Geez Rex,
Hi Unc, You still 'just don't get it', regarding similiar claims and beliefs by pagan religions. The Christian faith has so much more evidence than the rest and it's claims are backed up both secular and by the apostles giving their livelihood, reputations and very lives for this miracle that you scoff at!What evidence? As for giving up thier lifeblood, If it's numbers that impress you we can argue well into the night about the fanatasism of the Aztecs vs the Zulus, the Hindus vs the Moslems, the Catholics vs the Protestants, the Atheistic forces of Communism vs the ancient religions of Russia and China.
Your view of early christianity is actually less respectful than mine. The Jew Jesus would be horrified if he retured to see what American Fundamentalists are doing in his name. (I'm sure you guy's would crucify him a new with all his talk of love and forgiveness .. then again, the evedence is in that all that was Paulian myth making too)
Also, the fact that pagan religions have valid similarities to Christianity enhances the idea that there was at one time, one God worship from which all other worship originated.This sentence is evidence that fundy's will stoop to nothing to try and link thier laterday belief system with the most ancient on the planet, a tactic often employed by the Brooklyn Bible scholars. Here's a little story:
Last year I took my JW father-in-law to visit a sacred Aboriginal site near where I live. It is a place of great natural beauty a few miles further into the forest from me with a spring fed stream flowing into a forest oasis. The National Parks and Wildlife service have just upgraded the facilities for day visiters (some days two or three carloads of tourists come!!! lol .. such is the smallness of our tourist numbers)
Alan got very excited at seeing plaques retelling the local aboriginal creation myths. These in fact have very little in common with Christian and Jewish ones and out date them by 40,000 years+ but the word 'creation' is enough to jingle the mind-control embelished brain cells into excited life. It'd be funny if it were'nt so pathetic.
Zoaraster and the Magi of Persia gleaned much from being exposed to Daniel and the hebrews at Babylon. The Magi (who were not 'magicians' but an elite, 'King making groups of wise men') even tracked down the Christ child by His second year of life.Ah the magi. My sister, the astrolgy witch would have a field day with you on that. The Bible and Torah (tarot?) read from
her perspective is one big astrology manual from the "I Am" Most High Jethro to Warlock Moses with his Zodiac breastplate.
Of course, you much champion the typical critisisms because it allows you to believe you are correct in your own life course and world view.What life course? You were the worldly witness, what have I ever done to be guilty about? I'm the very model of an honorary citizen, faithful husband of one wife, kind to animals and passing strangers, helper of widows and orphans and all that. Fair Dinkum Rex that's pathetic. When I do something that I need to justify to God or anyone else I'll let ya know. lol
It could just be that I like my history learning as free of religious pre-consception as is possible for us wayward humans.
unclebruce