And it always struck me how upset Christians get when I now tell them their religion is no different than all the others. How they get upset when I mock it, ridicule it, or say how worthless it is. Yet, Christians do this in spades when talking about other people's religions.
For example:
https://answersingenesis.org/world-reli ... us-christ/
Have a read through. See how the Christian carefully explains that the Greek religion was all 'just stories' but the Bible is the true word of God - while they are talking about just as fanciful tales as the Greeks told!
The kicker for me is this "Oh-so-close-you-almost-had-a-self-awareness" moment when he ends his piece:
It's almost as if he's asking himself: "How can I believe these crazy stories in Genesis if I'm not brainwashed into believing the the Christian mythology is true?"How indeed can we expect people to understand and accept what the Bible teaches about a crucified and risen Lord if we fail to build the foundation for them to accept the Bible’s teachings about the Creator God, the one to whom we are accountable? How can they fully appreciate the suffering Savior who “was wounded for our transgressions,” who was “bruised for our iniquities” and by whose “stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5) if their understanding of the origin of sin and suffering has no more truth in it than the tale of the curious Pandora who unleashed all the suffering that haunts the world?
How can they understand that the Son of God, the man Jesus Christ, was “the last Adam [who] became a life-giving spirit” if they do not believe that “the first Adam became a living being” (1 Corinthians 15:45)? Let us not lose sight of the importance of building a biblical worldview among those who are deceived by the popular lies of molecules-to-man evolution. We need to teach them the truth about our Creator.
The point is, I don't know why Christians can't see how their mythology is no different than other mythologies in history. Yes, I believed it at one point when I was young - because it was taught as truth - but just like Santa Claus, I grew to understand how adults make up lies in a misguided effort to either help or control people - or both.
What stuns me is the number of seemingly sober adults who will mock the ancient Greeks for believing Zeus had a hand in some event, then will claim God acts in some other event. They don't realize they are doing exactly the same thing, with the same level of Faith.
It has been said that there are a few things one can do to realize the truth of religion (all religion):
1. Actually read the religious texts with full understanding.
2. Study/Compare religions
3. Read about mythology and how it operates.
4. Understand fallacies, and how the brain often tricks us into thinking certain things.
5. Simply observing
However, I bet many Religionists would say they've done those things and still believe their mythology is the one, true mythology.
What methods have people seen that works to get through to Religious people?
Should we try? (Is it moral?)
Should we let them believe whatever they want, even if it means they could harm people? (That is, we could arrest them for not taking their kids to the doctor, or beating up gay people - but don't we have a responsibility to stop the ideology? And, not just acute acts of violence, but religious people - by far - deny Climate Change, and vote against policies that would help mitigate it).
Should we be subversive (join churches and plant seeds, or lead Bible Study groups)?
What advice would a Christian give to persuade other religious believers to stop beleiving in their religion? (I imagine they think getting them to read the Bible would work, but that's been tried and failed far more than it's worked. Likewise, Muslims believe their text is persuasive).
Imagine you have met a sincere believer in Greek Mythology and he has perfect Apologetics. What could or would you say to convince them they were wrong - or would you? I imagine a Muslim or Christian would use the threat of Hell, or try to persuade them that Jesus really loves them - so "C'mon!".
This is not a strange question among Christians. They actively seek to convert people. They have vast organizations to try to get people to join their religion. They have Missionaries, out-reaches, etc. Some of it works, but overall, Christianity is in decline.
"Nones" are the fastest growing religious group. Perhaps because people are too informed to believe in Bronze Age mythologies - they now have other mythologies to latch on to. Or, they are comfortable knowing mundane truths. Or, comfortable not knowing and not caring about the Meaning of Life, and if there is an Afterlife, etc.
There is, after all, a beauty in minimalism, and enjoying the Simple Life. We don't need heroic tales of supernatural Good vs Evil battles to fulfill our lives. We just need a few friends, family, a good drink and some time to appreciate what we have. All the rest seems overly complicated.
So, debate: Ought society move, willingly, to a Post-Religious(mythological) world, or, like Joseph Campbell suggests, do we needs Myths?
I reckon there are a few Bible -believers who are reading your posts with disbelief. As much as mine.
You carry right on with the personals, they hurt you, not me.
but seems to show that he realised the evidence for the centan evolution is pretty solid. So he crams the whole thing into the time from the Flood ending to records of civilisation.
