Is Jesus Christ the son of God?

[Crumpets]

No, unclear that he ever even existed at all

LOL. That claim is New Atheist nonsense that's about as credible as the one that Shakespeare didn't author his plays.

I’m not an atheist, but thanks for playing

Regardless, there's overwhelming scholarly consensus that Jesus was a historical figure, and if you're going to offhandedly challenge that, you're probably going to need a heapload of evidence if you want anyone to take you seriously.

(Semi-)serious request: is there a short and compelling summary of this evidence that I can read somewhere?

This is a video I found pretty informative on the question of the historicity of Jesus, at least as someone who did not grow up in the church (can't speak for how it comes across to Christians). One thing I like about this particular video is that it is part of a collaboration series between a couple different YouTube historians that also asks the same questions about Moses and Muhammad and shows why we can be much more confident about the existence of Jesus and Muhammad than we can a figure like Moses.

[💥💥 brandon bro (he/him/his)]

Literally just search “historical Jesus.” The idea that Jesus existed is accepted by nearly all historians, religious interpretations aside.

There's no need to be a snippy dickhead, it was a good faith request from a person raised in a completely athiest household who is too busy to sort through multiple sources he doesn't have the background to verify or evaluate on his own. I asked in response to the quote I did in the hopes that someone could give me something short that they have already evaluated the merits of on their own time.

Anyway, thank you Crumpets.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

No, unclear that he ever even existed at all

LOL. That claim is New Atheist nonsense that's about as credible as the one that Shakespeare didn't author his plays.

I’m not an atheist, but thanks for playing

Regardless, there's overwhelming scholarly consensus that Jesus was a historical figure, and if you're going to offhandedly challenge that, you're probably going to need a heapload of evidence if you want anyone to take you seriously.

(Semi-)serious request: is there a short and compelling summary of this evidence that I can read somewhere?

This is a video I found pretty informative on the question of the historicity of Jesus, at least as someone who did not grow up in the church (can't speak to how it comes across to Christians). One thing I like about this particular video is that it is part of a collaboration between a couple different YouTube historians that also asks the same questions about Moses and Muhammad and shows why we can be much more confident about the existence of Jesus and Muhammad than we can a figure like Moses.

Thanks for posting   Still don’t believe he was the son of God, obviously, but that was pretty informative about his historicity.

[Badger]

Start at 1:30

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=A72MAMTVnQo&pp=ygUXT2ggZ29kIEplc3VzIHdhcyBteSBzb24%3D

[Gracile]

No.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

I know that dreams can be interpreted as real incarnate they said that on Ancient aliens and everything after the cross or the angel coming to Joseph before Christ birth can be interpreted as a Dream

I have dreams like that I have Dreams of my Dad whom died taking charge of my life who knows if he was GOD but as I said there are Good and evil forces and regardless if you aren't rich you will go thru obstacles

The whole book of Revelations is a John Dream after he survived being poisoned a near death experience

[Mr. Illini]

Literally just search “historical Jesus.” The idea that Jesus existed is accepted by nearly all historians, religious interpretations aside.

There's no need to be a snippy dickhead, it was a good faith request from a person raised in a completely athiest household who is too busy to sort through multiple sources he doesn't have the background to verify or evaluate on his own. I asked in response to the quote I did in the hopes that someone could give me something short that they have already evaluated the merits of on their own time.

Anyway, thank you Crumpets.

I was snippy mostly because the idea you put forward is one shared by some of the most intolerable atheists on the planet. If it was purely out of ignorance, then apologies.

[SWE]

No. Jesus existed, which implies his parents also existed

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

No. Jesus existed, which implies his parents also existed

We are all child's of God

[💥💥 brandon bro (he/him/his)]

Literally just search “historical Jesus.” The idea that Jesus existed is accepted by nearly all historians, religious interpretations aside.

There's no need to be a snippy dickhead, it was a good faith request from a person raised in a completely athiest household who is too busy to sort through multiple sources he doesn't have the background to verify or evaluate on his own. I asked in response to the quote I did in the hopes that someone could give me something short that they have already evaluated the merits of on their own time.

Anyway, thank you Crumpets.

I was snippy mostly because the idea you put forward is one shared by some of the most intolerable atheists on the planet. If it was purely out of ignorance, then apologies.

Thanks. Still have no idea what prompted this though - I didn't put forward any "idea", I was just asking for a short, vetted piece of information.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

They had architect evidence that there were Ossuary boxes but was Jesus buried in one no one knows because bones disappear and we only are left with the boxes itself they had no last names back then James son of Joseph had an Ossuary box but it's the Gospel we believe in not architect

[John Dule]

No. Jesus existed, which implies his parents also existed

We are all child's of God

Interesting. So would you say Jesus wasn’t that special?

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

There is doubt but we still listen to Gospel that he was due the fact the world is getting intolerance due to wealth, and killings in war and other people and John said there would be signs that God will be coming back and we had a Pandemic

I started doubting it as soon as my mom died, I know we are not immortal vampires but she wasn't that sick when she died a couple days in the hospital and another blood transfusion she could of stayed with us

Also, Pope and Jehovah Witness especially Pope John Paul made this big deal about 2000 God was coming back and 2005 John Paul died we still have a Pope but he is nothing like John Paul

We are most likely gonna die from a comet than God coming back to Earth

[Alben Barkley]

If he was, the musical Judas raised some valid questions years ago:

Every time I look at you, I don't understand
Why you let the things you did get so out of hand
You'd have managed better if you'd had it planned
Why'd you choose such a backward time and such a strange land?
If you'd come today, you would have reached a whole nation
Israel in 4 BC had no mass communication

That said, I want to believe. I really do. Have for a while. I just don't know if I CAN. It's not a matter of the heart the way many make it out to be. It's a matter of the brain. Can I truly force myself to believe something I have significant doubts is true? So far I've found it a struggle, to put it mildly.

[RINO Tom]

Regardless of your beliefs, I find it to be weirdly cringe behavior (assuming people are doing it on purpose) to capitalize Jesus Christ as a name/proper noun but go our of your way to not capitalize God, which in this context clearly refers to the Abrahamic deity that is called God and not the way the word is used in the form of a regular noun (e.g., "the Greek gods").

[Continential]

Regardless of your beliefs, I find it to be weirdly cringe behavior (assuming people are doing it on purpose) to capitalize Jesus Christ as a name/proper noun but go our of your way to not capitalize God, which in this context clearly refers to the Abrahamic deity that is called God and not the way the word is used in the form of a regular noun (e.g., "the Greek gods").

Edited.

[100% pro-life no matter what]

Regardless of your beliefs, I find it to be weirdly cringe behavior (assuming people are doing it on purpose) to capitalize Jesus Christ as a name/proper noun but go our of your way to not capitalize God, which in this context clearly refers to the Abrahamic deity that is called God and not the way the word is used in the form of a regular noun (e.g., "the Greek gods").

Along similar lines, it's also worth saying that Christ was not Jesus's last name.  Christ is a title referring to the Jewish Messiah.  If you don't believe Jesus to have been the Messiah/Christ, using the title Christ is strange.  In his day, he would have been called Jesus of Nazareth (or Yeshua in Aramaic).

[SnowLabrador]

No. In fact, he didn't exist at all - there are hardly any extrabiblical sources claiming that, and they're all hearsay from a generation or two later. I wish I could believe, but I just can't.

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

If he was, the musical Judas raised some valid questions years ago:

Every time I look at you, I don't understand
Why you let the things you did get so out of hand
You'd have managed better if you'd had it planned
Why'd you choose such a backward time and such a strange land?
If you'd come today, you would have reached a whole nation
Israel in 4 BC had no mass communication

That said, I want to believe. I really do. Have for a while. I just don't know if I CAN. It's not a matter of the heart the way many make it out to be. It's a matter of the brain. Can I truly force myself to believe something I have significant doubts is true? So far I've found it a struggle, to put it mildly.

I relate to this a lot as someone who was raised in a very religious family, as I've talked about a few times. There's absolutely still a part of me that identifies with the rituals of my upbringing and has a lot of affinity and comfort in those rituals but I also recognize them as mostly just that, more than likely man-made parts of a religious system meant to satiate some innate need in many people and cultures to believe in higher purpose. Which is fulfilled with religion.

There are secular ways to achieve similar levels of fulfillment, but for many people, religion serves that purpose in their life and I totally understand why it does that for people and as long as they aren't trying to make government reflect their religious beliefs for non-believers then I have immense respect for the many religious traditions of the world.

Sounds like an interesting play, too. I'll need to check it out.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Jews follow Moses he didn't resurrect, Buddha didn't resurrect and neither did Muhammad, the prophets are Priest in their religion, do you know that Jesus studied Buddhism in Japan yes he did they all say Death is your Enlightenment

No one came back to US and said they died and came back b
But, Buddhist believe you come back in another form but you don't have 10 lives

So, we don't know if Jesus Resurrected as I said before the Resurrection can be a Dream just like revelation is a Dream because John the Apostle was poisoned and had a near Death experience

I know the walking on water could be a Dream I saw on the movie Apostle Peter had a Dream Jesus called to him walking on water and he fell and he got back up

These are the same people that along with Pharoahs built the pyramids

That's why Blks not Adam and Eve were the first people the story about the apple can be symbolism

Is there a real Devil, the serpent in Jesus Temptations and Adam and Eve supposed to be the Devil but in most movies they depict him as Sulfer in Odin and Thor, but Loki is Satan too

There are Good and ev forces as a student of Buddhism I know Heaven and Hell and Enlightened can be states of minds not exact places because Rapture hasn't come yet

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

There are secular ways to achieve similar levels of fulfillment, but for many people, religion serves that purpose in their life and I totally understand why it does that for people and as long as they aren't trying to make government reflect their religious beliefs for non-believers then I have immense respect for the many religious traditions of the world.

Then why were you once screeching that ALL churches including ones that don't engage in politicking should be taxed?

(Which doesn't even make sense as they don't have profits.)

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

There are secular ways to achieve similar levels of fulfillment, but for many people, religion serves that purpose in their life and I totally understand why it does that for people and as long as they aren't trying to make government reflect their religious beliefs for non-believers then I have immense respect for the many religious traditions of the world.

Then why were you once screeching that ALL churches including ones that don't engage in politicking should be taxed?

(Which doesn't even make sense as they don't have profits.)

I'm confused why you believe that one belief contradicts the other?

I do respect all religious beliefs. Still think they should also be taxed. Particularly since keeping religious organizations out of politics is never enforced.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

There are secular ways to achieve similar levels of fulfillment, but for many people, religion serves that purpose in their life and I totally understand why it does that for people and as long as they aren't trying to make government reflect their religious beliefs for non-believers then I have immense respect for the many religious traditions of the world.

Then why were you once screeching that ALL churches including ones that don't engage in politicking should be taxed?

(Which doesn't even make sense as they don't have profits.)

I'm confused why you believe that one belief contradicts the other?

I do respect all religious beliefs. Still think they should also be taxed. Particularly since keeping religious organizations out of politics is never enforced.

So what exactly would be taxed? And do you think the Red Cross and Harvard University should also be taxed? (They have the same exemption for the same reason: they are non-profits.)

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

It's always questionable since Pharoahs were black and you need black as well as white to make other races outside of blk you can't get Blk on white race

At any rate most animals are black and then come out white not the other way what is a chimp he is a blk chimp, the baboon is white because they are albino

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

There are secular ways to achieve similar levels of fulfillment, but for many people, religion serves that purpose in their life and I totally understand why it does that for people and as long as they aren't trying to make government reflect their religious beliefs for non-believers then I have immense respect for the many religious traditions of the world.

Then why were you once screeching that ALL churches including ones that don't engage in politicking should be taxed?

(Which doesn't even make sense as they don't have profits.)

I'm confused why you believe that one belief contradicts the other?

I do respect all religious beliefs. Still think they should also be taxed. Particularly since keeping religious organizations out of politics is never enforced.

So what exactly would be taxed? And do you think the Red Cross and Harvard University should also be taxed? (They have the same exemption for the same reason: they are non-profits.)

You realize that many, many countries around the world institute some sort of a church tax, right? Having been involved in church finances in the past I can say that it completely reaffirmed my position that churches should be taxed seeing church finances being used to personally benefit church leadership, personal endeavors of the pastor, their children, etc. I don't have any solid proposal for taxing churches and it isn't an issue I'm going to harp on or debate in detail but I definitely see no reason for religious organizations having special tax exceptions in a secular country.

I believe they should be paying property taxes and most of the rest just like any other group that brings in significant income and benefits from the society and infrastructure that supports them.