Friday, May 15, 2009

GREEK MYTHOLOGY AND JESUS CHRIST

Jesus Christ is no figment of Greek Mythology nor is He a creation from the mind of Plato. BUT, the way we often view Jesus and God the Father, we might as well have gotten our theology from Greek Philosophy!

Greek Mythology dates back to nearly the Bronze Age! Various kings, rulers and people of importance in the ancient Greek, Egyptian, Phoenician, and Asian world, over time, became deified as gods and goddesses and immortalized in epic poems such and the Illiad and the Odyssey by Homer. We are talking 1000 years before Jesus.

The Greek netherworld, or place of the dead, along with Plato's invention of the concept of "hell" in the 4th Century B.C. have become the mainstay of Christian thought in the West and prevail to this day teaching an ever burning, torturing fire for the unrepentant. God the Father is distant, disconnected, aloof, "holy" and "hell bent" on sending those who do not fall down and worship Him to these flames of torture. Where do you think this kind of thinking comes from? Answer: The Greeks, their mythology, Plato, Platonism, and other Greek philosophers who continued these teachings and myths in their day. Then when St. Augustine of Hippo came along in the 5th Century A.D., who was an avid student of Plato's philosophy--including "hell" and fire and torture forever--he injected this unloving fear tactic into the Christian Church to keep converts "in line" and walking the straight and narrow.

What we have today is a man made theology from scripture and Greek philosophy which is anything but Good News. God is not portrayed and giving Unconditional Love to all of His children, Adopting all children before the foundation of the world ( Eph.1), and fulfilling His one and only plan for humanity completed in Jesus Christ.

Religion is a contest. Christianity is a contest. If YOU win, you get saved. But it all boils down to you and your accepting Jesus into your life. But what Jesus did for all of us and TO all of us happened before we were ever born!

Jesus is not some capricious God like so many of the Greek gods of Greek mythology. He is not narcissistic needing the adulation of His subjects to sustain His worth.
Jesus is no figment of Greek Mythology.

He is God. He is man. He is the Word Who from 'the beginning' was with the Father and the Holy Spirit as very God. He is love. He is Savior. He is our elder Brother. He is GOOD. And, He is GOOD ALL the time.

He loves us all with a love that is beyond description. You have always been the child He always wanted in His family to be with Him FOREVER. There is NO contest. There is NO possibility for failure. We are saved and secure in Jesus--Forever!

Jesus lives IN us and we IN Him. ( John 14:20). We are connected and included INSIDE of the Triune Life of God NOW and FOREVER. This is what Trinitarian and Adoption Theology is all about. And, it has nothing to do with Greek Mythology and Greek Philosophy whatsoever.

Amen

1 comment:

natalie said...

well said. thanks for the encouragement :)