How does Platos allegory of the cave relate to christianity?

Plato's allegory of the cave relates to us all!

It is well worth taking the time to consider it's message... and i do not believe that it is a 'religious' message at all but one of 'Reality'. This allegory is very deep and requires much contemplation and although i have read it numerous times... and occasionally go back to it to try and discern its esoteric meaning... i have had little success fully appreciating the message that Plato is trying to convey.

However... i do hope to emerge from the Cave of Illusion some day and see Reality for what it is... by the Grace of God. [Insha'Allah]

very interesting question...

xx

Plato writes that whoever can be unchained, it will be revealed unto him, a set of Fireworks being displayed on the wall of the cave...

Those Fireworks are the Fires of Christ...living fluidic Fires which come from the Great Central Sun. Moses saw the burning-bush, the Disciples used Tongues of Fire. Elijah was led by PIllars of Fire....

Mystics in those times, were given a code based on Fire+Color+Sound to achieve various feets of wonder

Plato's cave allegory had enormous impact on Judaism and, as a result, enormous impact on its spin-off religion- Christianity. Jews didn't become monotheistic until about 250 BCE. Before that they were henotheists (had an exclusive relationship with one god but never thought that other gods didn't exist. The bible's first commandment is I am the 'Lord thy god. You shall worship no other gods before [you worship] me.') The 'Cave Allegory' asserted that absolute/perfect forms existed and the Hebrews internalized this idea. They transformed their thinking about god from 'we have our special god' to ' there is only one god and we have a special relationship to it.' That was monotheism. Christians inherited this monotheistic tradition from their parent religion. BTW: Plato's cave allegory is nonsense.

id say that it relates to life on earth and heaven, illumination, where the cave is the foggy existence of earth and the outside is what would be called heaven

that was Plato's meaning to the allegory, and can be easily applied to christianity

The cave as found in the Bible:

Genesis 37:23: Joseph thrown in pit by jealous brothers

Job 33:30: God turns man's soul from pit

Psalm 40:2: the Lord lifts psalmist out of pit and gives him firm place to stand

Isaiah 38:17: God keeps King Hezekiah from the pit

those that are chained in the cave only see the shadows of what else there is. christians are very much kept in the dark of what elese is available to their own perception of reality much the same as the prisoners that can only see the shadows on a cave wall. while they dream of seeing the what makes the shadows they may very well be better suited not seeing the real thing. this applies to the dumb majority and not the perceptive individual.

As the King James Commision so beautifully mistranslated Saint Paul in the wonderful thirteenth chapter of I Corinthians, we see things as "through a glass, darkly."

THe cave dwellers are Christians beguiled by shadows. Shadows are their beliefs. They dare not look beyond the shadows for their beliefs will evaporate in the sun .

i think the cave relates to people in general

especially those who think they are outside of the cave

let me guess this is a class assignment from a public school?

Plato did not know what a christian was.