Re: The Myth Challenge

"The reference of the metaphor in religious traditions is to something
transcendent that is not literally any thing. If you think that the metaphor is itself the reference, it would be like going to a restaurant, asking for the menu, seeing beefsteak written there, and starting to eat the menu.
For example, Jesus ascended to heaven. The denotation would seem to be that somebody ascended to the sky. That's literally what is being said. But if that were really the meaning of the message, then we have to throw it away, because there would have been no such place for Jesus literally to go. We know that Jesus could not have ascended to heaven because there is no physical heaven anywhere in the universe. Even ascending at the speed of light, Jesus would still be in the galaxy, Astronomy and physics have simply eliminated that as a literal, physical possibility, But if you read "Jesus ascended to heaven" in terms of its metaphoric connotation, you see that he has gone inward -- not into outer space but into inward space, to the place from which all being comes, into the consciousness that is the source of all things, the kingdom of heaven within. The images are outward, but their reflection is inward. The point is that we should ascend with him by going inward. It is a metaphor of returning to the source, alpha and omega, of leaving the fixation on the body behind and going to the body's dynamic source."-Joseph Campbell, Power of the Myth.

Jungian archetypes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archetype

Joseph Campbell
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Campbell

Sir James George Frazer. -The Golden Bough
http://www.sacred-texts.com/pag/frazer/index.htm

On Gnosticism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnosticism

Gnostic Gospels
http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/nhl.html

On Gnostics and Paul.
http://z11.invisionfree.com/Yeshua_Quest/index.php?showtopic=47

Karen Armstrong
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Armstrong

Bart D. Ehrman
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bart_D._Ehrman

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Jesus
• history
• myth
• exist

[NeroFreyr]

interesting to me is the fact people are quick to point out that Jesus never existed, but don't have a working hypothesis of how specifically the corpus of Jesus sayings came into existence. HOW? It's fine to knock down an idea, but if YOU DON'T HAVE A VIABLE REPLACEMENT,WHATS THE POINT?

Saying Jesus never existed is not right in Sociology science, because christianity was a cult when it first started, and cults start by a centered leader/teacher. I'm an atheist too, jfyi.

[wayman29]

I don't fully believe Jesus never existed. I just like the freedom to entertain the hypothesis form time to time to see where it will go.

[szevetch]

Another point to support the metaphor idea:Jesus Christ is a 2 part name. Jesus=man's name. Christ=deity's name.

Like Buddha= the one who woke up to Christ in him. This is what we all must do.

Also a myth can be defined as "artful lies which tell universal truths"

Regionally we affix our own symbolism to the same idea. The same idea which occurs in most every culture and time line...

[wayman29]

Excellent..Myths are facts that never happened but happen every day. Double names were common through out the Near East. The archetype of the Buddha ,Krishna, Mohammad, Christ, ect. Baal Shem Tov are all parts of the super construct that we strive for and in our minds contribute to and add to. Thanks for dropping by I was treading water surrounded by sharks . Thanks for bring the boat of sanity over..Maybe if we try we can all be "Like Christ" :0)

[Attirbnesnej]

yay eternal damnation! WOOT! As long as none of you crazy religious fucktards aren't in hell, sounds good to me.

[wayman29]

Fundamentalism has many forms you just happen to be on the other end of the spectrum...your still a sheep no matter what pasture you may end up in. I believe you are looking for the RRS videos... P.S. you would make a great evangelical by the way . Keep up the great work!

[lordchaos1111]

There are holes in the 'direct copy' theory, many Jesus like attributes attributed to 'pagan' gods are poorly supported points. But that's beside the point, the basic formula of intercessory god-man, punishment and reward afterlives, and many other points are the building blocks of most 'pagan' belief systems as well. Given the weakness of hard proofs is it anything more then historical accident that Christianity rather then Mithraism achieved the 'true religion' status?

[NeroFreyr]

peace bro..

[NeroFreyr]

well, i'm an atheist that fully beieves this jesus to be historical. The theology of him is i guess is a persons choice, if they believe and love their faith then we shouldn't be bashing it. Lets be fair here, regardless of any beliefs or non beliefs, we'll all know only by the time we die.

[NeroFreyr]

Christ is his believed title, it's his identification of being the messiah.

[lipoicacid]

the idea of a trinity was taken from the ancient egyptians.