"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence"
Sagan standard
Let's face the questions squarely, and let us not appeal to emotion and fear. Let's open everything up and seek facts and not faith. Facts and faith are different. Facts are things that are true, whether or not you believe them. Faith is belief in something that cannot be proven. Facts are based on evidence. For example, the fact that the Earth is round is based on the evidence of photographs of the Earth from space, as well as the evidence of the Earth's shadow on the moon during a lunar eclipse.Facts are important because they help us to understand the world around us. Faith can be important because it can provide comfort and strength in times of difficulty. However, it is important to remember that faith is not a substitute for facts.
The big question is--Is Jesus a mythological figure who never actually existed?
There is no definitive evidence that Jesus existed. The only sources that mention him are the Bible and a few non-Christian writings, but these are all from after his supposed lifetime. There are no contemporary accounts of Jesus, and no physical evidence of his existence.
The Bible is the primary source of information about Jesus, but it is not a reliable historical document. It was written by Christians many years after Jesus's supposed lifetime, and it is full of contradictions and inaccuracies. The non-Christian writings that mention Jesus are also problematic. They are brief and contain little information about Jesus's life.There are also no non-Christian sources that mention Jesus from the first century AD, which is surprising given the fact that he was supposedly a major religious figure. The first non-Christian reference to Jesus comes from the Roman historian Tacitus, who wrote about him in the early second century AD. However, Tacitus's reference is brief and does not provide any concrete information about Jesus' life or death.
Futhermore, the earliest Christian reference to Jesus is from the Gospel of Mark, which was written around 70 AD. The Gospels of Matthew, Luke, and John were written later, in the 80s or 90s AD. These four Gospels are the primary sources for information about Jesus' life.
The Gospels are not considered to be reliable historical documents because they were written decades after Jesus' death and they contain many supernatural events that cannot be verified.
In addition, there is no archaeological evidence that Jesus existed. There are no coins, inscriptions, or other artifacts that mention him. This is surprising given the fact that he was supposedly a major religious figure and that the Romans were meticulous record-keepers.
The lack of evidence for Jesus's existence has led some scholars, includind me to conclude that he was a myth. They argue that the stories about Jesus were created by early Christians to explain their beliefs about him. However, other scholars believe that Jesus did exist, but that the stories about him have been exaggerated and distorted over time.
Overall, the historical evidence for Jesus is not overwhelming.Ultimately, the question of whether or not Jesus existed is a matter of faith. There is no definitive evidence to prove or support his existence.
You must be logged in to post a comment.