Essay on the Origins of Christianity

Dear Friends,

Below is the beginning of a long (6 pages) essay on the mythical origins of Christianity. Most of it is probably information that you've seen before, but it's well-presented here. Since I've stated that I think Jesus of Nazareth was a real person, and that the Bible is a divinely-inspired document, you might wonder what I see in such contradiction. Well, I don't see contradiction. I see mystical events. I think the church has approximately nothing to do with what that enigmatic man taught 2,000 years ago. Anyway, the article is here: http://truthbeknown.com/origins.htm

And here's the teaser:

Was Jesus a man, myth or God?
The answers may
surprise you.

Introduction

Around the world over the centuries, much has been written about religion,
its meaning, its relevance and contribution to humanity. In the West
particularly, sizable tomes have been composed speculating upon the nature and
historical background of the main character of Western religions, Jesus Christ. Many have tried to dig into the precious
few clues as to Jesus's identity and come up with a biographical sketch that
either bolsters faith or reveals a more human side of this godman to which we
can all relate. Obviously, considering the time and energy spent on them, the
subjects of Christianity and its legendary
founder are very important to the Western mind and culture.

The Controversy

Despite all of this literature continuously being cranked out and the significance
of the issue, in the public at large there is a serious lack of formal and
broad education regarding religion and mythology, and most individuals
are highly uninformed in this area. Concerning the issue of Christianity, for
example, the majority of people are taught in most schools and churches that
Jesus Christ was an actual historical figure and that the only controversy
regarding him is that some people accept him as the Son of God and the Messiah,
while others do not. However, whereas this is the raging debate most evident in
this field today, it is not the most important. Shocking as it may seem to the
general populace, the most enduring and profound controversy in this
subject is whether or not a person named Jesus Christ ever really existed.

Although this debate may not be evident from publications readily found in
popular bookstores, when one examines this issue closely,
one will find a tremendous volume of literature that demonstrates, logically
and intelligently, time and again that Jesus Christ is a mythological character
along the same lines as the Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Sumerian, Phoenician,
Indian or other godmen, who are all presently accepted as myths rather than
historical figures. Delving deeply into this large body
of work, one uncovers evidence that the Jesus character is based upon much older
myths and heroes from around the globe. One discovers that this story is not,
therefore, a historical representation of a Jewish rebel carpenter who had
physical incarnation in the Levant 2,000 years ago. In other words, it has been
demonstrated continually for centuries that this character, Jesus Christ, was
invented and did not depict a real person who was either the "son of
God" or was "evemeristically" made into a superhuman by
enthusiastic followers.