Myth Conceptions

In order to justify their own beliefs, nonbelievers have conceived myths about God, Jesus, and the Bible in an effort to tear down the majesty of our Lord and Savior and replace it with their own personal idea of what is true. The more I study these myths (anti-truths?) that atheists are spreading the more I truly believe that the Prince of the Earth is controlling their motives. I've postulated in the past that atheistic hate and disdain for God is due to their own self loathing and to be honest the more I study atheist myth conceptions I find myself agreeing with my earlier opinion.

Here's one of the more poorly thought out myths that our atheist friends enjoy spreading:

Myth #1 - Jesus as God Was Not Invented Until the Fourth Century

Atheists believe that Christianity was not invented until the fourth century after the council of Nicaea in 325 AD. (So many falsehoods have been attributed to the council of Nicaea I think I'm going to have to do a post just on that one meeting.) In addition to that, atheists want you to believe that the early Christian church believed that Jesus was just a nice moral teacher and did not worship him until the 4th Century when the Trinity and the deity of Christ was "invented". 

First of all, the deity of Christ didn't need to be "invented" by a Roman counsel, His deity was first claimed by Christ Himself:

30 I and the Father are one.” 31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?” 33 The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.” (John 10:30-33)

And later after His resurrection Thomas came to a shocking realization

²⁸ Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹ Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.” (John 20:28-29)

When asked if He was the Messiah, or the son of God, or if He was God Jesus never denied it, this is the foundation of Christianity, not some musty gathering of Bishops some 300 years later.  Even secular sources such as Pliny the Younger who in 112 AD wrote the following to the Roman Emperor Trajan:

"They [the Christians] asserted, however, that the sum and substance of their fault or error had been that they were accustomed to meet on a fixed day before dawn and sing responsively a hymn to Christ as to a god, and to bind themselves by oath, not to some crime, but not to commit fraud, theft, or adultery, not falsify their trust, nor to refuse to return a trust when called upon to do so."

Here Pliny shows that not only did the early Christians know that Jesus was God but the Romans new that the Christians were worshiping Jesus as God, which directly contradicts the modern myth that Jesus wasn't considered God until the fourth century. In fact early church father Justin Martyr who only lived until 165 AD would baptize new believers in the name of the triune God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit thereby acknowledging the equality of the three distinct persons of the trinity 200 years before such a thing could be possible according to modern atheists.

But 100 years before the beheading of Justin at the hands of Roman "religious tolerance" (Justin was beheaded for not performing the religious ceremonies that he was ordered to practice by prefect Junius Rusticus) another Godly man languished in a Roman prison. Knowing that his end was nearing this man, small, sickly, nearly blind - his body bearing the scars of beatings and stonings and shipwrecks - sat in his prison cell under guard and wrote to his friend Titus

looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus (Titus 2:13)

Paul knew that Jesus is God and he wrote it many times; 2 Corinthians 4:4, Philippians 2:6, Colossians 2:9, 1 Timothy 3:16, 1 Timothy 6:15, yet the myth that the divinity of Christ was invented after the Council of Nicaea 300 years after Jesus' death, resurrection and ascension into heaven.

The fact is that like atheism, Myth #1 is based on nothing and should not be taken seriously. However should someone repeat it to you, take it as an invitation to witness. Chances are good that the person who just uttered the myth is simply aping what they were told and has never actually read the bible. Show them Paul's writings, show them the prophesy that litter the Old Testament that point to Jesus being the Messiah and share God's word.