i have questions about background about Christianity..from book "The Case for Christ"?

Question

1.Have you read news accounts of the Jesus Seminar's opinions? What was your response to what was reported? Did the articles give you the impression that the Seminar's findings represent the opinions of the majority of scholars? What dangers do you see in relying on the news media in reporting on issues of this kind?

2. As you conduct your own investigation of Jesus, should you rule out any possibility of the supernatural at the outset, or should you allow yourself to consider all the evidence of history even if it points toward the miraculous as having occured? Why?

3. Boyd said, "I don't want to base my life on a symbol. I want reality...." Why do you agree or disagree?
Is it enough that Jesus is a symbol of hope, or is it important for you to be confident that his life, teachings, and resurrection are rooted in history? Why?

Answer 1

I believe Jesus was/is real, I believe in miracles, I am confident in the life and teachings and resurrection of Jesus Christ

Answer 2

1. I've not heard of these seminars.

2. Supernaturalism is an incoherent concept; it's based largely in mysticism, thus having no rational or logical basis.
"Evidence of history" means what? Unless you have a time machine, there's no such thing as "evidence" for history wherein you can establish the existence of a supernatural occurance. For any given supernatural occurance that is supposed to have happened in the past, there is a much more likely naturalistic explanation.

3. I agree, reality is the most important matter. Which is, of course, why i'm not a christian.
It's worth noting that there is nothing other than hearsay to suggest that jesus even existed in the first place, much less lived and peformed miracles. Hearsay, for good reasons, does not consitute valid evidence of anything on its own.

Answer 3

1) The Jesus Seminar findings appear to represent the majority opinion of only the liberals in academia.

2) One should rule out nothing, but accept all the evidence for what it truly inidicates.

3) Believing in a symbol means nothing, and serves no purpose. If Jesus isn't real, and if he isn't exactly who he said he is, than there is no point in believing in him.

Since the beginning of human history there have been people who believed in God and people who didn't.

Both types always ended up dead, but only the faithful had the hope of eternal life, and the joy of living that sprang from that hope.

Answer 4

given that christianity is a myth, and a faulty one at that...

...let's sit around and discuss the impact of peter pan on other literature. it makes about as much sense...