Challenge to atheists: I find your lack of faith disturbing!

[CapnAwesome]

Of course the claims made about Genghis and Jesus are spectacular in spectacularly different ways.

One of them seems to have conquered much of eurarasia .. something a human being could conceivably do given a large enough army.

The other is said to have been born of a virgin, walked on water, performed alchemy by turning water to wine, cured leprosy, risen from the dead and lived a life of outstanding empathy. Only the last of these is something a human could conceivably do. The rest are the sorts of claims for which exceptional evidence would be required. If the only surviving evidence are some recorded stories then they should be located at the library in the same section where the exploits of Hercules and Thor are shelved.

I don't think for a moment that Bart Ehrman is endorsing anything supernatural when he says that Jesus is based on a historical person. Christians who use his book to back up those claims are being dishonest nor do I think that's his implication. I find it likely that Jesus is based on a historical person, however since I don't believe he had any supernatural powers, it's rather irrelevant. Jesus did nothing supernatural because the supernatural doesn't exist. Ghenghis Khan was said to have supernatural powers as well and many believe that he is still to be resurrected. This doesn't discount him as a historical person.

My point is more that the argument that Jesus didn't exist because of a lack of primary sources is an extremely poor one. Non-historians would be amazed at the historically established people who don't have primary sources. Genghis Khan conquered most of the world and didn't have any primary sources about him. If people are to argue that Jesus didn't exist as a historic person they are going to have to expand beyond that argument.