MuzztheEagle
Bencher
There is a fourth option; that Jesus's words were re interpreted by his followers in order to elevate his status and the cause.I don't.
How could any rational thinking person believe that?? The textual case for an historical Jesus is far superior than the one for Alexander the Great! Archeologists have learned the hard way not to assume the bible is historically innacurate based on missing evidence...and although atheists delight in saying things like...."Yeah, well...where is the evidence for the exodus from Egypt?"....well..the exact same thing was said about the "mythical" Nineveh (discovered in 1850) and absolutely, positevely nonexistent Hittite empire (which was discovered in 1906). If the bible is proving more and more to be historically accurate, it'd be silly to write it off as fable/myth stories.
I find it ridiculous that people of this day and age still argue that Jesus was a good moral teacher...and that's it. You can't say that because Jesus took that option away from us. He said he was more. A lot more.
Now, isn't logical to think...if Jesus was an actual historical figure and his works and teachings (which we all agree were valuable and more than any man could or has achieved, ever) were witnessed and recorded by eyewitnesses...and those accounts have been thoroughly investigated by secular and theist scholars countless times and have been found accurate...It is reasonable to believe he was who he said he was?
So, if Jesus...this great moral teacher/miracle worker, as we all agree...claimed to be more than just man...and claimed to be one with the father (omnipotent being)..what does that mean? Was this great moral teacher a lunatic...or a con man?
If you investigate with an open mind (like that of an agnostic...eg "meh, and let live" lol) you will see that the way Jesus lived, the things he taught, the things he was against (understanding the dangers of that alone in the time he lived) the way he died and the ressurection are incomparable to any other.
So there are only really 3 choices. Jesus was a con man that gained nothing in his lifetime except a few feeds along the way to his agonising death. A complete looney that somehow also managed to demonstrate a superior way of living, until his agonising death, or...he was exactly who he said he was. The omnipotent being in human form.
Many other men have claimed to be Messiahs and connected to god (Mohammed, Buddha, L Ron Hubbard etc.) So what makes Jesus's story more believable? And would you be willing to say that to a Muslim/Hindu etc