15 Jan 19
I believe he is a historical figure, but I could be wrong. I don't have any credible reason to believe in his divinity, though. "The level of fine morality about Jesus" depicted in the scriptures that the Christians wrote for themselves is a not surprising outcome of the centuries-long process of honing his hagiography/mythology. No, I don't take any of it "personally".
Ah, Christians wrote it for themselves.
Now you would be more inclined to believe if Atheists who didn't care or want to write anything pertaining to the reality of God wrote the Gospels ?
That Christians wanted to preserve the account and write it smacks of impure motive.
But if people like YOU had written the four Gospel accounts, that would be more believable?
Propaganda does exist.
Do you think it could ever be the case that propaganda relates to something that actually happened ?
The JDL publishes propaganda about the Holocaust under Adolf Hitler.
We could say that it is propaganda.
Does the every existence of propaganda prove that what is being related cannot be true?
15 Jan 19
@FMF
Why should I take as decades after the life of Jesus less likely then your writing your opinion 20 centuries latter?
If voicing explanations after the events is key, aren't the New Testament writers much closer to them then your skepticism about His life submitted in 2018 AD some two thousand years latter ?
15 Jan 19
@sonship saidI don't believe the "propaganda" you believe in [why are you introducing that word?] but that doesn't mean the Jesus story "cannot be true" or that the Islamic story of Jesus "cannot be true" or the Jewish take on Jesus "cannot be true" or that Hinduism "cannot be true".
Does the every existence of propaganda prove that what is being related cannot be true?
"If Atheists ... wrote the Gospels"? What are you on about?
You're committing to a genetic fallacy in reasoning.
You're suspicious because people who CARED about the events to the cost of their lives, RECORDED them for the world and particularly for other believers.
Would you expect those who DIDN'T care, had NO Interest, and actually OPPOSED the authenticity of the events, spend THEIR time to write the New Testament ?
It doesn't make sense invoke the genetic fallacy. That's a not very strong logical argument.
Would you expect that those who did not have a vested interest to spend their lives propagating the life and words of Jesus?
15 Jan 19
@sonship saidI don't see how my lack of belief creates any actual issue for your belief in the New Testament. We are just swapping perspectives.
If voicing explanations after the events is key, aren't the New Testament writers much closer to them then your skepticism about His life submitted in 2018 AD some two thousand years latter ?
15 Jan 19
@sonship saidWhen you asked "If Atheists ... wrote the Gospels"? What were you on about?
@FMF
"If Atheists ... wrote the Gospels"? What are you on about?
You're committing to a genetic fallacy in reasoning.
You're suspicious because people who CARED about the events to the cost of their lives, RECORDED them for the world and particularly for other believers.
Would you expect those who DIDN'T care, had NO Interest, and actually OPPOS ...[text shortened]... ose who did not have a vested interest to spend their lives propagating the life and words of Jesus?
15 Jan 19
@sonship saidSee my earlier post that referenced human nature.
You're committing to a genetic fallacy in reasoning.
You're suspicious because people who CARED about the events to the cost of their lives, RECORDED them for the world and particularly for other believers.
Would you expect those who DIDN'T care, had NO Interest, and actually OPPOSED the authenticity of the events, spend THEIR time to write the New Testament ?
It d ...[text shortened]... ose who did not have a vested interest to spend their lives propagating the life and words of Jesus?
15 Jan 19
I don't see how my lack of belief creates any actual issue for your belief in the New Testament. We are just swapping perspectives.
What are you on about?
The New Testament documents are historical documents.
The history happened or it did not.
Aside from faith, either there was a man who spoke and acted in a manner that had a cataclysmic impact of world history or it didn't happen.
Now you dodged the linking business as far as I can see.
In the Hebrew Bible the lamb slain was to be examined for defects for four days.
Jesus went up to be examined by the religious power structures for four days before He was executed.
How did Jesus arrange for His death to occur on the night the passover lamb was to be slain?
15 Jan 19
Huh?
Read it again slowly. You'll get it.
I have a conspiracy theory about your mother and father. I bet I can offer a plausible argument ad infinitum that you have been victim of a conspiracy as to the identity of your parents.
Doesn't it bother you that you've been lied to about who your parents are really ?
How do you know that the person you called "father" was actually your father ?