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There are many paths that I believe will end at the same destination. Because there is ultimately only one destination.
The Truth
And Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, right?
The truth doesn't recognize sides. It doesn't recognize Christians and it doesn't recognize Buddhists and it doesn't recognize atheists.
Search the history record for any mention of Jesus in the 1st century that wasn't tampered with. You find none. That is the truth. It doesn't recognize Christians and it doesn't recognize atheists. It just happens to favor atheists' argument that Jesus never existed.
And Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, right?
The truth doesn't recognize sides. It doesn't recognize Christians and it doesn't recognize Buddhists and it doesn't recognize atheists.
Search the history record for any mention of Jesus in the 1st century that wasn't tampered with. You find none. That is the truth. It doesn't recognize Christians and it doesn't recognize atheists. It just happens to favor atheists' argument that Jesus never existed.
We can define absolute truth anyway you want. But there is only One.
It just happens to favor atheists' argument that Jesus never existed.
The argument of SOME atheists that Jesus never existed. Many atheists are historicists. Acknowledging Historic Jesus is not remotely acknowledging Bible Jesus.
I'm one of those mythicist atheists myself but I do not want to misrepresent my position as universal or even dominant.
It is really not consequential at the end of the day whether Jesus existed as a discrete historic individual or not. It's true that his historicity is a necessary, if woefully insufficient, ingredient to substantiating the literalist Jesus mythos. But atheism has no inherent problem with the historicity of Jesus, because historicity is beside the point of whether or not there is even one believable deity, be that Jesus or any other.
There's such a dearth of conclusive evidence for the historicity (or not) of Jesus, and it is no more relevant really than the historicity (or not) of Mohammed. The question is whether Jehovah / Allah / Jesus were / are divine. It is even possible, as proven by Muslims, to accept Jesus as less than divine. So there are many, many more important questions than the historicity of Jesus. And little to be gained by attacking said historicity. I'd argue even some to be lost, as it is taking up effort in a sideshow.
The argument of SOME atheists that Jesus never existed. Many atheists are historicists. Acknowledging Historic Jesus is not remotely acknowledging Bible Jesus.
I'm one of those mythicist atheists myself but I do not want to misrepresent my position as universal or even dominant.
It is really not consequential at the end of the day whether Jesus existed as a discrete historic individual or not. It's true that his historicity is a necessary, if woefully insufficient, ingredient to substantiating the literalist Jesus mythos. But atheism has no inherent problem with the historicity of Jesus, because historicity is beside the point of whether or not there is even one believable deity, be that Jesus or any other.
There's such a dearth of conclusive evidence for the historicity (or not) of Jesus, and it is no more relevant really than the historicity (or not) of Mohammed. The question is whether Jehovah / Allah / Jesus were / are divine. It is even possible, as proven by Muslims, to accept Jesus as less than divine. So there are many, many more important questions than the historicity of Jesus. And little to be gained by attacking said historicity. I'd argue even some to be lost, as it is taking up effort in a sideshow.
I think I spoke to this a little in my response to your post #580 in the Atheists and Skeptics thread but I'll add some here: yes, it is inconsequential to the isolated atheist sitting in his living room watching Oprah. But here's the problem with your position: while atheists are quietly neutral on the position of Jesus being a fiction and couldn't care less about whether he lived or not, Christians in here and all over the world really, are attempting to spread their propaganda to every person on earth--all because of this ridiculous passage that churchmen wrote into Mark 200 years later in Chapter 16 about "Go into all the world to spread the gospel."
Churchmen knew what their intent was when they made up Mark 16:9-20. It wasn't because they discovered Jesus said that and it got left out. Pure and simple it was because they were trying to give their god-man Jesus a boost and the best way to do this was through their members spreading the story that the churchmen had concocted about Jesus--all the miracles, dying for their sins, he's the savior of the world bla bla--and how Jesus wanted them to tell everybody they came in contact with about him. Today we call this word of mouth advertising--you know, like when you go to a good lawyer or dentist and tell all your friends, "Hey, I just went to the best dentist. You should go too." Best form of advertising there is.
So while atheists are seated comfortably in their easy chairs, Christians are busily if stealthily spreading their own testimonies of their god-man and putting a ball and chain around the necks of gullible dupes by hooking them into Christianity, "Please, don't go to hell and burn eternally. Accept Jesus as your Lord and savior." I am one of those who is trying to prevent otherwise good and sensible people from falling into the snare of Christianity with its rules, and tithes and all the misery it brings on their formerly quiet comfortable lives. Someone has to do it, might as well be me.
Last edited by thrillobyte; 09-19-2022 at 10:51 AM..
The argument of SOME atheists that Jesus never existed. Many atheists are historicists. Acknowledging Historic Jesus is not remotely acknowledging Bible Jesus.
I'm one of those mythicist atheists myself but I do not want to misrepresent my position as universal or even dominant.
It is really not consequential at the end of the day whether Jesus existed as a discrete historic individual or not. It's true that his historicity is a necessary, if woefully insufficient, ingredient to substantiating the literalist Jesus mythos. But atheism has no inherent problem with the historicity of Jesus, because historicity is beside the point of whether or not there is even one believable deity, be that Jesus or any other.
There's such a dearth of conclusive evidence for the historicity (or not) of Jesus, and it is no more relevant really than the historicity (or not) of Mohammed. The question is whether Jehovah / Allah / Jesus were / are divine. It is even possible, as proven by Muslims, to accept Jesus as less than divine. So there are many, many more important questions than the historicity of Jesus. And little to be gained by attacking said historicity. I'd argue even some to be lost, as it is taking up effort in a sideshow.
Interesting post, and it gets back to my disappointment that christians (at least on this forum) spend most of their time trying to prove things that are not provable...up or down. I personally believe Jesus -- a man and teacher -- existed. All the magic...I don't believe that. And, ultimately, it sort of doesn't matter, because what's left is the legacy, and the morality is (or should be) debatable.
Mankind trys to bring Truth into focus. By many means.
Pick one.
And is probably wrong more often than right.
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You have evidence for it?
