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Series Code: AU
Program Code: AU000077S
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00:01 - Maybe you've heard somebody say,
00:02 "The Bible can't possibly be true 00:03 because it's just a ripoff of much older 00:06 and much more pagan documents." 00:09 That's what we're gonna look at on today's 00:11 episode of "Authentic". 00:13 [upbeat music] 00:22 [upbeat music] 00:31 [upbeat music] 00:34 You know, there are all kinds of reasons somebody 00:35 might question the claims of the Bible 00:37 or the claims of Christianity, 00:39 and some of those reasons are perfectly understandable. 00:44 As one cheesy tabloid used to say, 00:46 "Inquiring minds want to know." 00:48 And if anybody is guilty of questioning 00:50 just about everything, well it's me. 00:53 I'm not about to accept your claims at face value, 00:55 and I expect that you would do the same. 00:58 In fact, one of the reasons I do this show 01:00 is because I'm convinced 01:01 that the Bible holds up under scrutiny. 01:04 So obviously, I can deal with honest questions, 01:07 but what I don't waste my time on is dishonest questioning. 01:12 And what do I mean by that? 01:13 Well, I'm talking about the questions 01:15 that obviously come with an agenda. 01:17 The asker has already made up his or her mind 01:20 about what they're going to believe, 01:21 and there's really nothing I can say 01:23 that's ever going to change that. 01:25 In fact, it wouldn't even matter if an angel from heaven 01:28 suddenly appeared to them. 01:30 They're still not going to accept what it says in the Bible. 01:33 There's a certain way of questioning 01:35 that's really just a game of gotcha. 01:37 Like the questions the Pharisees ask Jesus 01:40 in an attempt to embarrass him. 01:42 Like this one that you find in John chapter 8, 01:45 where the Pharisees take a woman 01:46 they caught committing adultery, 01:48 and they threw her on the ground in front of Christ. 01:51 "Teacher," they say, 01:53 "This woman was caught in adultery in the very act." 01:56 Which kind of makes you wonder where the Pharisees happened 01:58 to be when this was going on. 02:01 "Now Moses," they said, 02:02 "In the law commanded us 02:04 that such should be stoned, but what do you say?" 02:08 It's really a disingenuous question 02:09 because they couldn't care less 02:11 about what happened to the woman. 02:13 It was a trick question, 02:14 and they thought it had no good answer. 02:16 If Jesus said they should exercise mercy and let her go, 02:20 they could run to the Sanhedrin and say 02:21 that Jesus of Nazareth is undermining 02:24 the teachings of Moses. 02:25 But on the other hand, 02:27 if Jesus said, "Look, if the law says put her to death, 02:29 then I mean, put her to death," 02:31 then they could run to the Romans and tell them that Jesus 02:34 was making decisions about capital punishment. 02:37 And that was something 02:39 that the Roman government reserved to itself. 02:41 So you can see there was no good answer. 02:45 And you probably know the rest of the story. 02:47 Instead of taking the bait, 02:49 Jesus bent down and started to write in the dirt. 02:52 Now, the Bible doesn't explicitly tell us 02:54 what he was writing, 02:55 but the rest of the passage kind of gives it away. 02:58 "He who is without sin among you," 03:00 he said as he created some of his dirt doodles, 03:03 "Let him throw a stone at her first." 03:06 Now we think he was writing 03:08 because he was God in human flesh. 03:10 He was writing a list of the Pharisees' personal sins, 03:13 their deep, dark secrets. 03:16 So what did Jesus do with disingenuous questions? 03:19 He refused to answer them. 03:21 And because I tend to use Jesus as a model 03:23 for how I should conduct myself, 03:25 I usually refuse to deal with disingenuous questions. 03:29 I mean, if the questions are honest, 03:31 if they're coming from somebody 03:32 who's actually trying to understand, 03:34 I'd probably be all over that, 03:36 time permitting because well, 03:37 I usually get more questions in a week 03:39 than I can possibly answer. 03:41 But if I suspect it's a game of gotcha, 03:44 I'm not gonna play, except for what we're gonna talk 03:48 about today because unfortunately, 03:50 some people have taken the work of disingenuous hucksters 03:53 and believed it. 03:55 So these are people who do have honest questions, 03:58 even though they're questioning something they heard 04:00 from a really unreliable source. 04:02 And now I'm talking about this absurd idea 04:06 that somehow early Christians borrowed their stories 04:08 from ancient pagan sources. 04:10 This idea that the gospel accounts found in the Bible 04:13 are nothing more than a sloppy retelling 04:15 of the Egyptian God Horus or the Persian God Mithras. 04:20 It's a claim that falls apart really quickly 04:22 once you start to actually examine it. 04:25 But unfortunately, a lot of people just assume 04:27 that the people teaching this nonsense 04:30 know what they're talking about. 04:32 Or worse, they believe this stuff because they saw a video 04:35 on the internet. 04:37 And a lot of people still subconsciously assume 04:39 that if somebody went to the trouble 04:41 of making a so-called documentary, 04:43 well there must be some truth to it. 04:46 Look, I can tell you, there isn't. 04:48 What these folks are doing 04:49 is taking even the slightest parallel, 04:52 the slightest similarity with pagan belief, 04:54 and they make it seem very compelling by adding details 04:58 they quite literally invented. 05:00 And sometimes, they'll throw in something 05:02 that's actually true to make their claims 05:04 seem a little more believable. 05:07 For example, reputable scholars know 05:10 that we really do have some pagan artifacts 05:12 in our Christian religion that are cultural hangovers 05:15 from the years when the Pagan Roman Empire 05:18 was transitioning to Christianity. 05:20 The Emperor Constantine was the political catalyst 05:23 for that transition. 05:25 And from what we can tell, 05:26 he adopted Christianity as the new state religion 05:30 because he believed that Christians were so united, 05:33 they could serve as a kind of glue 05:35 to hold his empire together. 05:38 Constantine came to power at a time when the Roman Empire 05:41 was anything but unified. 05:43 And in the years leading up to his imperial takeover, 05:47 he had worked with the Emperor Diocletian, 05:49 a man who ruthlessly persecuted Christians, 05:52 especially during the decade between 313 and 323 AD. 05:58 What Constantine noticed is that Christians 06:00 can be really stubborn people, 06:03 and most of them refused to change their beliefs 06:05 even though they were being threatened with death. 06:08 "Maybe I could use that to my advantage," 06:10 Constantine thought, "to help unify this empire." 06:13 And of course, 06:15 his mother also happened to be a practicing Christian. 06:17 And so Constantine adopted the faith of Christ. 06:21 After conquering the City of Rome 06:22 at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, 06:24 he actually refused to offer the usual sacrifices 06:27 to the pagan gods. 06:29 And he even granted the Lateran Palace 06:31 to the Roman Bishop who essentially 06:33 had been living in a shack 06:35 on the other side of the Tiber River. 06:38 This was a really pivotal moment in the history 06:40 of Western Christianity, 06:42 but simply declaring the empire to be Christian 06:45 doesn't magically make it so. 06:48 Most of Constantine's subjects continued life 06:50 with their pagan beliefs. 06:52 And so in the decades and centuries that followed, 06:54 all kinds of pagan customs 06:56 slowly made their way into the church. 06:59 Like December 25, 07:02 the date we still use to celebrate the birth of Christ. 07:04 We actually borrowed that date from pagan Roman festivals 07:08 that were tied to the Winter Solstice. 07:10 So some of these critics will use that history 07:14 to prove their point. 07:16 "If we borrowed the 25th of December," 07:18 they say, "we probably borrowed everything else, 07:20 and Jesus is just a rehash of pagan mythology." 07:24 This idea really dates back to the 19th century 07:27 when higher criticism was coming into vogue. 07:29 In some academic circles, 07:31 there was this assumption that the story of the Bible, 07:33 the way it appears in our modern English versions, 07:37 was probably just a work of religious propaganda 07:39 and couldn't be trusted. 07:41 The scholar's default assumption was that the Bible 07:44 isn't true, at least not entirely. 07:48 So for example, there was a lot of scoffing 07:51 for a little while at the Bible's mention 07:53 of this near Eastern tribe known as the Hittites. 07:56 "There was no such thing," these people said. 07:58 So the Bible, obviously, was making them up. 08:02 But then in 1880, a scholar by the name of Archibald Sayce 08:05 proved that some of the ruins uncovered during that century 08:08 were absolutely the work of Hittites. 08:11 They proved to be real. 08:13 And it was roughly during this same historical period 08:15 that a guy by the name of Gerald Massey 08:17 suddenly proposed that the Egyptian God Horus 08:21 was really the inspiration for the stories about Jesus. 08:24 "From the virgin birth to the resurrection," he said, 08:27 "it was all just ripped 08:28 right out of ancient pagan mythology." 08:30 And I'll be right back after this to explore that idea. 08:37 [gentle music] 08:38 - [Announcer] Life can throw a lot at us. 08:40 Sometimes, we don't have all the answers, 08:43 but that's where the Bible comes in. 08:46 It's our guide to a more fulfilling life. 08:49 Here at The Voice of Prophecy, 08:51 we've created the "Discover Bible Guides" 08:53 to be your guide to the Bible. 08:55 They're designed to be simple, easy to use, 08:57 and provide answers to many of life's toughest questions, 09:00 and they're absolutely free. 09:02 So jump online now or give us a call 09:05 and start your journey of discovery. 09:08 - A few years ago, the famous comedian, Bill Maher, 09:11 released a movie called "Religulous", 09:13 a work quite literally designed 09:15 to undermine religious faith. 09:17 And at one point, you see him taunting a believer 09:20 with this idea that Jesus is nothing more 09:22 than a rebranded Horus. 09:24 And it's an idea that he really took from the work 09:27 of Gerald Massey. 09:29 "Written in 1280 BC," he says, 09:31 "the 'Book of the Dead' describes a God, Horus. 09:34 Horus is the son of the God, Osiris, 09:36 born to a virgin mother. 09:38 He was baptized in a river by Anup, the Baptizer 09:41 who was later beheaded. 09:43 Like Jesus, Horus was tempted while alone in the desert, 09:46 healed the sick, the blind, cast out demons, 09:49 and walked on water. 09:50 He raised Asar from the dead. 09:52 Asar translates to Lazarus. 09:55 Oh yeah, he also had 12 disciples. 09:57 Yes, Horus was crucified first. 09:59 And after three days, two women announced Horus, 10:02 the savior of humanity had been resurrected." 10:05 Now the problem with that is that it's absolute baloney. 10:09 There is no "Book of the Dead" 10:11 that describes the God Horus that way. 10:13 To be sure, there is a "Book of the Dead". 10:15 In fact, there's more than one, 10:17 but none of them tell that story. 10:20 So either Bill Maher hasn't been doing his homework 10:22 or he's being dishonest. 10:23 His version of Horus is nothing but a fabrication. 10:28 I mean, let's just unpack that story a little bit. 10:30 Horus was the son of the Egyptian goddess, Isis, 10:34 who was, well, let's just say she was not a virgin. 10:38 The real story is a little too salacious 10:40 to repeat on this show. 10:41 But let's just say that Isis was impregnated by her husband 10:45 and he was dead at the time. 10:47 So really the only similarity with Jesus is that Horus 10:50 had an unusual origin. 10:53 Secondly, there's absolutely no record of a character 10:56 by the name of Anup the Baptizer anywhere. 11:00 In fact, the first mention of this guy that I'm aware of 11:03 is from Gerald Massey back in the 19th century, 11:05 which makes me suspect he made the story up. 11:09 Anup is a Coptic name for the Egyptian God Anubis 11:12 who never baptized anybody, and he was never beheaded. 11:16 The story is a complete lie. 11:19 So what about the claim that Horus was somehow tempted 11:22 by the devil in the wilderness? 11:24 Well, Egyptian records do tell us that Horus did battle 11:27 with an Egyptian God known as Set 11:29 who was said to be the god of the wilderness. 11:32 But there is no story of Horus being tempted by the devil. 11:36 And we're talking about Horus having a tough time out 11:39 in the desert. 11:40 That's a far cry from the story you 11:42 find in Matthew Chapter 4. 11:44 And I mean, come on, big deal, 11:45 a desert story from Egypt? 11:48 What a surprise. 11:50 Furthermore, mythology tells us that Horus 11:52 made peace with Set, 11:54 which is the opposite of what happened between Jesus 11:57 and the devil. 11:58 Horus also never raised a man named Asar from the dead. 12:02 He never had 12 disciples or any disciples that we know of. 12:06 He never walked on water and he was never crucified. 12:10 At best, we have a handful of pictures of Horus 12:13 with his arms spread out, which is not the same thing 12:16 as a crucifixion. 12:17 It's just a guy with his arms spread out. 12:21 It's a fabricated story, 12:23 but a lot of people have been tempted to think 12:25 that it's true for a number of reasons. 12:28 First of all, 12:29 they simply don't have the historical background 12:31 to know the difference, 12:32 and they don't have the time to sit in the library 12:34 and check these claims out for themselves. 12:37 Secondly, because the Bible tells the story 12:39 of the Israelites coming out of Egypt, 12:42 it seems plausible to some people 12:44 that they might have taken some Egyptian religion 12:47 along with them, which of course, 12:49 in a small, way they did. 12:51 I mean, they actually built a golden calf in the style 12:53 of an Egyptian God. 12:55 But as you might remember, 12:57 they were roundly condemned by God for doing that. 13:00 So it seems highly unlikely that the Jews would admit 13:04 to being punished for a golden calf, 13:07 but then quietly write the rest of the Bible as a work 13:09 of Egyptian idolatry. 13:11 The whole concept doesn't make sense. 13:15 But then there's a third reason 13:17 that people might be tempted to believe this stuff, 13:20 and that's a personal need 13:21 to dismiss the claims of the Bible. 13:25 Because if you read the Bible honestly, 13:26 you quickly discover that it makes some claims on your life. 13:30 It says that you and I are the work of a creator, 13:33 and as such, he has some moral claims on this universe. 13:37 So if what the Bible says is true, 13:39 it means something about the way you're going to choose 13:42 to live your life. 13:44 And after being exposed to what the Bible says, 13:46 if you really don't like it, 13:48 you're probably gonna leap at any theory 13:50 that proposes that the claims of the Bible are mere fiction. 13:54 Now, again, I'm not really addressing people 13:56 who have honest questions 13:58 because there are honest questions about the Bible, 14:01 and I have some myself. 14:03 But right now, what I'm driving at is people 14:05 who want the Bible to be falsified for personal reasons. 14:09 They're not really interested in an honest exploration. 14:14 So now let's move on to another claim. 14:17 And that's this idea that the Jesus story 14:19 we find in the Bible was stolen 14:20 from the Roman cult of Mithras, 14:23 which was really just a reworking 14:24 of an Ancient Persian mystery religion. 14:27 This is probably one of the most popular versions 14:29 of the pagan Jesus theory. 14:31 And so it really merits a little bit of thought. 14:34 There are a few points of similarity, 14:37 but they're superficial. 14:39 The Roman Cult of Mithras was really popular 14:42 from the first to the fourth century's AD. 14:45 In other words, after Christ, 14:47 which makes it seem highly unlikely that the Christians 14:50 actually borrowed their stories from this cult 14:52 because, well, it's hard to plagiarize something 14:55 that hasn't happened yet. 14:56 In reality, it's more likely that the Cult of Mithras 15:00 borrowed some ideas from the Christians 15:02 because they came later. 15:04 But that doesn't stop some people 15:06 from making the claim. 15:08 Mithras, they say, was born to a virgin 15:10 on the 25th of December. 15:12 He also had 12 disciples. He performed miracles. 15:14 He was dead for three days and then came back to life. 15:17 So on the surface, 15:20 it does seem like somebody was plagiarizing, 15:21 and the skeptics love to say it was the Christians. 15:24 They just stole the story of Mithras wholesale. 15:28 But the problem with this theory is it's not true. 15:31 There is no record of Mithras being born 15:33 on the 25th of December. 15:35 And even if there was, 15:36 that wouldn't mean much because he's a pagan deity. 15:38 And there's just no question that December 25 15:41 was a significant date in the pagan world. 15:44 The Bible never says Jesus was born on that day, 15:47 and most Christians are perfectly aware 15:49 that we borrowed that date from the pagans of Rome. 15:52 It was a celebration of the return of the Sun God, 15:55 once the day started getting longer again 15:57 after the Winter Solstice. 15:59 But the only connection we even have with that concept 16:03 is the story that Mithras was a friend of the sun god. 16:06 Was Mithras born to a virgin? No, absolutely not. 16:09 Ancient pagan artworks show him being born from a rock 16:13 with a sword in his hand. 16:15 There's also no record of Mithras having 12 disciples, 16:18 although I've been given to understand 16:20 that we have found one image of Mithras surrounded 16:23 by the 12 signs of the Zodiac. 16:25 But the only thing that has in common 16:26 with the biblical story is the number 12. 16:30 That's a bit of a stretch. 16:31 I mean, give me a break. 16:33 Taurus, Leo, and Scorpio are not Peter, James, and John. 16:37 And this idea that Mithras died and was resurrected 16:39 on the third day, go look for it. 16:42 It's a story that doesn't exist anywhere. 16:45 And so it goes with all the other comparisons. 16:48 There are people who say that Jesus is just a retelling 16:50 of the Hindu God, Krishna, 16:52 but about the only thing that Krishna and Jesus 16:54 have in common is the vague similarity 16:57 between the words Krishna in Christ. 17:00 Other people say that the story of Jesus 17:02 is just a retelling of the Phrygian god Attis. 17:05 And others say he's just Dionysus. 17:08 But under even basic scrutiny, all these stories fall apart. 17:12 They're nothing more than wishful thinking. 17:15 Listen, across all cultures and all times, 17:18 there are lots of ideas and experiences 17:20 that are common to everybody, 17:22 like the problem of suffering and death, 17:24 the meaning of life. 17:26 All of us hurt, all of us weep, 17:30 and we all experience fear. 17:32 Once upon a time, 17:33 most of us had to figure out where our food was gonna come 17:35 from every single day. 17:37 And if you had a bad harvest, 17:39 it meant that people were going to starve to death. 17:42 So really, is it a mystery that so many stories 17:46 from so many cultures dwell on those themes? 17:49 Absolutely not. 17:51 It's exactly what you would expect. 17:53 I'll be right back after this. 17:58 [bright music] 17:59 - [Announcer] Here at the Voice of Prophecy, 18:00 we're committed to creating top quality programming 18:02 for the whole family. 18:04 Like our audio adventure series, "Discovery Mountain". 18:07 "Discovery Mountain" is a Bible-based program 18:09 for kids of all ages and backgrounds. 18:12 Your family will enjoy the faith-building stories 18:15 from this small mountain summer camp and town. 18:17 With 24 seasonal episodes every year 18:20 and fresh content every week, 18:22 there's always a new adventure just on the horizon. 18:25 [bright music] 18:28 - You know, sometimes, I really struggle 18:30 to understand why anybody would want the story of Jesus 18:34 to be untrue. 18:37 I mean, we've already touched on the idea that if God 18:39 is real, it makes us accountable to him. 18:42 But I think that's only part of the picture. 18:44 Paganism and Christianity existed side-by-side 18:48 in a really uneasy relationship for a really long time 18:52 in Western Europe. 18:54 In fact, judging by some accounts, 18:56 that coexistence between pagans and Christians 18:59 may still be happening, at least in places like Iceland, 19:03 where construction on the country's first pagan temple 19:05 in 1,000 years has been underway now since 2017. 19:10 And you know, it's actually in Scandinavian culture 19:13 that we find a really good example 19:15 as to why some people today find themselves 19:18 wishing that Christianity would just go away. 19:22 Go back about 1,000 years 19:23 to the golden age of the Vikings, 19:25 and you'll find Norwegian kings doing something 19:28 that had been going on for centuries 19:30 in the Germanic countries further to the South. 19:33 Some of these kings attempted to force their subjects 19:35 to become Christian. 19:37 There were a number of Viking kings 19:39 who lived in England growing up 19:41 because there was a massive Viking settlement there. 19:44 And some of them adopted Christian beliefs early 19:47 because, well, England was largely Christian. 19:51 Take for example, a Christian king known as Olaf Tryggvason 19:54 who came to power in AD 995 after being raised in England. 20:00 As was customary, the pagans living at Trondheim 20:02 invited him to participate in a heathen festival 20:05 traditionally attended by every king. 20:08 When he arrived, however, 20:10 he told the gathering of pagans that he wanted to go inside 20:13 their pagan temple, which raised some eyebrows 20:16 because they knew the king was Christian. 20:18 "I just wanna go inside and see how you sacrifice," he said. 20:23 So he went inside the temple with some of his men, 20:25 and to the horror of the people standing outside, 20:28 they could hear him smashing their idols. 20:31 When the king came out, 20:32 he had the leader of the local pagans executed 20:35 in front of everybody, 20:36 and then he gave the pagans two choices, 20:39 either convert to Christianity 20:41 or fight the king in his army. 20:44 It was conversion by force, 20:46 and he was hardly the only Norwegian king 20:48 to do something like that. 20:50 In reality, the Vikings were probably somewhat open 20:53 to examining the claims of Christ, 20:56 but if there was one thing they were not open to, 20:59 it was being forced. 21:01 They were far too independent, far too strong-willed 21:04 to have somebody coerce them into anything. 21:07 So while they really didn't have a choice, 21:10 their so-called conversion was not heartfelt. 21:13 And when Olaf Tryggvason died, 21:15 they all went back to observing their pagan rituals. 21:19 And sadly, that's the story of Christianity 21:22 across much of Western Europe. 21:24 And it really started in the days of Constantine. 21:27 In fact, there's an old story about Constantine 21:29 marching his army through the Tiber River 21:31 and then declaring them all baptized Christians. 21:35 After the conversion of the Frankish Kings, 21:37 and especially after the rise of Charlemagne, 21:40 or Charles the Great, 21:41 we suddenly had French armies converting barbarian tribes 21:45 at the point of a sword. 21:47 After the Spanish Inquisition was launched 21:49 in the early 13th century, 21:51 it became very dangerous to hold what the official church 21:55 considered to be heretical views. 21:58 The Jews who lived in Spain were faced 22:00 with a really difficult choice, 22:03 convert to Christianity or face extreme punishment up to 22:07 and including the death penalty. 22:11 And I guess the reason I'm telling these stories 22:14 is because I think it has a lot to do 22:16 with why people want to dismiss the claims of the Bible. 22:20 To their way of thinking, 22:22 the religion of this book is some kind of moral monstrosity. 22:26 It's a religion of force. 22:29 And if Christians were perfectly honest about this, 22:31 we'd have to admit 22:32 they kind of have a point, historically speaking. 22:35 In direct opposition to the teachings of Christ, 22:37 we use the Bible to justify political power grabs, wars, 22:42 and the utterly brutal treatment of people 22:44 who didn't live or think like us. 22:47 It's a phenomenon that continues to this day, 22:50 to the point where you can see well-meaning Christians 22:53 attempting to pass legislation that favors their beliefs, 22:56 or even makes them compulsory for everybody else. 23:00 And if there's one thing I've learned over the 5 1/2 decades 23:03 that I've been alive on this planet, 23:05 it's that people do not like being forced. 23:08 In fact, our natural reaction is to push back. 23:13 So while it's certainly not the whole picture, 23:15 I'm convinced it's part of why so many people work so hard 23:19 to get rid of Christianity. 23:21 It's because Christians have distorted 23:22 the teachings of Christ and left a bad taste 23:25 in just about everybody's mouth. 23:27 We've created this situation where people do not hear God 23:31 wooing them in the pages of the Bible. 23:34 They assume the voice of God is forcing them. 23:37 We've gotten nearly 2,000 years of really bad preaching, 23:41 telling people that God is angry and vindictive and eager 23:45 to destroy you if you don't toe the line. 23:47 And that is an idea we did take from pagan mythology. 23:52 I'll be right back after this. 23:58 [ominous music] 23:59 - [Announcer] Dragons, beasts, cryptic statues, 24:03 Bible prophecy can be incredibly vivid and confusing. 24:07 If you've ever read Daniel or Revelation, 24:10 and come away scratching your head, you're not alone. 24:13 Our free "Focus on Prophecy" guides are designed to help you 24:16 unlock the mysteries of the Bible 24:18 and deepen your understanding of God's plan for you 24:21 and our world. 24:22 Study online or request them by mail 24:24 and start bringing prophecy into focus today. 24:29 - At the close of the Bible on the very last page, 24:32 you find these important words, John writes, 24:35 "And the Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' 24:38 And let him who hears say, 'Come!' 24:40 And let him who thirsts come. 24:42 Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely." 24:47 Now, you'll notice it's not a threat, it's an invitation. 24:51 There's just no question that a creator would have moral 24:54 claims on his creation, 24:55 and that you and I would be accountable to that kind of God. 24:59 That much is true. 25:00 And it's a key part of why some people work so hard 25:03 to dismiss the story of Jesus, 25:05 including these dishonest people 25:07 who push ridiculous conspiracy theories 25:10 about a so-called heathen Christ borrowed 25:13 from the archives of pagan mythology. 25:16 Other people have pushed even more ridiculous theories 25:18 like Erich von Daniken who suggested back in the 1960s 25:22 that God was some kind of an alien astronaut 25:25 who came to this world in a spaceship. 25:27 [gentle music] 25:29 And it seems to me that all of these ideas 25:30 are nothing but escape mechanisms, 25:32 deliberate attempts to evade the God of the Bible. 25:36 And a lot of people wanna dismiss the God of the Bible 25:39 because they're convinced 25:40 that he's some kind of really unpleasant God. 25:44 And sometimes, they tragically come to that conclusion 25:47 because of our behavior, the Christians. 25:51 And here's what I find so terribly unfortunate. 25:53 If people would only take the time 25:54 to read the Bible honestly, 25:57 they'd find a God who defies almost all of our expectations. 26:02 I mean, yes, he does call sin by its right name, 26:05 and the human race really does 26:07 have a very serious moral problem. 26:10 The Bible doesn't sugarcoat the reality of our fallen nature 26:13 and our broken relationship with God. 26:16 It doesn't hold back when it tells us that we're guilty. 26:20 But at the same time, we find this God of love, 26:23 a God who is willing to risk everything, 26:25 and I mean absolutely everything to save us. 26:30 You know, there's another thing that happens 26:31 when you read this book, 26:33 and I'm going to encourage you to give this a try. 26:35 I mean, go ahead, read some pagan mythology, 26:38 immerse yourself in the stories of Olympus or Valhalla, 26:41 and then come back and read the Gospels. 26:43 Why? 26:44 Because the idea that the story of Jesus was based 26:47 on pagan myths is going to evaporate if you do this 26:50 because this book reads nothing 26:53 like those ancient pagan myths. 26:55 Even non-Christian scholars, 26:57 and I emphasize the word scholars, 26:59 recognize that Jesus is an historical reality. 27:02 He actually lived, 27:04 and there's no getting around the fact 27:05 that he was the most remarkable human 27:07 who ever walked the face of the Earth. 27:10 In other words, 27:11 there's no rejecting Jesus on historical grounds the way 27:15 that Gerald Massey and his disciples would have you think. 27:19 You can only reject Christ on the basis of philosophy. 27:22 And even that becomes difficult if you're honest 27:25 with what the Bible actually says. 27:27 And let's be honest, 27:28 if Jesus was just another retelling of pagan mythology, 27:31 then why did the Pagans of Western Europe 27:33 have so much trouble adopting Christianity? 27:36 If it was practically the same, that wouldn't make sense. 27:39 So maybe give the Bible another try, 27:42 and we'll give you a hand if you want. 27:44 Just go to biblestudies.com 27:45 and you'll find a free Bible course 27:48 we just want you to have. 27:49 And I think you'll find that the person of Jesus 27:51 we find in the Bible is worlds apart from the heroes 27:54 and gods of the pagans. 27:56 And you'll quickly discover 27:57 it's not this book telling lies about Jesus. 28:00 That's the work of the conspiracy theorists. 28:02 Thanks for joining me. I'm Shawn Boonstra. 28:05 You've been watching "Authentic". 28:08 [upbeat music] 28:17 [upbeat music] 28:26 [upbeat music] |
Revised 2023-08-22