Thread by @travisdon1981

Is #Jesus one of the #DyingAndRising #gods, and thus pure #Myth?
Um, #NO, and #gorillas will show you why…

Many Jesus Mythicists have tried to state that Jesus was one of several ancient deities in the “Dying and Rising” gods category. This idea became more prominent among both academics and laymen when Sr James G. Fraser, a cultural anthropologist, wrote the book “The Golden Bough”

in 1890. In it, he claimed that Jesus was among several other dying and rising gods, which he claimed were associated with the agricultural cycle. This “dying and Rising God” category finds its way in our mythology books, and Jesus Mythicists use the category in their arguments.

However, there is a problem.
You see, the “Dying and Rising” god archetype has fallen out of academic favor. Its considered nowadays a misnomer. The reconstructions used to make the category required some serious mental gymnastics. Plus, the texts used to make the case for them

were unclear or very late (which is saying something, considering that the gods supposedly in this dying and rising god category are quite ancient). Many of the parallels are either not there or very weak (some equate Attis’ rebirth with Christ’s resurrection. I repeat, WEAK).

Indeed, there is a consensus that there were no dying and rising gods before Christianity.
But let’s assume for argument’s sake that the category is sound, and that there were dying and rising gods before Christ.
Let’s even assume that Jesus is in such a category.

Does that mean that he never existed?
No, and here is why.
1. The Biblical account of creation is in the so-called “creation myth” category. This is not a problem for Jews and Christians, for we accept that the creation account of the Bible is the TRUE account of creation. We may

differ on its interpretation (i.e. how long the days of creation were, divine creation vs theistic evolution, whether there is a gap of considerable time between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2, etc), but we accept it as true, as the real story, and the fact that other cultures had stories

about creation has never been a problem for us.
2. Just because someone…or something is in a “mythical” or “folkloric” category doesn’t make it a myth.
How do I know the latter?
Simple: I asked the Hairy Wild Man of the Woods.

All the world over, there are many legends about hairy “wildmen”, beings that are in some ways man-like yet otherwise bestial. We have Bigfoot or sasquatch in North America, Yeti in the Himalayas, Yeren in China, the Woodwose of England, the Yowie of Australia, the Agogwe of

Africa, the Ucu of South America, the tiny Orang Pendek of Sumatra, etc. Indeed, “Bigfoot” or “sasquatch” is really a catch-all term for various hairy Wildman monsters told about in Native American lore (As seen in “Cannibals, Giant and Monsters: Bigfoot in Native Culture” by

Kathy Moskowitz Strain). Likewise, there is not one Yeti reported in Tibet, but three: the Meh-teh (what we think of when we hear the word “Yeti”), Teh-lma (or dwarf yeti), and the Dzu-teh, a massive brute that walks both on all fours and upright (the “giant” yeti). Now, we have

many sightings and excellent books and documentaries on such creatures, but the fact remains…science does not recognize their existence (at least most of them...). They won’t, without a body on a slab or a captured live specimen. Indeed, many scoff at the idea of such creatures

I mean, its not like any of them have been found right?
Actually…some have.
Think I’ve gone nuts?
Think the cheese fell off my cracker?
Better read on…

You see, for many years, there were reports of a creature in Africa called the Pongo, a monstrous hybrid of man and monkey that lived in the wilderness (sound familiar?). It was said in some sources to walk upright (sound even more familiar?). Most would have written the monster

off as a myth…
…until its discovery in 1847.
We don’t call them Pongos anymore.
We call them Lowland Gorillas.

A creature that fit the crypto-zoological category of hominid, the crypto “Hairy Wildman of the woods.”
But some may object, saying that Gorillas can’t walk upright, like the Pongo was said to have done.
Well…

They actually can walk upright. They just walk on all fours most of the time.
Thus, a real-life flesh and blood Crypto “Hominid”.
A real life, flesh and blood “Hairy Wildman of the Woods.”
And he is not alone…

The Mountain Gorilla of the Virungas was likewise a hairy Wildman of the woods creature (called Ngila), until it was discovered in 1902.
Hairy. Man-like. Lives in the woods.
There you go.

Likewise, the Orangutan (whose scientific name is curiously “Pongo”) was thought to be human by some natives who lived among them. Indeed, the name “Orangutan” means “Person of the Forest.” They have even been known to grab human women and rape them, a behavior noted in both

Satyrs of Greek myth and the modern sasquatch (both in the hairy Wildman category).; They also use tools (including leaves for hats, protecting their heads from heat and rain). Orangutans would have been known to westerners only in stories and lore before they were discovered.

Hairy.
Manlike (actually was thought to be human by some native tribes. They were described as part human in some tales).
Lives in the woods…
Fits, doesn’t it?

Now, what if I told you that at least 1 type of Yeti…has already been discovered?
Indeed, what if I told you…that you could find it at your local zoo?
Think I’m crazy again?
Think I need to spend some time in a rubber room?
Not after you read the following…

Reinhold Messner, the “Michael Jordan of Mountain Climbing”, investigated the Yeti myth. Having traversed the Himalayas on several occasions, he knew the area and the people well, and after encountering the Yeti he decided to discover it. This trek led to him not only finding

tracks of the beast, but even encountering one in a zoo. He put his findings in the book “My Quest for the Yeti” and presented it to the world.
And what did the Yeti turn out to be?
Ursus arctos isabellinus.
The Himalayan Red Bear.
A subspecies of brown bear.
In other words…

…a GRIZZLY!

Now, that doesn’t “sound” like the Yeti. I mean, isn’t the yeti supposed to be this mysterious ape that lives in the Himalayas?
Well, that’s a good description of the Teh-lma and the Meh-teh…but not the Dzu-Teh.
You see, people native to the Himalayas have always called the

Himalayan red bear “Dzu-teh” (also called “Chemo” “Dre-Mo and “Dredmo”). Indeed, the term “Dredmo” means “brown bear”. We also have to consider the fact that the term “Yeti” derives from the Nepalese word “Yeh-the”, which is used for any large critter that roams the high

mountains…including bears.
Keep in mind: Bears are man-like in many ways (similar shaped hindfeet, can stand upright, are omnivores like us, and when skinned look similar to a skinned human. Indeed, one can imagine how a standing bear, if it is looking skyward, can

from a distance resembled a shaggy giant with a saggital crest (a ridge of bone on top of some animal's skulls. Gorilla's high-domed heads get their shape because of it).
Thus, the “Giant” Yeti actually exists, and it has been standing right in front of us all along.

Brown bears were not mistaken for yetis.
They ARE yetis!
Pretty amazing, huh?
Not as amazing as the Bondegezou, aka Dingiso...

This small hairy wildman first came to the attention of science when a photograph of it was sent to an Australian scientist named Tim Flannery. The Bondegezou (a name which means “man of the forests”) was said to roam New Guinea, a hairy creature that climbed down trees feet

first…just like a human.
Hairy, man-like (remember what its name means, and its method of climbing down trees) and lives in the woods?
Hominid!
Wildman of the Woods!
Years later, Tim Flannery actually discovered this animal, and eventually showed to the world that it was not

some mystery cryptid that didn’t exist; it was a flesh and blood creature.
And…are you ready for a surprise?
It wasn’t an ape.
It wasn’t a man.
It was…a new species of TREE KANGAROO!

Yes, the Bondegezou, aka Dingiso, is a black tree kangaroo with a white belly and a white star on its forehead. This hairy Wildman was once the stuff of crypto-zoology, the stuff of legend and lore, a creature that science would have all but ignored…until it was proven to exist.

Now, think about that for a minute.
Pongo, Ngila, Dzu-teh, Orangutan and Bondegezou. All hairy “wildmen” of the woods who turned out to be real.
They fit a crypto-zoological category that mostly entails creatures not proven to exist, creatures considered myth by the majority of

scientists…and yet these are REAL.
Just as Jesus, though at one time placed by some in the “Dying and Rising God” category…is likewise REAL, recognized as a true historical figure (as mainstream history books show).
Jesus is real.
Sources:

“Evidence that Demands a Verdict” by Josh McDowell and Sean McDowell, PhD, 304-5, 312
“The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus” by Gary R. Habermas and Michael R. Licona, 89-92
“Man Myth Messiah” by Rice Broocks, 124-26
encyclopedia.com/environment/en…

“The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Beings” by John and Caitlin Matthews, 613-14
Crypto-Zoology: A to Z’ by Loren Coleman and Jerome Clark, 24-26, 46-47, 172-73,189-91, 242-43, 252-57
books.google.com/books?id=P8ca5…

seaworld.org/animals/all-ab…
gorillafund.org/gorillas-walki…
“Unexplained!” (New Edition), by Jerome Clark, 211
“Unexplained Phenomena: A Rough Guide” by Bob Rickard and John Michell, 293
“Sasquatch: True Life Encounters With Legendary Ape Men” by Rupert Matthews, 127, 200

“Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology: A Global Guide” by Michael Newton, 138
newanimal.org/pongo.htm
“Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science” by Jeffrey Meldrum, 77-79
metro.co.uk/2011/06/12/mum…
blog.wcs.org/photo/2014/12/…
8billiontrees.com/blogs/news/sav…

“Orangutans” by Robert W. Shoemaker, 18, 23, 54-57
metro.co.uk/2011/06/12/mum…
“Orangutans: Geographic Variation in Behavioral Ecology and Conservation” edited by Serge A. Wich, S Suci Utami Atmoko, Tatang Mitra Setia, Carel P. van Schaik, page 195

books.google.com/books?id=uy3U8…

tenkile.com/dingiso-tree-k… books.google.com/books?id=ZjolC…

"The Grizzly Almanac" by Robert H. Busch, 33-34, 104
"Bears of the World" by Lance Craighead, 9, 112
“Historical Atlas: A Comprehensive History of the World” (Chief Consultant Dr Geoffery Wawro (1 of 45 historians who worked on the book), 84-85

“The Middle East” The Cradle of Civilization Revealed”, 294-96
“The West: Encounters and Transformations” Concice Edition, by Brian Levack, Edward Muir, Michael Maas, and Meredith Veldman, 111-113

“The Biblical World: An Illustrated Atlas” by Jean Pierre Isbouts (a National Geographic book), 267-69

nationalgeographic.com/news/2018/03/g…

gorillafund.org/gorillas-walki…

@thethreadreader untoll please

books.google.com/books?id=QmIL1…

@thethreadreader untoll please