faithandreason - Christianity is Pathetic Part 2

Christianity is Pathetic Part 2

Written by Pietro Aretino

Wednesday, 18 February 2009 03:38

For those who came in late, or just turned up. Christianity is pathetic. It’s weak beyond belief on one side and nutty and brainwashing on the other. Intellectually, it currently appears not so much a dead end but the brick wall at the end of a one-way street that you drive your automobile into at a speed significantly above the limit. After a reasonable number of alcoholic beverages. It doesn’t really have that much going for it. Why am I involved in something that’s somewhat opposed to slaking my every desire in as immediate a manner as possible. Drug dealers and brothels have an important role to play in the economy. I would actually be helping someone. This raises the oft avoided question. What is this Christianity thing anyway? Who is this Jesus bloke, and if he’s so great why’s he dead? Where should we start?

While I would love to ignore scripture, the Protestant vice, I’m afraid I’ll have to mention it. A lot of talk ripples through the make-up deep media swimming pool about lost Gospels and true Gospels and “Oh my God, I think, like, this old papery thing was, like, used by some guy Jesus knew, to wi. . .”. These texts can be fascinating (especially the one with the budgerigar that I made up) and useful but they were rejected for a reason. They were wrong or incomplete or redundant or just plain silly (the imaginary one about the budgerigar I’m hiding in Dan Brown’s house).

A commonly held theological tradition existed regarding Rabbi-Guru-San. Those texts that did not fit this tradition could not be seen as canonical. This means simply that they didn’t get to go in the final edition. They were still around. Those texts that were not complete biographies were also useless. The whole crucifixion-death-resurrection thing was widely held to be of some import to the discussion.

The theological tradition consists of certain precepts that were held dear as Gospel Truth (yes, I did make that pun). These were passed down orally and encapsulate Christianity in broad strokes. Those “Gospels” that were closest to the existing narrative, and supported by the personal experiences of the disciples, reinforced theses traditions. They also showed a unity with pre-existing Jewish beliefs, as Christ was the completion of the Old Covenant and the convening of the New, but with that unique Christian spin.

By the time the New Testament was assembled there was widespread agreement about what constituted the basics of Christianity. While various heresies did try to co-opt Christian belief for their own nefarious aims, it was difficult. People who are being violently persecuted tend to develop very definite ideas about their faith. And they don’t like them meddled with.

I am aware that this does not treat of the nature of the Christian Scriptures. It only deals with the assembly of that Scripture. In future pieces I’ll get around to God’s chats with us. As time goes on we’ll see whether or not Christianity is as pathetic as it seems.

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