Korean Job Discussion Forums

philipjames · Joined: 03 Feb 2003

It never fails to amaze me how there still exist Christians - millions of them - in the year 2007. So many of them are simply ignorant of the mythical nature of so many bible stories. Many of them were indoctrinated into their faith as a child and have remained stuck in that mindset as adults. Let's start a thread containing information that exposes the role of myth in Christianity. I'll start with a short comparative clip about 'virgin births' in antiquity.

Unfortunately, it is accompanied by Madonna's Like a Virgin jingle. Still, it makes its point.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qm7Kb18jlwU

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

If only they stuck to biblical myths. In many fundamentalist Protestant churches the world over people still convey modern-day myths and fables (like the disappearing hitch-hiker) that audiences lap up.

Bingo · Joined: 22 Jun 2006

Dude, I like that Madonna song. Very Happy

Anyway, I totally agree about the incredible inability of Christians to see their faith in a comparative context. Here's another short video about Christian origins.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4HoixOCZWY

ED209 · Joined: 17 Oct 2006

Careful now you don't want to end up on anyone's hate list.

Don't forget all those Christian myths outside the bible. Did St.George really slay a dragon? Was St.Patrick the best exterminator Ireland ever saw? Did South Park really answer why there is an Easter bunny?

Bingo · Joined: 22 Jun 2006

Easter. This video is a bit long and drawn out. However, it is informative.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNhGQYo4yZs

philipjames · Joined: 03 Feb 2003

The myth of creation. Embarassed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeqeNisXE2k

That all humanity descended from Adam and Eve. Rolling Eyes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awuUjZgeET0

Bingo · Joined: 22 Jun 2006

On a more serious note. Did an historical Jesus actually exist? Most historians believe that an historical person [b]did[/b] exist, but dismiss all of the superstitious stuff. It was common back them to attribute all kinds of supernatural abilities and qualities to martyred religious and political leaders. The Jesus movement was no different. Yet, no historian will say for certain that a historical Jesus actually did exist. Some doubt it. One thing is certain. There is zero material evidence for his existence, and (oddly) he left no written records.

So, did he even exist? Here is an argument against his existence.

http://www.nobeliefs.com/exist.htm

RACETRAITOR · Joined: 24 Oct 2005 Location: Seoul, South Korea

Qinella · Joined: 25 Feb 2005 Location: the crib

Godamn I hate internet explorer. Just had a long post typed out and clicked on a google link and it erased the whole thing. Lame.

So here it is briefly.

Against juvenile anti-Christianity arguments: www.tektonics.org and www.christian-thinktank.com. Both sites are indispensable, and necessary to avoid looking like you got your world religion knowledge from forwarded emails.

In favor of serious, literary criticism of Christianity: Arthur Frederick Ide. Cannot recommend him enough.

One bit I will contribute is that the Hebrews were a culture that worshipped and idolized war. As such, they were often at war with neighboring tribes. Their spiritual leaders condoned the capture of virgins. Now, the important thing to note is not the barbarism of such activity, but that tradition, culture and religion is often carried on by women in day-to-day reality. These captured women, of course, carried on their own beliefs, which then became enmeshed with the Hebrew culture. So you have cultural metaphors appearing in the Bible such as a tree symbolizing life and a snake symbolizing evil (this was actually most likely a reaction to neighboring 'pagans' who worshipped snakes) that first appeared in Babylonian and other traditions.

So, we have the Bible and the resulting religions being subtly influence by women who were captured by Hebrew warriors.

Oh, and don't forget to check out Joseph Campbell.

RACETRAITOR · Joined: 24 Oct 2005 Location: Seoul, South Korea

I think the thing that really gets in the way of me taking Christianity (or any other religion) seriously is the talk of miracles. Stuff like Jesus walking on water, turning one loaf of bread into many, and so on. It makes me wonder if Jesus wasn't just a magician preying on people's gullibility.

Today in certain parts of the world (including Korea) there are Christian leaders who use various scams including psychic surgery and all manner of healing techniques such as laying on of hands. All these so