All religion is a tale of magic, illusion, superstition, control, opression, faith, belief.......... I am being controversial and perhaps more than a little "tongue-in-cheek" here, but that's why I have made this a blog rather than a forum thread...... I could do this with any of the main religious groups of course, (and who knows, I may at some later date), but for now, I am basing it on Christianity and the perceptions, opinions and knowledge of people in today's modern world. Feel free to comment, or not. If you are easily offended, feel free to not read past THIS line.
Once upon a time, there was a young man who joined a group of other young men to follow a man whom they claimed was the "new messiah". Strangely, there was no women in this inner clique and even although all the men dressed much the same, went everywhere together and slept in the same room, nobody thought to even raise an eyebrow. Women could listen to the men but they were never part of the group.
It was said that this guy's mother was a virgin (!!?), although she was married (but only after she became pregnant so that the new baby would not be seen in the wrong light). They told how, one night, long ago, "an angel from heaven" came and told his mom that she would fall pregnant and that her baby would be the messiah, come to save the world!
Anyway, the kid was born right enough, and lived a comfortable life, working in his dad's carpentry business. He never had many friends that anyone knew of in the early days and as he got older, he turned to religion. Apparently, he would go to where all the ministers and priests hung out and tell them how they were wrong and what they should believe, even though he'd never been known to attend one of their services himself.
Well, the story goes that he began to do strange and weird things. It was said that he cured a guy with a disease and raised another man from the dead. As he did all this, more and more people, who were all looking for some higher meaning to life, began to follow this little group of men with the "messiah" at their head.
Trouble started when it looked to the powers that be as if he was beginning to have more people listening to him than were listening to the government of the time. They decided that he had to go and so, they hatched a plot to accuse him of treason, basically. Of course, it was a kangaroo court and the mob mentality and 'trial by media' machine kicked in so he was screwed before they'd even started.
He couldn't prove any of the things he was saying and so he was made out to be a liar, a cheat and was called all sorts of nasty things. He didn't conform or fit into the majority idea of what "society" should be, so he was ostracised and outcast to the public at large.
They fit him up, arrested him, beat him up, and finally, killed him. All because some didn't understand him, some understood but didn't want to know and others just didn't give a hoot either way about him.
It was all an incredible story of course and we only know about it today because some of those guys from the original clique wrote some stuff down and called it the word of God. They brought all the stuff they'd wrote together in the one place and made it into a book (the first self-published volume ever!?)
They said that people had to read the book, all of it, and just take it in good faith that every single word was true. Questioning it was questioning the word of god and it says right there in the book that your not allowed to do that. It says a whole lot of stuff but the basic message is, don't ask, just shut up and obey. (The worlds first handbook for the oppressed?)
Then, years went by and this book was reprinted and translated and spread across the world. Those who believed in this book came across others who had their own book and believed in that one and so religion and religious wars were born.
It's been proven though that, if you start a message and give it to, say, a hundred people, that mesage WILL have changed from its original version at person one to what the hundredth person hears. And thats exactly what happened!
And they all lived ............. ever after.
(Maybe some day, it will be 'happily ever after' - but not yet)
Posted by scotslad60 on 2008-05-21 15:04:40 | Rating: | Views: 113
It reminds me of the joke in red dwarf about how in thousands of years time a page will be found that is believed to be the first page of the Bible, it read:
'All characters and events in this book are finctional, any resemblance to anyone living or dead is purely coincidence etc etc '
I am commenting as a Christian who believes that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. I have found it to be reliable in my own life and though I do not need to defend God or His Word, I am willing to give an answer for the hope that is within me.
Jesus did not just walk out onto the pages of history to gather a little band and start a new religion. The Bible speaks of Him from beginning to end.
As for the beginning, John puts it this way: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." John 1:1-5 NKJV
All of the prophets spoke of Him. They said He would be born of a virgin in Bethlehem, that He would minister in Galilee, that He would be temporarily rejected by His own people, that He would offer salvation to the Gentiles, that Judas would betray Him for silver, that He would be beaten and they would cast lots for His clothing, that He would be numbered among transgressors (thieves on the cross) and be buried in a rich man’s tomb. They also said that the grave would not be able to hold Him and He would be victorious over death.
Jesus said of Himself,
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." John 3:16-20 NKJV
And as for the end of the Book: Jesus said,
"I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star. "...And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires let him take the water of life freely."
Revelation 22:16-17 NKJV
This is NOT the place for preaching nor making long comments about your faith 'sharetheword' so please dont do it. I would hate to have to go to the bother of deleting it. Please post this sort of thing in the religious forums. Thank you.
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