Korean Job Discussion Forums

[seoulunitarian]

Ok - to expand the ever-increasing religion threads....

Who do you think Jesus actually was (his ethnicity, religion, purpose, etc)?

I think there's a pretty good case for believing that Jesus was Jewish in ethnicity only, but Egyptian in religious beliefs and cultural persuasion. There's a good possibility his formative years were spent in Egypt (as well as John's, his cousin), and that they were both adherents of an Isis/Osirus - type gnostic tradition. Also, it's not unreasonable to believe that Jesus was sexually involved with Mary Magdalene. There are various reasons to believe this: (1) The gospel writers obviously tried to downplay Mary's significance in Jesus' life; (2) Many Gnostic gospels explicitly state that Jesus and Mary were sexually involved; (3) that the apostle Peter was obviously jealous of Mary's place in Jesus' life and ministry.

I will wait to write more after I see some replies.

Peace,
Daniel

[cruisemonkey]

Why... Jesus was Korean... of course!... everybody knows that!

[fiveeagles]

[Rteacher]

I think the understanding of Jesus expressed by "fiveeagles" is a lot closer to the truth than that expressed in the OP...

[seoulunitarian]

No conservative Christian has ever been able to give me a decent answer for the development of the Christian Canon. Why did so many Church Fathers before the Council of Nicea use or refer to the Gnostic Gospels in their writings and sermons? It is said they were not added to the official canon for good reasons. What are these reasons? I think the main reason was to protect a patriarchal political church system which wanted to subjugate woman by erasing the influence of Mary Magdalene as Jesus' primary apostle and successor.

When discussing Jesus, it is imperative to realize that not a single biographical word was written about him until at least 37 years after his death, and the four gospels were not proclaimed canonical until 300 years after Jesus lived.

It is interesting to note the similarities or exact matches between Jesus and Horus:

Jesus and Horus were both born of a virgin. Horus' mother's name was Meri. Jesus' mother's name was Miriam. Horus' foster father was Jo-Seph. Jesus' was Joseph. They were both supposedly born in a cave. Both births were announced by an angel to the respective mothers. Both births were heralded by a star. Both births were witnessed to by shepherds. Horus' later witnesses included three solar deities. Jesus' witnesses included three wise men. Both went through rites of passage at age 12. There is no data for both between the ages of 12 and 30. They were both baptized in a river. They were both 30 when baptized. Both baptizers were subsequently beheaded. They were both tempted in the desert. They both had 12 close disciples. They were both transfigured on a mountain. They were both crucified. They were both resurrected after 3 days. They will both reign for 1000 years in the future. (from The Pagan Christ by Tom Harpur)

For those who do not automatically throw out non-canonical books, many of the Nag Hammadi documents either implicitly or explicitly state that Jesus and Mary M. were either lovers or married.

Peace,
Daniel

[joe_doufu]

Jesus was the really good bowler in The Big Lebowski.

[huck]

I have wondered about how much of Jesus's life was taken from other mythology, just so it would sound familiar or god-like to the future converts. If you look at it rationally, it does seem obvious that quite a few things from Christianity were lifted from other, older religions.

I don't think Jesus was a white guy, to answer the OP's question. I think he probably looked more like Sayid from "Lost".

As for what God looks like....there are numerous references that "prove" that the picture Christians use to define God - old guy, flowing white hair and beard - is actually Zeus....but again, they had to use familiar symbols so that it would be easier to bring people into the fold.

And finally....I do think five eagles is too rah-rah about quoting the bible and believing it verbatim, so it's difficult to have any kind of discussion. To have a discussion, one must be willing to admit that their point of view might necessarily not be the correct one, and for most Christians, that would show a lack of faith. However, Kermo usually gives me the best answers to my questions, and I find that I agree with most of what she says...

[T-dot]

Do you mean Jesus Shuttleworth?

If so... ITS Ray Allen in He Got Game.

[eamo]

Didn't we do the religious thing a couple of months back?

When will you believers understand?

We have thought about it! We don't want it!

Any discussion relating as to what Jesus was or wasn't is kind of null in void. He wasn't the son of god. If he was the world would be a lot better than it is now. Otherwise we have a cruel god.

Did Jesus come to make the world worse or better? What has happened in history to make you believe jesus made it all better? Tell me the benefits of a guy getting nailed to a cross 2000 years ago?

It's a creation. It's a man-made miracle. It's a sympton of our weakness.

I disbelieve but I do not scoff. I just want you religious guys to answer a question. If god is love and if he loves us all why does he allow such suffering in the world. He allows the people he loves to die in horrible and senseless ways all the time. He allows church rooves to collaspe on those worshiping him!

What kind of god is this? Is it a loving god?

[kermo]

[seoulunitarian]

[desultude]

[Moldy Rutabaga]

[Grotto]

[Moldy Rutabaga]