On Jan 28, 8:40Â pm, "Suzanne"
flash.net> wrote:> "SkyEyes"
cox.net> wrote in message
>
> news:46014857-ac95-4c58-a889-e181578e3ddc@d21g2000prg.googlegroups.com...
> On Jan 22, 11:46 pm, "Suzanne" flash.net> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>>> "Robibnikoff"
broomstick.com> wrote in message>
>
>>> "Suzanne"
flash.net> wrote>
>>> sni[
>>>> As long as you think the Eden story is a myth, then
>>>> you must think that it can't really hurt you.
>
>>> Do you have proof that it's anything but a myth?
>
>> Well...sure!!! Have you ever heard of Jericho?
>> Ai? Israel? Canaan? Egypt? Pharaohs? Jacob?
>> Abraham? Jesus? God? The Temple Mount?
>> Kadesh-Barnea? Jonah? Rome? Syria? Ethiopia?
>> The Jews? The Christians? Babylon? Jesus Christ?
>> Isaiah? Dead Sea Scrolls? Pool of Bethesda?
>> The Boring Through: Warren's shaft? Ur of the
>> Chaldees? Lamgi Mari? Prophecy? Gospels?
>> Many of these things have been verified by
>> archaeology, as well as ancient writers such
>> as Josephus and others. An archaeologist named
>
> Suzanne, you silly ignorant thing, do you not know that ALL
> MYTHOLOGIES - all of them, everywhere in the world - are stories that
> use real geographical places as their underpinnings?
>
> Example: Â In the Illiad, Homer tells the story of the sack of Troy.
> In this myth, the Greeks are aided by various gods. Â Some time ago, a
> German named Heinrich Schliemann discovered the actual site of Troy.
> By your reasoning, that would mean that the Greek gods mentioned in
> the story actually exist.
>
> Example: Â In Arizona, where I come from, there is a wonderful place up
> north called Canyon de Chelley. Â There is a particular rock spire in
> Canyon de Chelley where, Navajo myth says, the Magic Being Who Created
> All the Animals - "Spider Grandmother" - lives. Â I have been to Canyon
> de Chelley, and I have seen the rock spire with my own eyes. Â By your
> reasoning, that means that Spider Grandmother, the magic being,
> actually exists.
>
> Face it, kid: Â the mere existence of geographical locations mentioned
> in the bible is *not* proof of the existence of any supernatural being
> or any magical happenings. Â *That's just the how humans construct
> myths.*
>
> You know, it wouldn't kill you to get your nose out of the bible and
> take an actual anthropology course (not to mention some basic biology)
> and actually *learn something*.
>
> And as for the David-Rohl-Garden-of-Eden thing, let me just say this:
> oh fucking *please*. Â Look up the phrase "critical thinking," willya?
>
>
>
> From Suzanne:
> You are of the formula,
What "formula" would that be, Suzanne? Unlike you fundies, who have a
formula for everlasting life that *must* be preserved at all costs, we
freethinkers don't have formulas, except in math and chemistry, of
course. However, that doesn't mean that we don't agree on some basic
concepts and definitions.
> I see, but you add
> more to it:
> 1. ridicule
You deserve to be ridiculed. You post to a group that is explicitly
about atheism, make theistic claims that you cannot/will not back up,
and cite no evidence - in fact, you do nothing but make *bald
assertions*. Yet you think we should refrain from ridiculing you.
If you don't want to be ridiculed, get a noseful of *actual education*
and present objective, verifiable evidence to support your claims.
Having said that, remember: this is Usenet. Play at your own peril.
As the old saying goes, if you want to run with the big dogs, learn to
piss in the tall grass.
> 7. cuss for effect.
No, sugarpie, I cuss because I enjoy it. And I can do it in German,
Spanish, Demotic Greek, and to a limited extent in Lakota.
> 8. call everything that threatens you a "myth."
Oh, kiddo, I'm *so* sorry to have to disabuse you of your silly
notions, but I don't feel in the least threatened by anything you've
said. You see, 45+ years ago I was where you are now. I've seen both
sides of the argument up-close-and-personal, but unlike you, I have a
solid education. I've done my homework, and I know where the facts
are located. I know what facts *are*, for starters, and what
constitutes real evidence, which is more than you seem to be able to
grasp.
The one who feels threatened is *you* - it's a well-known
psychological state called "projection." We've got the facts. You've
got nothing but Bronze Age mythology. You're losing the argument,
you're looking stupider by the moment, and you know it. You feel
threatened, as well you should.
> 9. leave with a parting ridiculous task to throw at person.
There's absolutely nothing ridiculous about the task I left you with.
It's called "scholarship," something that you've obviously never been
exposed to before. It's perfectly do-able, although it would take
effort on your part.
> Other than that, at least part of the mention of the Indian
> myth was nice. Lovely part of the world that you are from.
> I've been there. Nice sunsets, sunrises. Lots of interesting
> folk lore. Beautiful in the Spring. Not many have seen the
> desert in full brilliant bloom. I have. No flowers on earth
> can be more brilliant.
Nice attempt at diversion, but no sale. I repeat: do you *not know*
that all mythic systems everywhere in the world are hung on the
scaffold of actual geography? A nice man by the name of Joseph
Campbell wrote quite a bit about this in a number of his books (I
recommend his _Masks of God_ series). (He was a very prolific author,
and a great scholar. He devoted his life to the study of the
development, meaning, and applicability of mythic systems to the human
condition. He went so far as to learn Sanskrit so that he could read
myths from India in the original.)
So, since you haven't answered me, I'll repeat the question: does the
fact that Schliemann discovered the *actual site of the city of Troy*
mean that the Greek gods are "real" (i.e., that they exist as
entities)? Does the fact that Spider Grandmother's spire *actually
exists* mean that Spider Grandmother is a real entity? If the answer
to either of my questions is "no," how do you make the argument that
the existence of real places mentioned in the bible in any way proves
that the mythic, supernatural elements of the bible are somehow
factual?
Brenda Nelson, A.A.#34
EAC Professor of Feline Thermometrics and Cat-Herding
skyeyes nine at cox dot net
