While atheists assert there is no God...?

Question

Do you also assert there is no Jesus? Not Jesus as son of God, or Messiah and Savior, but that there was no Jesus at all? There has been evidence, confirmed by non Christian writers, that affirm there was a man, in the same time period, that lead followers.

My question is:
Do you believe Jesus ( a man, not God, or part of God) lived?

And if so, do you believe he was crazy,mislead, or simply over played?

For instance;

Although Celsus, a late second-century critic of Christianity, accused Jesus of being a bastard child and a sorcerer, he never questions Jesus' historicity even though he hated Christianity and Jesus.He is quoted as saying that Jesus was a "mere man".

Answer 1

Probably was. He was a good man, a great thinker and following his teachings are one of the best ways you can live your life. Worshiping him, and generally talking about Jesus this and Jesus that, what would jesus do, wanting to be with Jesus, and especially the arogance toward and obsession with any one who does not acknowledge Jesus I find repulsive and disgusting.

Answer 2

First: Atheists don't neccessarily assert "there is no god." Specifically only 'strong' atheists believe that. Being an atheist simply entails a *lack of belief* in God. So, while they can't assert there definitely is no god, they also say they do not believe your version (or anyone else's) version of god.

Second: Jesus' existence --

I actually genuinely have my doubts if Jesus existed. For instance, the major link between when Jesus supposedly lived and when the gospels were written was mostly written by the apostle Paul (or Saul of Tarsus), which made no reference to Jesus' actual life/miracles - and said he had performed the resurrection 'in heaven'. The fact that his life was written a few decades after that leads me to believe that his existence is in question - the fact that Jesus is a compilation of the archetypal hero, and many of the stories of Jesus were taken from Sumarian stories.

So, even if he did exist, the fact was he at most could have been a man - not God. Simple observation will tell you that. So I genuinely believe he was a popular figure in history, maybe not crazy, just not correct in stating he was god. Since then, he has definitely been over-played.

Answer 3

I think there was probably a real person behind the Jesus mythology although there is debate on the issue. I recently read a book on the non Biblical references to Jesus and how few and historically questionable most are. I don't think he was crazy if he lived. I think he preached a sincere message, was killed as many social trouble makers were back then, and then his life was adapted and added to by others. I do reject the notion of Jesus as a supernatural being. This is based on studying who wrote the Bible and what they wrote when. Most never knew Jesus persoanlly. Paul the earliest epistle writer had no knowledge of most of the events that supposedly occured in Jesus's life and honestly admitted he was writing based on divine revelations. I don't accept divine revelations. Most of the supposed details of Jesus's life were added many years later.

Answer 4

I'm inclined to believe the evidence that Jesus lived as 'true' or, at the very least, that it is believable.

If that belief is true, the notion that he was more than a 'mere' man is likely also true but, for me, it falls short at the point where Jesus would posses more than human capabilities.

My direct answer to your question is that Jesus was very likely a living human being with a remarkably charismatic personality, that he was followed and revered by others and that his widespread reputation simply out-grew his reality. For those of his time who were already believers of the incredible tales told in the old testament, it became an easy enough leap to begin believing stories of Jesus that were likely spread as rumors and it's possible that the stories, however fantastic they were, attached themselves firmly to the man's reputation and soon became part of what propelled him into a larger-than-life, supernatural legend - 'The son of God'.

I have no support of this, of course, but it could have easily been so and I am willing to advance it as a theory with probability on its side.

((((( r u randy? )))))
.

Answer 5

I belive that Jesus existed. I believe he was an enlightened man and had a following. I also think he had a legitimate claim to the house of David as well as Solomon and that he was a danger to Romes authority in the area. He practiced passive resistance against the Roman oppressors and was a great man.

Answer 6

Actually, there were several men living in that time period that fit the description of Jesus. But the "gospels" were not written until many years later, some scholers say as many as 100 years later, and are therefore suspect.

Answer 7

IF Jesus were a real man, and I dont think this really has been confirmed without a shadow of a doubt, how do we know that he claimed to be the son of god? The words attributed to him were written by men. He didnt carry a tape recorder. (Sorry, I dont mean to be a smart aleck)

Answer 8

Some do assert that very thing. I don't. Atheists do not have to have anything in common other than having no belief in a god or gods. In fact, they don't even have to, as you say, assert that there is no god. Lacking belief also makes the person an atheist. A subtle but important difference.

Answer 9

I think he probably existed, had a nice message (just like the buddha). He could have been killed for it or maybe faked it. That's where it gets hazy. But it's clear we're not really sure what he actually said since each gospel is different and they can't agree on some pretty important things.

Answer 10

I think that there was probably a man named Yeshua from Nazareth. He was probably a rabbi, made some people mad with his teachings, and got killed by the government for stirring up trouble. That's all; I don't think he was necessarily crazy (at least not Nero crazy), and I certainly don't think he was a god or demi-god. He was just a dude who got made into a legend, like Johnny Appleseed.