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How many people have never heard about Jesus of
Nazareth? Of course everybody has heard of Jesus. The bible tells us his fame
spread throughout the lands of Palestine and Syria. This is the god-man / savior
of the world who performed miracles only a God could perform: He turned water
into wine; fed thousands with a few pieces of bread and fish; walked on water;
stilled the raging storm; healed the blind, the deaf, the infirm, the withered
hand and the demon-possessed; and raised the dead. His moral teachings are said
to surpass anything ever taught.
Rejected by his own Jewish people, the Romans brutally
crucified him. But, that didn’t stop Jesus. At his crucifixion the bible tells
us the heavens and earth affirmed his deity, causing a three hour eclipse of the
sun over all the earth, an earthquake causing Jerusalem’s temple curtain
to be split in two, and graves were opened with many Jewish saints resurrected
and appearing to the people in Jerusalem. Within three days, the Son of God,
defeated Satan the prince of darkness, rose from the dead, appeared to his
disciples, then ascended into heaven. How can anybody not love such a story and
want to believe it?
The problem sincere, objective-minded inquirers of history have
with this astounding story is why the historical record is virtually silent
about the Jesus of Nazareth story in the writings of non-Christian Jewish,
Greek, and Roman writers. Certainly news of such events, if true, would
have spread throughout the Mediterranean world. Yet, the surviving writings of
some 35 to 40 independent observers of the first one hundred years following the
alleged crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus give virtually no confirmation.
These authors were respected, well-traveled, articulate, thinkers and observers,
the philosophers, poets, moralists, historians of that era. Some of the most
prominent figures who make no mention of Jesus are:
A recent study conducted by the University of Minnesota shows that
atheists are more distrusted and despised than any other minority and
that an atheist is the last person for whom Americans would vote in a
presidential election. “Muslims, recent immigrants, gays and lesbians”
all ranked higher than atheists in public acceptability. Furthermore,
Americans are “least willing to allow their children to marry”
atheists.
State laws instill and perpetuate this attitude. Article IX, Sec. 2,
of the Tennessee constitution states: “No person who denies the being
of God, or a future state of rewards and punishments shall hold any
office in the civil department of this state.” Arkansas, Maryland,
North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Texas have similar
laws.
George H. W. Bush while campaigning for President in 1987 exhibited
this same attitude, “I don’t know that atheists should be considered as
citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation
under God.”
by August Berkshire
My friend, you have asked me how I became an atheist. Here is my story.
I was raised as a Roman Catholic and was even an altar boy with my brother.
In the small towns in which we were raised, everyone I met was also a Christian.
When you're a child, you pretty much automatically believe what adults tell you.
Why would they lie?
Indoctrination is a powerful force. There is a Jesuit anecdote that says,
"Give me a child until he's seven and he's mine for life."
Religion actually helped me develop my imagination. I recall sitting in
church wondering how Noah got all those animals on the ark, and how they
survived for a year. Then I realized that a god could have easily miniaturized
all the animals and put them in suspended animation! Later, I discovered that
just because you can imagine a thing doesn't mean that it's true.
In tenth grade, I took a biology class and was taught evolution. It made so
much sense! It explained things in a way creationism couldn't. I also realized
that you could believe in a god, while still accepting the fact of evolution.
You could believe that a god created and directed evolution. (This is known as
"theistic evolution," and is what the Pope now accepts.) However, to
me, evolution makes more sense without a god than with one.
There have been a number of
letters in the Times recently about atheism that accuse or imply
atheists “have not done their research” when it comes to religion.
On
the contrary, all of the atheists, agnostics and secular humanists I
know across the country have done extensive reading, research and
investigation into the origins of not only Christianity, but also
Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism and many other
religions.
In addition to researching all of the world’s
religions, we have also delved with a critical thinking mind into the
areas of paleoanthropology, DNA research, biology and world history. We
have studied the ancient civilizations of not only Israel and Rome, but
the Persian, Greek and Babylonian empires. My personal studies have
taken 10 years of research.
What have atheists found after many
years of critical and discerning study of the Bible and its origins? We
have found that the mythological figure of “Jesus Christ” was based on
other mythical pagan savior gods from Egypt, Babylonia, Greece and
Sumeria.
This essay considers two biblical tales each involving a paternally
initiated oath to the Israelite god, YHWH. Both fathers
unintentionally offer his child as a sacrifice, one for a fulfillment
of the oath and the other for transgression. Both oaths arise from
the misguided and unwise actions of the fathers. The first story is
that of Jephtha, the bastard son of a prostitute who had been driven
away by his legitimate brothers only to be recalled in order to lead
an attack against their oppressor, the Ammonites, in a time of
apostasy:
If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine
hands, Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of
my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of
Ammon, shall surely be the LORD's, and I will offer it up for a burnt
offering1
The second oath is that of Saul whose army is rescued by Jonathan,
Saul’s son, after a near catastrophe in battle with the
Philistines: “Cursed be the man that eateth any food until
evening, that I may be avenged on mine enemies.”2
