How to tell a real freethinker

[Zen Badger]

Real freethinkers don't have a problem with Jesus himself. Their issues are generally with the church and behavior of Christians.

The agnostic historian Durant called the critiques of the Gospels "minutae" and said that for a few simple men to have invented Jesus in one generation would be a miracle more incredible than anything recorded in the Gospels. He questioned the resurrection, but not the accounts of it, suggesting with Schonfield that Jesus swooned and did not himself know that he was not raised by God.

Einstein, at least as a young man, asked who could not feel close to "the Nazarene" of the Gospels, although he later distanced himself. Of course we all know he did his best thinking as a youth.

Franklin went the other direction, quoting the New Testament more as he grew older, and while not a Christian by most definitions, he promoted George Whitefield's preaching by building him a place to preach out of the rain, at his own expense.

Jefferson called Jesus' teachings "the most sublime and benevolent code of morals ever recorded." He did not believe the miracles, but his hero, John Locke, did believe them, all of them. Locke also calls Jesus "our Lord." (See The Reasonableness of Christianity by Locke)

Ghandi called the crucifixion a "perfect act" of love. His problems were with Christians, not Jesus. It is foolish, not to mention irrational, to make decisions about a founder because workers are corrupt, dumb or irrational.

I could go on, but the point is that real freethinkers include many highly intelligent and skeptical people who became Christians. They believe partly because they are skeptical of mindless skepticism, of the simplistic, illogical and gratuitous arguments that the Gospels are false records. They realize that the burden is on the critic to prove they are false. Calling people deluded or dishonest requires proof, especially when they had nothing to gain but persecution. (A historic fact).

And when you trot out some actual evidence for his existence you will have won the argument.......

So when you're ready......