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The Pagan Christ

Tuesday April 13 at 1 pm on CBC-TV

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The Pagan Christ

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43:53 min

 

There are 2.1 billion Christians on the planet - roughly one third of the entire human population. At the heart of their religion is the New Testament and the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. To Christianity, the written word is the glue that binds the faith of its followers.

So, what if it could be proven that Jesus never existed? What if there was evidence that every word of the New Testament - the cornerstone of Christianity - is based on myth and metaphor?

line-ups Author, Tom Harpur

Based on Tom Harpur's national bestseller, The Pagan Christ examines these very questions. During his research, Harpur discovered that the New Testament is wholly based on Egyptian mythology, that Jesus Christ never lived, and that - indeed - the text was always meant to be read allegorically. It was the founders of the Church who duped the world into taking a literal approach to the scriptures. And, according to Harpur, this was their fatal error - and the very reason Christianity is struggling today.

The mission of The Pagan Christ is not to accelerate Christianity's slow demise, but to breathe new life into its holy book and, in the process, bring the world a richer, more spiritual faith.

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Discussion

"I'm not even sure where to begin in this vast debate. Did Christ really exist? Perhaps. But likely not as the Bible has taught us over the last 2000 years."

"It seems to have become trendy to insult and ostracize christians for their beliefs and to try to reduce our holy days to mere marketing initiatives. This offends me. And, to answer your question - I would be deeply concerned and offended by any genuinely disrepectful act against any religious or cultural group in this country. "

"Whether Jesus is a mythological or an historical figure is not the point. The moral values that this Jesus figure represents are what's important. These are the same basic values that other religions have preached over the centuries whether through Mohammed,Buddha or others. Organized religion sometimes gets in the way of these values by preaching intolerance, as evidenced by history and some of the un-christian comments from your viewers. If more people practiced respect for others [viewpoints],tolerance,forgiveness and love,without the interference of organized religion,what a better place this world would be!"

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