HelloWell, the blogs for some big questions so this is a big question. I'm not religious, I consider myself agnostic (I have a personal level of faith and beliefs but they don't fit any known religion). So in this century called the post religion century, what is the value of Christianity.
Historical Merits of Christianity.
The Bible - Fact or Fiction?
I'm just watching a documentary on the TV about the truth behind religion. I'm shocked to learn that Jesus wasn't born in Bethlehem. According to the documentary Jesus was of Nazareth. In Jewish faith a great leader would come from Bethlehem. So the writers of the bible used creative licence to add in the idea that Mary would trek across the country to Bethlehem for a census to the Roman Empire. The problem is the Roman Empire didn't stretch that far.
So, regardless of your personal beliefs, let's just explore the possibility that the Bible is less a historical fact, but more of a wikapedia. A document that is revised and altered to better suit the reader (and the writer). There are many and many examples of this happening it would take months to go through them all. Some of the most recent changes are documented here http://www.av1611.org/biblecom.html But the Bible has been altered right from the start.
So, why was the Bible written? Jesus didn't write it. He didn't ask for it to be written, otherwise it wouldn't have taken 150 years to get around to it. I mean who procrastinates THAT much especially when the son of God asks you to do things.
So, what was the basis of the Bible? Why was it created? Who was it for?
Oddly, I've just realised, I've never wondered WHY the Bible was created. I just accepted that of course it would be. Just like, if you go on Big Brother, of course you're going to release a Christmas song, exercise video and a biography, all within a few months. But why create it is key to understanding the document. It gives it context. Let's not forget, Jesus wasn't part of a reality TV show. No one knew who he was, so why would anyone want to read a book about him? Who bought it? Well, books back then had to be handwritten, they were very expensive and only the very rich could afford it.
This website (although bias,) has some interesting perspectives on the issue.
It's important to remember that context is very important. The Bible was written in a time before the Internet (yes, such a time existed). Before the telephone, radio, television, train, newspaper and even the printed book. Villages did barter and currency was around, but very very little literature existed. Most village communities were probably getting pretty bored before then. There's only so many stories that can be told in a community. A book was a great opening into something wider, it was the source of knowledge and entertainment. A book like the Bible had to BE the whole of the Internet in one for people to invest soo much money in it. It had to teach people, it had to have history, drama, morals, fantasy, intrigue, news, politics, public opinion and much much more. I'm finding it difficult to find something in modern society I can relate it too, everything nowadays is so.. instant. Closest I can get is when the Wii first came out. If you had it then you had status (or you'd slept outside the shop). Friends, family and in some cases neighbours would come round to wonder at it. Or when the new Harry Potter books come out and there's a competition as to who's got to what page so far.
There's much debate around the changes that happened to Christianity, the move away from Judaism which was boosted by the Roman attack on Jerusalem and shaped, largely by St. Paul. The message changed to suit the politics and power of the day as it has done ever since.
Why is it SO popular?
We'd like to think that psychology and sociology have only been invented recently. Granted the terms and the depth of understanding has advanced significantly. But that's not to say that people haven't had an understanding of what motivates people, how people act both individually and as a group. Psychological issues didn't start because Freud invented them, he observed people. Propaganda wasn't invented by the Victorians, that's been going on since the dawn of man and understanding what makes a viable society is what has allowed our species to grow and thrive.
There are a great deal of universal truths that shine out from the Bible. Have you ever read a book, seen a comedian, heard a great speech and thought, "Wow, I do that too." or "I agree they make a lot of sense, but I thought I was the only one that thought that way." The Bible helped people feel connected, allowed them to explore view points that they hadn't before. The Bible (like most religious text) provided the information people needed to succeed. Through greater education, moral guidance societies with a strong religious grounding have grown and thrived.
The text at the time represented the latest thinking, ethics and ethos of the advanced Roman Empire.
Christianity - Aiding human evolution
Religions have been a glue that has brought people together. The Church introduced schools, hospitals, counselling and therapy and held out above all else the concept of sacrifice for society, for the greater good. The Church was for a long time quite left wing in it's thinking. Society held up Christianity as the right way to behave. It has been important for the good of society to entrench certain values more than others. That life is precious, so try not to kill too many people. That you shouldn't go around shagging everything in sight because society can't care for all the children, and once you've picked one person to shag, stay with them and raise the children. It helped pull ourselves away from our natural instinct, urges and caveman like attitudes to something more. To an appreciation of the greater society.
Sacrifices had to be made
In order for Christianity sustain itself for so long, it needed the backing of the state, Kings, Lords, Barons all had to 'get it' and like it. They were the ones with the power and influence to keep the religion going. The context of the Bible's teachings adapted and manipulated by whoever was in charge at the time. Subjugation of women and fear towards other religions acted to support those in charge and defend the faith. I'm sure these were seen at the time as necessary for the greater good.
Conclusion
So I think that the Bible and the religion based on it is really driven by this social and cultural need for guidance, structure and co-operation. Society needs role models in order to work out what they should do. A template of how you should act. If you base behaviour purely on the people you know, society would be extremely fractured. In a time where few people ever travelled to the next town. How do you create a coherent country. How do you create loyalty and get people to abide by the law? You need something that unites everyone. Something that everyone believes in.
Religion has been essential in order to get us where we are today. It's been our training wheels as our society has evolved. We owe a lot to religion. But that doesn't mean that we can't evolve beyond it. We have reached a point in society that we are able to revise and refine our faith. Whilst the key values in Christianity are universal, they are in all religions and they will live beyond Christianity as they do for many people, including myself, in today's society.
We are at a point now where the essence, the core right and wrong. that has inspired so many to be good people, has lived on. The sacrifices that were made to accommodate the times they were written are no longer needed. I appreciate that not many people agree on what aspects of the teachings fall under the necessary and the not necessary parts of the Bible, that debate will go on for a long time. But I think we are moving towards making better decisions about what we need and what we don't. We are able to build a better template for a society that doesn't have the constraints that most religions had in the past. We're still seeking enlightenment and social acceptance, they are key to our human psychology.
So, the value of Christianity? It has been huge. It should be respected as a very good idea. But it can't be seen as perfect. It can't prevent new and better ideas. It may be the foundation to our society, but now we want to build the walls, the roof. We want to use what we know now to create the social template that, I beleive, those who started religion truly wanted to, but couldn't achieve in their day.
Are you religious or not? What do you think? I'm more than happy to receive other view points on this, for or against.
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