Jesus ain't so unique and Confucius did a better job

[SerenelyBlue]

I just want to share an insight that I had.  Confucius lived more or less 500 years before Jesus.  He used the golden rule (in it's negative form), don't do to others what you don't want done to yourself.  

Christians hail Jesus as being so brilliant as to think of that rule, when Confucius said it before him.  If Jesus existed that is.

Confucius also did a better job in preserving his writings.  His writings.  Not from nameless disciples, but from his own hand and dictation.

I always thought that the Bible was so brilliant and could only come from a god.  Pardon my idiocy.  I was indoctrinated.  But Confucius being a single man put together a body of knowledge that was better organized and makes more sense.  And he is a single man.  That shows me that the Bible could have been and was written by falleable human beings.

There is nothing special about the scriptures.  Confucius is proof of that.

 

Edit.  Confucius was a literate individual.  His wisdom was also preserved by followers, but all the vital ideas come from Confucius.  My point being that secular writing can be even more brilliant than the Bible, showing that the Bible doesn't have to be inspired by a god.

 

The Bible is special.  But not other worldly, godly special.

[sdelsolray]

Good observations.

[SerenelyBlue]

30 minutes ago, sdelsolray said:

Good observations.

Thank you sdelsolray 😊

[Vigile]

I haven't read Confucius but agree the Jesus character didn't present anything new or mind blowing. In fact, there is nothing really profound about him or his teachings at all. I've read many books over my life that were far more profound than anything in the bible. Greek philosophy that pre dates the Jesus character was miles ahead and there are literally thousands of works out that since that have had a more meaningful impact (maybe not widespread, but meaningful) on the human condition. It's pretty clear that christianity hasn't survived and thrived due to the beauty or depth of its message, but rather through the sword. 

[Orbit]

Every culture has its sacred texts. Lao Tzu, Confucious, the early Hindu works, the subsequent branches of Buddhism, even the Bible are fine if you don't make the mistake of taking them literally. They are all collections of stories that reflect the values of a culture and the lessons it wanted to pass down to generations. Emile Durkheim said "religion is society worshipping itself" and I find that very apt. These texts encode the culture that they came from and tell us more about the culture they came from than they do about anything conventionally "historical". Some parts of early Semitic culture were repugnant, and we see that in stories of baby-killing, rape, and genocide. But the stories have another level of meaning, telling people what justice was, what sacrifice was, how harsh the world was---they are no more than Aesop's Fables, fairy tales with a message about a person's place in the social order, or in the case of the Bible, a tribe's place in the world. One of my favorite quotes is from Hindu scripture "Even if the scriptures tell you ten times that fire does not burn, do not believe it". I love it because it is realistic about the fallibility of holy books, and encourages people to trust their own experience over blind faith. Hope I haven't gone too far off topic here, but it doesn't surprise me at all that other traditions that don't (and that do) claim to be divine contain wisdom.  When I was in the anger stage of deconversion, I didn't want to think the Bible had any value at all, but after going through the process, I see it as just another cultural artifact, appalling in some places and wise in others.

[sdelsolray]

Well said, Orbit.

[TheRedneckProfessor]

According to the old youth pastor back home, his name should have been spelled "Confuse Us", cause that's all he ever did.