Why is it good that Jesus died today?

I have no issue with the bible's (more specifically the New Testament's) value as a philosophical document. As you point out, some of the best philosophy we know of is quite old.

I also have no issue with the idea that the bible (more specifically the Old Testament) contains quite a few verifiable historical facts. I was also not attempting to assert that Jesus was either a goat herder or a politician.

From a historical standpoint, Tacitus, Josephus, and the writings referring to Jesus were all penned long after Jesus supposedly died. I find that odd, especially considering the Romans were meticulous note takers.

The only thing that seems definite to me is that by the time Tacitus was putting his documents together, the Christian movement based on the existence of a so-called Jesus was well under way, likely along with a whole bevy of mythology and stories passed from goat herder to goat herder. This Tacitus well confirmed in his documents.

Treating the bible, on the other hand, as an objectively written and truthful historical document seems like lunacy considering it's origin in the Council of Nicaea. Were there historical documents used to assemble it? Perhaps, but I've never heard of their existence. As far as I know, they made the whole thing up out of whole cloth.

Either way, the people who published(and authored IMO) the first version of the bible were politicians who were very interested in retaining power amid a crumbling Roman empire. That fact alone is ruinous from a credibility perspective. Unfortunately, all the detailed stories about the life of Jesus come from this source and this source alone.

For me, the whole thing completely falls apart when the supernatural is introduced, including the origin of life, an all seeing god, knowledge of the afterlife, the rules for getting there, etc, etc,etc. Outside of the obvious political benefits of penning and interpreting the "how to" book for eternal life, I think the very concept of the supernatural is anti-science. Things we don't understand are better left described as things we don't understand, unless you got a shitload of evidence to back your claims that can be peer reviewed, verified, tested, etc.

I'm not trying to sling mud on your faith or your religion. I have these chats with a physicist friend of mine who happens to be religious(christian). He is at a point where the obvious scientific problems with a personal "god" are unavoidable, but he likes the concept because he thinks it is good for his family, his morale, and his value system. I have to admit, he might be right. Did you know that atheists are three times as likely to commit suicide?

Being an atheist/agnostic comes with sort of a sick embrace of the fact you will one day be no more. Its not for everyone. In that spirit, I rather enjoyed "The life of Pi".

Sorry for droning on.

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