Christianity after Demythologization

Paper Summary:

This essay argues that most Christians fervently believe in Christ based on superstitions and mythological presuppositions rather than on a rational reaction to his lessons. The paper examines the resistance to demythologizing Christ's more supernatural attributes and asks why the supernatural stories built upon Christ centuries after his death should carry more weight than the words and ideas he actually espoused.

From the Paper:

""What is left in Christianity if you demythologize it?" The fact that this question has to be asked is part of the problem; so much of Christianity is based on the importance of its supernatural elements. To many believers it is more important that Jesus died and was resurrected as a way of expiating our own sins than that he tried to teach humans to love one another and treat one another with respect. The focus for most Christians seems to reside in the promise of salvation, forgiveness of their sins, and everlasting life after death. Sometimes this focus is to the detriment of the actual teachings of the historical, non-mythologized Jesus. Christianity has much to offer beyond its mythology; many believe the world would probably be a better place to live in if most Christians looked at Jesus as teacher to model their lives on rather than as a pathway to eternal life."

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