(February 24, 2013 at 1:16 pm)Rhythm Wrote: A similar question was asked thousands of years ago about pagan faiths and one of the answers offered was Euhemerism. The trouble with both Euhemerism and a historical jesus is that neither are actually asking the question of whether or not their respective religious figures existed - they both simply assume that those figures existed and then wax on about the details of their existence. Step one, provide a euhemerist god or a historical jesus. Step 2 - wax on about the details. It's always step one that's missing.
From my opening post -
Quote:The object of the exercise is to explain how Christianity started when it did and why when there wasn't a real man who was obscured by all the Christian myths and legends. Any ideas from rational to barking mad are allowed.
Christianity started around 2,000 years ago. How and why did it start? That's what I'm asking people to come up with ideas about.
The topic has wandered off the point on numerous occasions but it's not meant to be about deities or whether Jesus actually existed.
(February 24, 2013 at 1:16 pm)ThomM Wrote: Indeed - the Problem with this thread is that the Title again is worded as a theist would - that it is lack of belief. (We do not believe there was a jesus)
I admit that my title is a bit confusing because of the word 'historical' but it was too late to edit it after somebody pointed it out. I don't think theists would use the word historical, though, because theories about an historical Jesus are about a real man who was as human as everyone else on the planet, not the divine being portrayed by Christianity.
Some atheists don't believe that there was a real man behind all the myths and legends - Minimalist is one of them. I've read innumerable comments by atheists on blogs and various other articles and they don't all share Minimalist's opinion - some think that Jesus did exist as an ordinary man who got killed while others think he probably existed or might have existed.
There's no law which states that atheists have to insist that Jesus never existed at all. Even Richard Dawkins said he probably existed in 'The God Delusion' but he wouldn't have meant the divine being of Christian belief because he's an atheist.
I invited atheists who don't think there was anyone at all to come up with ideas because atheists who do think there was a real man might assume that Christianity got started because of him.
(February 24, 2013 at 1:16 pm)ThomM Wrote: However - if you look at the subject on a rational level - no theist has ever provided ANY proof of the existence of the christ - AND - even if there was a human person upon which PART of the MYTH is based - it would still be impossible for the christ to have actually existed based on the incredible number of contradicting claims made for the character.
Again, this topic isn't supposed to be about who Jesus might have been as a real person. It's asking for ideas about how Christianity got started when people are supposed to be taking the approach that there wasn't some ordinary human guy wandering around Galilee preaching to people. We know that Christianity did get started somehow because it's with us today.
I'm one of those atheists who think that there might have been a real man who was obscured by myths and legends so I don't go as far as Richard Dawkins who said he probably existed. In order to get this topic back on track I had a go at coming up with an idea where no real Jesus was involved but most posters don't seem interested in suggesting anything.
(February 24, 2013 at 1:16 pm)ThomM Wrote: Obviously - the christ IDENTIFIED himself as a false prohpet
He didn't in this topic because there isn't supposed to be anyone who identified himself as a prophet of any kind where the object of the exercise is concerned.
Where are the snake and mushroom smilies?
