How do atheists explain the popularity of the Jesus story although they claim other cultures had their own?

Question

Atheists claim that the Jesus story happened before in other cultures. Why was this one so popular? Do you think there's more to it than mythology?

Answer 1

The story of Santa Claus is popular too...is he real. Harry Potter is very popular...is he real. Look at Spiderman....wow...popularity does not prove existence.This is simple minded fundie drivel. You guys will grasp at anything to proves something that you yourself don't even really believe. Why is it so important to convince everyone else you are right? Isn't the fact that you believe enough, or is your "faith" not that strong?

Answer 2

Well it's a popular story because it got lucky. Nothing more I can tell you. Why did Christopher get the credit for discovering America when he wasn't the first? Why is George Washington called the first American president when he truly wasn't? Don't believe me look it up. Why did Hitler come to power? There is no true reason. It was made in the right place and time. Also there are many, many other religions out there. Some of them have even more followers than Catholicism.


Also, in all actuality, the human mind has an inherent need to know everything. We must have an answer to every possible thing their is and ever will be. So in order to explain the unexplainable religion was created.


Oh yes, I nearly forgot. Do not look through your eyes to find the truth. Attempt to look at this question objectively. This is impossible because you have a personality, past experiences, morals, ect. but the more objective you are the more you understand the truth. There is no way to tell whether there is or is not a god. Unfortunately we cannot know everything but we can look at a situation and make an educated guess. It does not matter what we think however. Your beliefs are your own and you have that freedom. So look to see which path you will take.

Answer 3

See now THAT is a good question, just why is this story so popular and enduring?

I do a lot of reading, I listen to people, I keep all my sensory organs peeled, so to speak, and I'm still at a loss to explain it. My "modern", "rational" mind still cannot accept that Creation is true and that there is an actual coherent (for want of a better word) Higher Power. I've certainly thought on many occasions that I'd be better off if I did have unquestioning faith (in anything!) but I just don't.

I find the arguments of theology fascinating, and the stories of most religions have great appeal as pieces of writing, but I still can't see what it is that has held so many people over so many cultures and over so very many years in such thrall with the notion of God. I'm well beyond the youthful assertion that it is/was just the weakness of the adherents (though organised religion does historically have a lot to answer for in terms of abuse of power and manipulation of the "masses", no pun intended, no really!)

But this it what is so frustrating about dealing with _some_ very "religious" people - honest questions are often met with the blank "it just is, He just is, you _must_ accept The Truth" response which is so much white noise and blather and fuel for the "anti-religious" fire. It's also very difficult to take "on faith" the word of people who say they follow a religious life yet blatantly fail to adhere to the basic monotheistic tenet of "do unto others" in the amount of vitriol they aim at anyone who doesn't believe what they do in exactly the same way.

I don't have a problem with anyone believing or not believing whatever they want or feel compelled to. What I DO have a problem with is anyone trying to "convert" me or in other ways convince me that I am wrong by all-but literally smacking me about the head with a heavy tome in order to somehow get the words into my head. I've heard this stuff all my life, if it hasn't sunk in so far then it's not going to, so either try an alternative to rote repetition, or leave me and my little soul to suffer the long dark night on our own.

Sure there's a lot of baiting in Y!A - on all sides - and sure I like to play along sometimes, but is there really no room in religion for humour? And would not the person who was really secure in their faith (or lack of faith, for that matter) find it unnecessary to rise to the bait, screaming, gnashing and wailing all the way?

Answer 4

Not really. It's a rehash of previously existing mythologies dressed up in a "new" suit. The "Jesus" cult was just one of the ones that managed to survive--thanks to aggressive conversion practices, authoritarian traditions, and outright conquest.

One could also say the same thing about Islam, Buddhism, Shinto, Judaism, or Hindu. They are also quite popular. Do you give them the same credit for having something "more to them" than mythology?

Answer 5

Ok, so what about the popularity of Islam. It's popular too. What's your ******* point. It use to also be a custom to own slaves in this country that was popular. It was also popular to wear binding corsets that squished girls organs. It was also popular to not bathe. Just because it's popular doesn't make it right. I can keep going with the list.

Answer 6

Perhaps you should learn what an Atheist is.

Explaining the popularity of Jesus, is as much of a concern to an Atheist, as explaining the popularity of American Idol.

Answer 7

Jesus is popular because St. Paul in the early church made some severe changes to the original doctrine to make it more popular for most but completly unpopular to a few.

Answer 8

What do you mean? Are you referring o the question of whether or not Jesus actually existed? If that's the case I think there really isn't any reason to doubt it.

But if you're referring to the 'miracle' bits of the Jesus story, there isn't a single scrap of evidence supporting them in *any* culture. So no, I don't think there's anything more to them than myths.

Answer 9

Communication was not as widespread between countries and continents when the earlier savior-gods (Mithras, Krishna, etc.) were worshiped. Also, the Christian Church killed people who refused to worship Jesus, so many pretended to so to stay alive.

History (and common sense) shows that Jesus is just a myth.

Answer 10

It depends on what side of the world you're talking about. In the Middle East he isn't the most popular, and in Asia he isn't. There are Billions of people who don't favor his story over their own religion's stories.