Ancient Confession Found: "We invented Jesus Christ"

[drunkenshoe]

And my point Shoe, is that Atwill is a fruitcake. His "theory" is nuts. It holds almost as much water as ancient astronaut theory. Similarities between the Gospel of Luke and Josephus are at best evidence the authors of one had access to the writings of the other. The timing of this particular talk probably has more to do with Atwill finally talking someone into paying him to appear somewhere than anything else.

Shame on us if we don't recognize that he is a snake oil salesman.

You get me wrong. I think my OP was badly written. I am not interested in his theory in regard of it being right or wrong. I am interested in certain ideas being promoted in a weird collective sense at face value and think that it is a collective defense mechanism. 

This is more dangerous as a form of behaviour than the actual bullshit.

I am either being paranoid and seeing things -lol- or there is a real rise in sharing a series of the same bullshit in social media in the last a few months. It's very obvious to me. I see a red flag. Not the content. I just want to know if anyone else seeing any similar tendency.

On a different note, what this man throws out there generally in its essence is something every one who is aware of Christian Councils can make out for themselves. It's child stuff...history 101. The first thing we learned about Christanity over here when I was in the univ. Serving it as a scandal or serving it as a sensational revelation is the hoax itself. And it only works in the USA. It's Dan Brown stuff which ironically in contradiction with it. But actually the same deal. 

The part that 'it only works in the US' is something like how political sex scandals work in the US. Its function is the same.

[aitm]

Shame on us if we don't recognize that he is a snake oil salesman.

at the same time, if the xians nuts can post tributes to miracles that an airplane crash left one infant alive and proof of jebus, I can throw a turd on their lap once in awhile for fun.

[PopeyesPappy]

at the same time, if the xians nuts can post tributes to miracles that an airplane crash left one infant alive and proof of jebus, I can throw a turd on their lap once in awhile for fun.

Absolutely!

As far as social media trends go I haven't noticed anything unusual. My Facebook feed has always been full of Jesus this, Jesus that, pray for this or that crap. I just ignore it. The only uptick in crap I've noticed is political. That's understandable since we're in an election cycle. As far as the quality of the content goes it's mostly tabloid bullshit, and there's nothing new about a tabloid mentality in social media. Nor is that tabloid mentality exclusive to the US. I believe the OP referenced a presentation in the UK where tabloid crap is at least as popular if not more than in the US. 

[AllPurposeAtheist]

I have a bunch that even if some giant face appeared in the sky all around the world at the same time, even if the sun shined around the world all at once and the face said that it was all a big fucking lie a huge chunk of the world's population would still start praying hoping the face would go away and stop talking.. LALALALALALALALALA! WE CAN'T HEAR YOU!  Of course it would be blamed on Satin..
People tend to want to believe lies. They may tell you they don't, but the evidence proves they do.

[Baruch]

I have a bunch that even if some giant face appeared in the sky all around the world at the same time, even if the sun shined around the world all at once and the face said that it was all a big fucking lie a huge chunk of the world's population would still start praying hoping the face would go away and stop talking.. LALALALALALALALALA! WE CAN'T HEAR YOU!  Of course it would be blamed on Satin..
People tend to want to believe lies. They may tell you they don't, but the evidence proves they do.

You must have read that in Exodus.  After G-d spoke directly to the Hebrews, they begged G-d to stop doing that, and only speak to Moses.

[Contemporary Protestant]

I am cynical, I think the Christian religion originated as a Jewish cult (common back in that time) but the religion changed after the diaspora (when the temple was destroyed after a failed revolt). My cynicism is in that the Jewish people were a minority and then eventually defeated and dispersed. I also doubt that Romans would know enough about the Jewish people to contrive such a thing. Paul's philosophy could be considered a derivative of Hellenism and Judaism, however the gospels (which were written after, which would support the hypothesis I am distrusting of) are very Jewish. Christian people are at the very least good at making connections in the bible and I just have a hard time thinking that Romans would care enough to spend enough time to mimic a culture and then convince the majority to accept it. Especially given the syncretic nature of "paganism"

[Cavebear]

at the same time, if the xians nuts can post tributes to miracles that an airplane crash left one infant alive and proof of jebus, I can throw a turd on their lap once in awhile for fun.

I don't ever want to be part of some terrible accident.  But IF I were and the lone survivor, and some TV reporter asked me about it, I would sure love to say "I survived by random luck and God had nothing to do with it"!

[Cavebear]

And, for what it is worth, I seriously doubt the Romans had anything to do with the origin of christianity.  They killed adherents, monotheism was against their whole concept of accepting all local gods, and it caused them a lot of annoyance they were better off without.  Christianity brought down the Roman Empire internally as much as the Guals, Visigoths, Franks, and Vandals did from the outside.

[drunkenshoe]

Christianity doesn't have one origin. No religious system has one origin. History is not a linear process.

[Cavebear]

Christianity doesn't have one origin. No religious system has one origin. History is not a linear process.

Indeed.  Christianity has a lot in common with Mithraism...  And everyone seems to have a local flood.  Not that it happened everywhere at the same time, but when civilizations grow up around rivers, floods do happen.

[Baruch]

I am cynical, I think the Christian religion originated as a Jewish cult (common back in that time) but the religion changed after the diaspora (when the temple was destroyed after a failed revolt). My cynicism is in that the Jewish people were a minority and then eventually defeated and dispersed. I also doubt that Romans would know enough about the Jewish people to contrive such a thing. Paul's philosophy could be considered a derivative of Hellenism and Judaism, however the gospels (which were written after, which would support the hypothesis I am distrusting of) are very Jewish. Christian people are at the very least good at making connections in the bible and I just have a hard time thinking that Romans would care enough to spend enough time to mimic a culture and then convince the majority to accept it. Especially given the syncretic nature of "paganism"

New pagan cults were acceptable to the Romans, and even Jewish religion was acceptable to the Romans ... the problem was governance.  All cults must include the Emperor as (at least on papyrus) a living god.  To be licit, you have to be sponsored by the State.  The Sanhedrin made good will offerings to the Emperor at the Temple ... when they stopped doing that, that was a declaration of war.

"Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by rulers as useful" ... still true today ... most people here are wise ;-)

[Baruch]

And, for what it is worth, I seriously doubt the Romans had anything to do with the origin of christianity.  They killed adherents, monotheism was against their whole concept of accepting all local gods, and it caused them a lot of annoyance they were better off without.  Christianity brought down the Roman Empire internally as much as the Guals, Visigoths, Franks, and Vandals did from the outside.

Edward Gibbon said that too ... but the destruction was mostly after the Christians became the official religion of the Empire.  You can't defend an Empire with pacifists and socialists.  Until Constantine, Christians are estimated at no more than 10% of the population, mostly urban proletariat ... almost all Gentiles.

[Cavebear]

Indeed.  Christianity has a lot in common with Mithraism...  And everyone seems to have a local flood.  Not that it happened everywhere at the same time, but when civilizations grow up around rivers, floods do happen.

And I was just sent this wonderful graphic by a friend...