In a recent essay, I sourced an actual biblical scholar for my information. In his rebuttal, Mr. Gerald Lubshina sourced a writer for The Chicago Tribune. Wow! Game, set, and match! Don’t be a sore loser such as Donald J. Trump, Chas!
The Tribune writer claimed to have been an atheist, but converted to Christianity. I am reminded that the British writer, C. S. Lewis, author of the Narnia series, dabbled in atheism for 10 years before returning to his Christian roots. One of the leading figures of the French Revolution, Jean LeHarpe, was an atheist during the Revolution, but converted to Christianity afterwards. The Chas suspects that these individuals were not real atheists, but espoused atheistic views in a fit of pique. If Mr. Lubshina hopes that I will “see the light,” he is advised not to hold his breath while waiting for that glorious day.
I’ve written a number of works of fiction over the years. I’ve created imaginary settings populated by imaginary beings who perform imaginary acts. I’ve never expected that any reader would believe that these works were based on actual places, beings, and actions. They were merely entertainment.
We are expected to believe, however, everything found in the so-called “Holy Bible” because that is what generation after generation have been taught to believe without independent verification. The fact of the matter is that this compendium reads exactly like works of fiction: The settings are carefully described, the characters are carefully modeled, the speeches are carefully crafted, and the actions are carefully thought out. For all of this to be real, one would have to believe that a gaggle of eyewitnesses were present 24/7. Such was not the case.
In 597 BCE, the Babylonian Empire conquered the Kingdom of Judea and, over the course of the next 16 years, deported thousands of Israelites to Babylon as slave labor. As time passed, the Israelite tribal elders became concerned that their young persons were increasingly taking Babylonian mates; worse, the youth were attending Babylonian temples and worshipping Babylonian gods. Something had to be done. Therefore, the elders created heroic tales and metaphoric stories of Israelite heroes and heroines in order to demonstrate the might and power of their god, Jehovah, and to bring the lost sheep back to the fold. Many of these works became the basis of the Old Testament; but, similar to Aesop’s fables, they weren’t true.
The Old Testament begins with a really fabulous morality tale. Besides being a creation myth, it is a metaphor for righteous behavior. We are expected to believe that a talking snake gulled the first human beings into eating a forbidden fruit. The metaphor here has to do with human sexuality. Remember, after eating the “fruit,” Adam and Eve realized that they were naked and hastily covered themselves up. This is why humans cannot discuss sex in a rational fashion, resorting instead to euphemisms.
The New Testament follows the same pattern, which I previously pointed out. I will add here that Saul of Tarsus, a.k.a. Paul the Apostle, was the real founder of Christianity. The epistles attributed to him were the basis of the doctrines established by the early Church. As time passed, many early Christians became curious about this Jesus person whom they were supposed to worship as the “Son of God.” Enter the synoptic gospels with their fanciful biographies, carefully crafted according to the circumstances.
The New Testament has a curious conclusion: “The Revelation of St. John the Divine. John had been exiled to the Isle of Patmos, because the authorities considered him to be a general nuisance. One day, he had a “vision,” and he believed that “God” was delivering a message to him, to be disseminated to all of the faithful. Today, we would say that old John had found himself some good s***, man, took a toke, and tripped out, man. Whoa! The “revelation” is simply a drug-induced hallucination, not to be taken seriously.
You may be interested to learn, dear reader, that The Chas has a favorite biblical verse which he has taken to heart. It is 1 Corinthians 13:11-12, and it describes to a “T” how he thinks. And, yes, he long ago put away childish things.
Just a thought.