(August 18, 2015 at 5:41 am)Aractus Wrote: Bob you're uninformed, I'd be very surprised if you could articulate arguments that actually defend your "points". As for their motivations - why would people willingly die for a hoax? Come on you don't really think that Paul and his companions would be willing to die for their "fake religion" do you?
I happen to know that many modern faith healers who knowingly use charlatanism and conjuring tricks for their trade actually do believe in the Gaud they're supposedly serving, and that's actually how they justify deceiving people in those demonstrations in the first place. The rationale seems to be this: since they know that Gaud exists and they know he refuses to show evidence of himself, they think it's ok to "help Gaud along" by fabricating evidence and events. As long as they're trying to convince people of what they believe to be true, any means necessary is acceptable.
So yes, the apostles and early writers may have been motivated to finagle a more convincing story if they somehow realized that the version they were willing to die for would not be particularly convincing to other people. If people are willing to die for a cause, they're often also willing to lie, steal, and cheat for it, too.
Verbatim from the mouth of Jesus (retranslated from a retranslation of a copy of a copy):
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you too will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. How can you see your brother's head up his ass when your own vision is darkened by your head being even further up your ass? How can you say to your brother, 'Get your head out of your ass,' when all the time your head is up your own ass? You hypocrite! First take your head out of your own ass, and then you will see clearly who has his head up his ass and who doesn't." Matthew 7:1-5 (also Luke 6: 41-42)
Also, I has a website: www.RedbeardThePink.com
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you too will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. How can you see your brother's head up his ass when your own vision is darkened by your head being even further up your ass? How can you say to your brother, 'Get your head out of your ass,' when all the time your head is up your own ass? You hypocrite! First take your head out of your own ass, and then you will see clearly who has his head up his ass and who doesn't." Matthew 7:1-5 (also Luke 6: 41-42)
Also, I has a website: www.RedbeardThePink.com