>>21354363>>484010362*archaeological OR contemporary textual evidence
the romans kept REALLY GOOD census records and regular reports were sent from every province to the metropole. there is NO MENTION of Jesus or any of the events in the new testament. there totally would have been.
now, there were a lot of prophets and messiah figures and rabble rousers- and the different sects mentioned in the story were real- and Jesus might have been a real guy- but the New Testament is, like the old testament, an amalgamation of older stories and archetypes and myths
WITH THAT SAID i am still 100% a Christian and believe in the most literal sense that Jesus the Christ was Real, he was a man who was the son of God, the Logos who entered our dense three dimensional material reality Who redeemed it via His sacrifice borne out of infinite and indomitable Love. i also believe the immaculate conception, the miracles, the healings, the death and resurrection- EVEN THOUGH i recognize they are also a fictional story.
THOUGHTS ARE THINGS
MEMES ARE REAL in the most literal sense
THESE ARE NOT CONTRADICTORY: contrary to modern scientific thought, consciousness is primary- material, causal reality is secondary-
ergo, I can be a Christian who believes with all my heart, while also recognizing Jesus was not a historical figure (as we know Him in the new testament) and the events described were composed by a group of authors using elements of older stories, mystical teachings from other religions and currents (namely buddhism, mystic judaism/halakah-merkabah texts, and manicheanism) and at-the-time current events
I KNOW Jesus is real- I have met Him personally- but i also recognize He is a decentralized archetype, capable of inhabiting whomsoever opens their heart to Him and His infinite, indomitable Light and Love
