Why Jesus Mythicism is a Conspiracy Theory

[MajestyofReason]

He should try publishing a peer-reviewed article in defense of Jesus mythicism if he thinks it's defensible.

[bassmanjr]

It is the atheist equivalent to flat earthers.

[mr.lizard]

Just recently found your channel, pretty good stuff. I am still baffled how people can still believe in Jesus Mysticism in spite of how thoroughly debunked it is. Yet in the end, it is the case for so many conspiracy theories.

[barneymayerson]

As an atheist, I think this is an excellent video and a good primer on conspiratorial thinking. It's frustrating how many people don't understand that one is rationally permitted to believe something on the basis of expert consensus. I know this video is old, but I'm sorry you had to deal with the invective of my fellow atheists, Dr. Rauser. Atheist fundamentalism is still fundamentalism.

[mr.lizard]

When he says "while on the mythicist side we take a hard look at the evidence and then we ourselves have evidence that actually supports our end conclusions, " as a reason it is not a conspiracy theory but is true. The thing is so many conspiracy theorist claim that exact thing.

[zhugh]

I think that the argument from consensus of experts is a valid epistemology in most circumstances and is the reason I reject Jesus mythicism. Whether or not it qualifies as a "conspiracy theory" is just not very relevant to me.

[thetruthapologetics]

@Randal Rauser, you are doing a wonderful job. God bless! 😊

[inukithesavage]

The key beliefs of most online atheists: 1) "I should be an asshole to everyone." 2) "Only information that agrees with my beliefs is true." So, basically, the same as literally every other ideological conspiracy theorist.

[delhidongamerkinggodamongm]

China and the middle east on the rise of Christianity American on the rise of atheism 🤣 avoid controversy and genealogy says the Bible. Answer them with kindness and gentleness

[sqlblindman]

Claims he is not engaging in ad populum arguments.
Invokes one ad populum argument after another.
"And that's relative to thousands, literally thousands, of people around the world who have terminal degrees in the classics. That should tell you something!"

[sqlblindman]

"There's no evidence that (dying and rising god motifs) were popular in ancient Palestine and Judea in the early first century of the common era."
Dude?
WTF?
<facepalm>

[Navii-]

Question: Do you think you are a good person? If so, have you ever stolen anything, lied, looked lustfully, or used God’s name in vain? (Oh God, Jesus Christ, etc.) If you have done this, you have violated God’s moral law, you admit that you are a liar, a thief, a blasphemer, and an adulterer at heart. So, if God gave you justice right away, would you be innocent or guilty? Obviously guilty. Heaven or hell? Obviously hell because you are a criminal in God's eyes. Don’t ask for forgiveness, try it in court: Judge, I raped a woman and killed her, but I’m so sorry and I won’t do it again. You would still go to jail because you shouldn’t do it again and you should be sorry. So is there any hope? Yes, there is! Out of love and mercy, God became a human being, Jesus Christ. Jesus lived a sinless life and finally died on the cross to bear the punishment we deserve. His resurrection proved that His death( more accurately, His sacrifical Blood) was enough to pay our penalty, the penalty for our sins. When someone pays your fine, the judge can leave you, dismiss your case, it’s the same with God. Jesus paid our penalty and in order to accept the free gift of salvation from God, we must believe (have faith in Jesus for our salvation, His finished work on the Cross). That's it! God bless you and feel free to ask me any question about this.

Romans 3:10 New International Version (NIV)
10 As it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not even one;

Romans 3:23 New International Version (NIV)
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 5:12
New International Version
Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ
12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, (A) and death through sin, (B) and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned(C)—

Romans 6:23 New International Version (NIV)
23 For the wages of sin is death,  but the gift of God is eternal life in[a] Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 5:8-9 New International Version (NIV)
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Since we have now been justified by his blood,  how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!

Romans 10:9-10 New International Version (NIV)
9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord, ” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,  you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

Romans 10:13 New International Version (NIV)
13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”[a]

John 3:16 New International Version (NIV)
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,  that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Ephesians 2:8-9 New International Version (NIV)
8 For it is by grace you have been saved,  through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works,  so that no one can boast.

[sqlblindman]

Randal Rouser's eight signs of a conspiracy theory:
1. There should be a conspiracy afoot
--Christianity: Yes, historically affirmed.
--Mythicism: No.
2. Tendency toward illusary pattern perception
--Christianity: Yes
--Mythicism: No
3. Unfalsifiability
--Christianity: Definitely
--Mythicism: No.
4. Views are only represented by a tiny minority
--Christianity: No
--Mythicism: Yes
5. Rationalization of differing opinions
--Christianity: Yes
--Mythicism: No
6. Ad hoc reasoning
--Christianity: yes. (It was a miracle!)
--Mythicism no.
7. Special pleading.
--Christianity. LOL! EVERYWHERE!
--Mythicism: No.
8. Use of strong rhetoric to marginalize dissenting opinions.
--Christianity: Since Randal just did this not 60 seconds earlier...yes.
--Mythicism: no.

Congratulations Randal. You just discovered that Christianity is a conspiracy theory.

[sqlblindman]

Uhm....Randal?
Wouldn't the MOST IMPORTANT component of a conspiracy theory be the claim that there is a conspiracy behind it. With the apparently sole exception of Atwell, who is discounted by all other prominent mythcists, mythicism does not hold that Jesus was invented by a conspiracy.

So....that kind of blows your video out of the water doesn't?
I bet you wish you'd thought of that before wasting your time....