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Hit and Myth ::
Our world is full of myths or misunderstands that we like to hold on to even though the evidence against them is overwhelming.
Source: Perspective Vol8 No3 © Pearl Beach Press 2000
Our world is full of myths or misunderstands that we like to hold on to even though the evidence against them is overwhelming. For example in America the person of Davy Crockett is a national hero. In the eyes of most, Davy Crockett was a clean-cut frontier man, a pillar of virtue and bravery who helped tame the wild west and who helped win victory against bloodthirsty Indians. Davy Crockett had TV serials and Top 20 songs written about him. Davy Crockett is one of the great all American heroes. But the real Davy Crockett was a drunk who deserted his wife and children. Rather than being a person of bravery, Crockett actively avoided going into battle against the Indians. He used to hire a substitutes to go in his place. When Crockett served as a congressman he was lazy, dishonest and holds one of the worst absentee records in history. Everyone who has ever researched the evidence has come to the same conclusion; Davy Crockett was a drunken scoundrel, a cheat and a liar. And yet the public doesn’t want to know about that. They don’t want the real Crockett – they want a mythical Crockett so they can feel good about their heritage. When it comes to Jesus most people don’t want the real Jesus either. They want a mythical Jesus. Although in the case of Jesus it sort of works in the opposite direction to Davy Crockett. Because unlike Davy Crockett, the real Jesus is far bigger than the mythical one.
The mythical Jesus is a nice man who goes around in a dress, playing with children and sheep and teaching people inoffensive lessons. And people like that Jesus. The mythical Jesus is containable, you can ignore him. The mythical Jesus allows us to feel good about ourselves. But when you take the trouble to examine the evidence, the real Jesus is huge. The real Jesus calls on us to submit to his authority, says we haven’t got a hope of getting into heaven without his help, confronts us and scares us because we can’t control him. And most people can’t handle that truth. It’s too inconvenient, too unnerving. So they settle with the mythical guy in the dress instead.
Bryson Smith | source: Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader