> At 07:42 AM 10/9/97 CST+6CDT, chardin wrote:
>
> >> If Pascal's Wager is valid and I claim to be God, you should worship
> >> me for the same reasons. If I am God you have much to gain, but if
> >> I'm not, you have little to lose. See?
> >>
> >
> >I do see, but you have to give me credible reasons for being who you
> >say you are. Christ asked the question and still asks: "Who do you
>
> Exactly. That's why Pascal's wager is not valid.
>
> >say I am? I think we can say he was either who he claimed to be:
> >God in the flesh, or 2) a madman 3) a liar and a charlatan. I am
> >not offended by anyone who chooses any of the three.
>
> What about
>
> 4) a well-meaning Jew misquoted for political reasons
> 5) a fictional character like King Arthur, perhaps based on a real person,
> but so far removed by myths that he bares little resemblance to the
> original
> 6) ?
>
It is a good point. I suppose it is whether or not you find the witnesses
credible, the written record, etc. There are Jewish writings
(outside of the New Testament) that refer to
a Jesus of Nazareth put to death, that he practiced "magic"
which according to those records he must have learned in Egypt. One
just has to weigh the evidence. I don't think there are many people
who hold that he was a fictional character.
> --
> David McFadzean david@lucifer.com
> Memetic Engineer http://www.lucifer.com/~david/
> Church of Virus http://www.lucifer.com/virus/
>