CoastalRat wrote:You are absolutely right that Jesus left no writings of his own. And if that is what you wish to base your disbelief on, that is your right. I choose to believe for a number of various reasons and will be the first to admit that these reasons are faith based. There are several compelling books out there where individuals back up our belief in Christ through more than just faith, so I will not make any attempt to do so here.
That's your right, of course. I base my disbelief on the clear and present evidence that the Bible is bunk. The stories of the resurrection were largely taken from pre-existing pagan sources, just as most of the NT was. There's little reason to believe that Jesus actually lived at all and if he did, he was nothing more than one of hundreds of street corner saviors that were wandering around Palestine at the time.
The facts simply do not support Christianity, sorry. There is no more validity to "having faith" in Jesus than there is for a 6-year old "having faith" that Santa Claus is coming to leave presents.
Quote:I answered a question that was put forth to start this thread. I try not to get into any big debates about my faith, because quite frankly I don't see the point in doing so. But don't pretend to make claims about me. I have a very good idea of who Jesus is. You need not believe that, but that is your right.
Well, you have empty claims and unsupported beliefs about who Jesus was at least. If you want to believe it, fine and dandy with me, just don't go around telling people that your beliefs are true, you simply have no way to back that claim up.
