ANSWERS: 84
  • I think that there was a man very similar to Jesus who made an attempt to show some good in the world, but I don't believe in any of the other religious aspects of it.
  • I think there was a man named jesus christ, and I think he was just a man who was preaching what he believed to be God, and also trying to get a little something out of it :P.
  • Some atheists believe that, some don't. I'm not sure whether I believe it or not, because honestly it doesn't matter to me. As devout an atheist I am, I've never cared to research that part much.
  • I'm more of an agnostic than an athiest, but I see plenty of evidence of an individual whose name has been 'westernised' over time to Jesus. Lacking a certainty of belief in the divinity of this character, I am bound to say he would have been human and have to ask myself what else could he be?
  • Yes, Jesus Christ was a real man. He preached, was tortured, killed, and buried. That was the end of the story. Everything else, his divinity, his miracles and resurrection were created and are being implemented for both political and more recently for financial reasons.
  • <Atheist here> I don't know if there was a human named Jesus Christ. I'm guessing that someone was named that at some point. But the biblical person, I don't know. The Romans kept very good records of census, criminal records and punishment. But no record has been found to show his exsistence or punishment other than the christian bible which didn't really come about until around 300 AD. So I consider the bible to be more of a story than a historical document.
  • No belief involved here. "The main sources of information regarding Jesus' life and teachings are the four canonical Gospels of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Most scholars in the fields of history and biblical studies agree that Jesus was a Galilean Jew, was regarded as a teacher and healer, was baptized by John the Baptist, and was crucified in Jerusalem on orders of the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate under the accusation of sedition against the Roman Empire. Very few modern scholars believe that all ancient texts on Jesus' life are either completely accurate or completely inaccurate" Source and further information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus
  • i believe he was real and human, i believe his divinity was decided later
  • On balance, I believe that it is more likely than not that there was a "Jesus, son of Joseph" who preached something quite nice round about the time we call 30AD.
  • yes I think that there was a bloke named 'Jesus' but I think he was ...just a man ...now he might have been the olden times version of say ....any of today's T.V. 'healers'..but he was just a man and over time stories written by men about this man changed and grew until these writings are being touted as the words of God/Jesus when in fact there not!...they are a stories of a man written by men
  • I'm Pagan and I do belive there was a man named Jesus of Nazereth the son of Mary and Joesph the Carpenter and the husband of Mary Magdaline who was a preacher who followed the teachings of John the Baptist. I do not believe he was the Son of God nor do I beleive he preformed any miricals. I think the Gospels contained in the Bible are not only highly edited beyond recognition from the originals in order to make him divine, but were chosen by men greedy for power who wanted to slander Mary Magdaline and take her from her rightfull position as the true head of the Christian Church as Jesus wanted her to be.
  • Here's where I stand, I would find it insulting to be told because you know more about this topic than the average joe then please do not comment. Of course insults are not welcome, but the premise of the question is shrowded in suspicion or fear of what a Christian might think. If as you say you truly respect everyone's opinions you would allow them rather than prohibit them.
  • i also believe in the immaculate conception and this has nothing with any god.
  • I believe that the story of Jesus was an amalgam- a combination of many street prophets who lived at the time, plus the belief that ancient prophecies would be fulfilled, and various similar man-god myths from nearby cultures that were adapted by the Hebrew people.
  • Yes, I do believe there was a man named Jesus Christ.
  • Maybe he was there and did exist, but any of the acts attributed to him are nothing but products of an active imagination. Then again, there could be several people with that name around that time, how would they know if they were following the right one?
  • Through documented scriptures, there may have been a man named jesus from nazareth, who may have been a carpenter to provide for himself, but whether he could wave his hand infront of a blind mans face & then he was able to see, that's a tale i point blank refuse to believe, along with the immaculate conception, if jesus were real he'd be muslim not christian as most people who stem from that area of the world are & again the compelling factor is that if he were real he'd most definately be coloured & not white as portrayed by "the bible"
  • If I remember right, records from the time have the Romans describing someone named Jesus being a big political pain in the behind. So I believe a guy named Jesus existed, and almost certainly the same guy as listed in the Bible, and it's quite possible he was an awesomely nice guy and did many good things, but I don't see him as divine.
  • My personal opinion is that Jesus did exist, a mortal man, and likely a very charismatic and compassionate dood. I don't believe in the miracles or the rest of that stuff however
  • From all the reading and research I have done on the subject since leaving Christianity, I believe that he did exist, not born in a stable to a Virgin with a guiding star. He did preach with a group of followers or disciples, through Palestine, was arrested, tried, and crucified on the cross. All the rest of the miracles, resurrection and ascension came a century or two later by writers of the Scriptures, none of whom were witnesses, knew of anyone who was there and none of whom were named, Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. Good question!
  • I think there was a man named Jesus but for the whole "Son of God" and "Our saviour" thing....I don't think so.
  • I believe Jesus existed, but he was probably just a really selfless guy, not a son of a god or part of god or whatever you religious types are calling him nowdays.
  • No Christians allowed huh? Well, I used to be an atheist, so can I comment just a little bit??? Pretty please??? OK, I will anyway. Before I was saved I used to wonder whether Jesus was real or not. I eventually discoverred that the great Jewish historian Josephus wrote about him in the year 93. So, Jesus must have been a real person, and he must have had some notoriety at the time for him to have been included in the "Testimonium Flavianum". Now see, that wasn't so bad was it? I didn't even walk on your grass... BTW, how can you say you respect everyone's opinion while forbidding Christian comments in the same breath? How does that work anyway?
  • I believe he existed. I also believe that he was a very powerful political figure at the time. Jesus was born heir to the throne of Isreal. His family line included David and Solomon, Kings. He was a threat to the roman empire. Although Judea and palestine were able to keep their religen and customs they were under roman rule at the time, a puppet regigm. The people ached for a new king who would deliver them out of roman rule. This man I believe was Jesus
  • I think that there probably was a religious leader named Jesus Christ. Believing a man existed and that he did the things written about him are two different things entirely, though.
  • I think he was a man born of natural insemination, and he was a jewish priest
  • I believe there is a decent probability there may have been someone of this nature, but I can't even trust what people say happened last year--even in this so-called information age--, so I am not so sure I have much faith in something that happened over 2,000 years ago.
  • I believe there was a person called Jesus Christ who preached to masses of people sometime around a couple of thousand years ago, but I do not believe he was in any way divine or supernatural.
  • I think there isn't enough evidence to say with much certainty. It is known that there were many wondering preachers / holymen at that time. It was also a time of severe political tensions - Roman occupation and all. So my guess is that the figure we think of now as Jesus was a compund character. Perhaps Paul (who later started what would become the Catholic Church) or Judas (who was from a tribe that wat very anti Roman) was a political leader and rabble rouser. Perhaps there was a group that wandered around - one of whom was charismatic and could talk to a crowd. Perhaps the God part didn't come 'till later. I'm certain that what ever did happen was manipulated later to gain support for an uprising agaisnt Rome in around 70 CE, and even more later to create the early church.
  • There probably was a human being named Jesus, but that and him being the son of god is another thing entirely.
  • I know there are some texts that mention Jesus either directly or indirectly, like Josephus and Tacitus. But their authenticity is also questionable. Even if they were shown to be genuine, it wouldn't prove his divinity. So for me, as an atheist, it doesn't matter one way or the other if Jesus was a real historical person or not.
  • I have a hard time believing that he was real man and if he was who everyone thinks he is now. And I don't understand if he was alive, why didn't he write the bible.
  • people claimed to have seen him, and that he was a nice, guy, but that's about it.
  • Their was never a preacher by the name of Jesus Christ. The chap in the new testament was referred to as Jesus of Nazareth. It is a forgone conclusion that the biblical Jesus was never born in Bethlehem. Also Jesus was only connected to Nazareth because of a mistranslation, so to be fair it is not known where he was born, or if in fact he was born at all. I have no problem with excepting that he possibly did exist though, as this make very little difference to anything really. A roaming preacher by the name of Jesus existed 2000 years ago, along with hundreds of other roaming preachers. Its possible but hardly significant.
  • There is no stance on this from atheists, because there is no such thing as Atheism the way you are thinking of it. I don't believe in God...I also don't believe in Unicorns. But if you ask everyone who doesn't believe in unicorns what their opinion is about the Virgin Mary, you're gonna get a lot of different answers. I know atheists who think that humanity is an alien genetic experiment. I disagree with him strongly. The only thing that ties us together is that neither he not I believe in YOUR God, or anyone else's God. Personally, I think that there probably was a real Jesus, but I've heard some very compelling arguments to the contrary. Certainly it is distressing that the only books that mention him are the books written by his followers. If he was an important historical figure you would DEFINITELY find other writings about him. But, yeah, I'm gonna sit on the side of the fence that says there was a real guy named Jesus that is who the Bible character is loosely based upon.
  • I've always believed he was real, but to me he's more of a King Arthur figure. He existed, did some great things, and his story was later embellished a bit... or a lot.
  • No insults here I assure you!! He was all human, and all God at the same time. What is God REALLY like? Study Him. Study His speech. Study how He dealt with people. Notice how it is distinctively different than how you and I would deal with things. I cry, I break down, at the sheer beauty of the way He revealed Himself. Religious???? How can it be, when there were plenty of "religious" individuals that were seeking to look holy in the eyes of men, but Jesus rebuked them! Study The Good Sumaritan and know the truth! ALL have fallen short. You might be gay. I might be an alcoholic. Your sister has an aggression problem. A co-worker lies alot, and thinks he's better than everybody else. Your previous roomate thinks cheating on that test is a good idea. Your boss is cheating on his wife with 3 other women. Get it?
  • Since the Bible and some other religious books are the only book that mentions his existence,and there is no concrete historical proof,I have doubts that he could have existed.I am not 100% sure,but have many doubts.
  • i believe there was a man named Jesus who was born to mortal parents and he died a mortal death.
  • My comment assumed no such thing. My comment talked about only one subject, and that was Jesus. So what the hell are your panties in a ruffle about? You haven't been godless long have you? You're one of those uptight, any-excuse-to-prove-my-defiance kind of atheists that I used to be when I was younger. You'll grow out of it and become comfortable with yourself someday, don't worry. Yes, the question was directed to atheists, which I am, so I am commenting. But if you are going to make claims about facts, you'd best be prepared to defend those claims. I am not asking to attack you personally, but merely to qualify your evidence to make sure that the info is good. It's called skepticism. It does a mind good.
  • Who the hell knows? According to historians Jesus was a dime a dozen name, like Jonathan or Bob or Mike. The only thing I know for sure is that I do know a Jesus, actually his name is really Jesús González, he comes from Mexico and he mows my lawn on Fridays
  • I believe it's possible there was a prophet at the time who we would consider to be Jesus Christ (Yeshua of Nazareth) but I do not believe this individual was in any way divine, if he existed.
  • I'm Jewish, not atheist, but I do think a man named Jesus (Yoshua?) existed. I think he probably was a radical rabbi who pissed off the establishment one too many times.
  • Well it really depends on the person whether they believe in Jesus Christ or not, some do, but I would say that almost all would agree with the 'Golden Rule' of Christianity (Love thy neighbor), which I must point out is not derived originally from Jesus but is in most all religions throughout time. I personally do not believe that Jesus existed as a human being but the teachings were invented by St Paul between 33CE and 80CE after which these teachings were adapted by the Gospel Writers and edited to appeal to different groups
  • Holy, crap! Which one of you Atheists let the cat out of the bag and told that we don't believe in god? I swear that if I catch the one that did it, there's gonna be hell to pay
  • Absolutely, there is physical proof of Jesus, if there were any physical proof in God, I would believe in him rather be Atheist if I knew of a way to be able to contact God. (Not being my normal, sarcastic self)
  • Joshua (pronounced "Yeshua", in the Greek "Jesus") has always been a common Hebrew name. The idea that there was once a child born with the name Joshua from a woman that REALLY stuck to her story... not that far-fetched. Besides, there are historical documents other than the bible that speak of the trial and crucifixion, that predate many of our Biblical texts.
  • no i don't i think it's a story that was made up . most religions have a virgin who gave birth.. virgo and piscies. in the old day's people believed in the starsign. we are in the piscies sihn at the moment and then "jesus" wil leave us when aquarius comes to rule the sky.
  • I believe he was a human being in history who had a very high IQ level but what I don't believe is on that whole biblical thing or that he ressurrrected, brought back the deads, ect.
  • "Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners... But for that very reason, I was shown mercy so that in me... Jesus Christ might display His unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. Now to the king eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever." - Jeffrey Dahmer, Christian cannibal serial killer.
  • There is virtually no historical evidence of Jesus. The Romans kept pretty good records and Jesus does not appear in them. The first mention we get is in the Gospels, which were written at least 30 years after the supposed death of Jesus. None of the Gospels are first-hand eye-witness accounts; they all say different things and contradict each other. http://www.freethought.mbdojo.com/josephus.html http://www.skeptically.org/bible/id6.html If there was man called Jesus who taught what they said he taught, then he was a reasonably peaceful (though sometimes quite arrogant) old hippy who really didn't like the accummulation of wealth. He would be shocked to see what his followers have become. http://www.geocities.com/saint7peter/Jesusoncapitalism.html If there was a man called Jesus in Israel at that time, then fair enough. He was certainly not supernatural and able to rise from the dead though. These things are impossible.
  • Dear Little Big: As Bon Rouge has pointed out, historical evidence of the character is weak. But that is no proof that the guy did not exist. I personally think that the man intended to be depicted in the gospels was a real person. But the gospels are basically allegories, and yes, propaganda. The big doubt comes from the fact that there are no other historical (corroborations) accounts of a healer who gathered huge crowds, made Jerusalem shake, performed miracles witnessed by thousands (just read John's tale of Lazarus resurrection, such a well detailed deed only found there). That makes any reasonable historian raise an eyebrow. The mention of "the Christ" appearing in Josephus' Antiquities has been totally demonstrated as a fraud performed by Eusebius. At this point, I think, the issue is not the existence of the person or the accuracy of the portraits (absolutely unreliable) but why is there such a need to proclaim "hard, factual evidence" something that should only be taken as a metaphor and a matter of faith?
  • I'd be a little surprised if there wasn't a rabbi named Yeshua around at the time. I don't know if he was the guy they're talking about. I don't find it implausible though. There are implausible elements, like the story of his birth, the very idiosyncratic census, the contradictory lineages, the hovering star, the unrecorded slaughter of the innocents, the miracles were probably embellished a bit (no reason he couldn't have operated similarly to modern faith healers, or illustrated his parables with the occasional magic trick), his mom being a virgin is probably a mistranslation, and his resurrection either didn't happen or reports of his death were exagerrated...he was taken off the cross early, maybe he wasn't dead yet and revived in the tomb...that kind of thing was known to happen. I don't know if there really was a Jesus as described in the NT, but it isn't a problem for me if there was, and I have learned something from the teachings attributed to him.
  • Early Christians would've been surprised for ANYONE to speak of Jesus as something other than an Allegory.
  • It's not a question of belief but evidence. There isn't any outside the Bible itself. And there are some conspicuous omissions in the record. There is no record of his visits to Pilate or Herod's courts - both of whom were big enough to have had scribes that recorded just such things. There are no records of his being punished by the Romans. And no records from the Jews of a man who caused such a problem that they had to have the Romans kill him. None of that is conclusive but conspicuous. So I think it's possible he actually lived but I lean toward the "probably not" side of neutral. +5
  • Not sure. There is very little mention of Jesus in any records outside of Christian scripture. AFAIK Josephus is the only historian mentioning him, and the authenticity of that mention is disputed, it looks like something added later in copying. In itself that means little, why mention one of many preachers that did not particularly bother the Roman overlords. It is more important that some of the events around Jesus are not recorded. Such as the order to kill all male children that caused the flight to egypt. If such an order were really given that would be unusual enough to be recorded by first- and second-hand historians both. But it is not. regards JakobA
  • I believe there is a Jesus Christ. But he wasn't as "special" as Christians say he was. imho.
  • The original name of the hypothetical entity now called "Jesus Christ" would probably have been "Rabbi Yeshua." As there is no reliable historical record of anyone that corresponds remotely to the Jesus story, I would have to say no, such a person is probably entirely mythical. There are, however, many religious stories of numerous people who could barely be recognized from Jesus, save for a name change. Considering this, Our modern Jesus-story is probably just the one (or two) which have survived and thrived up until today.
  • It is possible there was a person named Jesus. I don't think he had any special powers.
  • Yes, I believe it is possible, though I don't believe he was a god and I don't think he had supernatural powers.
  • i belive that jesus did exist, and he was a great guy, i'm still unsure were i sit on his "healing" properties. not matter he did good for the community and he was the son of joseph
  • No. 1) To much of the story is found in many earlier religions. So much so that by slightly altering a few names and places and you could almost match the Jesus story word for word to earlier religions. 2) At the time of his supposed life/death there were many prophets and that which doesn't match exactly to earlier religious believes could easily be a combination of these other prophets into one story. 3) Complete lack of any contemporary evidence of a person named Jesus. 4) Even the bible books that are supposed to be the accounts of his life were not written until about 70 yrs after the fact for the earliest ones and around 120 yrs later for the last one, so they don't provide evidence either, just here say.
  • I do believe there was once a man who lived named Jesus Christ who preached some principles as our followed today under Christianity, but I certainly do not believe he was the son of god or had supernatural ability. It were only his preachings that were jacked up and thrust on the others by Vatican.
  • It's almost impossible to say for certain that somebody did not exist 2000 yrs ago, whoever they may be. However, there is not a single piece of hard evidence that supports the position of a historical Jesus. There are no contemporary records of, or literature about, a person called Jesus. The Bible is the earliest reference to him and the earliest NT writings are by Paul, who by his own admission did not see a real life Jesus. The earliest synoptic gospel is Mark which wasn't written until more than 30 years after Jesus was supposed to have died. Matthew and Luke are just later embelishments of Mark. The last gospel (John) wasn't written until at least 60 yrs after Jesus's supposed death. None of the gospels contain a physical description of Jesus either.
  • I think there is a good possibility that the biblical character of Jesus was based on a real man. The details I do not know becuase I have not bothered to research it because it makes little difference in my life. Good questions.
  • Yes. I strongly believe there was a man called Jesus and that he was a terrorist in the Roman empire & was eventually executed for his crimes.
  • There is historical evidence outside of the Bible of the existence of that man we call Jesus. That evidence is in Roman records associated with his death. It is unlikey based on those records that he was a totally mythic character. So yes, I am atheist, and I believe that a man called Jesus walked the earth and that stories of this same man evolved after his death and became the stories of Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God etc.
  • Yes I believe he was a man, not the son of god yet an important man in history.
  • yea there waz a dde named jebus i mean jesus but he wasnt a "holy being" ...thats just retarded No affenice to religous hippies
  • I know of a mexican boxer called jesus. No all jokes aside, maybe there was a man called jesus but there is no evidence to prove he did any of the supernatural claims people have made about him. Therefore even if he did exist he was no more special than any other man throughout the worlds history.
  • Even though there is no proof for the human eyes, there is every possibility that there coudl be an enlightened individual named Jesus lived at tsome point. There were and are many like him even today. They probably understood the secret of life or their knowledge level is high above others and close to the ultimate truth.
  • From what I have studied, yes there was a man named Jesus who was HUMAN. All greek and roman mythology also have people who were half gods and half human. They were just that, Myths.
  • Very good question and point! and respecting others opinions is very noble and more of us should do the same because words and slurs hurt people even if it is on a web page I have had my feelings hurt badly in chat rooms that is why I no longer go into them. We all have thoughts about all things no 2 people think exactly alike on any subject.
  • I don't believe he ever walked the earth. i think he was made up, his punishments a way to make the Romans out to be the bad guys in everything and to extract every ounce of pity for chrishuns to sucker people in.. If I made up a fictional character and wrote how the US stuck him in a prison where he was raped non-stop and sold among gangs as if he were a commodity and later that book were found someone would likely make that imaginary fictional character out to be someone real even though that story is true and it's happened time and time again to thousands throughout history. Why isn't the US viewed in the same horrid light the Romans were when it's known fact this does happen? People were crucified and we know that, but jesus was not by any means the only one. His story has only been passed on and on with all sorts of embellishments added to make him the iconic figure of a reason to punish others on his behalf.
  • Possibly but he would have been called Jesus ben Joseph or Jesus of Nazareth. Christ is a title (like teacher) so he would have been Jesus the Christ if he existed. It is more likely in my opinion that many verbal sources were put together in an attempt to create a more secure base for the new control system that was being created. Even the christian sources don't seem to have any explanation for where he was between the ages of 12 and 30 - I lean towards the idea that he was in India learning about Buddhism, as many of his quoted teachings seem to originate from there.
  • Jesus was a charismatic philosopher who, following his death, was deified by a movement that has gained and lost momentum during the past 2,000 years.
  • im guessing that jesus never existed as a person or gods son. word to your mother
  • I believe that there was likely SOMEONE who inspired the Biblical tales, who inspired Christianity. Was he divine? No. Was he named Jesus Christ? I don't know.
  • Jesus was a very common name then. The biblical jesus is a 'composite'of people. The church 'fathers' at the council of Nicea in 326CE could not agree on his divinity, so Emperor Constantine decided for them. Voila--divinity & resurrection !
  • I believe there was such a man. He was probably crucified as that was a favourite roman execution method.
  • i'm a pantheist, but i don't believe there is nearly enough evidence for a living being named jesus as described in the bible, divine or not.
  • I dunno, there seems to be many characters in the 'past', rather than 'history', which have been airbrushed out. I'd say there was a chap in Israel alright at the time, but the character depicted in ye olde bible, not so sure. P.S. just some links ye might find funny: http://www.munsterfans.com//uploads/images/Ruck/Sign3.jpg http://www.munsterfans.com//uploads/images/LuckyDucker/AC7_daily_mail.jpg
  • Not sure, if Jesus existed he didn't write one word in the bible. No evidence exist so it's a little skeptical. Who knows if he did exist he was a philosopher at best.
  • There is very little historical evidence (if any)to support the existence of a man who was known as Jesus Christ, but considering all the hype surrounding his life that was carried down through history then yes...its certainly possible that the man (not the deity) actually existed.

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