Atheists being asked about the existence of Jesus

[Angrboda]

A lot of atheists, myself included, believe that Jesus might've never existed, not even as a regular human. I'm pretty sure that it happens in most if not all cases of coming out to unsopportive friends and family, that the outedt person is asked whenever they believe that Jesus existed as a person and was a good man. What should they respond? Should they tell the truth or change the subject?

I think people look at those who deny Jesus historically existed, like they would flat earthers, or holocaust denialist. We have first hand accounts of someone who met his disciples and brother, we have Josephus writing of his brothers death, we a number of sayings, parables, stories incorporating a unique style of irony, reversals of expectstions, etc.. in mutiple texts, attributed to none other than Jesus.

In fact Jesus was acknowledged as historical person even from staunch Roman opponent said of Christianity.

If you try and explain all the events that transpired and gave rise to the Christian movement, without a historical Jesus, it’s not long before it drifts into the mother of all conspiracy theories, that you start sounding like someone suggesting sandyhook was staged

You can apply the same logic to any legendary figure. If you argue that tales about a figure wouldn't exist or be as plentiful as they are without either, a) a historical foundation, or b) an implausible conspiracy, then there is no end to the number of figures and legendary events you would be forced to accept as real. So your argument simply doesn't work as a practical matter. It is an inadequate sieve for separating out fact from fiction. It also ignores that we are motivated inventors of myth. We create myth without any additional motivation than because we can. And we perpetuate myths and legends for reasons unrelated to their truth. So, no, a conspiracy isn't required at all. Just normal human folklore processes, widespread credulity, and so on.