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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Let's ask this: why does it matter whether or not there is archeological evidence?

Do the moral teachings to love one another not stand anyway? After all, when you boil it all down, that is what Jesus taught us.[/quote]

It matters because Christians try to claim they're the only ones who ever thought of what is basically the "golden rule".  However, nearly every religion and even non-religious thinking have come up with the same idea, including ones that predate Christianity.

Also, you misunderstand the point of what Jesus taught.  It was not love one another, his message was to believe in him as the path to eternal life.  [/quote]

+1 His message of "love one another" is definitely all he taught. And it also matters because aside from the concept of "love one another" (which we decidedly don't need Jesus to teach us, and if you do, then there is something wrong), there are other horrendous and harmful concepts from christianity that are impacting humankind. 
[/quote]

Interesting. Can you list some? Are they from/allegedly from things reported as Jesus teachings or from "churches"?

Disclosure: I believe in God, think Jesus of Nazareth existed, think the Christ is present in me and others, but do not believe in most church doctrines. I don't participate in organized religion. [/quote]

I'll mention one: We are the best -- everyone should be our religion, therefore, we'll go out and convert you and in the process,  we'll subjugate you or kill you or make you serve us.[/quote]

That description — “we’re the best, everyone must join us, and we’ll subjugate or kill those who refuse” — is not an accurate summary of Christianity as a whole, either in its foundational texts or in the behavior of the vast majority of Christians across history and today.

What Christianity actually teaches on conversion and treatment of outsiders:

The New Testament repeatedly commands voluntary belief and love, even toward enemies: “Go and make disciples of all nations… teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19–20) is the core missionary mandate, but Jesus also says “whoever is not against us is for us” (Mark 9:40) and “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).

[color=red]Coercion is explicitly rejected: “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet” (Matthew 10:14).[/color]

-Forced conversion is condemned in classic Christian theology. Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, and later Protestant thinkers all argued that genuine faith cannot be coerced.

Historical cases where Christians did use violence or coercion:

1. The Crusades (especially the early ones framed as defensive wars that morphed into conquest)
2.The Inquisition (particularly Spanish)
3. Some colonial-era forced baptisms in the Americas and Goa
4. Northern Ireland’s Troubles and a few modern fringe militias

These episodes existed, and Christians should acknowledge them. But they were usually:
-justified by political or ethnic motives as much as religious ones
-condemned by many Christians at the time and later
-not representative of 2,000 years of Christian practice across hundreds of cultures

The statement “we’ll go out and convert you and in the process, we’ll subjugate you or kill you or make you serve us” much more closely matches:
1. The early Islamic conquests (7th–8th centuries) and the historical dhimmi system (non-Muslims paid jizya and lived under legal disabilities)
2. Certain interpretations of jihad in classical Islamic law that permit offensive war to spread the faith
3. The stated ideology of modern jihadist groups (ISIS, al-Qaeda, Boko Haram)
It does not match the mainstream practice of Christianity for the last 1,500 years, and especially not since the Enlightenment and the spread of religious-freedom norms.

Today’s reality:
—>The countries where converting someone to Christianity (or from Islam) can legally get you killed are overwhelmingly Muslim-majority (e.g., Afghanistan, Somalia, Yemen, Nigeria’s northern states, Iran, Saudi Arabia).

—>The countries where Christians face the highest levels of persecution are North Korea, Somalia, Yemen, Eritrea, Afghanistan, Pakistan — again, almost never Christian-majority.

—>In contrast, the world’s largest Christian-majority countries (USA, Brazil, Mexico, Philippines, Russia, DRC, etc.) do not have laws punishing conversion away from Christianity.
[/quote]

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