Zeit·geist [tsahyt-gahyst] – noun German. The spirit of the time; general trend of thought or feeling characteristic of a particular period of time.
In English it would look like this: Thespiritoftheage. However, the Germans with their wonderful efficiency proclivity were able to discard a few unnecessaries giving us the much more visually appealing zeitgeist.
Unfortunately, as of late it is also recognized as the title of an online move now circulating among the bored and restless (for who else roams the internet) which seeks among others things to argue against the historicity of the Christian faith vis-à-vis denial of the historical Christ. I hesitate to say it is original in any way save perhaps two. Both in the ambitious extent of it's conspiracy theory and it's very special disregard for quality in presentation Zietgiest does excel.
Credit is due for the sheer scope of the movie's foolishness. It is essentially the Grand Unifying Theory of conspiracy. You know, that one scientific idea that scientists postulate will consolidate all natural knowledge, uniting facts from what are now very diverse branches of inquiry. Well, Zietgiest does just that - with less fact. Religion, particularly Christian religion, 9/11 and international monetary conspiracy are all addressed and I assume associated or linked in the elaborate fashion that only the mind of an undisciplined child would conceive of. I say "assume" because I haven't yet viewed the movie in it's entirety. Of course, any movie which opens with 5 minutes of seeminly arbitrary, self-explanatory warfare montage deserves nothing less.
While interest permitted, I watched the movie's first part (it is explicitly divided into three) which concerned origins of Christian religion (and probably all religion for that matter) as essentially interpretations and reconstructions of the of the primal religious sensibility: celestial awe. In our case, the narrator is especially lucky, for "sun" and "son" are homonyms. The Son of God and the heavenly sun, got it? Well, his arguments are a little more sophisticated then that to be fair. But they are patently dishonest from a serious academic standpoint. Yet the tune does sound pleasing the undiscerning ear.
Ironically, Zietgeist does represent the spirit of our age. Amusing ourselves to death, while neglecting any serious, sustained reflection of ideas and the consequences of ideas. Conspiracies like this, win an increasingly larger following for that very reason. I will admit the Zeitgiest was at least entertaining.
Watch it here: http://zeitgeistmovie.com
(In the days to come, I will attempt to present specific objections to the actual arguments raised by the movie: lies, lies, lies.)
"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths."
St. Paul (2 Timothy 4:3-4)