Let's get this straight, the story of Moses is a myth.

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I keep seeing the story of Moses, particularly the exodus from Egypt, presented as historical fact. In truth this story is neither historical nor factual.

After hundreds of years of research by people who really wanted to prove this story true, it is completely clear that this story could not have possibly happened. There is no evidence Jews were never enslaved in Egypt. There are no records, no archaeological evidence. There is a remarkable lack of signs that any large number of people traipsed through the desert for 40 years. There is no fire remains or trash.

Now that we have the ability to study genetics, we are getting an even better picture of the history of the people now living around Israel. They simply started out as the same people with the same ancestors.

But this story, from the slavery in Egypt to the Killing of the firstborn to the parting of the Red Sea to the 40 years wandering in the desert is all just a myth.

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@maxdancona,

Even myths are based on some level of fact.

1 Reply

@maxdancona,

spoilsport

0 Replies

@maxdancona,

maxdancona wrote:

... There is a remarkable lack of signs that any large number of people traipsed through the desert for 40 years. ...

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg849/scaled.php?server=849&filename=lonepalmsaharadesert.jpg&res=medium

Yep ... if there are no footprints, it must be false.

3 Replies

@maxdancona,

maxdancona wrote:

I keep seeing the story of Moses, particularly the exodus from Egypt, presented as historical fact. In truth this story is neither historical nor factual.

After hundreds of years of research by people who really wanted to prove this story true, it is completely clear that this story could not have possibly happened. There is no evidence Jews were never enslaved in Egypt. There are no records, no archaeological evidence. There is a remarkable lack of signs that any large number of people traipsed through the desert for 40 years. There is no fire remains or trash.

Now that we have the ability to study genetics, we are getting an even better picture of the history of the people now living around Israel. They simply started out as the same people with the same ancestors.

But this story, from the slavery in Egypt to the Killing of the firstborn to the parting of the Red Sea to the 40 years wandering in the desert is all just a myth.

From some tv documentary, it appeared to me that the Israeli Bedouins have more of a Jewish resemblance than the current Palestineans. I thought that during the Ottoman Empire, those that were looking for a better place to live, moved to what is today Israel. And, when the Jewish Zionists started to arrive in the late 19th century, the Arabs got concerned, and more "transplants" moved to that area.

Similar to not believing that there was a Moses, there was also no Pinnochio, no Snow White, no Cinderella; however, the lessons from their respective stories have served society well for a long time.

So, the real question is, who really dictated the Old Testament to scribes? So, the name Moses may just be the name of a ghost writer?

1 Reply

Quote:

parting of the Red Sea ... is all just a myth

I think that scientists have now shown that this so-called "Parting" may have happened. The extent to which the level of the Red Sea fell is, however, not clear.

1 Reply

I just watched a show on the National Geographic channel that talked about this.
Some archeologists in Egypt have found the body of the Pharaoh Rameses first born child.
Rameses is the Pharaoh that ruled Egypt during Moses's time.

According to the show, all of the plagues that God visited on Egypt can be explained by science, and are quite possible.
The only one they have trouble with is the killing of all the first born.
According to the show, Rameses first born was in his early 30's when he died, and he died from a blow to the head which crushed his skull.
And the parting of the red sea is, according to scholars, most likely a mistranslation.
The words actually mean reed sea, and that is a swampy, marshy area near the Nile delta.
It is quite possible that Israeli's fleeing Pharaoh, could have ambushed and destroyed Pharaohs chariots there, because chariots and swamps dont mix.

According to the bible, the slaves were building Pharaohs city, a city many people thought was a myth.
That city has been found. Its name is "Pi Rameses"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pi-Ramesses

Also, according to the show, there is written record of a battle between the Israelites and the Egyptians, a battle the record says the Egyptians won.

The name of the show I am talking about is "Rameses, Wrath of God or Man"
It was on the NatGeo channel, and if you get a chance to see it, it was really interesting and informative.

They even postulated the idea that Moses was actually a son of Rameses, one that believed in the sun god Aten, a single deity that some Egyptians was the sole God.

0 Replies

@maxdancona,

maxdancona wrote:

I keep seeing the story of Moses, particularly the exodus from Egypt, presented as historical fact. In truth this story is neither historical nor factual.

After hundreds of years of research by people who really wanted to prove this story true, it is completely clear that this story could not have possibly happened. There is no evidence Jews were never enslaved in Egypt. There are no records, no archaeological evidence. There is a remarkable lack of signs that any large number of people traipsed through the desert for 40 years. There is no fire remains or trash.

Now that we have the ability to study genetics, we are getting an even better picture of the history of the people now living around Israel. They simply started out as the same people with the same ancestors.

But this story, from the slavery in Egypt to the Killing of the firstborn to the parting of the Red Sea to the 40 years wandering in the desert is all just a myth.

Hey, a billion Muslims believe Jesus did not die on the cross. So, religions always have detractors from the standard belief.

So, I guess if Judaism if wrong, and Christianity is wrong, we had better become what? Is there still a Mickey Mouse Club?

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@Ticomaya,

Good one.

0 Replies

So when I say, "Holy Moses," I am farting in the wind?

1 Reply

@Ticomaya,

Tens of thousands of people leave behind a lot more than footprints. If the story were true you would be able to find fire pits, and tents and trash, and excrement and grave sites, etc. etc.

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@Foofie,

Quote:

From some tv documentary, ...

There seems to be a theme developing on this thread...

Quote:

it appeared to me that the Israeli Bedouins have more of a Jewish resemblance than the current Palestineans.

We can do better than this. We have modern genetics. The Jews and the Palestinians have the same ancestors from thousands of years ago.

1 Reply

@Miller,

Quote:

I think that scientists have now shown that this so-called "Parting" may have happened. The extent to which the level of the Red Sea fell is, however, not clear.

The point is there were no Jews there to cross even if the sea did part. That slavery thing never happened.

1 Reply

@maxdancona,

And you are 100% certain of this, how???
You obviously werent there, unless you seriously believe nothing happened before you were born.

2 Replies

@edgarblythe,

let's just say no one would make a stink of your claim to have parted anything

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb190/tint45/eyebrows.gif

0 Replies

@mysteryman,

Quote:

And you are 100% certain of this, how???
You obviously werent there, unless you seriously believe nothing happened before you were born.

You can say that about any mythology. But look at the facts with a rational mind.

This story includes a plague where hundreds of thousands of males died in one day. If this were true in an advanced record keeping civilization, there would be all kinds of records about this (not just a few ambiguous marks). This was followed by the wiping out of the army of the regional military power. Then there were 50,000 people with livestock in the desert.

If this were true you would expect to see all sorts of very clear evidence that this happened . In fact you see very little.

Of course people have been able to find something. But this isn't reason.

Instead of rational questioning with a critical mind, people who want to believe start with the assumption that it is all true and then look for any sign that can be interpreted as supporting what they believe while rejecting all of the evidence that contradicts their beliefs.

There is no real evidence of Jewish slaves in Egypt, which given the records the Egyptians kept is pretty good evidence they weren't there. There no real evidence of the scale of plagues described or the military losses, again if the story were true there would be. There are no traces of 50,000 people living 40 years in the wilderness.

And there is genetic and archaeological evidence that the Palestinians and Jewish common ancestors were living in the region all along.

1 Reply

@mysteryman,

mysteryman wrote:

And you are 100% certain of this, how???
You obviously werent there, unless
you seriously believe nothing happened before you were born.

GOOD POINT

0 Replies

@Ticomaya,

Ticomaya,

Why did you post a picture of the Sahara desert in this thread?

1 Reply

@maxdancona,

How do you know its the Sahara? I can take you to parts of Southern California where you will see the exact same scene
You seem to have made up your mind before getting all the information.
I notice you don't refute anything I said about the NatGeo show I watched.

1 Reply

@maxdancona,

Quote:

Let's get this straight, the story of Moses is a myth.

Max sounds very authoritative.

David

0 Replies

Let's get this straight, the story of Moses is a myth.

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