Near the very end of this debate (which is a good one. Go listen to it), Bart Erman an atheist New Testament Scholar was asked,
With the knowledge we have of the gospels how much can be deduced regarding how much we know about Jesus?
He answers,
It’s virtually certain that Jesus existed, that he was a Jew, that he lived in Palestine, that he was crucified under Pontius Pilot.
As I observe the mainstream secular historical take on Jesus, I find that the view that Jesus didn’t exist to be on the fringes of academic modern thought. Yet, the view that Jesus never existed has become an absurdly popular view among atheists.
The most important thing to take from this is that confirmation bias is a human trait, not a religious or Christian one. It is often those same people who claim dedication to reason, science, and openmindedness, who neglect to question evidence for whatever they would like to believe. It wouldn’t be so hypocritical if they weren’t so explicit about their high view of their own intellectual honesty.
Everyone is a critical thinker until they’re sacred beliefs are called into question.
