XPost: alt.philosophy, alt.atheism   
   From: donlhumphries@bigpond.com   
      
   "Joseph H"  wrote in message   
   news:1144575599.465026.58100@i40g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...   
   > New book out, Gospel of Judas, claims he was really star of the show.   
   > Story goes,  Jesus wanted to be martyred to complete his mission but   
   > nobody could be bothered so he asked Judas to spread the bad word. It   
   > worked.   
      
   # The manuscript of the Gospel of Judas dates from the third or fourth   
   century, whereas the four (synoptic) gospels were supposedly written within   
   decades of the death of Jesus.  In all cases, this is time enough for   
   memories to fade, events to be distorted, and special-pleading to occur.   
   Judas "betrayed" Jesus, and his act can be viewed as a necessary part of the   
   Redemption scheme.   
     Likewise, the Jewish authorities, with accusation of Deicide levelled at   
   them down the centuries (an excuse for persecution), can be seen as also a   
   needed part of the whole plot.   
     The whole Redemption tale seems absurd in this modern age, but sacrifice   
   to appease the wrath of a tribal god was common practice back then.  Human   
   sacrifice (the first born), then later an animal was substituted (whence,   
   Christ is the Lamb).   
     Yes, the whole universe of time and space was created so that a species of   
   animal on a minor planet, associated with a middle-age star, could achieve   
   salvation from sin, and live in heaven, singing psalms to an anthropomorphic   
   (what else) deity - while those who fail redemption burn in hellfire   
   forever.   
      
   >   
   > So why was Judas vilified? It's easy: the bunch of sychophants and   
   > toadies that surround any martyr would be so furious to see Judas   
   > favoured that they'd ruin him forever. Rings true. Isn't that the way   
   > the world works? Anybody who tries anything good is vilified by   
   > sycophants and toadies, antibodies who attack anything vital and   
   > positive.   
   >   
   > How did we evolve at all? How did we ever colonise our planet and come   
   > as close as we have to knowing the nature of existence? Backwards, I'd   
   > say: arse projected outwards into a sea of Global Smallness. Isn't it   
   > time we countered this Global Smallness? Isn't it time we finally stood   
   > up for what is positive and enduring and life-enhancing and blew away   
   > the antibodies who dog our every move?   
   >   
   > Joseph H   
   >   
   > www.humanisation.org   
   >   
   > PS: Antibodies need not reply to this posting. An Automatic KillFile   
   > will spot their beady minds and zap them out of existence.   
   >   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)