Movie "The Beast" on the way

Beast Digital Marketing | Grow Your Online Business Like A BossThis movie is set to be release on 6-6-06 (yes I find that quite funny sadly!).It supposedly is a DaVinci Code style movie about a girl that finds out Jesus never existed; that it was all made up by the church. This is of course based upon the fact that no evidence of Jesus's existence exists outside the bible.The movie supposedly will be based on facts and will discuss this lack of evidence.I can't wait until the fundies get ahold of this one.

(sigh)trying to capitalize of people's infatuation with the davinci code, which i refuse to read.it is sort of a popular theory, really. there was even a nod to it in "the last tempation of christ." jesus runs into paul, who is busy preaching the story of jesus's life and death, nevermind that he didn't die. i forget what paul said exactly, but it was sort of amusing.This message has been edited by arachnophilia, 01-03-2006 09:12 PM

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I haven't read the davinci code either..... I know that it is fiction, albeit supposedly interlaced with some interesting research (not sure if that is true or not).This movie interestes me because the lack of evidence for a historical jesus has always been a subject of interest to me:Some more info about the movie:

Here's an off-topic comment that might move us towards a discussion which doesn't belong in the coffee house. But.. sometimes, that's the way it goes. See, that's part of the problem in empiricism: the method of investigation is so seductive, sometimes you get drawn into using your eyes and ears when really, it's a matter of the heart.

This might sound ridiculous, but funnily enough there was actual gigantic astrological significance in the sky around the time he was supposedly born.
And it actually fits in with New Testament accounts and is consistent with Magi interpretations of the sky at the time.
Any astrological "wise men" might actually have had good reason to go to Israel around this time.This has lead to the idea that perhaps the general "prophetic nature" of the sky at the time lead to a myth/legend of a messiah.
The whole thing is called "The events of 2/3 B.C." informally by astronomical historians.

Who is afraid of the dark when they have the light?There is no evidence of some of your relatives, but you exist.Its all about gradually changing the world, and we let it happen. That is why movies like this can exist, and why they would even be made.Just look at what is on TV now, compared to 35 years ago.

Complete and total strawman.My relatives are not supposedly famous...There is plenty of evidence for other famous people from that time (Cicero, J Caesar, A Caesar, Marcus Brutus, Scipio, etC)

well, a lot of it's pretty solid academic hypothesis. the bits about the merovingians claiming descent from christ, through the child of mary of magdala is, iirc, correct. i'm fairly certain they did make such a claim. the bits about the priori of sion though are apparently laughable in france. it was a hoax from the 1970's that's well known now.

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I could be tempted to agree with this kind of statement, if it weren't in the context of questioning the very existence of Jesus Christ. Extra-biblical proofs are not only not needed, but superfluous because it IS a matter of the heart, or spirit, yes, and "the heart has its reasons which reason knows not of." But the problem is that unbelievers read this to mean that it's all just a feeling, a subjective experience with no corresponding objective reality involved, which is not at all what a Christian means by it. Pascal who wrote "the heart has its reasons..." certainly did not mean that. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was a vivid objectivity to him.This message has been edited by Faith, 01-04-2006 01:13 AM

I agree that it seems a large majority of Christians think that way. I try not to make that mistake. I'm interested to pick your brain about this (not just the quote above per say, but the topic in general). If I open a thread about "The role of 'truth' / reality in faith & belief", would you be so kind as to oblige me there? I'd take you to nwr's new thread, but I fully understand that he wants to focus on a different topic.Ben

I assume you've read Foucault's Pendulum? I also assume that the writers of the DVC haven't I don't suppose you've come across any interview with Umberto Eco where he comments on the DVC? That would be a good read...

no, i have not. that sounds like it would be amusing.

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Then do so Arach!!! I can give no greater recommendation.Not only is it an awesome read but my vocabulary doubled It essentially revolves around the nonsense of all the Templar myths, but brings in everthing from cabala to John Dee to programming and mathematics, and pokes a very big stick at it all. But then, things aren't always as you would expect... I have a feeling you would appreciate it.This message has been edited by cavediver, 01-04-2006 04:28 AM

yeah, i might. i'll give it a look.(i hear anthony burgess said it needed an index. but i find that anthony burgess was usually wrong about his own writings, so what does he know about anyone elses?)

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If there was one book written about caesar, then there is a whole room full of books written about Jesus, yet people take Caeser as fact, and Jesus as a myth.Why would you expect to find evidence from a person who had nothing?He walked the earth and stayed in peoples houses, and left no trail, thats what all the books tell us. There was a wooden cross, and that is it.The books tell us there should be no evidence, except his word, which is exactly what we find. Droves a people who converted there religion during a time that was risky to do so, and continues to this day.Matthew 26

quote:

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Jesus Anointed at Bethany
6While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, 7a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.

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8 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. "Why this waste?" they asked. 9 "This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor."

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10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, "Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. 12 When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."

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And that is exactly what happened. Pretty good 2000 year old prediction.I mean what do you expect to find? The Holy Grail? The ark of the convenant?Its not like there was money with Jesus's face on it or something.The evidence is in his words.