| </span><blockquote><span class="smallfont">Quote:</span><hr size="1" />Originally Posted by (Section 8,)
1. Many other pagan religions had stories very similar to Jesus, and Jesus has relationships to ancient sun Gods. The religions believe that their savior was crucified and would return etc. This suggests that Jesus is just another myth, of ancient people searching for purpose.
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Hey. This is my first post here.
It's interesting that the same thing you think affirms your belief against Jesus is the very thing that has affirmed it for many Christians, including Chesterton, CS Lewis and Tolkien. They studied the ancient religious beliefs of all the great cultures, and they found a common desire among them all, which is redemption. You said it was their "purpose," I say exactly right! But it's also our purpose, too.
Interestingly the great cultures all embraced the same moral law (see the apendix to Lewis' Abolition of Man). I would assume they felt they broke this law, like all humans do, which would account for the myth of someone greater then themselves (a god such as Balder or Adonis or Bacchus) who dies for them and rises again. It was all about redemption. And it still is. ;)
Chesterton calls these myths "day-dreams." They were a "taste" of what would really happen. Lewis talks about such myths baptizing his imagination before he converted from atheism. The same with Chesterton. I think you are right to say that Christianity is a myth. The only difference is that it's a true myth, in that it actually happened in history. All the others were a taste of the reality to come.
Ciao! |