Fiction or Non-Fiction?

[floppa21]

Frodo was a Hobbit. A little Halfling type creature. Definitely not hero material, yet he played a huge role in saving Middle Earth. He was not strong, he was not overly intelligent, he had no special powers. He was not even confident he could prevail in his task. ‘Frodo Lives!’ was written on walls of subways, the books became cult classics. A musical cartoon was made of this tale. Today, the biggest movie event of the year is the third and final installment in this trilogy which tells Frodo’s tale of harrowing adventure, hardship, loss, and ultimate triumph. The movie trilogy sparked a whole new audience to Frodo and I imagine all-time sales of these books doubled overnight.

Jesus was born to a human mother and deity father. He grew up and performed miracles through being the Son of God. He could change water to wine, multiply dried fish to feed multitudes, heck, he even rose from the dead! He started a new religion based on love (and some would say self-abasement) which sprang up to become one, if not the biggest, of all known religions. He was martyred and crucified. The symbol of Jesus to this day dying or dead on the cross is worn around people’s necks, both Christian and non-Christian alike. The Bible is the World’s best selling book. Translated into many languages, you would be hard pressed to find someone who has never heard of Jesus. Movies, television series and cartoons has impressed Jesus’ tale into all of our minds and hearts.

Superman was an alien. His planet was in danger when he was but a newborn, and so he was jettisoned into space and crash landed on Earth. A human found him, an abandoned human baby (as far as he could see) and cared for him as his own. Superman grew up and it soon became apparent he had super powers. Superman struggled with these powers as they could be a great tool for both good and evil. He ultimately used his powers to help others and to thwart the evildoer, but his inner struggles are well known. He overcame alienation and personal loss to help the people of another planet. Superman is very well known the world over, whether by his muscular physique and costume, or just his ‘S’ logo which he proudly displays on his chest. Comics, books, movies… You would be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t know of Superman.

 

[Hitro]

To me personally that is indeed on the same level.
But through the actions of others the impact of the second one on my life is unfortunately bigger than the others.

 

[jack merchant]

The only difference is we can prove 1) and 3) are fiction - no-one can decisively prove that Jesus didn't multiply the fish and bread, which means some people will never be convinced .

 

[Hitro]

How can you sufficiently prove that there is no Middle Earth will all those things?

 

[smalltalk]

Any of these fictions might carry a story or a moral or a new thought at its core.

It is matter of taste and intelligence, whether you like these tales or not, whether you approve of their open or subliminal statements.

But tales they are.

 

[jack merchant]

Originally posted by Hitro
How can you sufficiently prove that there is no Middle Earth will all those things?

The fact that the author never claimed it was reality should clue you in .

 

[Aphex_Twin]

Well, the author of the Bible (supposedly God), never actually showed up to say wether the book was fiction or not

 

[Hitro]

Originally posted by jack merchant
The fact that the author never claimed it was reality should clue you in .

Exactly, should clue me in. It is no proof, maybe his claim was not reported because the forces of evil prevented it.

That the planet is billions of years old should also clue one in that the bible is fiction.

 

[jack merchant]

You won't hear me claim otherwise .

 

[Yaniv]

I have a feeling this thread is going to get ugly.
We've already had the Puglover evolution thread closed.

As for me, I'm not Christian, and have no reason to belive in Jesus. Therefore, to me, they are all tales.

 

[cgannon64]

Random chance to flame Christianity, I see. Haven't we gone over this before?

Considering you included two obvious fictions and one Jesus example, its pretty clear what the point of this thread was.

 

[floppa21]

Come on cgannon, I wasn't trying to flame. I'm trying to point out that all three are so fantastical and unrealistic. All three could be great books or movies (and were) with the sole intention of making money and entertaining people. Sheesh, you'd think I'd flamed Christianity before or something.

Why is one out of the three believed to be true historical fact, by grown rational adults, when the other three are not? Don't tell me because two are meant to be fiction. You don't believe everything you hear, correct? Historical reasons is what I expect to get but not what I hope to get.

 

[MCdread]

The difference is that 2 refers to a historical character, regarded by the millions of his followers as more than fiction, so whether you are religious or not (my case), I don't think putting each tale in the same bag is gonna achieve any productive goal.

 

[cgannon64]

They are different. The two are obvious fiction, admitted by the author. The other is lost in the mysts of history. Jesus definetely existed, but it can't be proven or disproven (at least with evidence, you can only assume) that he did miracles or was Resurrected.

There is as much evidence for the existence of Jesus as any other historical figure from that time period.

Anyway, we can be sure that Jesus at least existed, which we cannot say about Superman or Frodo.

EDIT: Parables. Haven't we gone over that already?

 

[floppa21]

But if Snopes had been around 2000 years ago?

So because it is so old, nevermind that it is still as ridiculously fantastical as anything Marvel or DC comics puts out, it's acceptable to believe it?

 

[CivCube]

Somewhere, in some reality, they're all real.

 

[Pontiuth Pilate]

I foresee a merger

The latest on NASDAQ:

"MRVL [Marvel Comics Co.] Absorbs SOG [SonofGod.com] in Leveraged Buyout.

Marvel CEO Steve Foster called a press conference to explain the recent move.

"Well, the fact is that certain elements in the fantasy book market have been slumped considerably since the recent recession," explained the bespectacled head of the largest comic company in the world. "Some companies just aren't competitive anymore. That was a factor in SonofGod.com's decision to join with our corporation.

"Together we have increased synergy and our combined market share considerably outweighs the nearest competitor, BuddhaLovesYou.ch. We feel SOG will be very helpful in working certain niche markets, and by no means will Marvel terminate, at least in the near future, any of Christianity's more lucrative brands. However, certain branches of the former company will have to close or merge with more vital departments as part of a revamp to instill new lifeblood in the struggling company. We have already sent out notices to our Quaker shareholders to inform them that they are now Baptists."

Market analysts predicted that the new company would have some troubles with integration. Noted stockbroker Martin Roanoke: "The Jesus trademark is only competing for the same niche as similar superheroes - for example, Superman. It's a matter of debate whether the Board of Directors at Marvel will advise Foster to struggle on with both trademarks, or scrap whichever one brings in less money and attempt to convert customers to the other brand. The introduction of a new suphero now, especially when money is tight in the fantasy market, could strain consumption. It might burst the bubble and cause the stocks of all companies involved in the market to crash abruptly."

Islam and Judaism protested the merger, citing anti-monopoly laws. They plan to file joint complaints at the SEC next Thursday.

These aspersions kept MRVL stock down Tuesday, but the price rallied towards the end of the day and was expected to continue rising.

The CEO of the now-defunct SOG.com, Jesus of Nazareth, did not immediately return a phone call for comments.

 

[Enemy Ace]

I believe Jesus existed, but not in the way that has been portrayed by the various Christian religions.

 

[Aphex_Twin]

So we could say the Bible, or more precise, the New Testament would be like one of those Hollywood movies inspired from reality (a la Pearl Harbour), all with the apropriate Hollywood twists

 

[WickedSmurf]

Darth Vader existed. You can never take that away from me.