Peter Kirby

Has anyone seen this book?

http://www.lulu.com/content/427194

Toto

It's published by someone with a web site named Holy Blasphemy Amazon profile for Derek Murphy includes Bart Ehrman, Gary Wills, and Ann Rice.

He seems to be an ex-pat living in Taiwan - maybe Vork knows him.

Toto

Google Books has it if you want to browse through it.

youngalexander

More food for thort?

Riverwind

Derek claims that Jesus is all fish mythology in that book?

On his website he claims Jesus is all sun mythology...

It never ceases to amaze me what kinds of connections intelligent people can make if they try hard enough...and then they trick themselves into believing them which is even more fascinating.

RED DAVE

Yeah. I've been noticing all my life that religious people do that.

RED DAVE

Roger Pearse

You're right, of course.

Long ago, before the internet, I did a search for various keywords in some CDROM's of back issues of various UK newspapers. One of them was 'Jesus', and it brought up book reviews of all sorts of books about "the real Jesus". All of them were of the same kind, all producing wildly different conclusions, and all united only by a decision to arbitrarily select and reject portions of the historical record based on convenience and then make up 'connections'.

Once you've seen a few people do this, you realise who interesting and original Eric von Daniken was. And he had better artwork.

The number of people who, finding that something seems attractive or convenient, question whether this is just too attractive or convenient, is miniscule.

All the best,

Roger Pearse

Solo

To those worthy of my mysteries, I tell my mysteries: Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. GThomas (62)

Arthur Koestler related in a very amusing way, how every time in India, he met someone who seemed completely sensible and rational, a catastrophically idiotic quirk immediately appeared in his companion. If the acquaintance gave an exquisite lecture on some intellectual waywardness of the West, it would, with disconcerting regularity, be followed by an offer to introduce a relative who actually does know how to levitate, or assertion that some elephants are capable of algebra. With the same precise, uncompromising seriousness, which dissected the weaknesses of Western thought, it would be explained why the Indian, as opposed to the African, elephants, are better at abstract reasoning.

One of my favorite psychologists, Andrew Crowcroft, said that every time he tries to convince himself that a belief of his patient is pathological, he reminds himself that his diagnostics is just another belief. What is almost always more interesting than the strange belief itself is the internal need that gives rise to it.

Kurt Vonnegut related in one of his gospels (Dead Eye Dick) how a rich American ran into a youthful Hitler in the halls of the Vienna Art Academy in 1912 and happened to be present when young Adolph's application for admittance was given bum's rush with the verdict that his art work was rubbish. The young American, incensed at the stupid incompetence and cruelty of the examiner, chews him out, and buys Hitler's picture on the spot, praising the sedate colors (said to be "insipid") and faithful attention to detail (said to be "obsessional"). With the money, Hitler goes out, buys a coat and survives a cruel winter well-fed. Imagine that, says Vonnegut's narrator, (paraphrasing) my uncle saved the greatest monster who ever lived from starving and freezing to death. Worse still, it was my uncle's act of generosity that gave rise to his ideal of true Aryan race modeled after his physiognomy. It was my uncle and not Hitler who was responsible for World War II. and Holocaust on the Jews.

This is one of the most brilliant insights into human soul, that I have ever read.

Jiri

Clivedurdle

Hang on though, the historical record of Jesus is from where is it again? The Gospels?

And don't poo poo fish and the sun - this is Classical thinking - the elements - earth air fire water, mixed with magical thinking. Sometimes this Board really needs some Anthropology 101 and Classics 101. Some connections are legitimate.