Frank wrote on May 27
th, 2024 at 7:11pm:
Well, I don't really want to get into an argument about what is real with someone who feeds his mind and imagination with B grade fantasy movies and books.
The few B-grade fantasy movies are more set in reality than some tale about a cult leader (of 12 disciples) who went about preaching a lot of rubbish during an ancient time.
Quote:As I said before, the divinity or otherwise of Jesus is not the point. You are rearing up against the divine attributes. I am not arguing about those. I am simply saying that there was a man called Jesus, he lived in 1st century Judea, he was crucified by the Romans 'on advice' by the Jewish religious establishment.
At the very least, you have conceded that Jesus was not endowed with superpowers.
Quote:If you want to reject his miracles, divinity, resurrection - go ahead, I am not arguing about any of that.
Excellent. Because to argue that Jesus had all these miraculous abilities, but could not get out of an execution was a starting point for my pathway to a non-religious personality. I think I was 9 years old by the time I came to that kind of conclusion.
Quote:But I think it is blustering, ignorant stupidity to simply deny that he even existed, when there is so much written evidence about his existence, from sympathetic and unsympathetic sources.
There is yet to be a single source of evidence to show that Jesus EVER existed in Judea or wherever else you might read about. The story of Jesus is just mythology. Much like that of children and teenagers who revere "Harry Potter" and "Lord of the Rings". You interpret the stories to be taken allegorically. Could you imagine in 1500 years time people considering Bilbo Baggins to be a real person from the 1950s who saved the world from chaos? I feel that you see "Jesus" in much the same way. And that is disheartening.
Quote:....The stories about Jesus are just not a mythological stories at all, nothing like the stories of Achilles, above, or Hercules or any of the other myths and fables from east or west.
I believe Hercules and Achilles to be mythology. As stated in google searches. Why do you have a problem with my interpretation of Jesus as also mythological? You said that it was up to me to decide for myself. Maybe it is because I live in a secular nation called "Australia" that I have determined that religion is irrelevant to modern thought. If people 2000 years ago went about their way after an execution of a cult leader and there is no writing of riotous behaviour in protest of a particular execution, then it would be reasonable to conclude that the guy did not exist at all. And given that the Romans were still worshipping Roman gods in the 16th century, I could consider that the main reason for the rise in Christianity was due to the foundations of the Americas.
Quote:I don't know what you are studying at CQU in Rocky but you have no ear or mind to sift basic critical textual analysis or historical evidence.
I did twelve years of formal education. I graduated and went on to do a few different courses at university and TAFE. I have accredited research skills in humanities. I have basic to intermediate skill in computing. Currently, I am doing a work integrated learning program with CQU in an industry that requires workers. People my age are more likely than any other age group to join. Though, I won't tell you where.
Even though my research skills have not been tested in about 20 years, I have enough skill to critically analyse a topic, such as religion to draw surmises and inferences so that I can say "Jesus Christ" did not exist. But, given that my attempt at reading my late grandmother's bible ended in me throwing the book across the room in protest to the insanity of that book, it is difficult for me to be motivated towards writing a detailed analysis of the bible for its credibility.
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John is all that I recall reading of the New Testament. There are smatterings of the bible that I have quickly read and forgotten about. But, beyond that, I have not even bothered to do anything with the bible other than to wipe the dust off and placing that book in the bookshelf in the fiction section.