How did the myth of Jesus' resurrection originate?

[FallentoReason]

This sets up cognitive dissonance - if you continue to believe you end up in hell and don't want to consider that. So, you found reasons to discontinue belief.

Fail.

Not wanting to think about hell and therefore disbelieving in it isn't an adequate solution nor is it the stuff of cognitive dissonance. That would be like being called to the military but you don't want that, so you disbelieve in war.

Just for the sake of clarification, I'll give you an anecdote that highlights what cognitive dissonance is: as a former Christian, I used to believe that the verses found in Matthew about saintly zombies walking into Jerusalem after Jesus died were literally true. After being faced with the highly implausible scenario of such a thing happening but only ONE person ever writing about it, I had a case of cognitive dissonance: I held a belief but at the same time also held a belief that counters it. If you know your basic logic 101 stuff, you would know that at this stage, you *must* negate at least one assumption so that a contradiction can be avoided (i.e. the state of cognitive dissonance). Thus, my options were: (1) believe that the Bible contains an outright falsehood or (2) believe that the verses are metaphorical, thus meaning that the Bible is still true. Now here's the crucial bit: someone suffering cognitive dissonance will almost be guaranteed to try and salvage their belief as opposed to opt for the option that requires them to trash it. Thus, for me at the time, it was a no brainer - I was compelled to accept (2).

Taking the above and applying it to Jesus' resurrection, we can see that the theory would be that his close followers had a very strong belief in what Jesus promised. In the event that Jesus didn't return, they would be in a state of cognitive dissonance: they believe Jesus will be back, but he's nowhere to be found. Thus, belief-related-instincts kick in and they *must* find a way to solve their state of cognitive dissonance, thus how stories/rumours spread that he was back. I mean... think about it. Doesn't Mary confuse Jesus for the bloody gardener initially?? Really?? Sounds *exactly* like what one would expect of an individual suffering from cognitive dissonance.

[Godscreated]

This sets up cognitive dissonance - if you continue to believe you end up in hell and don't want to consider that. So, you found reasons to discontinue belief.

Fail.

Not wanting to think about hell and therefore disbelieving in it isn't an adequate solution nor is it the stuff of cognitive dissonance. That would be like being called to the military but you don't want that, so you disbelieve in war.

Just for the sake of clarification, I'll give you an anecdote that highlights what cognitive dissonance is: as a former Christian, I used to believe that the verses found in Matthew about saintly zombies walking into Jerusalem after Jesus died were literally true. After being faced with the highly implausible scenario of such a thing happening but only ONE person ever writing about it, I had a case of cognitive dissonance: I held a belief but at the same time also held a belief that counters it. If you know your basic logic 101 stuff, you would know that at this stage, you *must* negate at least one assumption so that a contradiction can be avoided (i.e. the state of cognitive dissonance). Thus, my options were: (1) believe that the Bible contains an outright falsehood or (2) believe that the verses are metaphorical, thus meaning that the Bible is still true. Now here's the crucial bit: someone suffering cognitive dissonance will almost be guaranteed to try and salvage their belief as opposed to opt for the option that requires them to trash it. Thus, for me at the time, it was a no brainer - I was compelled to accept (2).

Taking the above and applying it to Jesus' resurrection, we can see that the theory would be that his close followers had a very strong belief in what Jesus promised. In the event that Jesus didn't return, they would be in a state of cognitive dissonance: they believe Jesus will be back, but he's nowhere to be found. Thus, belief-related-instincts kick in and they *must* find a way to solve their state of cognitive dissonance, thus how stories/rumours spread that he was back. I mean... think about it. Doesn't Mary confuse Jesus for the bloody gardener initially?? Really?? Sounds *exactly* like what one would expect of an individual suffering from cognitive dissonance.

It amazes me at the way you can trash reasoning to make up your own stories.

GC

[FallentoReason]

It amazes me at the way you can trash reasoning to make up your own stories.

Thanks for sharing your opinion. Does it come in arguments?

[xpastor]

... So my answer is cognitive dissonance.

When people believe something intensely, and it fails to happen, they can't live with that. They have to invent a story to prove that it really did happen in an unexpected way.

The problem with such explanations is that they can also support opposite scenarios.

For instance, consider yourself. You believed. Then you read some things in the OT and judged god as unworthy. This sets up cognitive dissonance - if you continue to believe you end up in hell and don't want to consider that. So, you found reasons to discontinue belief.

I'm not saying that's what actually happened. I'm just saying that broad concepts like cognitive dissonance can generate tales that go any which way, and so don't really have much value.

Very slick argument, John.

I did later on apply the term cognitive dissonance to my departure from the ministry, but I don't even think I knew it at the time.

The dissonance was between the picture of God presented by an unfiltered reading of the OT on the one hand and the idea of God which I had formed from innumerable Bible studies and volumes of apologetic writings like C.S. Lewis on the other hand. Also the contrast between churchgoers enthusiastically belting out "they'll know we're Christians by our love" and the actual conduct of the majority. I'm pretty sure that the fear of hellfire never entered my thoughts, not when I became a Christian and not when I abandoned Christianity. I always was partial to Origen's universalist heresy.

Notwithstanding the concession above, I believe the defence against cognitive dissonance is usually to try to maintain the status quo as the Millerites did in arguing that Jesus did something very important on October 22, 1844 even if we couldn't see it. In my case, the obvious defence against the negative picture of God would have been to start arguing that the Amalekites were soooo evil they had it coming.

[Drich]

Many would answer that it was borrowed from the Osiris myth.

Perhaps. However, I start from the premise that Yeshua was a historical figure, an itinerant rabbi with considerable rhetorical prowess, who got himself crucified by the Romans and remained dead.

So my answer is cognitive dissonance.

When people believe something intensely, and it fails to happen, they can't live with that. They have to invent a story to prove that it really did happen in an unexpected way.

The problem with such explanations is that they can also support opposite scenarios.

For instance, consider yourself. You believed. Then you read some things in the OT and judged god as unworthy. This sets up cognitive dissonance - if you continue to believe you end up in hell and don't want to consider that. So, you found reasons to discontinue belief.

I'm not saying that's what actually happened. I'm just saying that broad concepts like cognitive dissonance can generate tales that go any which way, and so don't really have much value.

You knocked it out of the park with this one!

[xpastor]

This problem for the Jewish priest could have been easily solved. All they had to do is open the grave and show Jesus was still in the grave, why didn't they should be the question nonbelievers ask themselves, why didn't they.

You're making a lot of assumptions in a modernistic vein.

First, that Jesus was in a well-identified grave, maybe with an inscription like this:

Jesus H. Christ
4 BC - 30 AD
R.I.P.

Second, that people would know what he looked like.

Third, that decomposition would not have changed his appearance beyond recognition.

[ronedee]

How long was he in the grave before urban legends were told about him faking his own death? How many testified to "Elvish sightings"? And he wasn't a religious icon promising the resurrection of the dead. He lived in the modern age and not the superstitious time of 1st century Judea.


Why is it then so impossible to believe that ignorant and superstitious people wouldn't start believing fanciful tales about Jesus rising from the grave?

2000 years from now there will be Elivsists all over the place proclaiming Elvis as the true son of God and rose from the dead.

None of my kids (teens) even know who Elvis is now! Much less care...

Plus, Elvis didn't predict his own death(which probably would've been easy to do), or rising from it! His followers said "he never died".

Nor, did Elvis promise salvation, or even a new cadillac to his followers.

I think you are giving Elvis way too much credit! He proved himself human in many ways. And his legacy is fading away in nursing homes as we speak.

[Zazzy]

None of my kids (teens) even know who Elvis is now! Much less care...
And his legacy is fading away in nursing homes as we speak.

Ronedee, this is terrible. How can you not play Elvis for your kids?

My niece and nephew LOVE Elvis.

Your opinion of Elvis is way more disturbing to me than your position on religion.

[Tonus]

2000 years from now there will be Elivsists all over the place proclaiming Elvis as the true son of God and rose from the dead.

Perhaps. Or perhaps Elvis will be presented as a prophet who heralded the coming of Tupac Shakur, who also became the subject of "faked death" rumors after his passing.

[ronedee]

None of my kids (teens) even know who Elvis is now! Much less care...
And his legacy is fading away in nursing homes as we speak.

Ronedee, this is terrible. How can you not play Elvis for your kids?

My niece and nephew LOVE Elvis.

Your opinion of Elvis is way more disturbing to me than your position on religion.

Hey! I liked Elvis... a little before my time...but I do like his music!

Thank ya...thank ya very much!