The same principle still holds.
I'm not so sure of that presumption. I cannot relate my life to being impaled or crucified in the same way I can relate to the darkest day on the calendar year.
Even so, the crucifixion is just one example of religious stories or themes that come out of the woodwork in different cultures but don't have anything directly to do with the equinox. Hero stories and creation myths being a couple of prime examples.
And because many of these stories seemed to have originated in cultures across the globe in times where they had no connection to each other, it brings up an interesting nature vs. nurture debate in a scientific understanding of human religiosity.
What's truly interesting though is the fact that, in the Western world, religion has faded out so much that the two fundamental answers christianity gives to the two fundamental questions of life aren't even accepted by christians. Christianity in Europe is dying and it's dying fast (and what's worse: even more moronic religions are growing).
Ironically, that probably has more to do with the rise of politics and the social fabric as much as anything else. What made many of these religious stories endure and survive was an artifact of their time, place, and culture. Christianity, for example, was particularly well-suited for a culture where it was a minority, underground belief in an oppressive culture. Now that it's out in the open and less of a rallying point given other political ills, it's out of its element.
I'm a firm believer that religious belief exhibits a strong degree of social Darwinism. Western Europe, right now, seems to have refashioned itself where Christianity is no longer adapted to the environment the way it is today in places such as Africa and even Asia.
But the "moronic" religion issue is, to be blatantly opinionated about it, a legitimate concern. In some ways I wonder if it seems to thrive more on the underground status and fringe elements that Christianity once held, making them better suited for growth in Europe than traditional forms of Christianity.
But if you refuse to think about the historical figure Jesus after you've seen this movie, because you "have been christian all your life and I'm not going to wake up tomorrow and not be a christian anymore", something is not quite right.
The story about Jesus that most fascinates me is the political one, not the religious one that has been told far too many times. Because as much as people know the religious story, the political one is equally critical and has largely gone ignored -- at least among religious believers (though for obvious reasons).
In regards to 9/11: what is astounding is the lack of reaction from the American public. The utter lack of any form of criticism towards what the government is feeding you. But that's what 50 years of propaganda do. Time will tell who was truly responsible for 9/11 though. Time always tells.
Just curious -- do you see the WTC attack of '93 as disconnected with the one in 2001?