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comment by NotPhil
NotPhil  ·  4089 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Ancient Confession Found: 'We Invented Jesus Christ'

    They surmised that the way to stop the spread of zealous Jewish missionary activity was to create a competing belief system. That's when the 'peaceful' Messiah story was invented. Instead of inspiring warfare, this Messiah urged turn-the-other-cheek pacifism

Does anyone else think it strange that the Romans would create a fictional character who was tortured and executed by the Romans as the basis for a religion which wouldn't hate the Romans?





OftenBen  ·  4089 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Not really. It engenders sympathy for the 'hero,' he suffers at the hands of the Romans like anyone else.

user-inactivated  ·  4089 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Well, since that's exactly the plot of Cat's Cradle, I'm laughing pretty hard right now.

humanodon  ·  4089 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Another Roadside Attraction is also based on something like this.

NotPhil  ·  4089 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I'll have to finish reading that book, someday.

user-inactivated  ·  4089 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Can't believe you could start and stop! Vonnegut tends to zip by anyway.

1919  ·  4089 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Cat's Cradle is so far the only Vonnegut book that hasn't grabbed me. I've tried reading it three times now, and always by the halfway point I lose interest and move on to a different book.

No idea why.