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Religion, could it be a fairytale based on myth?

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posted on Sep, 27 2006 @ 01:31 AM
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While I know that many people swear by the bible based on nothing more than blind faith, and the faith that there is some historical data in it, is it also a myth? I find myself wondering if it is all just that, myth; due to people living in that time period not understanding any science or much about the world around them. Due to their not understanding the world around them, everything was explained in mystical terms, as in if they did not know what caused it, they assigned it to being from God. Out of this lack of knowledge and understanding mixed with a bit of history came religion. It is all starting to sound like a big old fairytale with a bit of reality thrown in as in some history.

Take Sleeping Beauty for instance, the evil and the good is present in that story, she dies, rises from the dead and all the kingdom is saved, now throw in some historical data with that fairytale and you have something similar to the bible.

I'm starting to think the bible is nothing more than a myth that we cling to like a child does to a security blanket, something we need in our lives.

[edit on 27-9-2006 by goose]



posted on Sep, 27 2006 @ 01:40 AM
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Something along the lines of the romans?
And there gods?

These mythical creatures which were the reason everything was done, were mearly just a thought, rather than a real being.

Im sure jesus did exist as a human being..
but all the mythical things are mearly stories, and representations of inner man.



posted on Sep, 27 2006 @ 02:16 AM
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Originally posted by Agit8dChop
Something along the lines of the romans?
And there gods?

These mythical creatures which were the reason everything was done, were mearly just a thought, rather than a real being.

Im sure jesus did exist as a human being..
but all the mythical things are mearly stories, and representations of inner man.


why only pre-christian "pagans" ?

The fact that Jesus might have lived , and i admit there's little doubt about it, does not make his "godliness" an evidence.

The cargo cults (interesting documentary i saw some time ago on the BBC) in the southern pacific are a good example of how religions could have been born. John Frum was a human being and there's no doubt about it , but he certainly wasn't a god.
It is very likely that indigenous tribes have made up the cult after first contacts with american service men during WWII.
The "John Frum" cult ist still very popular on these islands and has preserved a lot of traditions (locals say John Frum had given strict instructions about preserving traditions)

A new religion was born , some of you might call it a cult but aren't all religions a cult at an early stage of their life or are religions just succesful cults ? new thread for that one i guess



posted on Sep, 27 2006 @ 03:26 AM
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I do believe in god and christianity but i do not go to church every sunday. i do agree on one thing though, my father says that he doesnt believe in the bible because back when they wrote it they also thought that the earth was flat. And every so often a new edition or sumthin like that comes out, why do they keep changing it?



posted on Sep, 27 2006 @ 05:44 PM
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Any kind of belief has to have some evidence, and myth is the best way to explain the unexplainable! There are so many connections between every religion and every sort of theology, enough to see connections to different tales from different civilizations, for example the creation of the Earth and different peoples' beliefs about it.



posted on Sep, 28 2006 @ 04:30 AM
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Altoght I agree there is no proof of any god in any 'holy' book, this does not mean that there are none. Actually all the existing religions seems to be wrong. But yet there are 'something' that sometimes influence things. I have the impression these 'something', god(s), don't want attention to itself(s), but want to remain anonymus, don't want worshippers. And no these something do not decide all that happen, nor do they influence everything. We have a free will for a reason.



posted on Sep, 28 2006 @ 05:12 AM
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Free will, as adults maybe, not really as children though, we are subjected to religion from a young age, depending on the parent, from toys to stories with religious content, holidays to church, really it all depends on how devoted our families are to feeding us the religous fairytale.

By the time many of us are adults it's beyond us to even question this idea of where religion came from or wonder at the reality of what could very well be a fairytale.

Think of people here who have seen UFO's, have documented it through film including videotapes and scientific evidence, like body implants, radiation poisoning from getting too close to these objects, tests on soil, etc., but yet that is not good enough, their ridiculed by society and it is said there is no proof. Yet the same society believes without question in God, with no proof whatsoever other than a book.

[edit on 28-9-2006 by goose]



posted on Sep, 28 2006 @ 05:47 AM
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christianity is supposed to be a collection of all the religions that came before it from the know world at that time. even though jesus did exist, christianity is based on his life and what came before.

you cannot fault people for that because the people who created the church a few centuries later would have been schooled in what came before.



posted on Sep, 28 2006 @ 06:37 AM
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to me, religion is an offshoot of a basic human drive to believe...
that there is something or someone greater than the self out there, somewhere

Religion evolved as a way to reverence & worship [the concept of] a Creator & organizer of the world, and later the universe, around us.

If one is fulfilled, awed, satisified with their Religions' ideas of worship & devotion to their higher power, creator....more power to them.
Sure there are lots of 'loopholes' in the stories, myths, traditions in present day Religions.
...but that's were Faith comes in
[Viola! Poof! you've come full circle to the fundamental 'belief' thing again...
a type of mystical, magical, spiritual reinforcement that 'religion' is 'True', eh??]



posted on Sep, 29 2006 @ 05:35 AM
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But, then you think of all the wars in the past and some in the present, of all the murders that has taken place over the years in the name of religion and you find yourself seeing a fruitless neverending disaster created by a belief in a fairytale born of nothing more than myth, superstition, and a misunderstanding of science, of natural things around them, by the ancient world who made up ideas to protect themselves from evil and thus created a religion based on nothing but myth and look at the cost of the fairytale. Too much and still we cling to it.

Still we preach it to our children, if it were harmless it would not matter, but this faith in the different religion has driven many a man to madness and many a country to war.

If one can look at religion logically and can forget the nonsense driven into their heads as young children one can't help but see it for nothing more than a fairytale, a good one so far as the story goes but trully nothing more, no truth but a bit of history thrown in.



posted on Sep, 29 2006 @ 08:44 AM
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Originally posted by goose
While I know that many people swear by the bible based on nothing more than blind faith, and the faith that there is some historical data in it, is it also a myth? I find myself wondering if it is all just that, myth; due to people living in that time period not understanding any science or much about the world around them. Due to their not understanding the world around them, everything was explained in mystical terms, as in if they did not know what caused it, they assigned it to being from God. Out of this lack of knowledge and understanding mixed with a bit of history came religion. It is all starting to sound like a big old fairytale with a bit of reality thrown in as in some history.

Take Sleeping Beauty for instance, the evil and the good is present in that story, she dies, rises from the dead and all the kingdom is saved, now throw in some historical data with that fairytale and you have something similar to the bible.

I'm starting to think the bible is nothing more than a myth that we cling to like a child does to a security blanket, something we need in our lives.

[edit on 27-9-2006 by goose]


Who are we to say that in biblical times people didn't understand the world around them. We still live this way. We don't know what caused the earth and man etc..Are we a myth as well? I can't speak for every God worshipping man, but I can say for myself that faith isn't blind at all. Faith is what makes me 'see' and I know this because there was a time in my life when I lacked faith, I read the bible like I would a Tolkian book or something. Now because I have a relationship with our Lord, I read the bible as Holy knowledge, food for the spirit.

If in the end, when it's all said and done I find that there is no God, no Messiah and it was all a fabrication atleast I can say that I lived a better man by believing.

And as a side thought: Perhaps the fact that there are so many people in this world that do believe in a Higher Supreme Being then maybe our belief/faith is what is creating one. There is a lot of power in the mind of man, gather enough of it over the years and there you have it; myth turned into fact.



posted on Sep, 29 2006 @ 09:16 AM
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It's all myth - invented to explain the (at the time) unexplainable. Take Adam & Eve now it's laugable but that was before evolution etc was understood.

Some religions have been used by corrupt people to control the weak (and still are!) hence A&E is still seen as true by some while most people dismiss Aboriginal dog people/snake people/dreamtime creation stories. Both are equally valid/laughable but the former had the power behind it.

I've no issue what anyone believes to get them through the week but this fundamentalist absolutism which is used to justify murder, excesses and oppression is a damning indictment of humanity in the 21st century.

The opiate of the people

[edit on 29/9/2006 by Strangerous]



posted on Sep, 29 2006 @ 09:32 AM
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Originally posted by Strangerous
It's all myth - invented to explain the (at the time) unexplainable. Take Adam & Eve now it's laugable but that was before evolution etc was understood.
[edit on 29/9/2006 by Strangerous]


What is the "it" that is all myth? Are you a myth? I'm not trying to be cocky, I'm being serious. How do you explain your existance? Do you explain it based on theories? Adam and Eve story is laughable to you perhaps. Whether it is a mythical story, truth or parable, I personally don't find it humorous.



posted on Sep, 29 2006 @ 10:35 AM
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I and you are ape-like creatures that evolved to a stage where we can invent silly creation stories and use technology to conduct circular arguments about their validity at vast distances.

It is ridiculous, in fact it's all incredibly funny - right up to the point where it's used as justification for torture and murder.



posted on Sep, 29 2006 @ 10:51 AM
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Originally posted by Strangerous
I and you are ape-like creatures that evolved to a stage where we can invent silly creation stories and use technology to conduct circular arguments about their validity at vast distances.

It is ridiculous, in fact it's all incredibly funny - right up to the point where it's used as justification for torture and murder.


Take every outside influence and opinion you have and place it asside. Read Genesis and come back and share with me what you think and what made you laugh about the story. This isn't a test and you won't be graded. I would just like your hypothesis of it. There is no time limit either and you can turn it down.
But you might learn something about yourself and your own mind
and it would be interesting/exciting to discuss.



posted on Sep, 30 2006 @ 09:52 AM
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Originally posted by HarpStrings

Take every outside influence and opinion you have and place it asside. Read Genesis and come back and share with me what you think and what made you laugh about the story. This isn't a test and you won't be graded. I would just like your hypothesis of it. There is no time limit either and you can turn it down.
But you might learn something about yourself and your own mind
and it would be interesting/exciting to discuss.


How many instances of absurdities from the bible will suffice?

Start with 15? from Genesis

# God creates light and separates light from darkness, and day from night, on the first day. Yet he didn't make the light producing objects (the sun and the stars) until the fourth day (1:14-19). 1:3-5

# God spends one-sixth of his entire creative effort (the second day) working on a solid firmament. This strange structure, which God calls heaven, is intended to separate the higher waters from the lower waters. 1:6-8

# Plants are made on the third day before there was a sun to drive their photosynthetic processes (1:14-19). 1:11

# In an apparent endorsement of astrology, God places the sun, moon, and stars in the firmament so that they can be used "for signs". This, of course, is exactly what astrologers do: read "the signs" in the Zodiac in an effort to predict what will happen on Earth. 1:14

# "He made the stars also." God spends a day making light (before making the stars) and separating light from darkness; then, at the end of a hard day's work, and almost as an afterthought, he makes the trillions of stars. 1:16

# "And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth." 1:17

# God commands us to "be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over ... every living thing that moveth upon the earth." 1:28

# "I have given you every herb ... and every tree ... for meat." 1:29

# God makes the animals and parades them before Adam to see if any would strike his fancy. But none seem to have what it takes to please him. (Although he was tempted to go for the sheep.) After making the animals, God has Adam name them all. The naming of several million species must have kept Adam busy for a while. 2:18-20

# God's clever, talking serpent. 3:1

# God walks and talks (to himself?) in the garden, and plays a little hide and seek with Adam and Eve. 3:8-11

# God curses the serpent. From now on the serpent will crawl on his belly and eat dust. One wonders how he got around before -- by hopping on his tail, perhaps? But snakes don't eat dust, do they? 3:14

# God curses the ground and causes thorns and thistles to grow. 3:17-18

# God kills some animals and makes some skin coats for Adam and Eve. 3:21

15 - God expels Adam and Eve from the garden before they get a chance to eat from that other tree -- the tree of life. God knows that if they do that, they well become "like one of us" and live forever. 3:22-24


There are 1000 more...



posted on Sep, 30 2006 @ 11:25 AM
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Thanks for taking the time to give your perspectives of how God's mind was according to Ersatz at the time of creation. I'm not going to go through each verse and comment, I'll just give you a summary of my thoughts-if that's alright with you? Your opinion is that it's all absurd and you appear to be comfortable with this. My opinion is that it's all remarkable. I have no problems with different opinions on any given subject.

And I will say that the way for which you've written some of the verses with your added perspectives on certain points, did make me chuckle a little.
(I could visualize God parading every animal in front of Adam and Adam stating nah, not that one, as though it were some kind of beauty contest or something and God beginning to get a little frustrated.) I don't have that same vision as you when I read these verses, interesting how that works. I don't pick up the bible with an attitude of "how absurd " thus sift through every account with amusement. So surely because of this, you and I would read the very same verse and have two very different perspectives of it, correct?

Just out of curiosity, do you also think Indigenous people are absurd? Is it because their behavior is different to what you consider 'normal' by today's terms? Whether the creation story is a myth, a factual event that took place, or written in the thrid person, still doesn't make it laughable in my opinion. I'm here living and breathing as well as you and we both got here from the same source, yet I think it's amazing and beautiful and you think it's a joke


In closing all I can say is praise the Lord for creating us, whether He walked through some garden picking His nose in doing so or carefully constructing life.



posted on Oct, 1 2006 @ 02:34 AM
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Originally posted by HarpStrings

Originally posted by goose
While I know that many people swear by the bible based on nothing more than blind faith, and the faith that there is some historical data in it, is it also a myth? I find myself wondering if it is all just that, myth; due to people living in that time period not understanding any science or much about the world around them. Due to their not understanding the world around them, everything was explained in mystical terms, as in if they did not know what caused it, they assigned it to being from God. Out of this lack of knowledge and understanding mixed with a bit of history came religion.

[edit on 27-9-2006 by goose]


Who are we to say that in biblical times people didn't understand the world around them. We still live this way. We don't know what caused the earth and man etc..Are we a myth as well? I can't speak for every God worshipping man, but I can say for myself that faith isn't blind at all. There is a lot of power in the mind of man, gather enough of it over the years and there you have it; myth turned into fact.


As late as the 1600-1800's if milk soured just as someone came by that person was said to be a witch. If a person was stricken with an illness just as someone came by or walked into a room that person was also said to be a witch. People were killed as a result of being accused of being a witch.

This I think is a clear indication of people not understanding science and the world around them, people often did strange things when they saw a ring around the moon or meteors falling or meteor showers to protect themselves, it is clear that history has records of these things, so I think it is a pretty sure bet that the further back one goes there would be even less of an understanding of science and natural things by people who lived in biblical times. I think that is pretty much a given based on known historical documents and the fact that as each day goes by we learn a bit more scientifically to explain the unknowns in our own world.

Your last sentence intriques me, are you saying that maybe God did not exist and the power of the human mind collectively has taken a myth and created religion? So then you are agreeing with me, it's a myth! So if something is created from nothing, but becomes reality to many over the years through their diehard refusal to believe anything else, is religion, is it real? Yes it is, you can physically touch a church and read their doctrine, but the basis of it, the myth. is not real. It's a fairytale, nothing more.

But if believing this gives you comfort and makes your life better, and as a result you find your evolving into a more caring, happy human being then go for it, if it makes you feel empowered then cling to it, but sadly for us all, this is not the case for some, they feel it gives them the right to cause harm to the world, to make rules that do harm to all. In this case the myth is a very harmful and deadly creation.



posted on Oct, 1 2006 @ 06:41 AM
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Originally posted by HarpStrings

Just out of curiosity, do you also think Indigenous people are absurd? Is it because their behavior is different to what you consider 'normal' by today's terms? Whether the creation story is a myth, a factual event that took place, or written in the thrid person, still doesn't make it laughable in my opinion. I'm here living and breathing as well as you and we both got here from the same source, yet I think it's amazing and beautiful and you think it's a joke


In closing all I can say is praise the Lord for creating us, whether He walked through some garden picking His nose in doing so or carefully constructing life.


My post was in response to your "little assignment", I do not think Indigenous people to be absurd, they do not claim to be Gods.
The Church and the Clergy, in God's name, have promoted wars, have sanctioned Inquisitions and Torture, they have collaborated with dictators(they even learnt a perfect Nazi salute during tha last war)

The Clergy does not exactly live by the sweat of its brow. Famins,earthquakes, Tsunamis; they never give, they always take and hoard. They take from the poor without any scruples or regrets.
Their edifice stands because of people like you... I have nothing against God, I hate exploitative monopolies and the Church has certainly monopolized the Bible.

If you think it's beautiful, just do your Christian duty and don't worry, it is I that risk the everlasting pains of hell.



posted on Oct, 2 2006 @ 10:30 AM
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Originally posted by goose
As late as the 1600-1800's if milk soured just as someone came by that person was said to be a witch. If a person was stricken with an illness just as someone came by or walked into a room that person was also said to be a witch. People were killed as a result of being accused of being a witch.


I'm not sure I'm understanding the point you are making here. Some of these supposed myths are still relished today. Scientifically, we have no better understanding as to why either. Instead of witches being burnt at the stake, they market their abilities and make a nice profit. Years ago people ran from 'witches' in fear, today people run to them for advice and healing and so on.



This I think is a clear indication of people not understanding science and the world around them, people often did strange things when they saw a ring around the moon or meteors falling or meteor showers to protect themselves, it is clear that history has records of these things,


Once again, I agree, but don't understand your point. You seem to be using 'true' historical events to argue that the bible is a myth? So it appears to me that you are capable of going back as late as the 1600's but no further? What, is everything beyond that time a complete myth? History has many records, this is true, and the Holy Bible is just one of them. (in 2006, people often have strange behavior, thus do "strange things" when the moon is full) are we really all that advanced, scientifically speaking?



so I think it is a pretty sure bet that the further back one goes there would be even less of an understanding of science and natural things by people who lived in biblical times. I think that is pretty much a given based on known historical documents and the fact that as each day goes by we learn a bit more scientifically to explain the unknowns in our own world.


Sure! The further we go back into reading historical accounts written by our fellow man, we might cock an eyebrow as to their ways and behavior, or if they were to see into the future say 2000 and beyond, they might shriek at our ways and behaviors. But this still does not provide evidence that the Bible is "a fairytale based on myth." And I think that it's pretty much a given that as each day goes by we pull ourselves further and further from the truth, the way and the light. Science, is a blanket that people can cling to, science tells us we evolved from apes or an explosion, science is a religion in itself as far as creation stories go. I'd much rather believe that we were created from a Supreme Holy Creature who looks a lot like we do and loves us, than believe we came from some monkey or fart.



Your last sentence intriques me, are you saying that maybe God did not exist and the power of the human mind collectively has taken a myth and created religion? So then you are agreeing with me, it's a myth! So if something is created from nothing, but becomes reality to many over the years through their diehard refusal to believe anything else, is religion, is it real? Yes it is, you can physically touch a church and read their doctrine, but the basis of it, the myth. is not real. It's a fairytale, nothing more.


No I'm not saying that at all. I'm not even sure if I brought up religion in my post.
I am suggesting- the capability of the human mind from a vastly different perspective-that it's possible to bring thoughts into fruition. Our God is everywhere and yet we do not 'see' Him but over time with faith and believing we are bringing His 'Word' to life. Religion...well that's for another post.

I only have a little over 200 characters left, so I'll just close with this; I embrace the written word of God and no, I don't need religion to tell me it's 'right' or science to tell me it's 'wrong'. I do so because the living spirit inside me (for which is not tangible) sternly speaks to me.



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