Mormonism is taught in a vacuum with no exposure to Christianity's history or its theological variations. I suppose that makes it easier to swallow Mormonism's version of things, and it makes the story much simpler. So I'm always interested in that stuff. In the video linked below a guy talks about early Christian views on whether Jesus had a body, whether he was pro- or anti-Yahweh, and whether he taught about heaven and hell. You think you know the answers?

https://youtu.be/-PgOsslDABo

Mormonism teaches that Jesus set up the perfect version of The Church and it functioned properly for a time until it ran off the rails. But actual history shows Christianity was a theological and ecclesiastical hodge-podge that didn't gain any standardization until the Romans took it over and wiped out competing schools of thought.

Readers of this thread may find the following book of interest:

Lost Christianitites by Bart D. Ehrman

Here is description of the book from Amazon.com:

The early Christian Church was a chaos of contending beliefs. Some groups of Christians claimed that there was not one God but two or twelve or thirty. Some believed that the world had not been created by God but by a lesser, ignorant deity. Certain sects maintained that Jesus was human but not divine, while others said he was divine but not human.

In Lost Christianities, Bart D. Ehrman offers a fascinating look at these early forms of Christianity and shows how they came to be suppressed, reformed, or forgotten. All of these groups insisted that they upheld the teachings of Jesus and his apostles, and they all possessed writings that bore out their claims, books reputedly produced by Jesus's own followers. Modern archaeological work has recovered a number of key texts, and as Ehrman shows, these spectacular discoveries reveal religious diversity that says much about the ways in which history gets written by the winners. Ehrman's discussion ranges from considerations of various "lost scriptures" including forged gospels supposedly written by Simon Peter, Jesus's closest disciple, and Judas Thomas, Jesus's alleged twin brother to the disparate beliefs of such groups as the Jewish Christian Ebionites, the anti Jewish Marcionites, and various "Gnostic" sects. Ehrman examines in depth the battles that raged between "proto orthodox Christians" those who eventually compiled the canonical books of the New Testament and standardized Christian belief and the groups they denounced as heretics and ultimately overcame.

Scrupulously researched and lucidly written, Lost Christianities is an eye opening account of politics, power, and the clash of ideas among Christians in the decades before one group came to see its views prevail.

Yeah, Ehrman is a great resource.

Yes, that's a very good book.

Jesus is pretend.

This supposed Jesus germinated, arguably, the greatest legend of all time. Historical or hysterical, the development over centuries of the myth---development still continuing today-- is fascinating. Some narratives once generated just can't be stopped, can only build, bend, and side-step--as the world turns.

How important to the survival of all religions, not just Mormons, employment of the constant reinterpretation of the scriptures. The prophecies of ends of times, with actual time limits pinned to them, that go unfulfilled leave the religious with no other option but to resort to saying they misunderstood as a way to continue their faith as their scriptures fail. The scriptures are still right, it's just the wrong interpretation haha.

You have to choose your brand of Jesus. Free range like Mosaic churches? Extra ingredients like Mormonism? New and improved but costly Evangelical? Or Extra Spicy Old Testament Southern Baptist? Exclusive club of 144,000 for the JWs, anyone? Loving but Absent Jesus like those who know only the golden rule Jesus? There is a Jesus for everyone! That's the beauty of it. Have your favorite mega-rich televangelist customize one for you, or, make your own--like Joseph Smith did. Works well---up to a point. No?

Done & Done Wrote:
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> This supposed Jesus germinated, arguably, the
> greatest legend of all time. Historical or
> hysterical, the development over centuries of the
> myth---development still continuing today-- is
> fascinating. Some narratives once generated just
> can't be stopped, can only build, bend, and
> side-step--as the world turns.

A period of "Confess Jesus or die" helped things along.

Yes. Down through the ages---enforced religion. Burn the heretics, eh? Inquisitions have gone by many names and many guises since man invented God as a way to back up their own agendas.

Would be nice if that still weren't the case even if we have learned here in this country to at least attempt to use the Supremes to build the kindling around the stake and light a match--figuratively speaking of course--as a way to ensure that certain religions are able to force their ways on everyone. So much more civil as a way to enforce the O.T. No?

I only watched part of the video, but it seems it is all about Jesus as interpreted by philosophers- all of whom were of course devout to the max, but essentially cerebral to the max. The Jesus that modern Christians worship has little in common with those ideas. Modern Christians mostly worship the Jesus of emotions. They couldn't care less about coporeality or consubstantialism or any of those things. They want a Jesus that gives them warm fuzzies.

Which suggests the modern Jesus is as manmade as the early ones.