How Quickly Religious Myths Can Appear. Why Is This Not Possible About Jesus?

[Cooky]

Thanks for that.

I am not religious but a do find some of the stuff they threw away to be more compelling then the stuff they kept.

What? That's blasphemous.

 

[Samantha Rinne]

I am sure most of the bible is mythology

And I'm sure you, like most ppl, don't understand the term myth.

The common meaning of the word myth is a complete lie, a hoax, a fabricated event. Such as "UFO sightings are a myth kept alive by people so lonely that they want to believe something exists outside our solar system."

But this not what is said about the word's true meaning.
What Is The Difference Between Myth, Legend And Fable

A legend is a mostly historical event, with some elaboration. Like ghost tours of old houses, fish stories, or the tale of the Trojan War in Illiad/Odyssey. The point is to liven up a historical event. The Bible is not legend.

A fable is a deliberately untrue story that involves forest critters usually, and is supposed to provide a moral. Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Aesop's Fables, Paul Bunyan, all of these are fables.

A myth is something much more than a simple fable though, and it's not a legend either. It's something that may or may not be historical (yeah, geniuses stop trying to timeline the Bible to real history, it's not the point) but the purpose is not the history nor amoral lesson, but to explain how things work. Think of the story of Noah. It's a story of how the world is almost destroyed, yet God makes a promise (and shows it, every time you see a rainbow) that God will not try to flood the Earth again. This is a story though not just to explain about rainbows but about the environment and God's forgiveness. Or think of Moses who frees us from slavery. Ever been in a dead-end job where you get no appreciation? You hate it, but you have basically screwed up alot of jobs and are afraid to leave. Yeah that sort of job. If you understand being stuck, you understand someone promising a better life. And then there's Jesus.

 

[ChristineM]

What? That's blasphemous.

Is it? Oh! Nevermind

 

[ChristineM]

And I'm sure you, like most ppl, don't understand the term myth.

The common meaning of the word myth is a complete lie, a hoax, a fabricated event. Such as "UFO sightings are a myth kept alive by people so lonely that they want to believe something exists outside our solar system."

But this not what is said about the word's true meaning.
What Is The Difference Between Myth, Legend And Fable

A legend is a mostly historical event, with some elaboration. Like ghost tours of old houses, fish stories, or the tale of the Trojan War in Illiad/Odyssey. The point is to liven up a historical event. The Bible is not legend.

A fable is a deliberately untrue story that involves forest critters usually, and is supposed to provide a moral. Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Aesop's Fables, Paul Bunyan, all of these are fables.

A myth is something much more than a simple fable though, and it's not a legend either. It's something that may or may not be historical (yeah, geniuses stop trying to timeline the Bible to real history, it's not the point) but the purpose is not the history nor amoral lesson, but to explain how things work. Think of the story of Noah. It's a story of how the world is almost destroyed, yet God makes a promise (and shows it, every time you see a rainbow) that God will not try to flood the Earth again. This is a story though not just to explain about rainbows but about the environment and God's forgiveness. Or think of Moses who frees us from slavery. Ever been in a dead-end job where you get no appreciation? You hate it, but you have basically screwed up alot of jobs and are afraid to leave. Yeah that sort of job. If you understand being stuck, you understand someone promising a better life. And then there's Jesus.

I have provided dictionary definitions. So methinks the hating is coming from you.

What about jesus? The evidence is just as strong that he was a fourth philosophy zealot, possibly even a sicarii. Hence the reason he was executed by rome.

Also the evidence is stronger still that he was the illegitimate son of a roman soldier. I have seen his dads gravestone.

Myth... Right..

 

[Muffled]

Within 80 years of George Washington's death, a myth appeared overnight (probably at the hands of a preacher) that George had an angelic revelation about the future of the United States.

Within our lifetimes, lore and myths have appeared about Padre Pio (who died in 1968.) In one myth, he flew up into the sky and stopped American bombers during WWII.

Why is this not possible that myths were created about the life of Jesus within a generation of his death?

I believe the difference is that the NT writers had the Spirit of truth to assist them and keep them from writing myths.

 

[Muffled]

I am sure most of the bible is mythology

I believe your assurance is based on a personal bias instead of reality.

 

[Muffled]

There was and that is why they convened and eliminated the myths and came up with those that were known to be true.

Today, we have compiled those letters and compiled them under the title of New Testament.

I don't think the Gnostic writings counts as mythological just a compendium of man's flawed thinking but there were books that made a claim and were frauds.

 

[1213]

How Quickly Religious Myths Can Appear. Why Is This Not Possible About Jesus?

I think more interesting question is, how fast “myths” disappear. If Jesus would really be just a myth, I don’t see why it would have lasted about 2000 years.

 

[Kenny]

I don't think the Gnostic writings counts as mythological just a compendium of man's flawed thinking but there were books that made a claim and were frauds.

Interesting... my understanding is that gnosticism is a completely different gospel. At least that is what some scholars claim. Thus, since it was different than the Gospels and the writings of the Apostles, they weren't accepted.

 

[Earthtank]

Within 80 years of George Washington's death, a myth appeared overnight (probably at the hands of a preacher) that George had an angelic revelation about the future of the United States.

Within our lifetimes, lore and myths have appeared about Padre Pio (who died in 1968.) In one myth, he flew up into the sky and stopped American bombers during WWII.

Why is this not possible that myths were created about the life of Jesus within a generation of his death?

Because there are enough myths about Jesus and the trinity. no need for more.

 

[Wandering Monk]

I think more interesting question is, how fast “myths” disappear. If Jesus would really be just a myth, I don’t see why it would have lasted about 2000 years.

Because it was adopted by the Roman Empire in the 4th century.

 

[Goodman John]

It's so wonderful that we have the Holy Spirit to teach us all things and to get us back to true Christianity.

But, one might very well ask, just what IS this 'true Christianity'? Is it my brand of Christianity or is it yours? Is it the Christianity of Rome or the Christianity of Martin Luther? Is it the Christianity of the Baptists or the Christianity of the Holy Roller Pentecostal Church of the Rock?

 

[TagliatelliMonster]

I believe your assurance is based on a personal bias instead of reality.

My assurance is based on actually reading the bible and finding most in there to being mythology.

 

[TagliatelliMonster]

I think more interesting question is, how fast “myths” disappear. If Jesus would really be just a myth, I don’t see why it would have lasted about 2000 years.

Hindu myths have lasted even longer, and continue to do so.

 

[TagliatelliMonster]

But, one might very well ask, just what IS this 'true Christianity'? Is it my brand of Christianity or is it yours? Is it the Christianity of Rome or the Christianity of Martin Luther? Is it the Christianity of the Baptists or the Christianity of the Holy Roller Pentecostal Church of the Rock?

But... @KenS just said it in the post you are replying to. "true christianity" is whichever christianity this "holy spirit" teaches.

So I guess we could solve this whole "thousands of christian denominations" embarassement quite easily... all we need to do, is ask this holy spirit.

Anyone got a phone number?

 

[sojourner]

Within 80 years of George Washington's death, a myth appeared overnight (probably at the hands of a preacher) that George had an angelic revelation about the future of the United States.

Within our lifetimes, lore and myths have appeared about Padre Pio (who died in 1968.) In one myth, he flew up into the sky and stopped American bombers during WWII.

Why is this not possible that myths were created about the life of Jesus within a generation of his death?

Whatever do you mean? Turning water into wine, feeding 5000 people out of a kid's lunchbox, healing a blind man, walking on water, calming the weather, rising from the dead, appearing and disappearing at will, filling a trawling net with fish, raising Lazarus, etc. These are all myths that arose about Jesus within a couple of generations after his death.

 

[sojourner]

I find even 'more' than possible because a religious apostasy started at the end of the first century.
Those people living at the end of the1st-century were forewarned as written at Acts of the Apostles 20:29-30.
How false shepherds (dressed in sheep's clothing) would start fleecing the flock of God. - Matthew 7:15.
Fleece, so to speak with man-made traditions or customs outside of Scripture but would teach them as being Scripture.
Especially when un-faithful Jews began mixing with the Greeks, then Greek myth became blended with Scripture.
Now those myth teachings are so deeply embedded in people's minds as being Scripture that even once that myth, that mirage is exposed, people still insist on keeping it alive rather then erase them from their form of worship.

That's very nice, but the NT wasn't considered "scripture" until the 400s. So the gospel stories began as "custom outside of scripture." Your argument fails.

 

[sojourner]

Yes, agree ' their ' way, people's way of looking at things which has created a religious syncretism.
There was a billboard that said "Go to the church or 'your' choice" instead of "Go to the church of 'God's' choice."
The mixing or fusion of differing beliefs has spread like a virus, like a plague released in people's minds.
The result is: the ' new ' teachings or a belief systems which can't be reconciled to Biblical Christianity.
People's viewpoints then are a blending of the 'secular with the sacred' (Non-biblical with biblical )
This mixture takes on a life or a shape of its own composed of mixing religious myth with Scripture.
The ' new ' never fully replaces Scripture, but people adopt the ' new' as if it was the original old.
The ' new ' simply rises and or falls in popularity by the whims of men and Not by Scripture.- Matthew 15:9
That ' new ' is simply Not compatible with true or genuine Christianity as taught by Jesus in Scripture.
This syncretism ties in with Jesus' illustration about how the fake 'weed/tares' would grow together over the centuries with the genuine 'wheat' Christians until the Harvest Time, or our time frame. - Acts of the Apostles 20:29-30

This is nothing more than confirmation bias conspiracy theory. How do you know that God doesn't approve of some churches, but does approve of others? Where do you find God saying, "I don't approve of the Methodists" in the bible? When you begin to claim to know what God is thinking, you begin the slide down the slippery slope of self delusion.

BTW: that's not at all what Matthew means by the parable of the wheat and weeds.

 

[sojourner]

I provided the definition of true. But anyone can make whatever they want up and call it true. The only people they deceive is themselves.


Talking of definitions, here is another
Mythology : a collection of myths, especially one belonging to a particular religious or cultural tradition.

Fine. Here: "myth (Gr. mythos, "tale," "fable") A story that is used to explain a belief, practice, or natural phenomenon and that has a religious or spiritual significance. The story can relate many truths that may seem potentially contradictory or unrelated. Mythology is the study of myths."

Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms, Westminster John Knox Press

 

[sojourner]

But, one might very well ask, just what IS this 'true Christianity'? Is it my brand of Christianity or is it yours? Is it the Christianity of Rome or the Christianity of Martin Luther? Is it the Christianity of the Baptists or the Christianity of the Holy Roller Pentecostal Church of the Rock?

"True" places a false parameter on the religion, because "true" depends on beliefs concerning facts not in evidence.