Christ myth theory

Your post, even though a ringing endorsement of Christianity, is a good example of why it isn't true.

It's wish fulfillment. Who wouldn't want eternal life, you say? Who doesn't want a fatherly figure to pat them on the back and say all is well?

Idk how much you know, but christians of the 2nd or 3rd century wouldn't recognize what it has become. There are hundreds of sects, many excommunicating the others.

And there are many faiths that promise eternal life. Islam does. European paganism did.

It wasn't until jesus, the meek Nazarene, until the concept of hell was introduced to the abrahamic faith. The jews stole the concept of Satan from the Persians when they were exiled there. And if you are a christian you have to think I'm doomed to hell.

I'm from the south. I grew up christian. Everyone around me is christian, or claims to be. It didn't happen over night.

What christians often do, and you did it here, is assume that a rejection of Christianity can only happen with some sort of trauma, you indicated it might be with my father. Often they try to attribute it to a bad experience in church. I have a very good relationship with both of my parents and have fond memories of going to church as a child and young adult.

To say you're a christian there are certian beliefs that go along with it. Like, god created the earth, he made mankind, christ came and died and rose, and many others.

Eventually some people learn things that take away these supporting beliefs. Like the evolutionary history of our species. The evidence being learned about the creation of our universe, the more we learn the less and less likely christianity appears reasonable. Some people can learn this and continue with the cognitive dissonance. I could not.

The only thing left is the feeling some report when they pray to jesus. They feel him in their heart. But this can be said of all faiths throughout the world. Either they are all true or none of them are.

Well maybe i am deceived. If we are next to eachother in line to be judged after this life, lets talk about it. I am of a sect of christianity by the way, so maybe my view is biased. I am of the section of people who read the bible and pray to God to reveal truth to me in a world flooded with lies. Before, i was a drug addict and had many other problems, Christ has set me free! I brainwashed myseld i guess.

Seriously though, im not gonna argue with you, the bible doesnt say christians have to be right on internet forums and nothing tastes good when its crammed into your mouth.

ThickStemz said:

Your post, even though a ringing endorsement of Christianity, is a good example of why it isn't true.

It's wish fulfillment. Who wouldn't want eternal life, you say? Who doesn't want a fatherly figure to pat them on the back and say all is well?

Idk how much you know, but christians of the 2nd or 3rd century wouldn't recognize what it has become. There are hundreds of sects, many excommunicating the others.

And there are many faiths that promise eternal life. Islam does. European paganism did.

It wasn't until jesus, the meek Nazarene, until the concept of hell was introduced to the abrahamic faith. The jews stole the concept of Satan from the Persians when they were exiled there. And if you are a christian you have to think I'm doomed to hell.

I'm from the south. I grew up christian. Everyone around me is christian, or claims to be. It didn't happen over night.

What christians often do, and you did it here, is assume that a rejection of Christianity can only happen with some sort of trauma, you indicated it might be with my father. Often they try to attribute it to a bad experience in church. I have a very good relationship with both of my parents and have fond memories of going to church as a child and young adult.

To say you're a christian there are certian beliefs that go along with it. Like, god created the earth, he made mankind, christ came and died and rose, and many others.

Eventually some people learn things that take away these supporting beliefs. Like the evolutionary history of our species. The evidence being learned about the creation of our universe, the more we learn the less and less likely christianity appears reasonable. Some people can learn this and continue with the cognitive dissonance. I could not.

The only thing left is the feeling some report when they pray to jesus. They feel him in their heart. But this can be said of all faiths throughout the world. Either they are all true or none of them are.

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I like you.
As a fellow highly educated EX Christian, I think you represented us well.
and to be honest, as a Christian, he didn't seem like the rest.
So I actually like you both.
The bible was written by MAN, not god.
oftentimes that's the biggest thing overlooked, and not to mention it's been translated hundreds of times, as a person that speaks multiple languages, translation is a tricky endeavor to get accurately...
especially considering most of the dialects aren't even used anymore.
theres a LOT of killing in the name of "god"
lots of rape, systematic killings of entire cities/villages..
I prefer to believe in science.
For the record I went to church 3-4 times a week until I was around 10.
and my father and I get along fine.

greasemonkeymann said:

I like you.
As a fellow highly educated EX Christian, I think you represented us well.
and to be honest, as a Christian, he didn't seem like the rest.
So I actually like you both.
The bible was written by MAN, not god.
oftentimes that's the biggest thing overlooked, and not to mention it's been translated hundreds of times, as a person that speaks multiple languages, translation is a tricky endeavor to get accurately...
especially considering most of the dialects aren't even used anymore.
theres a LOT of killing in the name of "god"
lots of rape, systematic killings of entire cities/villages..
I prefer to believe in science.
For the record I went to church 3-4 times a week until I was around 10.
and my father and I get along fine.

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The most loud mouth athiests are often the most ignorant ones. I'm not hostile to christianity. The way it's passed off these days is a lovely story, divorced entirely from its actual history.

That said if someone wants to believe it's no matter to me. Just don't try to get it taught in school or incorporated into our laws.

From the perspective of a christian my mistake was I card about if it was true or not. Most christians don't seem to care if it's true. I watch their apologists get up and lie and distort the facts and words of others. And the blinded by faith followers don't see it. But once you crack that shell of objectivity, it's a one way street to ex-christian.

The creator of all ...would have to be a fucking madman...

A question for some of you - when you read the word church, do you picture a physical building?

It has many meanings.... church that is.

Church can be a physical building.

But I think in its "purest" sense the church is the people who follow christ.

The catholics might say its one man, or the priesthood.

ThickStemz said:

It has many meanings.... church that is.

Church can be a physical building.

But I think in its "purest" sense the church is the people who follow christ.

The catholics might say its one man, or the priesthood.

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The followers comprise a church, in a sense, yes. But with a bazillion denominations that gets fuzzy, "who's got the 'real' church?" blah blah.

A little further, can you picture it as immaterial? How about as describing a function?

eye exaggerate said:

The followers comprise a church, in a sense, yes. But with a bazillion denominations that gets fuzzy, "who's got the 'real' church?" blah blah.

A little further, can you picture it as immaterial? How about as describing a function?

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Perhaps it's a field where all the good sheep can graze. It says a lot about a religion who calls it's adherents a "flock" does it not?

ThickStemz said:

Perhaps it's a field where all the good sheep can graze. It says a lot about a religion who calls it's adherents a "flock" does it not?

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Well, if that's your perspective, ain't no wool off of my back

So, you claim that objectivity makes for an ex-xian, but do not understand what is behind an object?

eye exaggerate said:

Well, if that's your perspective, ain't no wool off of my back

So, you claim that objectivity makes for an ex-xian, but do not understand what is behind an object?

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I don't understand the grammar of your question. What are you trying to ask me?

I do a little writing, and I have had a story rattling around in my head for a while. I won't tell the whole story here, because I just might finish the book one day.

It is about this young Jewish girl named Mary who is of good, but poor family. Mary is engaged to Joseph, an older man with his own roofing business. But the never ending supply of bad roofs was keeping Joseph away, and she was bored. The summer sun was warm and there was a handsome young Roman soldier stationed nearby in a small village who came to the cool spring on her father's farm each day. Mary and the soldier started doing what young folks have done for ever. As summer changed into fall, Mary realized she was in the family way.

What happens next is the stuff legends are made of. Legends in the advertising and PR trades anyway. Mary knew Joseph was a God fearing man, so she tells him God knocked her up. Joseph believed it, and told anyone who would listen. In June the kid came, and as he grew up, Joseph told him everyday of his life he was the son of God. Who can blame the youngun for believing his Daddy?

I always ask folks what they think is more likely... that a virgin should conceive, or that a young Jewish bitch could tell a lie?

The real irony comes in that I've heard it said (since I don't speak greek) that the virgin Mary myth comes from a Greek mistranslation. I think the word was 'alma' which simply means young woman. It was translated as virgin.

Most christians don't know the difference between the virgin birth and the immaculate conception.

ThickStemz said:

I always ask folks what they think is more likely... that a virgin should conceive, or that a young Jewish bitch could tell a lie?

The real irony comes in that I've heard it said (since I don't speak greek) that the virgin Mary myth comes from a Greek mistranslation. I think the word was 'alma' which simply means young woman. It was translated as virgin.

Most christians don't know the difference between the virgin birth and the immaculate conception.

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I have spent some very enjoyable time reading and thinking about the different religions of the world, and how alike all the stories are. I was raised in an Assembly of God church, where the folks speak in tongues and all that shit. I had me enough of that when I was 13, but I didn't really grasp the truth of it until my first year of college. There was a line in a social studies textbook that said, "Man creates Gods in his own image." That made me cool with religion. It is needed by some folks and adds value to their lives.

In my younger days I dabbled in the Creek Indian religion a little. But like all groups of people, there is always an asshole or two who just make it easier to say a prayer to the Creator by your own damn self. I still say a prayer to The Grandfathers whenever I'm starting a project, like a garden. I use it as a way to concentrate my mind on what outcome I'm wanting, and thinking about all the steps needed to reach that outcome. I face the east {rising sun} and ask them to bless the union of shovel and earth.

Larry {the} Gardener said:

I have spent some very enjoyable time reading and thinking about the different religions of the world, and how alike all the stories are. I was raised in an Assembly of God church, where the folks speak in tongues and all that shit. I had me enough of that when I was 13, but I didn't really grasp the truth of it until my first year of college. There was a line in a social studies textbook that said, "Man creates Gods in his own image." That made me cool with religion. It is needed by some folks and adds value to their lives.

In my younger days I dabbled in the Creek Indian religion a little. But like all groups of people, there is always an asshole or two who just make it easier to say a prayer to the Creator by your own damn self. I still say a prayer to The Grandfathers whenever I'm starting a project, like a garden. I use it as a way to concentrate my mind on what outcome I'm wanting, and thinking about all the steps needed to reach that outcome. I face the east {rising sun} and ask them to bless the union of shovel and earth.

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It's interesting what you say. I've heard neurological experts talk about the brain scans of people when when they're thinking about certian things.

From what I remember of them, and I can not provide a source but you can probably find it if you look, the brain lights up in certain areas when people try to think about things from another's perspective. Like "what would a man from England think about xyz."

When people think about their own perspective another area of the brain lights up.

So it seems that we have the ability in a normal healthy brain to look at the word from the perspective of others.

When, however, a person thinks of something and tries to see it from the perspective of their own god, the same region of the brain lights up that they use when it's their own perspective they're trying to use.

So it explains why people's god usually hates the same people that the society who's god that is hates.

ThickStemz said:

I don't understand the grammar of your question. What are you trying to ask me?

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What is behind an object? What does an object represent? " And the blinded by faith followers don't see it. But once you crack that shell of objectivity, it's a one way street to ex-christian."

eye exaggerate said:

What is behind an object? What does an object represent? " And the blinded by faith followers don't see it. But once you crack that shell of objectivity, it's a one way street to ex-christian."

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I wish you would just ask me plainly what you want to ask me becuase I'm just guessing if I were to offer you any sort of answer now.

But hazard that guess I shall, because why not?

If you want to know objectively what is wrong with a religion you can't figure it out by asking those who believe in it. Christians have been indoctrinated to bridge those gaps of reason. Muslims have been as well. Hindus have, all followers of all religions have bridged the gaps of reason in their own religions.

But if you want to know why christianity doesn't make sense, ask a muslim. If you want to know what's wrong with islam, ask a jew. Etcetera....

Christianity requires a set of assumptions. You start with Judism, and then you have god coming down to make a "new covenant."

In this new covenant god comes down as himself to inhabit a human body to die to serve as a sacrafice to wash away the sins of mankind, if they but believe in him.

Why doesn't this make sense?

The phenomenon of dying and rising gods were common in late antiquity. Most cultures had one. Zalmoxis, Romulus, Inanna, Adonis, and Osiris all predate christ. They share similarities. There are many differences. Inanna was actually crucified and raised after 3 days when her disciples brought her the bread and water of life.

Christianity looks an aweful lot like what a Jewish culture might adopt the dying and rising motiffe that was commonplace at the empire at that time.

We have Philo of Alexandria referring to Jesus prior to anyone else, except he mentions him as an angel. God's celestial high priest. The agent of creation.

What we don't know is how jesus went from that to what we know today. After 2000 years of christians controlling libraries and in control of the information, it would be easy to snuff out the history that contradicted their later stories that we now.

This might explain how there is roughly an 80 year gap in writings. Nothing survives from about the period 10bc to 70ad when we first see the letters of Paul. These letters predate the gospels by some decades. They have a much different tone too. Note how they never really truly mentioned jesus as a living breathing walking human being. Just a ghostly type angelic type. Within 30 years we have the gospels.

With all we know it's more likely to assume that they just made all this up, instead of miracles actually happening.

Why? Well its becuase the bible. Look at its notion of god. The christian god is a continuation of the old Jewish god. The god who said have no other gods before me. Almost an admission there are other gods. Christians claim miracles support truth for their god. But in Egypt Moses and Aaron are said to have fueded with pharaohs priests who also did miracles in their gods name. So you see this is hardly a god inspired story arch. It's all ignorance.

ThickStemz said:

I wish you would just ask me plainly what you want to ask me becuase I'm just guessing if I were to offer you any sort of answer now.

But hazard that guess I shall, because why not?

If you want to know objectively what is wrong with a religion you can't figure it out by asking those who believe in it. Christians have been indoctrinated to bridge those gaps of reason. Muslims have been as well. Hindus have, all followers of all religions have bridged the gaps of reason in their own religions.

But if you want to know why christianity doesn't make sense, ask a muslim. If you want to know what's wrong with islam, ask a jew. Etcetera....

Christianity requires a set of assumptions. You start with Judism, and then you have god coming down to make a "new covenant."

In this new covenant god comes down as himself to inhabit a human body to die to serve as a sacrafice to wash away the sins of mankind, if they but believe in him.

Why doesn't this make sense?

The phenomenon of dying and rising gods were common in late antiquity. Most cultures had one. Zalmoxis, Romulus, Inanna, Adonis, and Osiris all predate christ. They share similarities. There are many differences. Inanna was actually crucified and raised after 3 days when her disciples brought her the bread and water of life.

Christianity looks an aweful lot like what a Jewish culture might adopt the dying and rising motiffe that was commonplace at the empire at that time.

We have Philo of Alexandria referring to Jesus prior to anyone else, except he mentions him as an angel. God's celestial high priest. The agent of creation.

What we don't know is how jesus went from that to what we know today. After 2000 years of christians controlling libraries and in control of the information, it would be easy to snuff out the history that contradicted their later stories that we now.

This might explain how there is roughly an 80 year gap in writings. Nothing survives from about the period 10bc to 70ad when we first see the letters of Paul. These letters predate the gospels by some decades. They have a much different tone too. Note how they never really truly mentioned jesus as a living breathing walking human being. Just a ghostly type angelic type. Within 30 years we have the gospels.

With all we know it's more likely to assume that they just made all this up, instead of miracles actually happening.

Why? Well its becuase the bible. Look at its notion of god. The christian god is a continuation of the old Jewish god. The god who said have no other gods before me. Almost an admission there are other gods. Christians claim miracles support truth for their god. But in Egypt Moses and Aaron are said to have fueded with pharaohs priests who also did miracles in their gods name. So you see this is hardly a god inspired story arch. It's all ignorance.

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There's some stuff you've written that we can all agree on, like, all of the easy questions f.e.. There are other things that I feel are lacking depth of research. You point further back and say that those avatar types were all the same, like a popular story to tell those that needed comfort. There's a bigger picture around all of that, and perspective is key to seeing it. They wrote about the sun, and spoke of methods to see what was behind it. *why ask plainly when the issue is not plain at all.

Just curious, do you think science would be were it is without the efforts of some of those who were gullible enough to buy the stories? This myth is so useless that a Jesuit priest first postulated the big bang, and we've all been ignorant enough to believe him - until now i guess *shrugs*

Cyrus420 said:

Considering the bible claims the man rose from the grave after being brutally beaten, tortured, and even pierced I would say it's easy to conclude the man never existed given that the book the story comes from is contradictory to our understanding of the world and how it works.

I do not need a historian to tell me Jesus never existed, common sense did that for me.

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There's ample evidence Jesus existed. Whether he was the son of God is a matter of opinion.

Red1966 said:

There's ample evidence Jesus existed. Whether he was the son of God is a matter of opinion.

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That just isn't true. The Bible is the only place where jesus is mentioned. There are zero contemporary writings that refer to christ.