This is a rather odd article. Morris tells us that Carrier proves the Gospels are “pious fraud” and the independent evidence of Jesus’ existence is “imaginary”. But he doesn’t describe the basis on which Carrier reaches those conclusions, leaving readers unable to judge for themselves whether Carrier actually does prove those things. Morris concludes that “the evidence is overwhelming” that Jesus is purely fictional, but we must take Morris’s word for it. And the fact the that great majority of historians – not just Christian ones – believe that a historical figure called Jesus underpins Christianity surely means that Carrier’s claims deserve scrutiny.

Morris also sets up a false dichotomy between the New Testament being pure history or pure myth. Most bible scholars and most Christians contend it contains both, and other genres as well. That the Gospels were produced by anonymous writers over a number of years is hardly news. Nor is the fact that Paul didn’t write all of the Pauline epistles.

asho

'So should we stop striving to love another
and doimg unto others as we like to be treated?'

in case you have not noticed holding the progressive/feminist view makes this impossible. Self righteousness and self centredness is the clear fruit of the regressives. That is why they need to display such moral outrage over things like coal and the gw fantasy.

There is always room for you to do your own evaluation, Rhian.

>>But he doesn’t describe the basis on which Carrier reaches those conclusions, leaving readers unable to judge for themselves whether Carrier actually does prove those things.<<

Here's quite a good place to start, if you can't bring yourself to buy the book:

http://www.bibleinterp.com/articles/2014/08/car388028.shtml

It is all about "weight of evidence", as with all things scientific, so the question of whether this proves anything is largely irrelevant. Carrier's book contains a great deal of myth-debunking, and in the process dismantles many of the previous commonly accepted arguments - often taken at face value - that concern the existence of Jesus.

But it is only to be expected that believers aren't going to re-examine their faith on the basis of one, or even a dozen books that expose the multitude of fallacies surrounding their particular religion. It will be more like smoking - gradually, the stupidity of polluting ones lungs with carcinogens seeps into the collective consciousness, and over time it goes from being culturally acceptable and ubiquitous, to a minority activity. Eventually, it will disappear completely, for all the right, logical and intellectual reasons. As will religion.

The basic decency of the evolving human race is gradually ensuring that the Revolt Against Reason is losing the battle to undo the gains of the Enlightenment.

Dear Pericles,

If logic were the driving force of human activity religion would have disappeared long ago. Before Christianity most Europeans believed in Roman, Greek, Norse or other pantheons of gods. In Europe this was mainly replaced by Christianity. Religion will not disappear, but Christianity probably will. It will be replaced by something equally illogical. Religious beliefs disappears but are replaced by other religious beliefs. Manichaeism lasted from the third to the eighteenth century. It extended from Spain to China. It has disappeared. Religions come and go. They have a longer shelf life than ideology. Christianity will eventually disappear, but it will be replaced by another equally irrational belief.

Pericles,

I will do my own evaluation, and I am not dismissing Carrier out of hand. My comments addressed Morris’s article.

I agree it’s about the weight of evidence. Most – not all – scholars believe the weight of evidence points to the existence of a historical person called Jesus. That is quite a different thing from asserting that the Gospels are historically accurate records of his life and teaching, still less that this proves their theological assertions