jonw@azure.UUCP (Jonathan White) (04/10/84)
<>
Jeff Sargent writes:
Jon White, quoting Lloyd M. Graham, cites 15 stories which are said to be
similar to that of Jesus. C.S. Lewis had an interesting explanation of that:
In "Mere Christianity", Lewis suggested that one thing God has done to spread
His message is to give the race "good dreams", i.e. those stories scattered
all through the non-Christian religions about a god who dies and comes to
life again and, through all this, has somehow given new life to humans; that
all these stories are indeed hints of Christ.
That explanation does indeed sound like a "good dream"! Remember that, as far
as I know, each of the 15 avatar myths predate Christ.
White and Graham wonder why there isn't a lot of historical information on
Jesus. I would think that the major historians of the period would have
been based in Rome, or possibly in Athens or other Greek centers; no one
would have paid much attention to this dusty province hundreds of miles
from any Imperial culture.
Actually, there were supposedly about 30 people living in the Galilee region
during Christ's alleged lifetime whose writings survive today in one form or
another. And wouldn't you know it? There is absolutely no mention of this
man Jesus.
Someone might say that the early Christians wrote the Gospels and perpetrated
a hoax for their own gain. Seeing that what they gained was persecution and
often death, how could this be? Why would they blow their lives on a hoax?
The most reasonable explanation of their willingness to endure what they did
was that Jesus really lived, died, rose again, and continued to live within
them, as He does in us. Perhaps that is why God permitted the persecutions--
precisely because the history of the Christians enduring them patiently and
never denying their faith would dramatically show the reality of their faith
and of the One in whom they had faith...especially since the Christians were
never entirely stamped out.
This sounds exactly like what the Mormons (a Christian sect who you, no doubt,
consider fraudulent) claim regarding their own persecution. Do you accept
their claim as proof that they are the only legitimate church? If not, how can
you expect me to accept what you have just said as proof of anything?
I have done some checking at the library, and as far as I can tell, the only
acceptable 1st century historical references to Christ are found in the New
Testament. Of course, the Christians make all kinds of excuses for why this
should be the case, but I have yet to hear a reasonable explanation.
Jon White
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