Does Christianity prove the actual existence of Christ as described in the sacred texts of Christianity? Does Christ Test the Tenants of Christianity? My short answer is “no”. Keep reading.

There are many, certainly including 100% of Christians, who point out that the very establishment and rise of Christianity itself requires, even must prove beyond a shadow of a doubt, that biblical texts, especially those of the New Testament, They must be true and fundamental to the rise and rise and rise of Christianity. However, because humans are both human and fallible, and because they are storytellers first and foremost (i.e. humans are innate programmed storytellers), one of the easiest things for a charismatic human (the usual case) or a group of humans. What you need to do is establish the existence of an invisible magical man in the sky or any of the hundreds of variations on the theme of deities and the supernatural. Miracles abound in religions (plural) in abundance. In principle, the establishment and emergence of Christianity is no different from all other theologies on offer, past and present.

To repeat, one of the easiest things to do in your life is to establish and start a new religion. Even in the United States alone, in the 1880s there were charismatic people like Joseph Smith (Mormonism). Most recently, L. Ron Hubbard (Scientology), Jim Jones (The People’s Temple), David Koresh (Branch Davidians), and Marshall Applewhite (Heaven’s Gate). The last three committed suicide all together with their followers from the herd. Then there were also Sun Myung Moon (The Moonies) and (Li Hongzhi) Falun Gong. You had Anton LaVey (Satanism) and Gerald Gardner (Wicca) and Luc Jouret and Joseph di Mambro (the Order of the Solar Temple). And how can we forget the theology behind the Flying Spaghetti Monster! There will also be many people who claim that the “Jedi” are their religion, although it can be questioned how serious they really are. I’m sure Christians tend to approve of these theologies and the feelings are certainly mutual from the other side.

But just because a religion establishes itself and develops and thrives does not mean that the tenants behind the religion are true. Religions can have negative consequences for your True Believers, as in the case of Heaven’s Gate, the Branch Davidian, and the People’s Temple. One should probably include Scientology in that negative category judging from all the negative public relations Scientology has received from former members.

As another example of a religion that could parallel Christianity, for example, the establishment of miracles and salvation and a return to the Promised Land / Paradise, all with the following of a charismatic leader, look no further than the establishment and the emergence of the theology of the Ghost Dance. among Native American Indians. Ghost Dance theology was a concept that Native American Indians could rid white settlers from their land if they only danced the Ghost Dance. It would be a return to his own Eden; the return of the buffalo; the return to the status quo before 1492.

Ghost Dance theology was originally established in the late 1860s and early 1870s with little impact, but was revived in 1888-1889 by the charismatic Chief Paiute Wovoka, who had a vision that would restore status. quo of the pre-white man for the natives. American Indians. Wovoka was a Christ-like figure, a shaman, a prophet, even a messiah who, according to some, was the true second coming of Christ dressed in a Native American Indian costume. Wovoka was seen as the savior who would address the plight of the Native American Indians, backed by none other than the legendary Sitting Bull.

Part of the Ghost Dance theology was that their special holy ghost shirts / garments would protect them from the White Man’s bullets. Of course, the madness of the Ghost Dance was not very well received by the whites. Minority uprisings generally don’t. The irresistible force finally had to confront the immovable object, so the theology of the Ghost Dance was unleashed to a violent end when in late December 1890 things came to a head at Wounded Knee Creek. Native American Indians engaged the American Army in what is called the Battle of Wounded Knee. Unfortunately, those sacred and indestructible garments that Native Americans wore did not stop the army bullets and when the shooting stopped, approximately 200 Native American Indians (men, women and children) were killed, as well as approximately 60 army soldiers / soldiers. . And that event for all practical purposes was the end of the Native American Indians as a viable entity and reconciled force in American history.

Of course, there are parallels between Ghost Dance theology and Christianity. The Ghost Dance participants wanted an immediate reversal of their world order. Think of the Ghost Dance movement as the Native American Indian version of the Book of Revelation, which was also a visionary experience. In Revelation it was outside the contemporary (Roman) landscape and within the New (Jerusalem) order. The Ghost Dance was the Native American equivalent of liberating Israel and restoring it to form glory through the establishment of the Kingdom of God. But instead of the Roman Empire replace the White Man; instead of Israel it replaces the Indian Territories. Also, the Ghost Dance itself (and associated chanting) is similar to all musical rituals, prayers and hymns, etc. associated with Christianity, especially Catholicism. Bulletproof holy shirts are similar to Crosses and Bibles and other religious artifacts and icons associated with Christianity and worn by the faithful.

So, in conclusion, there was indeed an establishment and a rise of Christianity. But that doesn’t mean that none of the foundations are based on anything other than quicksand. Christianity is simply made up of a long series of claims, none of which have any independently verifiable and historical evidence. Christ no more proves Christianity and Christianity no more proves Christ than Allah proves Islam or Islam proves Allah or Brahma proves Hinduism or Hinduism proves the existence of Brahma. Wovoka was unable to prove that Ghost Dance theology did what it said it would. Unlike Jesus, Allah, and Brahma, we of course know that Wovoka was a real historical figure who actually existed, but the Ghost Dance debacle certainly didn’t show that Wovoka was any kind of prophet, let alone a messianic figure.