Psalm 104 - Discovered at the site of Ras Shamra (ancient Ugarit) the Myth of Baal is one of the longest literary works of the western Semitic peoples in the second millenium B.C. It begins with a conflict over kingship between Baal, the storm god and Yam, the sea god. Although Baal is victorius in this battle, he is later defeated and killed by Mot, the god of grain and death. After Baal's sister, Anat, mourns and buries him, she kills Mot in revenge for her brother's death. She then grinds up his body and sows it as seed. Subsequently, Baal and Mot come back to life and vie for power once again, with the result that Mot eventually capitulates to Baal. The incident with Yam is interpreted as Baal's victory over the sea, while the struggle between Baal and Mot is equated to the fertility cycle, with Baal seasonally "disappearing" from the earth. Psalm 104, a creation psalm, uses some of the imagery known from the Myth of Baal. The Lord's power over the sea in creation is described. While Baal is the "cloud rider," the Lord "makes the clouds his chariot." Unlike Baal, however, the Lord is neither killed nor needs help in making the earth produce food. The attribution of aspects of Baal to the Lord, along with a demonstration of his superiority to Baal, served to exalt and praise the Lord as the true King and God of creation in an environment in which the temptation to worship Baal was rampant.
-From the Archaeological Study Bible
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The Baal worshippers would call YHWH/Jesus the myth and yet you call Baal the myth as well as say Baal is superior. The irony is there if you look from the skeptic's perspective.
The Baal worshippers would call YHWH/Jesus the myth and yet you call Baal the myth as well as say Baal is superior.
Unlike Baal, however, the Lord is neither killed nor needs help in making the earth produce food.
This makes the Lord superior to Baal.
Uh, what did Pontius Pilate do? This is the irony I was talking about. Jesus was killed...and then you will say he rose again and I will say there are a dozen risen savior gods just like jc.
Are you talking about Horus? Osiris? Dionysis? Krishna? Mithras? None of these gods offered the free gift of salvation offered by Jesus Christ.
You continue to say the Bible is mythology and should be taught as such in the school system. This, in effect, would teach people to be essentially non believers and try to draw them away from Christ. Who decided that the bible was mythological? Seculars? Academia? Can you point me to a place where this was officially classified as such?
I thought that for something to be mythology it had to be a general consensus that it was ALL false. Or am I wrong on that?
And again you think that because jc said they will get salvation that makes him distinct. Sorry, but there is no basis for salvation to be true other than words in a mythology book. Saying that people will live with jesus in heaven doesn't make it true just like when the heaven's gate leader said a spaceship will take the true followers away to a distant planet where they would live in harmony isn't true. Nice story, no basis in truth.
No, teaching the bible is mythology is accurate. Teach comparative mythology where jesus, mithra, dionysis and baal are all the same. That's not teaching them to be non-believers at all. If you taught why they were false gods and why the bible is false then you'd be teaching why non believing is the correct view. I didn't say to teach why the bible is wrong. I'm using the dictionary. I am unaware of the church officially announcing the bible is mythology so I just used the dictionary. No, stories based on mythical characters don't have to be ALL false. Spiderman is a myth but he lives in new york, spiderman is the myth but new york is real. Look up the word mythology:
The body of myths belonging to a culture. Myths are traditional stories about gods and heroes. They often account for the basic aspects of existence — explaining, for instance, how the Earth was created, why people have to die, or why the year is divided into seasons. Classical mythology — the myths of the ancient Greeks and Romans — has had an enormous influence on European and American culture.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mythology
Cults, like heavens gate, are operated by selfish men who seek to control their followers by evil means. Then they get them to poison their bodies and commit suicide because they believe something extraterrestrial. Jesus teaches us to preserve our bodies and health and not to worship false gods, of which he warns there will be many in the last days.
Teaching that non believing is the correct view is exactly what I'm talking about as the way that tries to lead immature Christians away from Christ. And it does. Just look at all the young people out there that stop reading their Bible and get sucked into cults.
Many documents, when found, are studied against the bible for its accuracy and historicity. To relegate the Bible to that dusty shelf of the mythology section would, in effect, bring more secular thought to light and kind of "trump" the bible and get people to see some sort of "logic" in their false belief system. Can you see where I am going with this? Do you see where I am coming from in respect to the intent of some SP's to discard the Bible as true and accurate and replace it with completely man made documents?
I believe that is what is happening here. Your view has been around for many, many years to get rid of the Bible as taught in its current form.
But Christianity has been around for over 2000 years. Muslims have tried, Communists have tried, the Romans have tried to stamp it out, but it just won't go away. I believe there is a reason for that. And it's not just because we're stupid and have no reason. The heavens gate religion didnt last too long, really, now did it?
And Jesus was desperate for attention:selfish. People gave up their life to follow jesus and died when asked if they really believed and chose to die instead of recant their devotion. Xianity was a cult 2000 years ago to the Jews. I am unaware of Mithra to MuhamMAD controlling people. However, the leaders use tactics like heaven or hell(souls are extraterrestrial) to get people to submit/obey. The other religions have just as much concern for life and to worship their true gods and many have warned of the last days. The last days are not even close unless some nut pushes the nuke button. Our sun is fine and global warming can be controlled if we learn to fix our selfishness.
I never said teach kids that non-believing is correct, at least not other people's kids, but I expect the same. They get sucked into cults because we don't explain religion for what it is, mythology. It's not a dusty shelf, religions/mythology are in constant flux and revisions to the holy books happen all the time. And no secular book confirms anything other than tribes and people existed 3000 years ago. Yes, logic should prevail even if it means the bible is relegated to consensus that it is nothing but mythology and that is the truly what can happen when you use logic. The bible is a man made document just like the koran and book of mormon and gita.
No, I think the bible should be taught in it's current form...as mythology. No, xianity has been around so long because Constantine declared xianity the official religion back in the 4th century and Mithraism died out. It could have been the other way around but by random luck it wasn't. Xianity is dying in educated countries except the US. It's going away in Europe and Canada and Australia and America is slow to change but we always have been. Just like our stubborness to switch to the metric system...slow to change especially when it comes to using logic.
TX:
You and I are simply on opposite sides of the fence, and will continue to be. I will not compromise my beliefs or consider an alternative to Christianity, because, for me, there isn't any alternative other than salvation through my Lord and Savior. For you, you have secular atheism and your scientific logic and that's great for you. There's nothing I can say that will persuade you, and there's nothing you can say that will persuade me, so unfortunately, this leaves us at an impasse. I don't know what more I can do or say here.
You just said everything I wanted to hear. You realize I am content as an atheist and I accept that you are as a Christian. I'm glad your Catechumen was a pleasurable experience for you. Take care of yourself.
Even though I disagree with this poster on many levels, I will continue to pray for the unsaved and the unbelievers, no matter what they may say or do to me. It is my duty as a Christian.
Christians are slaughtered every single day for their beliefs. It may come to that here in America at some point in the future. I pray that it doesn't, but it very well could. It has been suggested that people "just recant" their beliefs instead of following a selfish Jesus. This is an extremely dangerous position to take.
Why not just get the Verichip implanted in your skin, or get a 666 tattooed into your flesh?
Jesus Christ was anything but selfish. Just watch "The Passion of the Christ" and read the New Testament.
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