Myths are usually based on something real. They arise out of something real and they soon get put into highly symbolic terms (probably so that the ordinary people in the street at the time can relate to them better).

Zeus, for instance, was a mythical figure who was symbolic of the planet Jupiter. As Jupiter is the largest planet, he was made "king of the gods". He was turned into a human-like figure because ordinary people in ancient Greece could probably relate to that a lot better than they could relate to a planet that is so far away that people can't really see it with the naked eye and realize what it is. They just see it as another "star". But the wise and learned men in Greece and ancient Egypt were well aware that the physical planets existed out there in space, and they named various of the "gods" after them...such as Mars, Jupiter (Zeus), Saturn, Venus, Mercury, Neptune, Pluto, etc...

Thus the "myth" that was adopted was a set of symbols, metaphors, and symbolic tales which arose out of some very observant people's awareness of something real. The symbolic tales were given to the common people.

The same is true in the case of Jesus and the entire Christian story...it arose out of something real, namely the preachings and activities of some Jewish prophet who eventually got crucified near Jerusalem. Evidently, his teachings were powerful enough that they stuck in the minds of some very motivated people at the time and they soon got turned into a new religion by those motivated people. You can disagree with the religion if you want to, but to say that the man the stories were based on never even existed is a leap of faith on your part that in my opinion equals the faith of the staunchest Bible thumper that ever walked or drew breath.

Religions don't arise out of nothing. They arise out of the lives and doings of very remarkable, charismatic individuals who had a huge effect on other people at the time when they were alive. Those other people then build a new religion around what they remember of the remarkable person who inspired them. The Bahai faith, for example, arose out of the teachings of Baha 'Ullah, a historical figure who was executed by the Islamic authorities in the 1800's. Same deal. You had to have the man Baha 'Ullah or it never would have happened. It's now a world religion. Without the man Jesus...the real, physical man, Christianity would never even have happened. I'm not saying he was "the Son of God", I'm just saying it wouldn't have happened had he never existed. Further religions will arise in the same fashion. It is still happening now. I mean RIGHT now. Some remarkable man or woman will give teachings, attract followers, and those followers will, after the death of that person, attempt to start another religion. If they fail to get very far with it then it will be known simply as "a cult", if it is known at all. If they succeed bigtime, however, it will soon be known officially as another religion. Live long enough, and you will see it happen. I guarantee it.

The same, I am sure, is true of Krishna, although Krishna lived in such an ancient time that we have no way of knowing much about those events now.

Why would you accept that Buddha was a real historical person, but not Jesus? Is it because you aren't engaged in a struggle against a surrounding society of Buddhists, but you are engaged in a struggle with Christians?

You are quite right that "the Christ" is a concept that can be seen (by many) to go beyond the man Jesus himself. Some religions feel that there have been a long series of "Christs", and that Buddha, Jesus, and Krishna were all incarnations of what can be termed "the Christ"...and further to that, that "the Christ Consciousness" is a quality that lies dormant in all human beings, waiting to awaken...therefore it is not limited to historical personages such as Jesus or Buddha.

That's what enlightenment is about: waking in yourself the Christ consciousness. You don't need to follow any particular religion in order to do that, nor do you have to believe any particular dogma or myth. You just have to totally still and then take control of your own mind...rather than letting it run wild like an untamed horse.

To start a calendar at any specific date (saying that "year 1" began on whatever...) is an arbitrary act that arise out of a cultural decision. The Japanese have their own unique ancient calendar. So do many other cultures. The Mayans had another one. So what? What difference does it make? It's all just been made up by someone.

Why do I talk about this stuff? Because I find it interesting. Period.


Strinsinger: I understand your points, but I think it very probable that Jesus the man did exist. I realize there is no confirming physical or Roman historical evidence. There is simply massive circumstantial evidence, namely, the religion that arose about him. You can't jumpstart a brand new religion on the basis of a nonexistent person. NO ONE would have cared enough at the time to bother doing so.

I've seen a number of small religious groups that coalesced around an inspiring teacher, and the pattern is always the same. First you have the actual person...their doings...their teachings...the unusual example that they set, which attracts others. Then you have the followers. The followers later build it into a religion. After the original person who inspired it dies, it tends to keep changing some. Eventually it may deviate far, far astray from what the original teacher ever intended...or it may stay quite close. Depends on a number of factors.

Some teachers, needless to say, have a better approach than others. Some are dangerous. Some are people of the highest and best character. One has to judge that for oneself.