Clivedurdle

A couple of bacteria got together symbiotically and formed the modern cell.

Is Christianity an amalgam of two completely different species, a mystical Christ religion that really belongs in heaven, with some completely opposing earth based traditions about the first being last, the Good Samaritan and similar ideas?

Chuck into the cooking pot some Roman discipline and simmer gently for two thousand years, forgetting to act quickly when it all boils over at various points.

Chris Weimer

All religions are symbiotic. That's just culture for you. It's part Jewish, Hellenic, Messianic (very different than traditional Judaism), Zorastrian, Roman, Pagan, Egyptian, etc... But then again, every religion contains elements of previous and neighboring religons, constantly changing. Even today, Christianity has incorporated some modern stuff that wasn't there previously (heliocentric world etc...).

That's life.

Clivedurdle

But is that obvious to your high falluting fundi quoting "I am the way"?

Apologists for xianity go out of their way to emphasise it is unique, and may be it is in that it is bringing together an earth centred philosophy and a heaven centred philosophy, and Christ on the Cross is like a superpowerful computer chip joining it all together.

We have the funeral of the shamanistic leader of one of their major groupings tomorrow.

The whole point of symbiosis is that you get more than the sum of its parts. Christianity claims its power is evidence of God - what if its real power is more than politics and different traditions, but the result of bringing together all these bits and pieces into something new - a very powerful idea - invented by humans - that has shaped how we think and feel.

I have an ulterior motive, I want a robust scientifically validated theory that explains xianity, and moves from what I perceive as basically sniping from theistic or atheistic perspectives - currently it feels like everyone putting forward personal views for example about the mythology of Jesus - I think in my bones that the arguments are much stronger than that, but they have not been brought together coherently. We are in an equivalent position as Biology pre Darwin - being conscious that things don't add up, but not yet having brought it together. BCH is where the minds are to attempt this.

It is embarassing the attention that is being given to the death of an old bloke with some very nasty ideas for example about sexuality and contraception.

Jedi Mind Trick

I think those are some interesting Ideas Clivedurdle. It will be an interesting study.