(January 31, 2015 at 9:38 pm)SteveII Wrote: 1. Why were the gospels written?It is plausible that the gospels were written for the same reason that David Miscavige is keeping Scientology going: it is profitable to scam the faithful.
Quote:2. Why were the letter(sic) of Paul, John, Peter and James written?Same reason.
Quote:3. Why did the early church come up with a religion that was so non-jewish as to cause life and death struggle with the jewish establishment?Same reason.
Quote:4. How does a real Jesus fit into these events?The itinerant preacher Jesus got caught up believing his own shtick about this being the end times and everybody was going to get happy in the new and improved kingdom of god. Got himself convicted by the local religious authorities because he was upsetting their (profitable) gig in the temple and executed by their friends, the military occupying government because they didn't want a rabble rouser upsetting peace in the community.
I prefer simple, non-miraculous explanations, specially when they are more explanatory than the ones that require constant divine twiddling.
So how, exactly, does God know that She's NOT a brain in a vat?