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Hello [atheist] and [Christian],
I have wanted to pose a topic to the both of you and haven't quite found a good one until now so here it goes! I hope you are able to have some fun answering this one!
I have recently learned about the Gnostic gospels. Do you think the discovery of these gospels discredits the belief system of Christianity or do you think the exclusion of these documents is justifiable as with any biased writing or "advertisement" would have done? If the ideas communicated in these gospels were to be widely accepted, the need for structured religions and places of worship may be in jeopardy, what are you thoughts on the subject?
Also, the De Vinci Code, obviously fiction, was loosely based on some historical facts. What is your opinion on the church's (Catholic) ban of the book/movie? Do you think the Catholic church (or most religions) tries to prevent people searching and finding answers for themselves?
Thank you for sharing your thoughts,
A searcher for the bigger picture
Dear Searcher,
While I don't think the Gnostic Gospels discredit Christianity, they do throw in some doubts. Of course, the same could be said for the Torah, Qur'an, and various other religious texts. While there are some parallels between the world's religions, each of them contradicts the other by implying that their belief is the correct one.
Whether the exclusion of the writings is justifiable is actually beside the point. The First Council of Nicaea, which was instrumental in the assembly of the Bible today, convened to figure out which "gospels" to include in their scripture. If it didn't fit with their trinitarian view of the religion, it was considered heretical and dismissed. So, everything included only supported their pre-conceived notions of what Christianity was.
Concerning the need for structured religion and places of worship, there is no need for that, now. Every Christian has, or should have, a Bible. They should read through it an see if they can come to their own conclusions. Instead, they go to church once a week (or twice a year), say they belong to a certain denomination, and don't really question (or maybe even care) what they are told by the authorities of that denomination. I realized that even before I left my beliefs behind.
On a side note, even if something is widely accepted it doesn't make it true unless it has some solid support. Regardless if the Gnostic gospels were accepted, they would still be using 2,000 year old manuscripts to support their beliefs. If it doesn't have some external corroborating evidence, then it's only conjecture.
The only "historical fact" the Da Vinci Code was based on is the approximately 18 years not discussed in the Bible, and the landmarks untilized for dramatic purposes. Every other part was just conjecture and a way to give him a plot. Regardless, they are also upset that a prequel is being filmed. Anyway, the church never banned the movie. They just told their congregations not to go see it or read the book.
Concerning religions preventing people from searching, I think this is a two part problem. The first is the churches themselves, of course. They don't want you to search for answers, because that search will probably lead you outside of their domain. If you find answers you are more comfortable with, which hopefully make more sense, it'll be harder for the churches to retain control.
Second is the people themselves. Finding answers is difficult, and accepting those answers can be even more so. So, most people are contented, and may even prefer, being told what the answers are. They have someone in authority telling them what the truth is, and they can just go about their lives without thinking about it. They don't have to worry about those gray areas that life is full of, because the people they listen to have already painted a black and white line for them.
Hopefully this helps give you my point of view.
