Adding Mythology to True Christian History?

Touted as "TV's finest documentary showcase for investigative journalism" by TV Guide (April 4-10, 1998), PBS' Frontline recently showcased a four-part report called, "From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians." As the old saying goes, "Buyer Beware!" Though this program hides behind supposed objective "scholarship," it had a plain and obvious goal. In the words of the show's producer, Marilyn Mellowes, the show was to promote "understanding" which "encourages tolerance" among religions.

So what's wrong with having "tolerance" of all religions? One must define what "tolerance" means in this context. According to some, to be tolerant of other religions, you would have to accept them as equally valid as your own. As you can imagine, one can only be tolerant if one was totally without a sense of logic, since many religions directly contradict each other. For example, one cannot say 5 + 5 is equal to both 10 and 11. Such a statement may be considered "intolerant" of one of the two points of view but, in this case, such "intolerance" is necessary and logically warranted. In fact, one cannot be both honest (or at least wise) and "tolerant" in this example.

And what if science and logic show that only one religion is true and what if that one religion proposes that there is only one way to eternal life? "Tolerance" would doom those who believed in the all other religions. So "tolerance" would become synonymous with "cruelty" and "uncaring" if it doomed people in such a way.

Am I saying that the Frontline program was not worth watching? If you like the agenda-based "scholarship" so prevalent amongst supposed Biblical "scholars" from organizations like the Jesus Seminar, you would have loved this show. In the words of Ms. Mellowes, "The story that we think we know about Jesus and Christianity turns out to be mostly shaped in childhood, in Sunday school." One need not go beyond this quote to see where they were going with this series.

The evidences that support the accuracy of Biblical Christianity are some of the most solid, scientifically and logically-sound evidences for anything in the world today. Since this is the case, one cannot, in good conscience, be "tolerant" of other religions when those other religions are deceiving their followers out of eternal life. Some of you will remember something I wrote on the overwhelming evidence for Christianity awhile back. It would be worth reading again if you are truly concerned with your eternal life.

Until next time,

Mark Harpt
Editor
WWCW

I want to learn more about how I can have a relationship with the creator of the universe.