What Do You Think?

[Jojoking]

Do you think Jesus was the object of a literary genius in the Bible days?

People had an imagination then, just as we do now . . . So doesn't make more sense that The Jesus of the Bible is just a big fat myth?

[troach]

Is it possible that the bible was all made up? Of course it is possible. Any rational person has to consider that possibility. However, while we are considering that possibility, we also have to examine if the facts . . . what is known about The Bible, the history of Jesus, what was happening at the time, what other writers of the day said, as well as what has happened since the time of Christ, just to list a few of the things we should examine.

The first and simplest problem to overcome regarding Jesus and The Bible being a work of fiction is most likely:

Jesus was a young man whose father is a carpenter grows up working in his father's shop. He has no formal education. He owns no property of any kind. One day he puts down his tools and walks out of his father's shop.

He starts preaching on street corners and in the nearby countryside. Walking from place to place preaching all the while even though he is in no way an ordained minister he never gets farther than an area perhaps 100 miles wide at the most.

He does this for three years. Then he is arrested, tried and convicted. There is no court of appeal so he is executed at age 33 along with two common thieves.

Those in charge of his execution roll dice to see who gets his clothing -- the only possessions he has. His family cannot afford a burial place so he is interred in a borrowed tomb.

End of story?

No, this uneducated, property less young man who preached on street corners for only three years who left no written word has for 2000 years had a greater effect on the entire world than all the rulers, kings and emperors, all the conquerors, the generals and admirals, all the scholars, scientists and philosophers who ever lived -- all put together.

How do we explain that?

Unless he really was what He said He was.


Another point to consider . . .

Let me pose a challenge to you. Let us suppose you must write a paper to prove that Superman a.k.a. Clark Kent never really existed.

How would you do it?

Would you do it by going to great length to discredit his powers and his parents?

Or would you simply show that Superman was the fictional creation of Writer Jerry Siegel and Artist Joe Shuster first shown in the story "Reign of the Superman" of a 1933 'fanzine'?

Personally I think most people would choose to point out who created the story and simply say that all the people and events in the story are fictional rather than try to disprove the powers and discredit the moral character of a fictional creation.

However, something that is interesting with Jesus Christ, the writers from around that time period, which were against Christianity, did not choose to say he was simply a fictional creation of the religious groups but rather chose to discredit His actions and His heritage.

For example:

Celsus, a pagan philosopher, in a literary attack against Christianity titled True Discourse argued that Jesus was born in low circumstances. Saying that Christ was born out of wedlock after His mother had been seduced by a Roman soldier named Pandera (or Panthera). Then going on to say that later in life He (Christ) announced Himself to be God, deceiving many. Celsus charged that Christ’s own people killed Him, and that His resurrection was a deception. But Celsus never challenged the existence of Jesus.

Lucian of Samosata (c. A.D. 115-200) also wrote against Christianity saying that Christians worshipped the well-known “sophist” who was crucified in Palestine because He introduced "new mysteries". But He never denied the historicity of Christ.

Porphyry of Tyre born about A.D. 233, studied philosophy in Greece, and lived in Sicily where he wrote several books against the Christian faith. In one of his books, “Life of Pythagoras,” he contended that magicians of the pagan world exhibited greater powers than Christ. Why would he bother to try to prove that any powers are greater than that of a fictional character? If indeed Christ did not exist.

Interestingly there are numerous writings from around the time of Christ that go to great length to discredit His works and His family, rather than simply saying that his entire existence was made up by the writers of the various religious documents. If Christ did not exist at all, why would these people go to such length to prove that his actions were tricks / magic and that his heritage was of questionable origin?

Could it be that so very many people had seen Christ in person and were telling others of the things that they had seen Him do and heard Him say?

I cannot prove to anyone if Jesus Christ was/is the Son of God or simply a man. For either belief is a matter of faith.

However, If you believe that there was no one named Jesus Christ that ever existed, you might want to reconsider that position, for (while I have only listed three references) you are ignoring the many documents (both religious and nonreligious) that do exist which suggest that there was indeed someone named Jesus Christ that lived about 2000 years ago.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =


You might also want to check out this web page titled:
Did Jesus Christ exist?
(there is a list of many other document references to Christ at the bottom of the page.)
http://troach.org/faith/dchrstexst.htm

[jerrys1960]

Another point to consider. . . .

Any skeptic, who holds to a notion that the resurrection of Jesus Christ was a man-made legend created after-the-fact by a group of religious zealots, should sincerely check out the legacy of Christian persecution and martyrdom.

Eleven of the 12 apostles, and many of the other early disciples, died for their adherence to this story.

This is so spectacular, since they all witnessed the alleged events surrounding Jesus and his resurrection, and still went to their deaths defending them.

Why is this spectacular, when many throughout history have died martyred deaths for a religious belief?

Because people will not die for a lie. Look at human nature throughout history.

No conspiracy can be maintained when life or liberty is at stake.

Dying for a belief is one thing, but numerous eye-witnesses dying for a known lie is quite another . . . Especially when so many of the people were given the option to walk away free and unharmed if they will simply admit/say that what they had been saying about Jesus was not true.