Atheists, Jesus just a regular guy ?

Question

Atheists, do you believe or acknowledge that there could have been a person who lived a couple of thousand years ago that the biblical Jesus is based on. Somebody who would have been the Gandhi or Martin Luther King of his day. Somebody who was an ordinary mortal human being but was able to capture people attention with his words and nothing more?

What do you think?

Answer 1

Maybe.  Having looked into it, I doubt it was a real person, but sure, it might have been.  There are just too many similarities to so many other gods that came before - the egyptian gods, mithra, buddha...

Answer 2

I'll drink to that!

Answer 3

A lot of Atheists I know acknowledge the fact that it has been proven that Jesus did exist. Not as a Messiah, but as you said, the Gandhi or Martin Luther King of his day.

Answer 4

I'm of the belief that Jesus probably existed. Whether he's the 'Son of God' is up for debate.

Answer 5

Yes, I accept that maybe there was a guy named Jesus at that time,who got followers.

But I don't agree with him and I don't think that he was the son of god.

Answer 6

If Jesus was just an ordinary man, then there probably wouldn't be any atheists. How can you prove He wasn't the son of God?  

Answer 7

Still, what's the point of this? It doesn't really matter then whether he existed or not. All there is left is a story.

The whole point is whether he was a divine being or not. That makes a huge difference.

Answer 8

Yes, I acknowledge that such a person MAY have existed.  

Answer 9

do you know how many people claimed to be the messiah in the times of Jesus?hundreds maybe,but how many of those names survived through centuries?none except for Jesus,obviously He existed and obviously He did something that nobody else did(perform miracles,get crucified and resurrect,ascend into heaven in front of more than 500 people)you know stuff like that,otherwise His name would have been forgotten like all the others have.

Answer 10

Mithra

Answer 11

There is no mention of Jesus anywhere except in the Bible - even though he was a contemporary or near-contemporary of several important Greek and Roman historians.

If he lived he was important only to his own band of fanatical followers (like Osama bin Laden or David Koresh).

Answer 12

Lots of atheists acknowledge the possibility. If you look into it you'll find he's a pretty well respected guy.

Answer 13

Yeah there could well have been someone called Jesus wandering around.

But there's not really any proper evidence to say thats the case so I'm going to go with no.  Specially since the whole myth seems to be constructed out of earlier ones.

Answer 14

Sure.

The concept of Jesus being a charismatic leader is not offensive in the least.

Answer 15

Nah; at best he was a regular Joe who knew some tricks; Paul heard about him and hung a carbon-copy of the Horus/Mithra myth on him.

~

Answer 16

I think he was less of a Gandhi and more of a David Koresh.

Answer 17

Maybe, it's possible but improbable.

Answer 18

There is not one single mention of Jesus in the entire Roman record - that is right - not one!!! At the same time as he was supposed to have been around there were a number of Jews claiming to be the messiah - all of whom are well recorded!!

Outside of the bible he is not mentioned in anything until many years after his supposed death!!

The Roman Emperor Constantine produced the bible and he was a pagan not god!!!   He also organized Christianity into the Holly Roman Catholic Church!!  Not in Israel or any of the countries of supposed origin but entirely Italian!!

What a wonder full disinformation and deception campaign he waged against his Christian enemies - so good in fact that Christians are still following the deception to this day!!!

Answer 19

There isn't much evidence that he existed but I'd say there is little doubt that he did.  You do not found a cult let alone a major religion on no-body.  And regular guys do not found cults.

One problem I have with the story is this. Jesus came to save humans from sin etc.  Now on the other side of the world there were  Australian aboriginal people.  There was the entire population of the Americas, New Guinea, Indonesia, Japan etc who were on 'islands'  a long sea voyage away and these people were not even contacted by Christians for 1500 - 1800 years.  Millions of people in all.

Condemning them to perdition because they had not heard the word makes no sense.  And of course there were all the Chinese, Africans Indians and  Europeans who could be reached overland but had to wait hundreds of years at the least.  Not to mention those millions who had lived and died before 2000 years ago.  Now I'm sure there are run of the mill answers to this and maybe the theologians have better ones too.  But I have never heard a satisfactory one.

Then there is the entire concept of sin and redemption. We all have done things we regret, that is, if we have any moral sense at all.   (Some people, psychopaths and perhaps imbeciles do not)  Some things are big, others are smaller.

My attitude is what is done is done.  If you wish to get it off your chest to a priest or pastor, or psychiatrist for that matter, that is fine.  But if you choose to acknowledge the fact that you regret it and stop worrying about it that is fine too.  Worrying about it is probably the worst thing you can do.  

Some of the things listed as 'sins' are just ridiculous.  Example.  I'm out the front yard tidying the place. An attractive woman walks by, she happens to be married and lives four doors down the street. I see her and think 'Hmm, I would not mind  - - - '.  Thirty seconds later I'm wondering whether to prune the roses now or next week.  Now this is supposed to be committing adultery 'in the heart'.  Not to put too fine a point on it - bullsh&t.  No one is harmed, it is only a problem if I obsess about it or actually do it.

As for Jesus, being a cult, religious or political leader is a dangerous business.  I'm loath to mention David Koresh in the same paragraph but if the Waco debacle had happened 2000 years ago would a set of legends of his greatness and stature be circulating today?  

Answer 20

Sure, he may have existed.  I'm open to that possibility.  The whole idea of being the son of a deity is a little fishy, though.

...and the pun for "fishy" was unintentional...

@dude below me.

Whoa!  You're right-side-up too?