Ok I'll keep this brief. Carrier's argument assumes that Paul is talking about a non-existent celestial being that he has visions of. It doesn't explain the creed found in 1 Cor 15, nor the fact that Paul knows about the 'Last Supper' meal. And I'd further point out that in his version of the Last Supper, Paul does make reference to Jesus being betrayed. OK he doesn't mention Judas, but he also does not introduce anything whatsoever that is inconsistent with the later gospel accounts.
Now that makes perfect sense with the gospel accounts from our atheist POV. That is, after Jesus died his followers went their separate ways, but continued his teachings in their beliefs that he was the messiah. Put yourself into the shoes of one of the disciples - if the others have gone their own way and you are still testifying about your fallen messiah you are hardly likely to talk about the other disciples. In fact, you'd probably never bother mentioning them at all.
Now that makes perfect sense with the gospel accounts from our atheist POV. That is, after Jesus died his followers went their separate ways, but continued his teachings in their beliefs that he was the messiah. Put yourself into the shoes of one of the disciples - if the others have gone their own way and you are still testifying about your fallen messiah you are hardly likely to talk about the other disciples. In fact, you'd probably never bother mentioning them at all.
For Religion & Health see:[/b][/size] Williams & Sternthal. (2007). Spirituality, religion and health: Evidence and research directions. Med. J. Aust., 186(10), S47-S50. -LINK
The WIN/Gallup End of Year Survey 2013 found the US was perceived to be the greatest threat to world peace by a huge margin, with 24% of respondents fearful of the US followed by: 8% for Pakistan, and 6% for China. This was followed by 5% each for: Afghanistan, Iran, Israel, North Korea. -LINK
"That's disgusting. There were clean athletes out there that have had their whole careers ruined by people like Lance Armstrong who just bended thoughts to fit their circumstances. He didn't look up cheating because he wanted to stop, he wanted to justify what he was doing and to keep that continuing on." - Nicole Cooke
The WIN/Gallup End of Year Survey 2013 found the US was perceived to be the greatest threat to world peace by a huge margin, with 24% of respondents fearful of the US followed by: 8% for Pakistan, and 6% for China. This was followed by 5% each for: Afghanistan, Iran, Israel, North Korea. -LINK
"That's disgusting. There were clean athletes out there that have had their whole careers ruined by people like Lance Armstrong who just bended thoughts to fit their circumstances. He didn't look up cheating because he wanted to stop, he wanted to justify what he was doing and to keep that continuing on." - Nicole Cooke
