Jesus Mythacists unite!

[SNP1]

What are your own views/theories about the Jesus myth? I am interested in your views.

I am still developing mine (I am majoring in history with the hopes of getting a PhD in Ancient Civilizations), so I will post mine later.

[PickelledEggs]

My view is pretty simple. Jesus never exsisted. Many scholars came to that conclusion (not me)
But I think even the roman catholic church at one point admitted it.

[Hydra009]

What are your own views/theories about the Jesus myth? I am interested in your views.

I am still developing mine (I am majoring in history with the hopes of getting a PhD in Ancient Civilizations), so I will post mine later.

I'm sorta ambivalent about the whole thing.  Either way, it doesn't matter.  It's like wondering if Odysseus was a real person.  Either way, it doesn't make cyclopes or sirens real.

[Hakurei Reimu]

Personally, I think Jesus was a myth, from Robert M. Price's arguments and parallels to other religions at the time. Practically speaking, whether Jesus was a man made myth or historicized myth, the story is not true in any interesting content.

[PickelledEggs]

I'm sorta ambivalent about the whole thing.  Either way, it doesn't matter.  It's like wondering if Odysseus was a real person.  Either way, it doesn't make cyclopes or sirens real.

That too.

Sent from your mom.

[SGOS]

Personally, I think Jesus was a myth, from Robert M. Price's arguments and parallels to other religions at the time. Practically speaking, whether Jesus was a man made myth or historicized myth, the story is not true in any interesting content.

Jesus is the son of God.  But I don't believe in God.  Therefore, I don't believe in Jesus.  Could there have been a mad prophet running around the desert?  Given their numbers on street corners today, I would say it's likely.  But the son of God?  That chance of such a Jesus is one out of 10 to the 16th power.

[the_antithesis]

I quite simply do not care.

[dtq123]

Jesus did exist though! He existed in the mind of a dead man many ages ago who started a cult!

[Berati]

The authors of the new testament are unknown and the non christian accounts from Josephus and Tacitus have been questioned.

So, hardly any real evidence. Paul himself says that he saw Jesus in a dream and he is really the founder of Christianity.

The name "Jesus" was not unique and the story is set during a time when many people were prophesying so... putting all this together my opinion is that the Jesus of the bible is mostly myth even though there may have been a Jesus or two talking up the old testament and putting their spin on things.   

[Shiranu]

I am a fan of Reza Aslan's theory that he is the combination of several revolutionaries at the time (the region was full of people who hated Roman rule) with some philosophical influences and the local religion (Judaism, obviously) added in for good measure. A hodge-podge of previous myths and actual ideas floating around at the time put into one "perfect" body.

[Berati]

Reza Aslan is the worst kind of apologist. His statement that people can be influenced to violence by politics and culture... but that religion can NEVER be blamed for influencing people to violent behavior is self servingly stupid.

[Desdinova]

Jesus was just another manifestation in the long line of sun gods.  Pagan gods centered around the worship of the sun, not unlike Horus, Dionysus or Mithras. 

[Shiranu]

Reza Aslan is the worst kind of apologist. His statement that people can be influenced to violence by politics and culture... but that religion can NEVER be blamed for influencing people to violent behavior is self servingly stupid.

I've never heard him talk about that before, I have only heard his thoughts on the Jesus myth and the cultural boogiemanification (new word?) of Muslims.

[gussy]

Jesus might have been a real person.  It doesn't take long for a person to be mythologized.  You have a fairly illiterate population and a few people willing to project their own views and attribute them to this guy.  Convince them he performed some miracles and you have yourself a religion.  It would actually be easier than creating a fake person.  As long as Jesus was dead, he couldn't deny walking on water. 

It happens quite often actually.  George Washington isn't known as a mediocre general with rotten teeth.  He's the guy that chopped the tree down but couldn't bring himself to fib about it.  Ronald Reagan was the guy that shrunk the government even though it ballooned under him. 

[Berati]

I've never heard him talk about that before, I have only heard his thoughts on the Jesus myth and the cultural boogiemanification (new word?) of Muslims.

He was all over the TV after the Ben Affleck incident saying that religion does not influence behaviour. Here is a piece from The Humanist that challenges this self serving notion.
http://thehumanist.com/commentary/reza-aslan-religion-and-moral-influence