For almost all my life religion and mythology has been a part of my life or a major interest. I wanted to know what really happened, there had to be way. There isn't! There is however the means to get a best guess and for me that is as good as it will get, although I will never abandon the search..... just in case.
Whilst religion, or the lack of, is a very personal thing and I'm not a fan of those pushing their beliefs on others without physical evidence or at least an argument that is feasible, I believe it should be debated but we all know what happens then!
Here is my perception after much research and experience in a diverse and sometimes very loosely relevant range of subjects. I'm not asking you to believe it, I'm asking you to question it and point out inaccuracies. You are welcome to do so as long as you have something other than blind faith / disbelief to offer.
Agnostic
noun
a person who believes that nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature of God
adj.
(in a non-religious context) having a doubtful or non-committal attitude towards something
Bible
informal
a book regarded as authoritative in a particular sphere.
I needed a starting point, something historical. Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden c.4600 BC? Noah and global flooding c.3000 BC? Abraham and migrations of the Levant c.2000 BC? Moses and the Exodus from Egypt c.1450 BC? Josiah author of the Pentateuch c.600 BC? Jesus and the Romans c.33 AD?
At a glance the most recent should be the easiest to get some verification but unfortunately there is nothing to prove the existence of Jesus apart from the biblical accounts. This is a common argument for those that question his existence and perfectly true, but that doesn't make it correct. I think it is highly likely Jesus was a historical character but that's for another post.
There is little doubt Josiah king of Judah (640-609 BC) existed and some sources accredit him with the actual compilation and writing of the Pentateuch. This is obviously disputed with others believing Moses himself wrote it, or anybody in between. Even though the existence of Josiah is commonly accepted by scholars, there is no actual proof of his existence either. Admittedly he was of a time when his region didn't keep many records. However, as a source for my area of research he is of little interest.
So what about Moses? Again we have the same problem as we have with Jesus, no proof. The same was to apply to Abraham, Noah and Adam and Eve. Okay, what about the historical events?
With Jesus we know Herod (73-4 BC) was king of Judah, Pontius Pilate was prefect of Judea 26-36 AD. Crucifixion was a common punishment by the Romans. Jesus was only a carpenter's son albeit a rather troublesome one and was of little interest to the Romans. The problem was with the Jewish religious leaders who pretty much manipulated the weakness of Pilate (for which reason he was recalled to Rome).
Would there be records of his crucifixion? Hardly headline news to the Romans, or the rest of the Levant in general, despite his growing reputation. Pilate could perhaps have been nervous about the crowds Jesus drew in but accounts suggest a man that didn't really want anything to do with it.
Adam and Eve are a complete waste of time save for the possible location of Eden (somewhere underwater in the Persian Gulf is my bet). That too has little bearing here though. Noah too is sketchy, although similar stories abound in many cultures. Utnapishtim in the Epic of Gilgamesh is thought by some to be Noah but it is more likely they were two different people with similar experiences. The flooding may have seemed global but it was probably extensively localised (oxymoron?).
Abraham starts to get interesting. Casting aside a lot of the superfluous information, and given the approximate date of his being, there is much historical evidence to suggest a character akin to Abraham did exist. It gets even better with Moses. Archaeological evidence ties in with geological and historical clues. To reiterate, there is no hard evidence but Moses seemed a good place to start.
For ease of reading I have compiled my "Agnostic Bible 2.0" chronologically. The posts are scheduled every Sunday.
