(March 31, 2015 at 7:22 pm)Alex K Wrote: I'd say it is of utmost importance to science whether there once was a guy who could turn water into wine.
I have seen the trick of turning water into wine, performed just like Jesus' supposed miracle, with the only exception being that the containers were of different material. In the story, the substance is poured from container to another, which is just what a magician would do, to create the illusion of something changing.
I think we can be reasonably certain that someone involved in the story saw a magic trick, but that does not tell us whether the story is based upon a particular individual, or on general experience with people doing tricks.
By the way, in my earlier post # 38 at:
http://atheistforums.org/thread-32446-po...#pid911625
I should have mentioned that I think that Nestor is absolutely correct, that one should view the existence of Jesus exactly as one views the existence of other ancient people. The exact same standards of evidence should apply, and the exact same suspicions should apply, in all cases.
"A wise man ... proportions his belief to the evidence."
— David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Section X, Part I.
