Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Family Man · 08-11-2003, 05:53 PM

I've been having a conversation with Charles Darwin (a theist) in another thread that is ranging from morality to Biblical issues. I'm starting this thread to focus on the Biblical issues.

Basically, I pointed out to CD that the gospel writers were fabricating events to bolster their case for Jesus's divinity. The first example I used was the birth narratives. lpetrich responded as follows:

Quote:

There is good reason to believe that to be the case; consider how the Matthew and Luke genealogies contradict each other and how their birth narratives do not quite fit. Why do Mark, Luke, and John omit something as spectacular as Matthew's mention of Herod's massacre of baby boys?

In addition, why wouldn't a star hanging over a barn be noticed by anyone else, and why would the Magi have to stop to ask directions from Herod (hint: think plot development). And as Biff the Unclean pointed out, many of the motifs used in the birth narratives are common themes from similar stories.

The second example I gave was the darkness, earthquakes, and mobile dead people from Matthew's account of the resurrection. Here is Biff the Unclean's excellent response:

Quote:

Why didn't they happen? Because they are each notable events and no one noted them.
A major earthquake happened and not a single soul noticed? They noticed every other time it happened.
The sun went dark for three hours and no one noticed? It could not have been an eclipse, they only last a few minutes and only happen when the moon is new. Passover only happens when the moon is full.
The streets filled with zombies, without anyone even recording it?
And you ask why this didn't happen!!!!! Why couldn't there be a bunch of rotting corpses wandering around the shops in downtown Jerusalem? Gee I don't know, can you think of any reason this wouldn't happen ?

Doctor X · 08-11-2003, 10:04 PM

Indeed . . . wonderful mythmaking.

Mt and Lk did not intend to be in the same book together.

--J.D.

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08-11-2003, 10:04 PM	#2
Doctor X Banned Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: USA Posts: 3,794	Indeed . . . wonderful mythmaking. Mt and Lk did not intend to be in the same book together. --J.D.

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