I don't know how many people here have watched the Zeitgeist films, but the first part of the first film talks about religion and kind of takes apart Christianity and other religions, explaining that they're generally just a personification of the sun.
A new academic paper was written further elaborating on the first part of the film. In case anyone out there is interested on the history of religion, thought you might enjoy this
(also watch the Zeitgeist films for sure... they do a great job illustrating what we're doing wrong, and where we could go from here using a RBE like the Venus Project)
I'd say I'm not big on the first film- I have heard many parts dealing with religion are flat-out wrong, but I think there is enough "truth" to the last two films to paint a good picture of where society is right now and the different paths it may take. I can't say I'm anythng but self-educated on this so I suppose I'm open to different insights.
Yes, I have. Some good points are made; but, from what I have learned from other sources, some of their claims are a bit specious. I think Bart Ehrman has commented on this. I cannot be sure it was him. I will have to look into it further.
One of the first books I read when I started questioning my faith was '101 Myths of the Bible' by Gary Greenberg. It shows how ancient myths of the time influenced/inspired the Biblical stories. I found it very illuminating.