Harvard Study: Christianity Is Not Shrinking, But Growing Stronger In The US.

[Rushing Jaws]

The number of people who literally take all of the Bible... um... literally... is vanishingly small.

[JimL]

John, Peter, Mary, et al - your incredulity is not impeachment.

Oh, you mean the fictionally based characters in the gospel stories?

Then why are you bothering to argue? Just admit you do not understand how to read history, myth or literature sufficiently well enough to distinguish them without the help of a librarian.

Don't be silly Tea, implied history could just as well be fiction, which of the two is actually true has nothing to do with the reader.

It is simple incredulity - you have no genuine basis for discrediting any of the witnesses - 'I don't believe it' is not a genuine basis. Or legitimate. Or rational.

If someone comes up to you today and says he just walked across the lake, then it is very rational to discredit them. I'm sure you'd do the same, but for some reason because it's in an acient book you believe it.

An assertion with zero evidence is just an assertion - you can't impeach the witnesses appropriately; you can't distinguish myth from history; and that gives me perfect grounds for discrediting you as an expert witness - which makes this all baseless assertion.

I'll remind you now that you began this argument with your assertions - the burden is still on you.

There is no burden on me, I'm just pointing out the irrational nature of your belief, but you are free to believe whatever you want.

Nonsense - the Gospels not only hold up, but time and again they have been proven correct when historians thought they were in error.

Incredulity and a poor interpretation of literary forms do not help you case.

Malarky. Walking on water, resurrecting of saints, ascending gods, demons and their exorcisms, feeding 5000 with 2 fish, etc etc., none of that nonsense holds up and has never been proven correct.

[Tassman]

It is simple incredulity - you have no genuine basis for discrediting any of the witnesses - 'I don't believe it' is not a genuine basis. Or legitimate. Or rational.