Project Gutenberg 1998-12-01 Public domain in the USA. 350 Carpenter, Edward 1844 1929 Pagan and Christian Creeds: Their Origin and Meaning Charles Keller and David Widger Updated: 2022-11-26. "Pagan and Christian Creeds: Their Origin and Meaning" by Edward Carpenter is a scholarly exploration of the origins and implications of various religious beliefs and practices, likely written during the late 19th century. The work delves into the connections between pagan and Christian traditions, arguing that Christianity does not exist in isolation, but rather shares foundational similarities with older pagan rituals and mythologies. Carpenter presents this as a way to understand the evolution of human consciousness through stages of belief and ritual. At the start of the book, Carpenter sets the stage for his analysis by discussing the complex nature of religion, examining how various explanations for religious origins have evolved over time. He emphasizes the role of fear and self-consciousness in shaping religious thought, suggesting that early religions were predominantly influenced by observable natural phenomena, such as the movements of celestial bodies and seasonal changes. Carpenter introduces the idea that religious symbolism, including the significance of rites associated with seasonal changes and the human experience, has remained consistent throughout history, linking ancient pagan practices to modern Christianity. This opening establishes a foundational framework for the rest of the text, inviting readers to reconsider the connections between the sacred traditions of the past and modern beliefs. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 50.9 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read. en Religion Mythology Paganism Christianity and other religions BL Text Paganism Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore Category: History - Religious Category: Philosophy & Ethics Category: Religion/Spirituality 675883 2025-07-01T09:53:55.594726 text/html 681451 2022-11-26T02:57:04 text/html 493712 2025-07-01T09:54:01.068688 application/epub+zip 493555 2025-07-01T09:53:56.303708 application/epub+zip 327165 2025-07-01T09:53:55.953732 application/epub+zip 634388 2025-07-01T09:54:05.348733 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 623356 2025-07-01T09:54:00.776726 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 512480 2022-09-01T11:24:10.042319 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 603096 2025-07-01T09:53:55.255739 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 602790 2022-11-26T02:58:18 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 19637 2025-07-01T09:54:05.476659 application/rdf+xml 13540 2025-07-01T09:53:56.043729 image/jpeg 1776 2025-07-01T09:53:55.998702 image/jpeg 235321 2022-11-26T02:58:44 application/octet-stream application/zip 613377 2022-11-26T02:59:03 application/octet-stream application/zip 613433 2025-07-01T09:53:55.647714 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia