So, what if it could be proven that Jesus never existed? What if there was evidence that every word of the New Testament – the cornerstone of Christianity – is based on myth and metaphor?
Based on Tom Harpur’s national bestseller, The Pagan Christ examines these very questions. During his research, Harpur discovered that the New Testament is wholly based on Egyptian mythology, that Jesus Christ never lived, and that – indeed – the text was always meant to be read allegorically. It was the founders of the Church who duped the world into taking a literal approach to the scriptures. And, according to Harpur, this was their fatal error – and the very reason Christianity is struggling today.
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A preview that you need to download a media player to be able to watch all of it...
The writer, Harpur, is assuming that all Christians take a literal approach. A little investigation would have shown him that many Catholic and Eastern Orthodox intellectuals and mystics have taken an allegorical and metaphorical approach to Judeo-Christian history. It has been noted by more than a few historians that 50% of Catholicism is derived from tradition and 50% is biblical. For instance, when English "Christians" invaded Ireland in the 17th century one of the justifications was that the Irish were pagan because they believed in the BVM and in saints as well as venerating hills and lakes and sacred wells.
Taking a broad brush to religiouis history, as Harpur seems to be doing, does an enormous disservice to the vast variety of differences among "Christians".
You do have to download the Veoh Web Player to view it in full, however, the application in question is relatively handy, and can download plenty of videos from the veoh site for you to watch at your leisure.
We must also notice, Hugh, that much of the church in America today consists of the most vocal among us. It consists of those who take the Bible as literal truth. These people do not know allegory or metaphor, they only know the Bible. It is by the silent consent of those in the less radical religious partnership that these vocal believers are able to foist their dogmatism upon everyone else.
Thanks for posting. That was excellent. I still prefer the doc "Who Wrote The Bible?" to this one though.
A lot of unusually, big and sometimes misleading words are used in the defense of a dogmatic belief. As soon as doubt about the great creator is mentioned or even thought Blasphemy is in the air. Is there no tolerance for the unbeliever? can not the doubter ask for proof. or will he always be cast down and murdered. This is an informative film which is starting to nurture the demand for more proof for the God of mammon to show himself. Humanity has robbed murdered raped and enslaved. fellow man in the name of God whatever his guise,. a very good film!
Yet another person missing the point and not only that, but pointing out others who are missing the point as well as some kind of "evidence." If you all (believers and non) want to limit what is possible in this world for your own sense of satisfaction that is fine. The unbeliever may ask for proof, but I may not give it, only God may give it... and it will not necessarily be on your terms. The "trick" might be for you to actively seek some kind of 'proof' that is demonstrably not originated by the rest of us. But then you would tell everyone you knew that God was a piece of toast or your cat or something... and perhaps that is precisely why God will always leave your rational mind a way out.
I wasn't around for him, but fiction or non... Jesus was effin' awesome. He verbally and PHYSICALLY demonstrated the way forward for all us self-absorbed and violent little monkeys, but all we can do is divide ourselves further over the finer and, dare I say, LESS IMPORTANT details.
The guy above me makes a very good point.and it is a point that many of us atheists fail to recognize. For Christians and believers of other religions, rationality is not very high on their intellectual scale. But as an atheist, I feel like I have to reply to these comments.
First, there is a verse in the Bible that actually says faith is supposed to be based on rationality. So by leaving rationality out of it, you have defied God. Second, if we rationality out of this, how is this story, the greatest story ever told, more relevant than Cinderella. The girl was effin' awesome. But despite all how good she is, without rationality or evidence, we see her as just a story. We do not build churches for her. This is why rationality must be a part of the conversation.
"The unbeliever may ask for proof, but I may not give it, only God may give it... and it will not necessarily be on your terms. The "trick" might be for you to actively seek some kind of 'proof' that is demonstrably not originated by the rest of us. But then you would tell everyone you knew that God was a piece of toast or your cat or something... and perhaps that is precisely why God will always leave your rational mind a way out."
whatis forgotten here and always is that these sceiptures and gospels were written and chosen years sometimes 60 and even 150 years after christ was on the earth. The few Gospels "chosen" out of a 60 gospel s written at the time were and could well of been for the pre effect of a dogmatic unquestioning faith, the scriptures that are quoted time and again are quoted as if they were the hand of god and not the hand of fanatic followers.
1..Why did contstantine choose these for his bible
2.. why was mary Magdelane left out
3::: why was she branded a whore by the church
why why why,..
If your God is as he is protraid by his followers and rules on fear and not love and understandinig how do you know he will be compassionate in the afterlife, when he is lacking Compassion now!
Here and now is the only freedom we can ever wish to get, our morals and compassion for fellow man comes from learning from the mistakes of the one god Religions
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