Why do atheists and anti-theists care about the beliefs of religious people?
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Anonymous
Yes, the theologian has a lot invested in the existence of jesus so of course he's going to believe it. Jesus most likely was a real man. We don't know 100%. Fables often have an element of truth to them. |
Anonymous
“Every week I receive two or three e-mails asking me whether Jesus existed as a human being. When I started getting these e-mails, some years ago now, I thought the question was rather peculiar and I did not take it seriously. Of course Jesus existed. Everyone knows he existed. Don't they? But the questions kept coming, and soon I began to wonder: Why are so many people asking? My wonder only increased when I learned that I myself was being quoted in some circles-misquoted rather—as saying that Jesus never existed. I decided to look into the matter. I discovered, to my surprise, an entire body of literature devoted to the question of whether or not there ever was a real man, Jesus. I was surprised because I am trained as a scholar of the New Testament and early Christianity, and for thirty years I have written extensively on the historical Jesus, the Gospels, the early Christian movement, and the history of the church's first three hundred years. Like all New Testament scholars, I have read thousands of books and articles in English and other European languages on Jesus, the New Testament, and early Christianity. But I was almost completely unaware—as are most of my colleagues in the field—of this body of skeptical literature. I should say at the outset that none of this literature is written by scholars trained in New Testament or early Christian studies teaching at the major, or even the minor, accredited theological seminaries, divinity schools, universities, or colleges of North America or Europe (or anywhere else in the world). Of the thousands of scholars of early Christianity who do teach at such schools, none of them, to my knowledge, has any doubts that Jesus existed.”.- Professor Bart Ehrman |
Anonymous
Yes, Jesus of Nazareth was a real person. Most scholars agree that he was a Jewish preacher and healer who lived in the 1st century AD. Virtually all scholars of antiquity agree that Jesus existed.[8][9][31] Historian Michael Grant asserts that if conventional standards of historical criticism are applied to the New Testament, "we can no more reject Jesus' existence than we can reject the existence of a mass of pagan personages whose reality as historical figures is never questioned."[32] There is no indication that writers in antiquity who opposed Christianity questioned the existence of Jesus.[33][34] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_Jesus |
Anonymous
Bart Denton Ehrman[a] (born October 5, 1955) is an American New Testament scholar focusing on textual criticism of the New Testament, the historical Jesus, and the origins and development of early Christianity. He has written and edited 30 books, including three college textbooks. He has also authored six New York Times bestsellers. He is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He subsequently turned into a liberal Christian, remaining in the Episcopal Church for 15 years, but later became an agnostic atheist after struggling with the philosophical problems of evil and suffering.[2][3][8] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bart_D._Ehrman |
Anonymous
Forcing your beliefs on others against their will is gross and wrong. Keep it in your pants. |
Anonymous
Yes, the theologian has a lot invested in the existence of jesus so of course he's going to believe it. Jesus most likely was a real man. We don't know 100%. Fables often have an element of truth to them. |
Anonymous
Virtually all serious scholars agree that Jesus was a historical figure. The idea that Jesus was mythical is considered a fringe theory. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historicity_of_Jesus The existence of Jesus is supported by a large body of work, including the writings of Paul, the Gospels, Josephus, and Tacitus. The crucifixion of Jesus is widely accepted as a historical event, though scholars disagree on the details. The idea that Jesus was mythical has been a fringe theory for over two centuries. Some historians who are atheists have defended the historicity of Jesus. If you believe Jesus didn’t exist, or is a fable, you are considered on the fringe… like holocaust deniers, flat earthers, and climate change deniers. Not good company to be in. |
Anonymous
Where are your citations and links? |
Anonymous
Of course all of the theologians believe that he was a real person. They invested decades of their lives on it. Their opinions are biased. No one here has denied that he existed. As I said, Jesus most likely was a real man. We just don't know 100%. |
Anonymous
Citation poster strikes again! |
Anonymous
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What is the scholarly consensus about the historical Jesus?
“Despite the enormous range of opinion, there are several points on which virtually all scholars of antiquity agree. Jesus was a Jewish man, known to be a preacher and teacher, who was crucified (a Roman form of execution) in Jerusalem during the reign of the Roman emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was the governor of Judea” (p. 12). How seriously is mythicism taken in the academy? “It is fair to say that mythicists as a group, and as individuals, are not taken seriously by the vast majority of scholars in the field of New Testament, early Christianity, ancient history, and theology” (20). "The idea that Jesus did not exist is a modern notion. It has no ancient precedents. It was made up in the eighteenth century. One might as well call it a modern myth, the myth of the mythical Jesus" (96). If an important Roman aristocratic ruler of a major province [Pontius Pilate] is not mentioned any more than that in the Greek and Roman writings, what are the chances that a lower-class Jewish teacher (which Jesus must have been, as everyone who thinks he lived agrees) would be mentioned in them? Almost none” (45). How important is the historical Jesus? “One could argue as well that Jesus is the most important person in the history of the West, looked at from a historical, social, or cultural perspective, quite apart from his religious significance” (95). https://seanmcdowell.org/blog/bart-ehrman-on-the-existence-of-jesus-great-quotes |
Anonymous
Probably the same poster who posts pages of Wikipedia posts without understanding what they mean. 
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Anonymous
But that’s just your opinion; you have no evidence or proof to back it up. You are a scholar? Where do you study/teach? What are your degrees? |
Anonymous
Yes, providing citations is important. It’s important to be able to back up your claims with evidence. Ie: Jesus existed. It’s not my opinion. It’s based on real evidence. Pp is just posting her personal opinion that is not backed up with any evidence. |
Anonymous
Another biased opinion from a theologist. Doesn’t prove 100%. |