Tag: Bible
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Easter Myth #2: Pilate was a kindly ditherer, open to persuasion
Ten Easter Myths Most leading historians, archaeologists and linguists don’t believe that the four official Christian Gospels can be relied upon as accurate records of historical fact. The Christmas stories, for instance, are known to be complete fabrications based on stories passed down from other traditions, edited to make them appear consistent with ancient Hebrew…
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Easter Myth #1: The gospel accounts of Yeshua’s trial are broadly in agreement
Ten Easter Myths Most leading historians, archaeologists and linguists don’t believe that the four official Christian Gospels can be relied upon as accurate records of historical fact. The Christmas stories, for instance, are known to be complete fabrications based on stories passed down from other traditions, edited to make them appear consistent with ancient Hebrew…
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Religious texts
There are many wonderful religious writings. Most were written in allegorical style and were never meant to be taken literally (although some people do); others are reasonably accurate records of events as far as we can tell. Some reflect the best information available at the time of writing, but were subsequently proven to be untrue.…
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Anatomy of a religion
All religions have certain things in common: They separate ‘us’ from ‘them,’ believers and non-believers, members and non-members. They lay down set beliefs, creeds and rites of practices. Usually they insist that followers subscribe to the whole package. They usually expect followers to contribute financially. An appointed ‘priesthood’ or ‘clergy’ sporting special robes and/or role…
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The early Christians had no knowledge of Yeshua’s ‘miraculous’ conception and birth
The early Christian community seems to have had no knowledge of the Christmas stories. Even the two gospel authors who mention them make no reference to them after the first two chapters. Yeshua’s birth is not referred to in either ‘Matthew’ or ‘Luke’s’ accounts of his adult ministry, trial, crucifixion or resurrection. Most reputable scholars…
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Explain this to a 6 year-old!
Professor Albert Einstein said that if you can’t explain something to a six year-old, you don’t understand it yourself. So here are six things you can ask your Christian friends and colleagues: How does the execution of a Jewish prophet and healer nearly two thousand years ago save me or you from the consequences of…
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The world is run by a family of giant lizards
As a child, my Methodist parents paid lip service to respecting others’ beliefs as long as they didn’t conflict with their own. I was to respect other people’s tastes, political opinions and allegiances, but they also warned me to be suspicious of the Catholic family living next door, the Spiritualists across the road, men with…
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Holiness was equated with purity in 1st Century Jewish society
In the 1st Century BCE, holiness in Jewish society was equated with cleanliness and governed by the Purity Laws. They dated back to the Torah written hundreds of years before. These are the basis of Christian morality because they were the basis of Yeshua’s morality. Among the 613 strictures of the Torah were: To circumcise…
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38,000 Versions of the ‘Truth’?
The first problem in trying to understand what Christianity teaches is to decide which form of Christianity! There are no less than 38,000 different denominations – and that’s a conservative estimate. The exact number is hard to determine; after all, what counts as a denomination? Most coexist harmoniously, but some violently disagree with each other.…
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We know next to nothing about Yeshua
Most religions can be traced back to a wise, knowledgeable and persuasive teacher, usually with great charisma, who claims to have answers to the deeper questions. Often they claim that G-d spoke directly to them. Yeshua certainly held this appeal for his close followers and continues to do so for millions around the world. But…