The central figure in all of Christianity is one man: Jesus of Nazareth. Putting aside whether or not you believe that God exists, a key component to Christianity is that Jesus did exist. But what if that weren't true - what if there was no such person as Jesus Christ? Unlike religion, which is based solely upon faith by definition, whether or not Jesus Christ existed is a scientific question. There are many who claim that Jesus did not exist and they cite various proofs (e.g., all evidence for the existence of Jesus comes from after he is said to have lived - there aren't any documents about Jesus during the probable years that Jesus is believed to have lived; the Gospel of Q - thought to be used to develop the Gospels of Matthew and Luke - is thought to have been written about two decades after his execution by the Roman occupying army but doesn't include any dates for Jesus's life or references that can be tied to known events). What do you think of these proofs? Do you believe that Jesus existed?
Here are some references to consider:
Jesus of Nazareth (a.k.a. Jesus Christ) Did he actually exist? All sides to the question
Did Jesus really live?: A debate held in Orchestra Hall, Chicago
DISCUSS!
Original posting by Braincrave Second Life staff on Jan 15, 2011 at http://www.braincrave.com/viewblog.php?id=434
