Regarding Jesus

[Confused Ape]

The story of Jesus without the miracles and the divinity is the story of "some guy". Like the hypothetical TV series I suggested, the story ends up being about a different character and having little or no resemblance to the Gospel tale.

If there was somebody buried underneath all the myths and legends what else would he be but just some guy? The Jewish view of Jesus is that he was another failed messiah wannabe who preached, had some followers and got executed. If you take all the miracles and divinity out of the Gospel stories you're left with some guy who preached, had some followers and got executed. Judaism rejects Jesus as a messiah because he didn't fulfil the messiah requirements. If there ever was a real man who ended up as mythical Jesus, the majority of Jews in his day would have rejected him for the same reason.

The only thing anyone can say for certain is that Jewish beliefs about a messiah got mixed up with other mythology. How did it happen? Nobody knows so it's all down to speculation. Whatever the real reason was, though, it would be mundane. For example, somebody deciding to start a cult about a divine messiah would be a mundane reason because umpteen people throughout history have decided to start a cult about something.

Why does everything have to hinge on what Christians believe in before it's relevant?

Because all they have is belief and that is what they insist is real. One cannot dispel delusion without dealing with the delusion.

There are mundane explanations for how the story of the resurrection could have got started and a real Jesus isn't required here. If somebody, somewhere was thought to be dead when they weren't and their revival went into folklore as a miracle it would be an ideal event to add the the stories of Inanna, Osiris and Jesus. Judaism, meanwhile, has a mundane explanation for a real life of Jesus if he ever existed.

Christians determined to hang onto their beliefs won't consider mundane explanations any more than Young Earth Creationists accept scientific facts which contradict what they want to believe.

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The story is still an ethnocentric religious fairy tale with a cast of imaginary characters and no basis in reality. When the English got their hands on it they wrote it as an elaborate joke that still goes over most people's heads even today.

Can you provide links to reputable sources explaining this elaborate joke? It sounds fascinating so I'd like to read about it.