Henry Posted April 10, 2013 Author Share Posted April 10, 2013 ... When I discovered the bible was a very human creation I tried to make some form of liberal Christianity work for me but I couldn’t. If the bible isn’t sacred and Jesus isn’t Divine then I could find no reason to wear the name Christian or identify with a religion that worshipped a man or maybe a myth. Once Christianity has been exposed for what it actually is and essentially destroyed the only spiritual option left would seem to be some form of mysticism or Deism. This is where my wife is right now. She knows that if she continues to have 'faith' it'll be in something that isn't real. She's leaning towards being a "Jesus follower" which essentially means a "person who loves others". I'm (gently) trying to point out that she doesn't need faith for this... This idea of being a "Jesus follower" reminds me of the final days when I was about to make the big cross over to being an Ex C. I kept asking myself "What do I do with Jesus?". I knew that other than the Gospels, there was very little if any historical writing about Jesus. There was an account written in the late 1800's that purported that he had traveled in the east during the "lost years of Jesus". Other than that, there was only the Gospels. The Gospels had been written many generations after Jesus died and it is pretty well known that they were politically (both church and state) influenced. So, the question was, did Jesus even really exist and if he did, did he really say and do the things he had purported to have done. So much for that; I basically wrote him a "Dear Jesus" letter, "Dear Jesus, it's been nice, but let's just be friends from now on" At that point, the things he was supposed to have said and done became irrelevant. Is he devine? OF COURSE NOT! Buh Bye christianity. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new2me Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 I basically wrote him a "Dear Jesus" letter, "Dear Jesus, it's been nice, but let's just be friends from now on" If you haven't seen Margee's 'Please Forgive Me?' thread in this forum, it's worth checking out. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burny Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 ... When I discovered the bible was a very human creation I tried to make some form of liberal Christianity work for me but I couldn’t. If the bible isn’t sacred and Jesus isn’t Divine then I could find no reason to wear the name Christian or identify with a religion that worshipped a man or maybe a myth. Once Christianity has been exposed for what it actually is and essentially destroyed the only spiritual option left would seem to be some form of mysticism or Deism. This is where my wife is right now. She knows that if she continues to have 'faith' it'll be in something that isn't real. She's leaning towards being a "Jesus follower" which essentially means a "person who loves others". I'm (gently) trying to point out that she doesn't need faith for this... This idea of being a "Jesus follower" reminds me of the final days when I was about to make the big cross over to being an Ex C. I kept asking myself "What do I do with Jesus?". I knew that other than the Gospels, there was very little if any historical writing about Jesus. There was an account written in the late 1800's that purported that he had traveled in the east during the "lost years of Jesus". Other than that, there was only the Gospels. The Gospels had been written many generations after Jesus died and it is pretty well known that they were politically (both church and state) influenced. So, the question was, did Jesus even really exist and if he did, did he really say and do the things he had purported to have done. So much for that; I basically wrote him a "Dear Jesus" letter, "Dear Jesus, it's been nice, but let's just be friends from now on" At that point, the things he was supposed to have said and done became irrelevant. Is he devine? OF COURSE NOT! Buh Bye christianity. I agree with you of course, but whether or not Jesus actually existed or not has nothing to do with being a "Jesus follower". You can still strive to attain the main principals taught by a mythical Jesus if you want. Going with the idea that he was probably an Essene Jew you would forsake all worldly wealth and dedicate yourself to others. Not a terrible path to choose but not for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RipVanWinkle Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 Even if one chooses to "follow Jesus" without buying into the myth that he was divine, the problems don't go away. There are so many things that he was attributed with saying that don't make any sense that one who is trying to follow him either continues to believe some bizarre things or has to do a lot of picking and choosing to come up with a rational belief system. Like for example, "love your enemies" and "do good to those that hurt you". There are many more that I'm sure everybody here is familiar with. Making a philosophy out of Jesus' sayings was my first choice, too. But it ended with my making up my own philosophy. bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RipVanWinkle Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 Florenceharni: I agree that God knew what would happen in advance according to the belief, but from a purely logical standpoint, what would have happened hypothetically if A and E had not eaten the forbidden fruit? Would they have lived out their natural lives and then died anyway? If not, what was the Tree of Eternal Life needed for? Thomas Hobbes pointed out that have the two magical (my word) trees was inconsistent and created many hypothetical possibilities. So by exploring these avenues demonstrates that the story didn't make any sense except as a ruse. I'm just picking your brain. We don't get many Jews visiting here unfortunately. bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry Posted April 12, 2013 Author Share Posted April 12, 2013 I basically wrote him a "Dear Jesus" letter, "Dear Jesus, it's been nice, but let's just be friends from now on" If you haven't seen Margee's 'Please Forgive Me?' thread in this forum, it's worth checking out. I read "Please Forgive Me" and loved it. That was a very heart felt piece Margee, thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overcame Faith Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 Welcome to ExC, Henry. We have something in common. I, too, was 50 when Christianity started falling apart for me, or, as you put it, the crack began. For me, it didn't take long for that crack to turn into the Grand Canyon. I'm glad you're here and I enjoyed reading your extimony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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