MERGED: The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ (Part 1) & (Part 2)

[DeistPaladin]

Why are we discussing fictional things as if they could ever be real?

I do it all the time with works of fiction, discussing the character motivations and whether or not they make sense. I play RPGs (role playing games) where I create stories and one of the most important things in story telling is that the characters, from mortal antagonists to gods, are believable in their motives.

The mark of badly written fiction (and RPG adventures) is where the motives are sacrificed for the necessity of some game mechanic or other contrived reason. Stereotypical examples include:

• The fight scene in the Acme Danger Factory (why are there all these converyer belts leading to compy things and vats of acid to fall into?)
  
• The dungeon room that has a riddle which must be solved or the players will be killed by the trap.
  
• The spy villain who tells the spy about all his secret plans for world domination, puts him into an unnecessarily slow execution chamber and assumes everything goes according to plan.
  

This Yahweh vs. Satan struggle makes no sense. Even assuming Yahweh is mentally ill, his mental illnesses contradict each other. On the one hand, he demands constant adoration like a narcissist and threatens destruction and torture if he doesn't get it, like a sociopath. Yet this same character is so shy and socially shut down that he hides himself rather than bask in his worshipers adoration?

I mean, the all-powerful yet deeply insecure guy who needs such constant validation, like he has all the power in the universe and just needs to be loved, is kind of strangely touching. What he really needs is a hug? But the other derangements this character has make no sense. This is a badly written character.

And then there's Satan. What's his motivation again? Does he get to win if he drags enough souls into Hell? And why would he torture those who rejected Yahweh in Hell? You'd think if Yahweh was his enemy, he would try to recruit us once we arrive in Hell. "C'mon, you hate Yahweh too. Let's storm the gates of Heaven together!" But no, he tortures those who've sinned against Yahweh? He's also a badly written character.

If Christianity is just fiction, there's nothing to explain. Both of these characters are contrived to scare people into joining this religion and obeying the religious leaders. If these gods and devils are real, there's everything to explain. None of it would make any sense.

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Okay. What if god existed and by sacrificing himself to himself (god is a man, obv), and was going to do all the shit and miracles planned for us, but instead got abducted by...

That would explain a lot. Like how come this same god in the Bible is so overtly active and yet can't be found today except on an occasional piece of toast.