It strikes me as peculiar how the human mind works in various states; whether that be bliss or distress, or any other condition that brings about a response. When it comes to religion, what struck me most was my automatic response to gravitate towards it in a time of crisis.
In an earlier post, I explained that my wife of four years unexpectedly left me. This was, it goes without saying, a shattering experience, and I certainly feel for those out there that may read this blog who have gone through a similar experience. Now, what came of this experience (one thing at any rate), was my almost automatic reaction to want to return to religion, and return fully. In a tear-filled conversation with my eldest brother, a very religious (and intelligent) man, I explained how I had failed to be fully committed to God, and how that must be the reason my marriage had failed, ultimately.
This subsequently led to a Christian counselor to help me work through these issues. While we were meeting, the shock of the situation began to subside, and my doubts began to return. One of the things that helped speed along this "recovery," I'll call it, was the realization that the 'hook' for my healing was Jesus. At first, the sessions began with describing my relationships with my mother and father, past traumas, etc. And, at first, I thought that maybe we would get to the bottom of why I think the way I do, or perhaps do the things I do, but this quickly evaporated. It wasn't long until I realized that what I was getting, what I was paying for, were sermons. That it didn't matter what my real issues were, Jesus was the answer. So no real assessment was needed really, just plug in Christ, and you're cured. This, I thought, was deception wrapped in, what I have to assume, was a sincere delivery. I say it was sincere because I do not doubt the person's conviction of what he was speaking about. But, still, the package was still deceptive. There may be a time, if this person were to continue with this counseling, when he is sitting across a table from someone with troubles and issues far greater than my own, in need of real analysis, and diagnosis, not a band-aid solution.
Eventually, I came to a point where I had to be real, and honest about my doubts about religion, and Christianity in particular. I asked him one day if it ever bothered him that the tenets we associate with Jesus Christ also appear in other deities, especially troubling being the ones who predate his (alleged) existence. Now, granted, the similarities are not across the board with all of those who share them with Jesus Christ, but enough, certainly, to raise questions. The aspects of the virgin birth, or the death and resurrection are not unique to Christ. Similarities do exist, and the problem is further compounded by the fact that Christ came later, and neighboured some of these other religions, giving rise to the notion that plagiarism was involved, and that there was some attempt to make Christianity more palatable to the pagan worshipers of the time.
He didn't have an answer right away, which I did not blame him for in the least. He clung to the belief that, because the virgin birth, and death and resurrection were so fundamental to the validity of Christianity, it must be true. There must be some explanation. I told him of some of the names of the other gods that predate Christianity that share the same components of Christ, and even looked up some on my smart phone with him. His first objection was that the Old Testament, which prophesied the coming of Christ, would have predated those other religious figures, and they would have been the impostors. This, of course, is simply not the case, so I encouraged him to look into the matter himself, and we could talk more about it at our next visit.
I am sad to say he never came back.
This issue of story stealing extends even further, with the Great Flood, The Garden of Eden, even the story of creation found in earlier texts than the Bible. The stories went through some revision, and editing, but enough of the stories remained intact that any teacher would call their student out on plagiarizing another's work.
Credibility takes a hit when claims are shown to be false. The Bible's claim to originality, and absolute morality have all been called into question. I can no longer abide in the Bible as a source for morality, nor any of its claims.
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