Open debate: What does Jesus teach?

[DeistPaladin]

Where are the execution records?

There are two records I know of, and Min can correct me if I say anything wrong:

1. The Neronian Persecution
According to second century accounts, Seutonius I believe, Rome burned under Nero and Nero needed a scapegoat. He allegedly blamed the Christians and a melodramatic description of their persecution follows. Even taking these tales at face value, I am skeptical that they are evidence of anything. The fire was in 64 CE, a good generation or two after the alleged resurrection and well removed from the place. It's unlikely any witnesses to the resurrection would have been there at all. Such Christians would have been converts.

Additionally, there would have been no opportunity to deconvert. This would have been a pogrom. Christians would have been rounded up and executed. There was no reason to think the Christians would have either seen it coming nor had any opportunity to disassociate from the religion, since Nero would have needed to make them publicly suffer for the crime of arson.

2. The Letters of Pliny
Pliny details his inquiries into some captured Christians, discussing their rituals at the time. Under the lash, they were willing to curse Christ and renounce their faith. Interestingly, Pliny writes about the Christians as if he has no freaking clue who they are or what to do with them. Did he not know they burned Rome some 50 years prior? It would be like 40 years from now a U.S. official not knowing what Islam was.

That's all I know of.

Frankly, I find it likely the tales of persecution to be exaggerated. Rome never persecuted a religion unless it directly threatened their authority. Christianity preached a message of "render unto Caesar" and their kingdom was in another, higher world. This would have been the kind of religion Rome would have encouraged (and finally they did).