By Tom Harpur
an intensive, ground-breaking exam of the position of historical delusion within the origins of Christianity, demanding the assumption of the Gospels as ancient fact - it's going to switch the best way many take into consideration faith, religion, heritage, fantasy and belief.
for hundreds of years, the church has taught us that the Bible is a literal illustration of tangible occasions and other people from millennia in the past. yet is it attainable that the occasions within the Bible by no means happened - that every one these humans by no means existed?
In a piece guaranteed to rattle the pews of even the main liberal of church buildings, ex-Anglican priest Tom Harpur contends that Christianity is equipped on a background that didn't occur, upon a sequence of miracles that have been by no means played, and on allegories scavenged from the lessons and myths of historic cultures.
lengthy prior to the appearance of Christ, the Egyptians and different historic societies believed within the coming of a messiah, in a Madonna and her baby, a virgin start, and the incarnation of the spirit made flesh. Civilisations as assorted because the Persians and the Aztecs shared an identical non secular doctrine as Christian church buildings this present day, lengthy earlier than the testaments have been purportedly recorded as historical past. in accordance with Harpur, the early Christian church authorised those historical truths because the very tenets of Christianity and set approximately protecting up all makes an attempt to bare any components of the Bible as myth.
What all started as a trust process with the aptitude to remodel the religion of thousands has been twisted through blind literalism right into a mind-numbing culture of unquestioned trust in allegory and ritual.
As he reconsiders a life of worship and learn, Harpur eloquently finds a cosmic religion outfitted on common truths. His message is obvious: our blind religion in literalism is killing Christianity and dividing religions; just a go back to an inclusive trust process the place Christ lives inside each one folks will keep it.
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Extra resources for The Pagan Christ: Is Blind Faith Killing Christianity?
Sample text
Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. But Thomas, one of the twelve, … was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord, But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
And when he had so said, he showed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they say the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. But Thomas, one of the twelve, … was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord, But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galiliee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word. 29 John 20:19-29 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.