the THEORY of Jesus

[mopaul]

if some of the contemporary followers of jesus can turn the theory of evolution on it's ass and begin a campaign to eliminate it from public schools, then the same skepticism about the validity of an actual, historical christ can also be debated ad nauseum.

if you can't PROVE evolution to someone, by the same principle, you can't prove to me that jesus ever existed, let alone being in possession of magical powers far beyond those of mortal men.

i have never seen a picture of jesus. just some silly paintings. i have no hit records by jesus in my music collection. i know of no one who has ever seen jesus, or can prove that he even existed. it's less a theory than a tall tale, in my opinion, for what it's worth.

[bryant69]

1. I think that argument is playing into your hands

But then it depends on what your goal in the debate is. If you're happy just making pro-creationists uncomfortable or angry, well, that's a good tactic. But if you are interested in convincing the middle ground, than that line of attack won't help very much I don't think.

We are already the reasonable ones in this debate - we don't need to make it about Science Vs. Religion, but can make it about teaching science vs. not teaching science.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[mopaul]

4. i have no evil motive

i'm just stating a wacky theory. and i don't hate jesus.

[JNelson6563]

6. Yeah but

only by putting inflammatory, sensationalist stuff in posts are you guaranteed lots of replies/attention.

Julie

[mopaul]

7. it's true, i do crave negative attention

you got my number alright

[DistressedAmerican]

11. Flame Baiter! I Know How You Are!

[clydefrand]

2. Whatsa matter wif you? Don't you know the Bible tells us that

he lived and did all of those miraculous things! That's all it takes to make it so. Remember: Jesus loves me; the Bible tells me so.

Bunches of sarcasm here; but it is the truth...that's their proof and to hell with existing scientific evidence that we can see and study.

[atommom]

3. What they need to do, then, is Teach The Controversy!

:rofl:

That would include the controversy over whether there's a Supreme Being at all. Can you imagine how fast their heads would explode?

[gmoney]

5. The Bible says the Bible is true!

Gosh, how much simpler could it be? I mean, they couldn't print it if it wasn't true, right?

:ROFL:

[whistle]

8. Here you go Mopaul

<snip>
Historical Jesus Theories

The purpose of this web page is to explain and explore some of the theories offered up by contemporary scholars on the historical Jesus and the origins of the Christian religion. Issues include the nature of the historical Jesus, the nature of the early Christian documents, and the origins of the Christian faith in a risen Jesus Christ. An attempt has been made to include historical Jesus theories across the spectrum from Marcus Borg to N.T. Wright and to describe these historical Jesus theories in an accurate and concise way.

The authors are listed in alphabetical order. For convenience, the authors are also listed by the general view that each has on the historical Jesus. Much information is lost when a person's view is reduced to a slogan, and even scholars placed under the same rubric have different views on Jesus. The information on this web page is no substitute for reading what these writers have to say. The recent publications of each writer on the historical Jesus are indicated, with links to amazon.com to view reader reviews and buying information. Online articles by or about the author are also listed. The editor's favorites are shown in pictures on the right-hand side, and these titles are recommended for further reading on the historical Jesus.

<more>
<link> http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/theories.html

Of particular note is the scholorly work by John Dominic Crossan. This man, a former catholic priest and widely recognized authority on the historical significance of Jesus who published an extensive text book on the matter by the title of "The Historical Jesus". I'm sure that his work may provide stimulating reading on the subject.

<snip>
In the work of John Dominic Crossan, there is a refreshing emphasis on methodology. To this end, Crossan has compiled a database of the attestation for the Jesus traditions by independent attestation and stratification, provided by Faith Futures Foundation in the links above. Crossan in The Historical Jesus explains that his methodology is to take what is known about the historical Jesus from the earliest, most widely attested data and set it in a socio-historical context. The bulk of the common sayings tradition shows itself to be specific to the situation that existed in the 20s of the first century in Galilee in which the agrarian peasantry were being exploited as the Romans were commercializing the area. The historical Jesus proves to be a displaced Galilean peasant artisan who had got fed up with the situation and went about preaching a radical message: an egalatarian vision of the Kingdom of God present on earth and available to all as manifested in the acts of Jesus in healing the sick and practicing an open commensality in which all were invited to share. The historical Jesus was an itinerant whose mode of teaching can be understood on analogy with the Cynic sage but who was nonetheless a Jew who believed that the kingdom was being made available by the God of Israel to his people. The revolutionary message of Jesus was seen to be subversive to the Roman vision of order and led to the fateful execution of Jesus by Pilate on a hill outside of Jerusalem.
<link> http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/theories.html#crossan

[Double T]

9. There Is NO Place In State Government For Religion; Likewise There Is.....

...NO Place In Religion For State Government. They Are Both Messy Enough As Separate Entities Without Combining Them Together To Make An Even Bigger Mess.

[DistressedAmerican]

10. Dammit! Now I Want A Jesus Record In My Collection!

Well, CD anyway!

[Zenlitened]

12. Be nice to the "real" christians.

They might... someday, maybe, possibly stand up and, you know... if it's not too much trouble, and not to start a confrontation or something... sort of take a stand and show something approaching leadership in challenging the fundies. Maybe. Someday.