Joseph Campbell: The Communion.

[Ricardo_Gomez]

The Sacraments of the Catholic Church are not the only ones around. Since is Jesus’ teaching, the sacraments are performed in many anti-catholic sects/cults/churches/congregations, who call themselves Christians. Of course, there is always the dilema of who to call a Christian. But that is another theme.

The Eucharist, the heart of Catholic Doctrine, is well served in Anti-Catholic religions. These sects/cults/congregations, preached very strongly against the Catholic doctrine, and yet they practice the Eucharist.

The Watch Tower Organitation (JW), for example, have been printing anti-catholic propaganda for a little less than 150 years. And on March 21 at dawn, they celebrated their encounter with Christ. The doctrine/teaching of the JW on the nature of Christ is very peculiar in the sence that it is only through their teaching that the “true doctrine/teaching” can be found.

Joseph Campbell, on the other hand explains it like this " Throughout the ancient world such myths and rites abounded: the deaths and resurrections of Tammuz, Adonis, Mithra, Virtives (goats and sheeps, bulls, pigs, horses, fish, and birds), are known to every student of compatarative religion."

No truth can be away from the Bible teaching, " For if the blood of bulls and goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from the dead works to serve the living God?" The Hero With A Thousand Faces, pag 143
For Joseph Campbell, the communion is nothing but a product of the study of the starts, Benedict XVI claim Christ as the ultimate destiny of astrology. For the rest of us, however, the question remains, to whom does the tilte of Christian belongs?

 

[bpbasilphx]

**
The Watch Tower Organitation (JW), for example, have been printing anti-catholic propaganda for a little less than 150 years. And on March 21 at dawn, they celebrated their encounter with Christ. The doctrine/teaching of the JW on the nature of Christ is very peculiar in the sence that it is only through their teaching that the “true doctrine/teaching” can be found.**

**They pass around bread and wine and nobody partakes, thus publicly admitting they have no life in them.

But then again, the believe in only a second-class Jesus who never rose from the dead and can only offer them second-class salvation.

As I told one of Jehovah’s False Witnesses, “I have the heavenly hope that I will be a King and Priest in the world to come, and I’m not even a JW. Why should I give this up to follow YOU into your second-class salvation?”**

 

[Righteousone]

Should we really care what Joseph Campbell even thinks?

 

[Ricardo_Gomez]

There are more than enough characters, born on Dec 25; born of a virgin; perform miracles; had diciples, ant thus upon the third day of their death resurected. That in itself could brake some body’s faith. Joseph Campbell’ s work is nothing but the needed explanaton to expand our knowledge for the glory of God. Of course one can always avoid such a conversation, but in my personal opinion that would only diminish the power of God!

 

[peary]

For Joseph Campbell, the communion is nothing but a product of the study of the starts, Benedict XVI claim Christ as the ultimate destiny of astrology. For the rest of us, however, the question remains, to whom does the tilte of Christian belongs?

**That’s rather easy: one who has been baptized “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” **

 

[Ricardo_Gomez]

Can we baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holly Spirit, and then deny the Catholic doctrine of the trinity, and still claim to be Christians?

 

[Ricardo_Gomez]

They pass around bread and wine and nobody partakes, thus publicly admitting they have no life in them.

Is this how they do their communion? It is very important for me to know. They gave me an invitation to it, but I could not go because something came up.

 

[LDNCatholic]

Is this how they do their communion? It is very important for me to know. They gave me an invitation to it, but I could not go because something came up.

Yes, that is. However as a Catholic you must not partake in their false ceremony.

 

[Ricardo_Gomez]

A good Catholic must be informed of every practice of the Eucharist, even if such practice does not have Bible bases. For what LDNCatholic wrote, it is clear that the JW pass bread and wine, but not partake on the Sacrament, is this the way they do it?

 

[LaMar]

There are more than enough characters, born on Dec 25; born of a virgin; perform miracles; had diciples, ant thus upon the third day of their death resurected. That in itself could brake some body’s faith. Joseph Campbell’ s work is nothing but the needed explanaton to expand our knowledge for the glory of God. Of course one can always avoid such a conversation, but in my personal opinion that would only diminish the power of God!

I don’t think it breaks anyone’s faith. It’s based upon the sun, which seems (at least in the northern hemisphere) to “die”, on 21 December, travel through the underworld for three days, then rise again (on 24 December, it seems to start moving further north in the sky).

Human beings have been around for 1.3 million years (longer, actually, but that’s the age of the bones we’ve got). Christianity has been around for 2000. All the stories we enjoy today are based upon earlier models.

If you’re interested in this stuff, read Claude Levi-Strauss on mythology. He took a completely different approach compared to Campbell, and his structural anthropology is worth studying too.

 

[mchale]

There are more than enough characters, born on Dec 25; born of a virgin; perform miracles; had diciples, ant thus upon the third day of their death resurected. That in itself could brake some body’s faith. Joseph Campbell’ s work is nothing but the needed explanaton to expand our knowledge for the glory of God. Of course one can always avoid such a conversation, but in my personal opinion that would only diminish the power of God!

Ricardo, you should know that the Catholic Church has never really claimed that Jesus was born on December 25th (though some priests might have mistakenly thought so). The Church decided to celebrate the feast of the Lord’s birth on that day so as to help compete against the Pagan religions common in the Empire at the time.

–
Bill

 

[peary]

Originally Posted by **Ricardo Gomez **
There are more than enough characters, born on Dec 25; born of a virgin; perform miracles; had diciples, ant thus upon the third day of their death resurected. That in itself could brake some body’s faith. Joseph Campbell’ s work is nothing but the needed explanaton to expand our knowledge for the glory of God. Of course one can always avoid such a conversation, but in my personal opinion that would only diminish the power of God!

**Joe Campbell didn’t even have a degree in mythology or anything near that. He had a Master of Arts degree from Columbia University in 1927.

All the mythology stuff he did on his own. Nothing in his collegiate studies even prepared him to be an ‘expert’ in mythology. He was primarily self-educated in this subject area and put his own interpretation on it. Though I like reading his materials, not everyone agrees with him.**

 

[Swan]

I don’t think it breaks anyone’s faith. It’s based upon the sun, which seems (at least in the northern hemisphere) to “die”, on 21 December, travel through the underworld for three days, then rise again (on 24 December, it seems to start moving further north in the sky).

Human beings have been around for 1.3 million years (longer, actually, but that’s the age of the bones we’ve got). Christianity has been around for 2000. All the stories we enjoy today are based upon earlier models.

This is true and unavoidable, thus I guess it can challenge the faith of some who have a very limited view and need to have everything explained to them. For me, these facts play a large role in my view that truth can be found in many places (not a RC view, I realize, and one reason I am no longer RC). God is universal and manifests differently to different cultures. That is not to say that everybody has it right - look at the Mayas, a pretty blood thirsty group - but only that there are truths out there that many chose to ignore. Let’s call them “big T” and “little t”. I don’t think any one group has a corner on the truth market and I feel that to claim such limits God severely. God was not active with other peoples on the globe until recently? Please.

 

[Publisher]

This is true and unavoidable, thus I guess it can challenge the faith of some who have a very limited view and need to have everything explained to them. For me, these facts play a large role in my view that truth can be found in many places (not a RC view, I realize, and one reason I am no longer RC). God is universal and manifests differently to different cultures. That is not to say that everybody has it right - look at the Mayas, a pretty blood thirsty group - but only that there are truths out there that many chose to ignore. Let’s call them “big T” and “little t”. I don’t think any one group has a corner on the truth market and I feel that to claim such limits God severely. God was not active with other peoples on the globe until recently? Please.

One of my favorite Quaker saints was John Woolman…he said…

There is a principle which is pure, placed in the human mind, which in different places and ages hath had different names. It is, however, pure and proceeds from God. It is deep and inward, confined to no forms of religion nor excluded from any, where the heart stands in perfect sincerity. In whomsoever this takes root and grows, of what nation soever they become brethren in the best sense of the expression."

I know I’ve posted this several times, but when I read threads like this, I nod and remember Friend John…his journal ranks among the best in Christian writing.