Did Jesus really exist?

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[mvd]

1. Yes

I believe he existed. I doubt that Mary was a virgin when she had Jesus, but really that part isn't necessary to the faith. I believe he was resurrected and divinely sent, as I believe in the fundamentals of Christianity.

[BurtWorm]

2. In my opinion, no there was not a historical Jesus

whom the NT is based on. I began my slide toward this opinion by doubting all of the salient traits of the Gospel Jesus--all the stuff that couldn't be true if Jesus lived in the same universe I do. That doesn't leave much. But I spent most of my life believing there was a kernel of a real person there, until I read a remarkable argument against the historical Jesus by a chap named Joseph Wheless, a lawyer friend of HL Mencken's with the same dangerous wit. You can read this text on the Internet. It's called The Forgeries of Christianity. That did Jesus the real person in for me. The Jesus Puzzle, by Earl Doherty (also available on-line) sealed the case.

As Barbara Bush might say, "I'm through with Jesus."

[Solomon]

3. No. He is the latest version of the same story told for centuries in

different parts of the world. It's an allegory.

[Military Brat]

4. Some believe he is a composite of mythical figures

Specifically, the Egyptian god Osiris and the Greek god Dionysus. They have the following in common:

1. God made flesh
2. Father is God; mother is a mortal virgin
3. Born on December 25 in a cave/cowshed, before 3 shepherds
4. Personal savior who offers followers the chance to be "born again" through baptism
5. He turns water into wine at a marriage ceremony
6. He rides triumphantly into town on a donkey, greeted with palm leaves
7. He dies at Easter as a sacrifice "for the sins of the world"
8. He descends to hell, on the 3rd day rises from the dead and ascends to heaven
9. Followers of this personal savior await his return as judge during the last days
10. His death and resurrection are celebrated with bread and wine which symbolize his body and blood

Of course, if you believe in Osiris or Dionysus, then you have blasphemed by following a "silly pagan myth." Incidentally, those myths circulated for centuries before the birth of Jesus.

Ironic, isn't it?

If Jesus were real, and I'm not saying someone like that did not exist, he sure as heck didn't have flowing blonde/light-brown hair and blue eyes, with perfect teeth and a straight nose and thin lips. But God forbid that right-wing Christians would worship a black Jesus with nappy hair, which would be closer to the truth. Here's an interesting link if you wish to follow up on that:
http://indyweek.com/durham/2000-08-30/triangles2.html

Whatever you believe, though, believe it with all your heart.