on what your scripture(s) tell you, but on the historic facts of the facts?
 
Think about it… Why do you believe what you believe? And, how truthful is the truth of what you believe?
 
PS: My lady made a funny comment in the midst of all of this, “With IVF, can’t a woman be a virgin mother?”