(January 31, 2013 at 11:17 am)Brian37 Wrote: Still, everyone likes to argue the history of religion. It is still all made up bullshit. There is no "savior" anything. Jews still claim that their "savior" hasn't come yet. Big deal, they stole their characters and motifs from prior pollytheism. Humans make up gods and that is all that is going on. Getting stuck on one tradition or on details is silly. It still amounts to defending a comic book fan club.

How is pointing out that Christianity got it's key beliefs from other belief systems defending a comic book fan club?

The reason I'm an atheist is because I've had an interest in mythology and other religions since I was about 8 years old. It didn't take long to get the idea that Christianity wasn't unique so it was impossible for me to believe that the Christian religion was THE TRUTH.

(January 31, 2013 at 11:53 am)Confused Ape Wrote:

(January 31, 2013 at 11:17 am)Brian37 Wrote: Still, everyone likes to argue the history of religion. It is still all made up bullshit. There is no "savior" anything. Jews still claim that their "savior" hasn't come yet. Big deal, they stole their characters and motifs from prior pollytheism. Humans make up gods and that is all that is going on. Getting stuck on one tradition or on details is silly. It still amounts to defending a comic book fan club.

How is pointing out that Christianity got it's key beliefs from other belief systems defending a comic book fan club?

The reason I'm an atheist is because I've had an interest in mythology and other religions since I was about 8 years old. It didn't take long to get the idea that Christianity wasn't unique so it was impossible for me to believe that the Christian religion was THE TRUTH.

Ok, take a copy of Harry Potter, or say a Batman comic book. swap page of those fictions with reading pages of any holy book. Every time you hit a fantastic claim or fantastic image, of either highlight it. It becomes quite clear very quickly that both are fiction.

I refuse to call it myth, because myth is simply another word for fiction, and since comic books are fiction, I am going to call holy books comic books and I am going to call those fans, fans of comic books.

Just like it would be fiction to say "Thor makes lightening".

(January 31, 2013 at 11:53 am)Confused Ape Wrote:

(January 31, 2013 at 11:17 am)Brian37 Wrote: Still, everyone likes to argue the history of religion. It is still all made up bullshit. There is no "savior" anything. Jews still claim that their "savior" hasn't come yet. Big deal, they stole their characters and motifs from prior pollytheism. Humans make up gods and that is all that is going on. Getting stuck on one tradition or on details is silly. It still amounts to defending a comic book fan club.

How is pointing out that Christianity got it's key beliefs from other belief systems defending a comic book fan club?

The reason I'm an atheist is because I've had an interest in mythology and other religions since I was about 8 years old. It didn't take long to get the idea that Christianity wasn't unique so it was impossible for me to believe that the Christian religion was THE TRUTH.

I think his problem is that if you can find any historical accuracy, or phillosophical "truth", he's going to blow a head gasket.

(January 31, 2013 at 1:39 pm)catfish Wrote: I think his problem is that if you can find any historical accuracy, or phillosophical "truth", he's going to blow a head gasket.

It seems that Pontius Pilate existed going by the Pilate Stone. Herod Antipas and his father, Herod the Great, definitely existed. This doesn't prove that a supernatural being was born in a stable, though.

Yup, just make sure you don't find any evidence of the House of David, Sodom and Gommarah, a great flood or God forbib, evidence that Yeshua may have actually existed... lol

I like you Ape, keep up the research.
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(January 31, 2013 at 2:42 pm)catfish Wrote: Yup, just make sure you don't find any evidence of the House of David, Sodom and Gommarah, a great flood or God forbib, evidence that Yeshua may have actually existed... lol

I like you Ape, keep up the research.
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How did flood myths start because Noah's Ark isn't the only one?

Flood Myth Hypotheses

It looks like flood stories from around the world were inspired by real things. Not that this helps where discussions about Jesus are concerned, though, because there's no concrete proof that Jesus was a real thing, so to speak.

For me, the really interesting questions are the origins of beliefs which got attached to the Christian religion and just how old are they? Our species has had religion for a very long time and scientists and psychologists are looking into the Evolutionary Origins Of Religion. Nobody has figured out why we developed it so there are many different ideas.

Brian37 is right in saying that religious mythology is as fictional as Harry Potter but some people like myself are interested in it because it says a lot about our species and how our brains work.

By definition, mythology IS fiction, no argument there. The problem I have is that because something is associated with a religion, people claim "myth!"...
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(January 31, 2013 at 5:19 pm)catfish Wrote: By definition, mythology IS fiction, no argument there. The problem I have is that because something is associated with a religion, people claim "myth!"...
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It's a label for a particular group of stories which fall under the umbrella term of 'traditional stories'. Harry Potter novels and Batman comics aren't traditional stories so they are given the label of fiction to set them apart from myths, legends and folktales.

Mythology

Quote:The main characters in myths are usually gods, supernatural heroes and humans.[5][6][7] As sacred stories, myths are often endorsed by rulers and priests and closely linked to religion or spirituality.[5] In the society in which it is told, a myth is usually regarded as a true account of the remote past.[5][6][8][9] In fact, many societies have two categories of traditional narrative, "true stories" or myths, and "false stories" or fables.[10] Creation myths generally take place in a primordial age, when the world had not yet achieved its current form,[5] and explain how the world gained its current form[2][11] and how customs, institutions and taboos were established.[5][11]

Closely related to myth are legend and folktale. Myths, legends, and folktales are different types of traditional story.[19] Unlike mythos, folktales can be set in any time and any place, and they are not considered true or sacred by the societies that tell them.[5] Like mythos, legends are stories that are traditionally considered true, but are set in a more recent time, when the world was much as it is today.[5] Legends generally feature humans as their main characters, whereas myths generally focus on superhuman characters.[5]

The distinction between myth, legend, and folktale is meant simply as a useful tool for grouping traditional stories.

By definition, mythology IS fiction, no argument there. The problem I have is that because something is associated with a religion, people claim "myth!"...



The xtian religious organization has had over 2000 years - with almost unlimited funds at some times - using the best minds of many eras - and the very best equipment and methods of the days - have failed to find a SINGLE piece of testable and verifiable proof of the existence of ANY god - much less their own god.

And in those 2000 years - the almighty bible has been reduced from the ALMIGHTY INERRANT WORD of a god - to a bunch of fairy tales and legends and myths - and more and more are proven to be so every year.

IF we consider religion to be god based - then it EQUALS myth.

I do not - I consider other morals based sects that do not accept the existence of a supreme being (Buddhism - Confucianism) to be religions - however - most - when talking about religion are talking about a god and the so called rules of that god (Which are man made.

(February 2, 2013 at 7:52 pm)ThomM Wrote: The xtian religious organization has had over 2000 years - with almost unlimited funds at some times - using the best minds of many eras - and the very best equipment and methods of the days - have failed to find a SINGLE piece of testable and verifiable proof of the existence of ANY god - much less their own god.

I don't think those "organization(s)" were looking for God... (that's an opinion, my words are the proof that it's an opinion)
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