Vote 2011 Platinum Screwball: Christian Email

[jpholding]

Just two here, but it looks like a tough choice.

Dear 'Servant in Christ',

Why do people feel the need to debunk the ancient beliefs of others? Why bother? The story of the Roman (not Greek) demi-god Hercules, is a great story about a hero who conquered many chaotic forces and completed impossible tasks. He was not like Jesus, as he was constantly plagued by his own weakness of character. His labors were completed in order for him to be purified for his sins. The epic of Hercules is a tale of a man's constant cycle of sin, penance, redemption and toil. No one thinks that Hercules is the true Jesus or his precursor, or whatever it is you're insinuating. Hercules' moral structure and behavior were not Christ-like in any way besides through his willingness to aid mankind.

Herakles (or Heracles) was his Greek name, and Herakles/Heracles and Hercules were the same figure as worshipped in their respective pantheons. This character also has roots in Asian mythology. When Alexander the Great's army moved into Asia, their Pantheon came with them and the Asians adopted Heracles as the Vajrapani (or protector) to the Buddha. Is anyone erecting churches to Hercules these days or demanding tythes of it's members? I don't think so, so you can probably relax in your efforts to educate the masses.

The fact that you referred to Hercules as 'Alcides' made it sound like you had done your homework in researching this interesting fictional character (as Alcides was the birth name of Heracles) but you obviously did not.

I am a practicing Christian myself. I love Jesus, attend Church every Sunday and teach a Sunday School Class to pre-teens every week. I have a strong testimony of Jesus Christ , but I also enjoy reading tales of ancient mythology. Those stories tell us a lot about ancient man's creativity in trying to understand the wonders of the world before ever receiving the gospel or the scriptures that we believe to be true. The story that you guffawed at regarding Hercules' cleaning of the Stables of Augeas was a story that had a message.

Hercules, having an unreachable deadline if he were to just clean the stables by hand, showed that he was clever as well as physically strong by diverting the courses of two rivers to clean out the stables. Why do you even feel the need to comment about that? "Somehow, this reminds me of having to "clean up" after many claims like these made about Hercules!" How long did it take you to come up with that clever morsel? The stories of the ancient peoples were written much more simply than those that are written today, evidenced by a 'whale' swallowing Jonah and the threat of chopping a child in half to prove ownership being thought to be a brilliant solution.

Is anyone proclaiming Hercules to be the one true savior?...no. Relax and find something meaningful to write about. I would think that our "Servant In Christ" would be able to find a more relevant issue to address than a long obsolete ancient figure who mostly lives on in comic books and Italian sword and sandal flicks. Better yet, target Superman. He is much more relevant in today's society. He also has a strong case as the savior of mankind if you believe everything you read. Superman has more worshippers today than Hercules does, so maybe you should switch directions...quick before the next Comicon Convention!
The stories of Hercules are just that...stories. Like the ones about Robin Hood or Paul Bunyan. I have never read that Hercules was born of a Virgin mother (that would be a little unlikely since his mother was married prior to his conception). The only real parallels that can be drawn between the fables of Hercules and the birth, ministry, and sacrifice of Jesus Christ are the claim that 1. Hercules' father was the King of the Gods, 2. Hercules accomplished feats that would be impossible for an ordinary person, and 3. Hercules ascended to Heaven
(Mt Olympus) and received Godhood upon his death.

There are plenty of mythological characters whose stories show similarities to Biblical stories. There is a Flood story in many different religions. Gilgamesh was a character, much like Hercules, who was claimed to be divine as well as human due to his father being Lugalbanda (the King of the Gods of Babylonian Pantheon). Balder, the God of Light of the Norse Pantheon, was a benevolent deity described much the same as Jesus himself who rose from the dead after the final battle between the Norse Gods and the forces of darkness. People obviously had a need for Jesus long before he was presented to them. What good does it do to poke fun at the creative stories that our forefathers told more than a millenium ago? Say something durogatory about Native American stories (which I also love) and see what kind of reader response you get.

Christians get enough heat for being arrogant, pushy know it alls without people like you adding fuel to the fire by trying to dispute the truth about a fictional character that no one even believes in. If more Christians were tolerant of the views of others, there would be many more people exploring churches and reaching out for what they truly need in their lives.

And:

God's inspired words NEVER lie in the least, as you say it does in Luke 14:26.
No wonder God says that MANY are called but FEW are chosen.
I believe God means every thing He says in the way He says it and not the way your LIARS say it in ANY WAY.
God is not 'OUT OF CONTEXT' and He is not to STUPID so that He can not tell us what He really means by the way He says it. If you are a parent, I know exactly why God said to 'HATE' you in Luke 14:26.
You probably belong to one of the 15,000 RELIGIONS on earth that thinks theirs is right but the others are wrong and Christ NEVER COMMANDED ANYONE to start a Christian RELIGION of ANY KIND. Never did, NEVER WILL. (Matthew 15:7-9) You worship Him in VAIN.
You nor ANYONE on earth can show me a single verse where Christ complimented ANY RELIGION, RELIGIOUS LEADERS, CRAFTED TEMPLES, the DEVIL or Christ's biological mother. PROVE ME WRONG. I do not need your phony interpretation, I want a verse and not your EXCUSES.

[Andius]

Oy, close call, but I am betting oh Phelpy. :P

[jpholding]

Sounds like Phelps wins. Closing thread.