Calculus Crusader wrote: This is not difficult. Even if the author of Matthew is correct in attributing that statement to Jesus, there is nothing in the statement that requires Jonah in the belly of the whale to be historical.
Sure, if you think it's possible that the Lord could be mistaken, or could lie to people about the veracity of Old Testament stories.
Your inability to accept the fact that one can refer to "myth," sans disclaimer, to make a point, is not Jesus' problem.
Last edited by Guest on Mon Mar 09, 2009 7:54 am, edited 1 time in total.
Caeli enarrant gloriam Dei
(I lost access to my Milesius account, so I had to retrieve this one from the mothballs.)
Calculus Crusader wrote:Your inability to accept the fact that one can refer to "myth," sans disclaimer, to make a point is not Jesus' problem.
If Matthew is to be believed, then Jesus said that JUST AS Jonah was swallowed by a whale, so would he die for three days and rise again -- which, per your interpretation of Jonah, would be to say that Jesus did no such thing.
The song "Blinded" by Third Eye Blind includes the lyrics "Icarus is not a tee shirt or a swan song, no. He is born again and it's not easy being me. But I can't promise I will mend or bend. When you believe that we are fixed now from our birth. And I've just fallen back to earth. Still you know I'll try again"
The song "Light & Heavy" by Jon Foreman, performed at the To Write Love On Her Arms concert event, states "I'm on a roll. I'm feeling Icarus. I might've flown too high...Adrianna, I hope you found what you were looking for, looking for."
...
Jars of Clay reference Icarus in their 1996 song Worlds Apart: "I am the only one to blame for this. Somehow it all ends up the same. Soaring on the wings of selfish pride. I flew too high and like Icarus I collide."
Clearly, they literally believe Icarus flew.
Caeli enarrant gloriam Dei
(I lost access to my Milesius account, so I had to retrieve this one from the mothballs.)
The song "Blinded" by Third Eye Blind includes the lyrics "Icarus is not a tee shirt or a swan song, no. He is born again and it's not easy being me. But I can't promise I will mend or bend. When you believe that we are fixed now from our birth. And I've just fallen back to earth. Still you know I'll try again"
The song "Light & Heavy" by Jon Foreman, performed at the To Write Love On Her Arms concert event, states "I'm on a roll. I'm feeling Icarus. I might've flown too high...Adrianna, I hope you found what you were looking for, looking for."
...
Jars of Clay reference Icarus in their 1996 song Worlds Apart: "I am the only one to blame for this. Somehow it all ends up the same. Soaring on the wings of selfish pride. I flew too high and like Icarus I collide."
Clearly, they literally believe Icarus flew.
Did the singer from Third Eye Blind say, "Surely, just as Jonah was swallowed by the whale for three days, so shall our next studio album be ignored for three days, then miraculously shoot to the top of the Adult Contemporary charts!"? No?
Calculus Crusader wrote:And apparently Dante literally believes Phaeton drove the chariot of the sun: Paradiso 17
Qual venne a Climené, per accertarsi di ciò ch'avea incontro a sé udito, quei ch'ancor fa li padri A.I. figli scarsi;
Like Phaethon (one who still makes fathers wary of sons) when he had heard insinuations, and he, to be assured, came to Clymene,
tal era io, e tal era sentito e da Beatrice e da la santa lampa che pria per me avea mutato sito.
such was I and such was I seen to be by Beatrice and by the holy lamp that-earlier-had shifted place for me.
Bzzt. Phaeton was a literary allusion of Dante's day, not something accepted as literal fact, as the Jonah/whale story was treated by Jesus' audience. Try again.
This is probably my favorite characterization of Christianity:
"Christianity: The belief that a cosmic Jewish Zombie who was his own father can make you live forever if you literally eat his flesh and telepathically tell him you accept him as your master, so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in humanity because a rib-woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat from a magical tree..."