by inkling 20 Replies latest jw friends
I think what Maher was trying to impress is the adverse ridiculousness of indulging into mythology and believing in
these very old stories and perhaps living in accordance with them.
His parable with Horus is miscued a bit , but the attention was not.
I liked the movie it showed how easily mental persuasion is accomplished and how power and money is gained out of religion that is
unbound without any control or regulation in society.
I think what Maher was trying to impress is the adverse ridiculousness of indulging into mythology and believing in these very old stories and perhaps living in accordance with them.His parable with Horus is miscued a bit , but the attention was not.
It's not in question what the movie attempts to do, it attempts to do what Zietgiest attempts to do: convince you that the jesus myth grew out of the Horus myth (which as it turns out, is not even an accurate representation of the Horus myth).
I loved the movie, but I was dissappointed in that portion of it. I think it is clear that Maher simply fell for the bullshit.
And frankly, we who are skeptical about Jesus understand why Maher fell for it; it is an appealing narrative for us. But if you're going to make a movie snarking religious people's "believe anything" gullibility, you ought to fact check your own "facts".
Yes, I was dissapointed also, since he did not back his claims up with any research. I went to a bookstore after the movie to look up the claims in Egyptian mythology books, but found nothing like what was claimed inm the movie.
The book "The Jesus Mysteries" did have some compelling evidence. What is your take on that?
Yep. I like Maher, but he's also fallen for some health nut bullshit, i.e, antibiotics need NEVER be used, etc., etc. Smoking pot is fine, but maybe he smokes just a little too much.
It is not swallowing the mythology of Horus as an article of faith that inkling was talking about. It's that he swallowed a modern myth ...
OOOH, I see what Kinjiro may have thought I meant.
I was not implying that Maher thought that Horus was real and actually did those things, obviously.
When I say "presented as fact", I meant "fact" not in the sense that these things actually happened,
but that they were representational of the actual CONTENT of the myth being talked about.
There is in "fact" a real Horus myth.
The "Horus myths" that Maher cited has no connection to any actually historic Horus myth in exsistance
before the time of Jesus. It was stuff basically just made up from thin air, starting with a poet Gerald Massey
in the early 1900's.
And thank you Leolaia for pointed me to your comments on that other thread.
I read that thread, but only stuck around long enough to get the link to see the movie online
(The movie has since been removed)
[inkling]
Excellent post about it on an atheist blog here: http://stupidevilbastard.com/index/seb/comments/ending_the_myth_of_horus/P325/
"A BAD argument for a GOOD cause is worse that no argument at all."
I love that statement, Inkling. Thanks to AK Jeff's thread the other day, I watched about the first half of the movie. If I have to choose...so far, I give it a thumbs up. But, if my past has taught me anything, it's to apply at least a bit of humility and caution to my personal opinions. I am either an atheist or agnostic, depending on how you choose to define those terms. But I see no reason to be an asshole about my opinions.
And this is my general reaction to Bill Maher. Smart? Yes. Funny? Sure. But his smug, snarky style, while being perfectly marketable, is (in my opinion) not the best mindset for (1) discovering truth, or (2) helping others to identify error in their philosophies.
And this is my general reaction to Bill Maher. Smart? Yes. Funny? Sure. But his smug, snarky style, while being perfectly marketable, is (in my opinion) not the best mindset for (1) discovering truth, or (2) helping others to identify error in their philosophies.
Agreed.
I actually credit Douglas Adams writings for getting me to start to wake up...
He often mocked religious absurdity, but in a much more subtle way that got past my defenses
Good points, All.
Since I posted the thread, I have done further 'actual research', or shall I say, am beginning such. I expect that research will indeed unravel Maher's inconsistent focus on Horus/Jesus.
Nonetheless, his points are still points to ponder, aren't they? I don't care much for his irreverent style, as like others have stated, this is not key to most Christians' ever looking past the Biblical narrative for reality. Still, some will do so as a result of what he says there. And that's the point isn't it?
This film has generated a lot of discussion and thread spin offs here on a board that is mostly populated by those who are no stranger to twisted reasoning and misapplications. Its ability to do that, here, is the point of discussion boards. Its ability to do it in cinematic circles, is the point of cynicism there also.
Well, it's early in the morning and I don't know if I stated that in the way I intended. In short - if it makes people think, reason, discuss, ponder, evaluate - then it is good.
Jeff
Depends on which head he's using.
Ha, nice... a quote from the movie:
JESUS IMPERSONATOR: God has put a God-sized hole in your life. You can fill it with any drugs or sex you want, it is not going to fill it–
BILL MAHER: Can I try?
