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(More customer reviews)After reading Murphy's book but before writing this review, I wanted to check out Holy Blasphemy Press. I accept atheism as a valid philosophy for anyone making an intelligent decision and I wrote about this in my own work, rejecting the old, dictator god that many of us grew up with and replacing that image with a kindler, gentler, forgiving energy that accepts and loves all. Writing about spirituality, though, makes me curious about those who claim to be atheists.
I read the description of Holy Blasphemy Press, and find that I agree with much of what they said. I, too, want a better God than the "tyrannical and violent" one often portrayed. I agree with their statement, "...we also respect each individual's right to seek their own spiritual meaning - as long as they don't impose it on everyone else or demand special privileges or policies." I checked out the author, Derek Murphy, too. He seems to be an open, philosophical individual with whom one might have a rational, intelligent spiritual conversation. With that understanding, I could continue my review.
The research in this book is very impressive. Murphy covers so much material. He spends more time promoting the facts of Jesus as a literary figure than discussing Harry Potter, but he clearly makes his point of the similarities of the two figures. Both Jesus Christ and Harry Potter had miraculous births, childhood miracles, and miraculous powers; battled with evil; were sacrificed in death with a rebirth or resurrection; and dealt with the symbolism of seven, Jesus in the Seven Seals of the Book of Revelation and Harry with his seven magical tasks in Books 6 and 7.
Why the comparison to Harry Potter? Many other literary figures, such as Moby Dick, Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, also endured suffering ending in a sacrificial death with a perceived rebirth and resurrection. I like Murphy's choice, however, since Harry Potter, has become popular with a major influence on our youth. Murphy's premise presents a new twist on an old story. J.K. Rowling used the same myths that preceded Jesus in creating her characters. A fresh look at the story of Jesus Christ is timely. A comparison to Mr. Potter is a unique way to do that. Murphy's implied sense of humor and perspective add to a much-needed discussion that often becomes too austere and heavy.
He establishes that there is no historical proof that Jesus Christ existed. He acknowledges that there is no proof that Jesus Christ didn't exist. Individuals are left to believe or not. Murphy states that he just wants to establish some historical record. The main stories of the Old and New Testament are restated pagan myths, referring to such figures as Osiris, Gilgamesh, Orpheus, Mithras and many others, some of which existed over a thousand years before Christ. The birth date, the death time, the suffering and the resurrection are not unique to Jesus.
I read much of this research years ago and came to the conclusion that Jesus may have lived, although that evidence is sketchy, but that he was not a divine being born on December 25 and resurrected on the date we celebrate as Easter. I am amazed at the amount of historical facts gathered by Murphy and reminded that so little of this information is widely known today. How could people ignore all of this evidence? And the myth continues with such a blind side to the facts. I like Murphy's response that all he is doing is presenting the information; it is up to the readers to make a decision. I agree.
I especially enjoyed his section on the history of Christianity with the political overtones of its rise to prominence. This is reminiscent of choices in our world today that are political rather than the right thing to do or an intelligent decision, although sometimes they are all three. In 325 CE, Emperor Constantine took power in the Roman Empire. He protected Christianity and wanted unity in the religions. He tailored Christianity to the pre-existing pagan customs. By 380 CE, Christianity was made the official religion and by 435 pagan temples were destroyed. The rise of Christianity was a political, not a religious or spiritual, decision. That part of history needs to be remembered, along with many other facts.
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Jesus Potter Harry Christ: The Fascinating Parallels Between Two of the World's Most Popular Literary CharactersJesus Potter Harry Christ uses the similarities between Jesus and Harry to re-open the debate over the historical Jesus, arguing that both Harry and Jesus are spiritual metaphors told in the literary form of historical fiction. With hundreds of footnotes and references from both ancient mythology and modern culture, Jesus PotterHarry Christ is a fresh and arresting account of Christian history that is not predicated on the flesh and bones of a historical founder."For those whose minds can ask questions freely withoutthe enforcement of dogma, Derek Murphy raises a genuine argument whichChristian apologists have no answers to besides merely repeating their dogmaticconvictions in the hope that re-asserting the dogma will confirm it as truth."--John Thomas Didymus - Goddiscussion.com"Whether or not one agrees with Murphy's ultimate position,and whether or not one agrees with his arguments that Jesus was entirely(rather than mostly) mythic, Jesus Potter Harry Christ is well worth wadingthrough, and wade through it one must, simply because of the sheer mass andvolume of evidence the author provides. Make this a book whose pages youdog-ear for further reference and second readings." --Tim Callahan, Skepticmagazine's religion editor and author of the books "Bible Prophecy" and "TheSecret Origins of the Bible""Murphy sifts through various mystery religions and mythsof a dying and resurrecting god, and their possible influence upon the Gospelstory. For once, it's done tastefully and without sensationalism. Maybe you'veread works by Freke, Doherty, and Harpur. While I don't want to take anythingaway from those researchers--their books are interesting in their own right--Ifound Murphy's tempered treatment much more to my taste. Without trying tofoist a Gnostic version of Christianity on me, and without succumbing tooverzealous scholarship, Murphy gently yet forcefully introduces the strongsimilarities between Christianity and other first-century religiousphilosophies and mystery cults, concluding in the strong likelihood that Jesuswas a mythical savior." --Lee Harmon, author of "Revelation: The Way itHappened""In the newly-released (and blasphemously-titled) JesusPotter Harry Christ, Derek Murphy makes the case that J. K. Rowling -- theauthor of the Harry Potter series -- achieved her success by tapping into someof the deepest and most ancient longings of the human heart. These samelongings, Murphy argues, compelled first-century pagans to construct what hecalls "the Jesus myth." Murphy points to similarities between the Gospelaccounts of Jesus' virgin birth, His passion and His return from the grave withthe myths of pagan idols like Isis, Sarapis, Horus and Apollo, Murphy hopes toconvince his readers that Jesus -- just like the gods of mythology -- is fiction.In fact, he believes that Jesus is just an amalgam of history's best myths." --ChuckColson, Christian leader, cultural commentator, and former Special Counsel forPresident Richard Nixon
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