Is it insane to continue believing something even when there is ABSOLUTE evidence against it?

Question

Like the historicity of Jesus Christ. We Historians know that the Biblical Jesus never existed.... When we prove it to Christians, they close their ears and say, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus...."

Or they use the same old spill from those tired old "apologist" websites and books - Evidence ThatDemandsaVerdict, or Tektonics! Even those resources have been thoroughly refuted!

Is it a direct correlation between a lifetime of brainwashing and insanity??

Why do people WANT to believe this so very much? And guess the same goes for Muslims, Buddhists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Satanists, etc, etc, etc...

If EVIDENCE cannot change a belief, WHAT CAN?

HOPE:
I use the same criteria. If there is an assumed historical figure and they score as poorly on the Historic scale as Jesus, I will not believe in them either.

FIREBALL:

F&W is nice for your gradeschool reports, but serious researchers know the deal.

Besides, F&W use the words, "CHRISTIANS BELIEVE... so and so...."

PHIL:
You've obviously been living on a rainbow colored cloud plucking your harp... The Biblical Jesus is nonexistent. Learn how to look OUTSIDE your bubble.
Any fool can do the appropriate searches - all it takes is a little OBJECTIVITY.

Hey, Heathen Daughter:
Is there absolute proof that Jack the Ripper does not bodily live in your closet? Look in there and see. Well, I guess there are standards for disproving things after all!

Answer 1

To not believe Jesus existed is to engage in selective skepticism. Why would the Quran mention Jesus? What do they have to gain? For arguments sake, lets say He didn't exist. Doesn't that make Christianity an even more incredible phenomenon !

Answer 2

Could a mythical character—a person who never really lived—have affected human history so remarkably? The reference work The Historians’ History of the World observed: “The historical result of [Jesus’] activities was more momentous, even from a strictly secular standpoint, than the deeds of any other character of history. A new era, recognised by the chief civilisations of the world, dates from his birth.” Think about it. Even some calendars today are based on the year that Jesus was thought to have been born. “Dates before that year are listed as B.C., or before Christ,” explains The World Book Encyclopedia. “Dates after that year are listed as A.D., or anno Domini (in the year of our Lord).”

8 By his dynamic teachings and by the way he lived his life in harmony with them, Jesus has powerfully affected the lives of untold multitudes of people for nearly two thousand years. As one writer aptly expressed it: “All the armies that ever marched, and all the navies that ever were built, and all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully.” Still, say the critics: ‘All that we really know about Jesus is found in the Bible. No other contemporary records concerning him exist.’ Yet, is this true?

9 Although references to Jesus Christ by early secular historians are meager, such references do exist. Cornelius Tacitus, a respected first-century Roman historian, wrote that the Roman emperor Nero ‘fastened the guilt for the burning of Rome on Christians,’ and then Tacitus explained: “The name [Christian] is derived from Christ, whom the procurator Pontius Pilate had executed in the reign of Tiberius.” Suetonius and Pliny the Younger, other Roman writers of the time, also made mention of Christ. In addition, Flavius Josephus, a first-century Jewish historian, wrote in Antiquities of the Jews regarding the death of the Christian disciple James. Josephus said in explanation that James was “the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ.”

10 The New Encyclopædia Britannica thus concludes: “These independent accounts prove that in ancient times even the opponents of Christianity never doubted the historicity of Jesus, which was disputed for the first time and on inadequate grounds at the end of the 18th, during the 19th, and at the beginning of the 20th centuries.”

watchtower92

Answer 3

It sounds like you've looked at both sides of it very carefully and made your decision. If so, I respect you.

I guess for me, maybe I need to do more research? I haven't seen ABSOLUTE evidence against Evidence That Demands a Verdict or Tektonics yet. Evidence That Demands a Verdict has been updated by the way, so it might not be as antiquated as you think? I've seen some arguments, but not absolute evidence and what I've seen so far looks like Christianity has more evidence for it. I'm willing to look at it more though. I plan on reading Dawkin's books soon. Do you have any other good sources for me? The one that has ABSOLUTE evidence would be of great interest to me.

Thanks,

Mike

Answer 4

Where is your proof that the Biblical Jesus never existed? Even if you, in your mind, could prove to me beyond the shadow of a doubt that Jesus never existed, I still would not believe you. What evidence do you have to support your claim? I have evidence of the changes he has made in my life. I was not raised in a Christian home nor was I raised to be a Christian, so the brainwashing theory doesn't work in my case. I became a Christian at the age of 19 and the changes that came about in my life afterwards are proof to me that Jesus is real and there is nothing you or anyone else could say, do, or show me that would convince me otherwise. I know Jesus, so I can't be convinced He doesn't exist.

Answer 5

It's true that the evidence AGAINST the historical probability of a Jesus is strong. But believers are not really interested in facts, especially historical facts. Believers are more interested in "truth," even when the facts do not support a particularly held "truth." And "truth" is a much more potent liquor for believers than anything else. It's addictive, too.

I think that for us skeptics, we just need to be tolerant and kind, and offer Reason when genuine dialog is possible. In short, we must try to be more "Christian" than the so-called Christians (or other fundamentalists) who would prefer that the facts not get in the way of their "truth."

Answer 6

Cite said evidence showing that Freyja doesn't exist please.
Every scientist on the face of the planet will freely admit they can not prove or disprove the supernatural. The gods fall into this realm. YOU can not site ABSOLUTE proof. You can site EVIDENCE. There is a difference.

And for the record most Satanist don't believe in a deity. They are atheistic in nature. It's more of a philosphy. Just like Buddhism. There are no divine gods in thier "faiths"

edit: you need to look up what absolute proof means. Go re-take your science class. You obviously failed.

Answer 7

Where is your ABSOLUTE evidence, that Jesus the Christ never lived?
______________________________________
If having faith and belief in something other than myself, makes me insane; sobeit. There is way too much evidence to support the words of the Bible, than any available that refutes its words.

(1) The Torah has been around for at least 3500 years
http://www.beingjewish.com/mesorah/ageoftorah.html

(2) The Bible has over 24,000 manuscripts (the first five books of the Bible are the Torah)
http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/bibleorigin.html

(3) Dead Sea Scrolls, over 800 Biblical and Non-Biblical manuscripts. They have been carbon dated to third century BC and 70 AD. The amazing thing is that the only books not among the Dead Sea Scrolls are Esther and Nehemiah. Otherwise, all other books are fully accounted for and match the manuscripts used in translating the King James Version and Gutenburg Bible ( printed in 1611 / 1455). The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in the early 1940's and late 1950's.

http://www.bl.uk/treasures/gutenberg/textbible.html
http://www.metamind.net/biblemanus.html
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/scrolls/toc.html
http://www.ibiblio.org/expo/deadsea.scrolls.exhibit/Library/library.html
http://www.gnosis.org/library/dss/dss.htm
http://www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/wsrp/educational_site/dead_sea_scrolls/
http://www.ancient-hebrew.org/21_home.html

(4) King Hezekiah (spoken of in Second Kings 20:20; Second Chronicles 32:3, 4).

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-09/huoj-dok090903.php
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/13/africa/ME-GEN-Israel-Turkey-Ancient-Tablet.php

Answer 8

People do lots of nutty things, it's part of the charm of being human. All people everywhere seek comfort when they are in pain and religion is something that people use to comfort themselves. It's very hard for some people to challenge their own beliefs or have them challenged by another because it screws with so much that is very close to their hearts and the way they see themselves. Personally, I think one should examine and challenge one's deeply held beliefs and prejudices periodically because I think this type of mental and spritual housecleaning helps one to be a better person. It also adds weight and validity to the beliefs you've examined and decided to keep. Most Christians seem to set their beliefs in cement and never examine them ever again. At least athiests and agnostics have thought about why they believe what they believe and from what I can see they have much more of a tendency toexamine their beliefs on a regular basis, they don't just decide not to believe in gods and call it a day.

Why are you so concerned with changing the beliefs of others? Let people believe what makes them happy and you believe what makes you happy! Haven't you ever heard, "Don't try to teach a pig to sing, it will only frustrate you and annoy the pig!"

There are a lot of Christians who just can't handle the fact that there are those of us out there who just don't believe in gods. The villify those of us who feel this way and say that we are angry at god, we are evil, we put the toilet paper on the holder the wrong way, etc ad nauseum. There are also a lot of Christians who are kind and generous to all people and who try their best to teach and lead by example. They have learned that they have a much better chance of saving souls when people get to know them and genuinely like them and want what they have. These are the people who have truly and sincerely given their lives to the god they understand and are doing their best to live good lives and be kind to everyone. The Christians who villify others for not believing as they do and prosleytize until we wish they'd be struck dumb are angry, small, ignorant people who have not truly opened their hearts to the god they profess to love and glory but do not truly understand. Ignore these people!

Find what brings you contentment and peace and don't worry about what others believe. You can't change what you have no control over so don't drive yourself nuts trying!

Answer 9

Friends, There is no evidence that I know of that proves or repudiates the existence of God or Jesus of Nazareth. It's not a scientific issue. If as Paul says that faith is what is hoped for the evidence of which is not seen. He knew he couldn't "prove" the existence of God or life of Jesus. As for the scientific approach...it is damned near impossible to "prove" a negative.
Neither side understands the other and all the name calling isn't going to keep the lines of communication open.
Clearly some of us are only on one side or the other, believing only in faith and rejecting science or rejecting faith and believing only in science. But a significant number of people (like myself) believe there is both a Supreme Being and that science and the scientific method are completely compatible. This fight has been going on for centuries and this Yahoo Q&A column isn't going to change that.

Answer 10

Your life must be miserible without Jesus Christ.......
You can't prove that God dosn't exist beacuse he is sitting there in heaven right now greeving over you.
People have no evidence that God is not real.
I feel so bad for you.
God will be there always.
You may want to revise your answer and try to give us some real evidence.
If you believe in somthing likr the "Big Bang" you are totoaly wrong.
I want to cry for you.
Why won't you people beleve that He is here and will always be?
Oh, and for a little FYI....... WHEN YOU TRY TO DRAW PEOPLE AWAY FROM THERE RELIGION, MORE AND MORE POEPLE WILL JUST KEEP COMING.
You will never get anyone who is strongly roote din God to de root them selves and believe what you "historians" want us to believe.
I am going to pray for you that you will have your eyes opened by God and recognize that you are wrong.
Read the Bible and then try to prove us wrong.
That is writen evidence.
GOD LOVES YOU NO MATTER WHAT!
GOD BLESS YOU>>> AND I WILL KEEP ON PRAYING.

Answer 11

"Like the historicity of Jesus Christ. We Historians know that the Biblical Jesus never existed.... When we prove it to Christians"

But have you really proved that? Where is the evidence to support your claim? What historians make such a claim?

"If EVIDENCE cannot change a belief"

I haven't seen your EVIDENCE yet.