Anonymous wrote:1) Parts of the historical narrative are likely to have actually happened. There is historical evidence besides the Bible.

2) The stuff about the resurrection--that is dependent upon faith.

You can separate the two. Most historians, Christian or not, agree with #1. Christians believe #1 and #2.

Seriously, it can't be put any better than this. Can the thread die now (hold the resurection).

Anonymous wrote:Because it makes sense

Not.

Not this shit again.

The so-called proof is out there. It's up to each individual whether to believe it or not. It is all about faith.

Because it makes sense

Maybe it is a crazy story. But you don't necessarily have to believe in the virgin birth or the resurrection to believe that Jesus was a real person and an extraordinary human being whose life and teachings are worth emulating.

Faith, google it.

1) Parts of the historical narrative are likely to have actually happened. There is historical evidence besides the Bible.

2) The stuff about the resurrection--that is dependent upon faith.

You can separate the two. Most historians, Christian or not, agree with #1. Christians believe #1 and #2.

Anonymous wrote:because the gospels were written by different people at different times, and all mirror the same basic story. also, it is established by historians that a jew preacher named Jesus was executed by the Romans, and it is mostly accepted that his followers did not try to stop this execution and basically had given up by this time. something happened after the trial and execution to convince these many disciples to travel all over the then known world and preach the message, and almost all suffered agonizing brutal deaths for their efforts. so what happened after the execution to convince these men to martyr themselves?

the first point isn't really evidence, the existance at one time of one central oral tradition doesn't make it any more true.

The fact that so many people were willing to give their lives, well, the same goes for Islamic and Tamil Tiger suicide bombers, the followers of that guy in Guyana who all drank the cool aid, the worshippers of the various Aztec gods who sacrificed their children etc. etc.

OP, to answer your question, of course there is no evidence that this isn't just a story (though I admit there may have been a rabbi named Jesus on whom some of the stories were based). It is religion, not science, and there are many different religions, all with their own stories and myths. There is no reason to believe any one of them is more true than another. and in fact, the christian one, with its pregnant virgins and rising from the dead, is more silly than most. Maybe a billion or two people believe it, but that leaves 4 billion that don't.

OP are you just curious or are you asking for your own spiritual well-being? Either way, I think you really should ask those friends of yours who are in the clergy. This is their profession and they shouldn't feel defensive at all for someone asking about their beliefs. Good Luck

You dont. Its called faith.

I only put stock in about 30% of the Bible. It's been manipulated too many times by leaders omitting sections, bad translation, and the fact that it was written hundreds of years after it all happened.

because the gospels were written by different people at different times, and all mirror the same basic story. also, it is established by historians that a jew preacher named Jesus was executed by the Romans, and it is mostly accepted that his followers did not try to stop this execution and basically had given up by this time. something happened after the trial and execution to convince these many disciples to travel all over the then known world and preach the message, and almost all suffered agonizing brutal deaths for their efforts. so what happened after the execution to convince these men to martyr themselves?

that is the best argument.

Because I experienced Christ personally when I was 21.

I'm not religious but (a) it's called faith, look it up and (b) historians have looked at the evidence about whether Jesus was a real person and their work isn't hidden. Look it up.

I know you think I'm a troll.... so let's move beyond that first off.

I really wonder if I'm missing some historical fact on which I can place confidence in the Jesus/Christianity stuff. I see people who genuinely believe, smart people who have made ministry their life's work ... and I wonder how they KNOW that all of it is real and why they are so confident that they are willing to base their careers on it. I admire their convictions (not the over-the-top evangelical pushy types), but I don't have the same conviction. I feel uncomfortable asking friends this b/c I fear that (a) they may not have an answer and (b) they may feel that they need to defend their beliefs.

It's certainly socially acceptable to be Christian in the US, but beyond family heritage and cultural acceptance, ... what give you the confidence that you're on the right track with Christianity?

I'm looking more for historical answers, "evidence" if you will, that the Jesus stuff is real. Although I've heard all the Bible stories and spent a good bit of time in church in my days, I just keep thinking I must be missing some bit of info. that glues it all together.