Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim_Gunn
All one has to do is read the Bible to see that there is no monotheistic "God" in Christian mythology but rather a whole pantheon of deities, demi-gods, supernatural entities and ferocious monsters in the myths. It stands to reason since Christianity is derived from an amalgamation of earlier religions, many of them polytheistic. The idea that the three main gods in Christianity are united in one entity was not even established until the Third Century A.D.. Not to mention it's preposterous anyway. God, Jesus and the Holy Ghost (later renamed to the Holy Spirit because worshipping a ghost sounds silly after all) are three clearly different characters in the various stories.
Then you've got Satan who is clearly a deity of equal or nearly equal power to "God". After all you can't have good without evil or heaven without hell. And the three main deities of Christianity are apparently powerless to stop him. After the Devil there are a number of demi-gods of immense powers such as the archangels, some of whom are featured prominently in the myths and even named such as Gabriel, Michael & Uriel. Who knows how many garden variety angels serve "God"- hundreds, thousands even? But they would also count as demigods of a sort. They surely aren't human.
Then you have who knows how many demons, also demi-gods with supernatural powers who serve Satan and sometimes intervene in human affairs. The Bible also describes several other non-human demi-gods or monsters of a sort including the Nephilim- giants, fallen angels or some kind of angel & human hybrids depending on the various interpretations from antiquity.
Now I know these aren't demi-gods but still look how rich the myths are full of fantastical creatures not like anything that ever actually lived on earth- Leviathon, flying serpents, unicorns, satyrs, Behemoth, cockatrices. I won't even get into saints, former humans who transmogrify into something else entirely.
Ancient, medieval and modern religious leaders have both censored and abridged Christian mythology over the last two millennia. But make no mistake about it. Christian mythology is as rich as any other polytheistic religion.
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Well, almost all religious systems do share certain commonalities. No doubt about that. For example, the archetype of the 'hero'
But one set of question sticks to my mind regarding the positioning of belief so apparent in this thread. My questions don't have anything to do with doctrine. But they have everything to do with BELIEF's effects on people. What is wrong with believing if it brings REAL change to your life? I am sure there are countless numbers of people who overcame addictions, unforgiveness, deep-seated anger, abandonment issues, alienation issues, and other hang ups because they surrendered to Islam, rediscovered Torah Judaism, submitted to Christ, found the path of the Buddha, cleared by Scientology, etc etc. Putting aside all discussions regarding some belief systems being scams or historically oppressive, etc, isn't there value in people becoming HAPPY because some belief system offered them ANSWERS they could not find through other means? What gives us the moral superiority to say they are merely deluded and foolish? Wouldn't claiming the moral high ground because we have the 'scientific truth' no more problematic than when 'Christians' of the past persecuted 'witches'? Is there more at play here? If the mixture of religion and state power to suppress 'heresy' was so disgusting, isn't there the same level of disgust here when personal belief is ridiculed.
So what if someone wants to believe in the flying spaghetti monster, if his life reflected a change and freed him from personal demons that drugs, alcohol, sex, Marxism, post-structuralism, post-modernism, and tons of cash couldn't 'cure,' who are we to judge? Isn't the promise of living in a POST MODERNIST society precisely the fact that we can march to the beat of our own drummers?
Sometimes I think discussions about religion are like discussions about Robert Kiyosaki. Many people say he's a fraud. Many people say they got inspired by his books to create a new financial reality for themselves. Let's say both statements are true. What if you were able to become rich being inspired by self-motivation financial FICTION written by Kiyosaki, does it mean your riches are FAKE too? Let's apply that to religion. What about people who were able to get their head straight and not want to KILL everyone they come across because they got transformed by God's LOVE for them. Is their conversion fake? What would you rather have the person believe in? Is there an approved list? The almighty state? Ayn Rand? Marxism? What? If you break these down, any workable belief system has strands of RELIGION (that's partly why I posted the Joseph Campbell structural analysis of life patterns above). Nothing is new. Everything humans create flow from certain patterns. Whether it is the concept of the Hero, the Trickster, the concept of Release, etc etc. Belief is what suffuses them. Ultimately, I'm asking if we've outgrown the ancient and troublesome idea that one belief is SUPERIOR to another...
Just asking. Don't burn me at the stake, bros
