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I will sometimes hear atheists speak favorably of ancient myths like Thor or Pan with a sort fondness, as compared to the traditional Christian god.
Does this mean that one day in the future, even Jehova will find similar favor with atheists, after he inevitably transforms into a myth?
No. As Gabfest states, it would simply shift the Bible from the 'religion' shelf to the 'Mythology' shelf. We could then indeed have a 'fondness' for the old stories, if we were not expected to take them as somehow true and moreover, something on which to base our mode of living.
No. As Gabfest states, it would simply shift the Bible from the 'religion' shelf to the 'Mythology' shelf. We could then indeed have a 'fondness' for the old stories, if we were not expected to take them as somehow true and moreover, something on which to base our mode of living.
The purpose of the Bible would change from that of worship to a piece of literature used for study. It would become a source of material for ideas, experiences, emotions, vocabulary; used to study structure and rhythm; used as a source of the speech patterns of writers during that time period; used as a source for oral interpretation to teach a lesson or for entertainment.
I will sometimes hear atheists speak favorably of ancient myths like Thor or Pan with a sort fondness, as compared to the traditional Christian god.
Does this mean that one day in the future, even Jehova will find similar favor with atheists, after he inevitably transforms into a myth?
Numerous non believers have explained this to you in detail. How do these questions keep forming in your head?
I have a fondness for Santa Claus that is a remnant of my childhood. I have always loved Christmas, and I enjoy the whole Santa myth. It's cute. The story delights children, and I enjoy seeing children delighted. Who wouldn't love the story of a jolly old man that goes to so much trouble every year to make children happy? I doubt that I would have found the story of Santa so delightful if part of the story included Santa ordering the decapitation and evisceration of hundreds of children. Or drowning everything in sight.
The God of the Bible is not nearly so warm and fuzzy as Santa. The only thing that can possibly redeem Him is that He never existed as anything other than a myth to begin with.
I will sometimes hear atheists speak favorably of ancient myths like Thor or Pan with a sort fondness, as compared to the traditional Christian god.
Does this mean that one day in the future, even Jehova will find similar favor with atheists, after he inevitably transforms into a myth?
I would say no. I don't think that, when taken as myth, the character of the Abrahamic God as described in the Bible is interesting or compelling.
For the sake of argument here, I am explicitly ignoring the theological context of things like the trinity, and treating the Bible as a collection of mythic stories. The reason why approaching the Bible this way won't really change opinions on God is that he really isn't a character, so much as a plot device.
As a collection of myths, who are the protagonists? Job, Moses, Joshua, David, Hezekiah, Jesus (ignoring trinitarian doctrine here), Paul, these are some of the protagonists. The stories are not about God, they don't make us identify with him. The stories are about people, those are the figures that will catch the attention, that will allow us to see our own human struggles reflected in them.
As a comparison, The Norse gods, the Greco-Roman pantheon, and others a much more "human" than the Abrahamic God. They are the actors, protagonists and antagonists, of their own stories. And it is this personal nature of those myths that let us identify with the humanity of those gods in a way that lets us relate to the myth.
No. As Gabfest states, it would simply shift the Bible from the 'religion' shelf to the 'Mythology' shelf. We could then indeed have a 'fondness' for the old stories, if we were not expected to take them as somehow true and moreover, something on which to base our mode of living.
This is what I meant.
But I actually think that when the new deity of the future starts to decay into religious fundamentalism, that the atheist of the future will be thinking, "At least the Christian god had some character that we can all appreciate", since it will no longer be threatening to anyone anywhere.
Numerous non believers have explained this to you in detail. How do these questions keep forming in your head?
I have a fondness for Santa Claus that is a remnant of my childhood. I have always loved Christmas, and I enjoy the whole Santa myth. It's cute. The story delights children, and I enjoy seeing children delighted. Who wouldn't love the story of a jolly old man that goes to so much trouble every year to make children happy? I doubt that I would have found the story of Santa so delightful if part of the story included Santa ordering the decapitation and evisceration of hundreds of children. Or drowning everything in sight.
The God of the Bible is not nearly so warm and fuzzy as Santa. The only thing that can possibly redeem Him is that He never existed as anything other than a myth to begin with.
You don't seem to understand that hose "myths" used to be actual "deities" that many people believed in at one time.
But I actually think that when the new deity of the future starts to decay into religious fundamentalism, that the atheist of the future will be thinking, "At least the Christian god had some character that we can all appreciate", since it will no longer be threatening to anyone anywhere.
I don't know, but it seems pretty inevitable. The negative things about him will completely be gone since they will no longer be threatening. They will have vanished and be forgotten. Maybe if those things were cleared away right now we could see it and answer your question.
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