Curious about the author, an investigative historian, I searched briefly and found information about one of his books, CHRIST'S VENTRILOQUISTS: The Event that Created Christianity.
Hmmm that sounds interesting, but probably far too dense in detail for this reader's internet addled ADD infected brain. It seems that Mr Zuesse has discovered that St Paul was not exactly what some of us might have expected: a true messenger carrying the teachings of Jesus Christ ever farther afield. Instead he might have been something rather more sinister, a twister of Jesus' teachings to suit his own, and his successors', purposes of...what? Control, I guess.
Never suspecting I'd be tumbling deeper down that same rabbit-hole, I next clicked to one of my regular net-stops, Cannonfire, only to see, to my surprise, Mr Cannon writing about Jesus and Christianity too: Not THIS shit again: "Jesus never existed..."
There's no direct link between Zuesse's writings and Cannon's, other than the religious aspect between adjacent rabbit-hole stops - which kind of shook me. Am I meant to think on these things? I wonder!
I like to keep things as simple as possible, so came to the conclusion, some time ago, that the man we call Jesus Christ emerged in the Middle East as a teacher of what we might today consider "left-wing" ideals, set against those of the then ruling Roman Empire - a rather nasty crew by all accounts. Stories about the teacher have been told and embroidered, maybe even twisted somewhat over the centuries. Jesus the teacher could well have taken his ideas from earlier wise men and legendary teachers similar to himself. Eric Zuesse's book could be a detailed and well-researched historical journey along a similar theme. The Roman Catholic church, it seems to me, has always been very far away from what I understood to be Christ's teachings. Same applies to fundamentalist evangelical churches in the USA. Best to say no more, this particular rabbit-hole could become very, very dark!
ReplyDeletethere are some things I really like about being,
Simple Minded:)
God-- Republican
Conservative
Jesus--Democrat/Liberal
The Holy Ghost--
Independent with leanings toward more liberal views.
works for me ,, so I guess I dug my own rabbit hole:)
Clinton 2016...does it really matter who is elected? I'm doubtful whether POTUS is a valid construct and probably hasn't been since Jimmy Carter was defeated by Reagan. Reagan was essentially a prop...a cardboard cutout...to represent the truer powers behind the GOP at that time. And so it goes. There are several potentates that I could support, but doubtful that they'll be candidates.
ReplyDeleteCannonfire obviously has prejudice in his Christian faith and is willing to obfuscate the doubters with ad hominem rhetoric. Christianity conveniently hijacked the Pagan holidays, embodying them in the firmaments of its Jesus. The Vatican made Christianity so glorious through the guise of magnificent material symbolism...that and death to non-believers and disrupters. If something is repeated enough, it becomes truth, whether substantiated or not...all the better if it's a nebulous concept. How could Paganism (nature) compete with the re-construction of Paganism as a gilded fiction offering a happy, eternal after-life? Particularly if your life depended on converting.
Christianity has destroyed way too many natural cultures with its militant missionaries. Human history is replete with murder in the name of religion. Maybe it's time for something new.
I consider myself agnostic, or pantheistic, or pagan...take your pick. I don't understand how one can claim to be Christian (or Islamic or whatever) with so little to substantiate the belief other than a bible written by humans with only a couple of passages transcribed as reputed messages from their God. There is to this day a desire on the part of so many Christians to deny and denigrate the non-believers of their faith. I'm happy for them, but leave me alone.
Sonny ~ Me too (simplicity). Yours is one way of categorising these things.
ReplyDeletemike ~ I think you're right on POTUS lack of status any more, other than being a focus for the media. General Election fever will rage on as usual though, as soon as this year's congressional elections are done in November. So it seems not many people are of the same mind.
ReplyDeleteI'm not feeling too benevolent towards C-Fire just now. I asked a simple question there and received what I perceived to be a "put down", perhaps I'm being too sensitive (it's not unusual!) I'm going to refrain from commenting anywhere but on my own blog from here on. Dang!!!
I'm atheistic with a streak of agnostic. Christ's teachings are a good yardstick by which to live, that's for sure. If Christianity took over older legends, beliefs and myths, maybe there was something there long, long ago before Christ, that is worth preserving, in some way - though certainly not via atrocities perpetrated in the name of Christianity over the centuries.
Come back all I said about Mr Cannonfire. I was, as I suspected afterwards, being over-sensitive.
ReplyDeleteI think cannonfire has a problem...maybe too much gunpowder up the nostrils. Any blogger that resorts to pejorative-calling in an attempt to bully the conversation and assert their correctness has a major problem.
ReplyDeleteSee my "anonymous" comments at 2:08 and 3:34 PM (I'm not the "unknown" comment)...first comment after your last comment.
http://cannonfire.blogspot.com/2014/09/not-this-shit-again-jesus-never-existed.html
You need not reply to this comment. I don't want to draw you into a blog-feud or commenter-feud...LOL.
“I will no longer let the fear of vicious comments or replies stop me from speaking what I believe to be right. I will also never give a message that everybody will agree with. I know that even my most faithful followers will never agree 100% with what I say. I also know that they know that and are fine with it.
ReplyDeleteI am done letting the bullies win. They won’t anymore. Not here.” Dan Pearce, Single Dad Laughing
mike (again) ~ I think he's having a tough time in some way and needs to let off steam. Usually, because he moderates comments, he'll avoid publishing those he dislikes, rather than getting the gunpowder up his nose.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's another example of "as above, so below" - late effects of that challenging configuration a few weeks ago, in the sky.
I avoid commenting on most of the websites where I read. Over the years things have become more and more nasty among commenters, especially on politically slanted sites, but in other places also.
It wasn't like this when I first ventured online. There'd be the odd hot tempered argument, but the exception rather than the rule.
Hell in a handbasket!