fetchface wrote:
I think Satan ate Jesus' body, thus gaining the power to appear in his form in order to found a religion that would confuse a great many people into thinking that correct supernatural beliefs were more important than ethical behavior.
Is that any less or more likely than Jesus being resurrected? Once we bring in supernatural powers that are beyond our comprehension to explain our beliefs, how can we be sure of anything?
This reminds me a little bit of Joseph Smith's handshake test to determine if an angel was sent from Satan. How can he be sure it wasn't one of Satan's henchmen who taught it to him to trick him? It's all circular when you really think about it.
fetchface, I think the handshake thing is not reasonable ,it is a bit goofy. You first example of uncertainty is amusing and interesting. After all there are different degrees of uncertainty in everything. Getting rid of the supernatural does not eliminate that. We ask if the parts of a reported event fit together with itself and does it fit other events we know of. However we never know all events and we never know all the factors involved in a particular event. We do the best we can with events that we car about or find interesting.
Your example explaining how the real but bizarre result of Christians caring more about right belief than right action seems to have some possible persuasive power. Everything about the movement before the crucifixion points in direction of right action being most important. What reversed things? You present a theory explaining that mystery thus your story is at least an interesting possibility.
