Critically Thinking, Theogically

JOHANN WOLFGANG von GOETHE (1749-1832), the undisputed prince of European literature, and perhaps the most intelligent human who ever lived,said: "The Christian religion began as an abortive political revolution, and turned moral". A shocking, blasphemous statement for your average conservtive evangelical Christian, for whom the Christian faith is The Truth, the only truth, the revealed Word of God, the one true religion of the one true God. In fact, for the first few centuries of the faith, it was called,simply, "The Truth". The term "Christianity" came later, after the Council of Nicea, in 325 A.D., at which the Christian bible was instituted,by vote. For the critically thinking hisotrical, scientific scholar, the Christian religion is the product of a long sequence of specific historical events, amny of them knowable, documented, many not. For the intelligent polymath and poet, like Goethe, the critical historical, scientific approach works best. For your average intelligent well educated person, Goethe's approach tends to adhere. One such person Earnest Hemmingway, said; "All intelligent, thinking people are atheists". Not so, Ernie. Baruch Spinoza was a pantheist, in fact he is credited with having "invented" that religious philosophy, Thomas Jefferson and many of America's brilliant founders were deists, and Albert Einstein was also a pantheist. He said he believed as Spinoza believed, and described God as "The infinitely superior spirit", "The old eternal genius who built the world", and "the ancient one". All these folks, like a high percentage of educated intellectuals, regarded the bible as quaint ancient literature, Christian dogma and theology as superstition, and all forrmal, organized, dogmatic religion as inadequate in explaining cosmic and human existence. Jefferon used the term "our modern superstition" in his writings. Back to Goethe. He simply read the Bbile, and other histories, and what he read told him the the Hebrews seethed with anger and dismay under Roman oppression, and, in accordance with their scripture, awaited the long promised "Messiah" to deliver them from subjagation. They envisioned their messiah as a conquering, liberating military figure. Joshua ben Joseph, whom the Romans translated as "Jesus", disappointed them, with his message of a heavenly kingdom, and advice to the Jews to submit to Roman rule, and to reap their reward in heaven. Not wanting to discredt himself, however, he also promised that after his death, he would indeed return as the conquering heroic messiah of prophecy. That made it easier for him to attract listeners and followers; I'll give you what you want, but not now, later, effectively "stringing them along". Similarly, today's Christians often confront agnostices and atheists, after being unable to convert them, with the promise; "you'll find out about the necessity of being saved by Christ after you die, and find yourself burning in hell". (How generous of them.). That delay tacitc relieves our modern evangelicals of any responsibility to prove the truth of their faith, by leaving it to others, to the eternally damned themselves, after death, just as Jesus cleverly relieved himself of the impossible task of personally liberating the Jews from Roman oppression, merely by saying, in essence: "Just live with it for now, I'll be back later, while you're still alive, to make things right. They died waiting, just as today's Christians will.