Anti-gay American cleric banned from UK for inciting hatred

[D1B]

Yes, they are shams. The middle east is a prime example of religions true purpose - to maintain status quo and control the masses. We have been able to avoid this because we are free and partially capitalist. One of the great achievments of capitalism is its subjugation of religion. During the last eight years, religion has been able to control the republican party to the detriment of both. Thank god for the youth of america and Barack Obama.

Do your research, jesus is a myth. He is not divine. He had no contemporary eyewitnesses, his miracles are myth, and the crap that written about him, in some case was done hundreds of years after his alleged death.

Judgement day? You've got to be kidding.

Dinosaurs?

For your sake, and countless others, I wish we were kidding, but for those of us who believe the day can't come soon enough. Romans14 vs 11

Then why dont you kill yourself?

[D1B]

St.Paul is only enforcing what the prophet Isaiah was speaking to the Jewish nation, this time to Christians. We will ALL meet Jesus Christ one day face to face.

Catman, are you aware St. Paul never met jesus?

Catman, your religion is wrong on so many things. What makes you think they were right about jesus?

How much anxiety do you harbor that can be traced back to your religion? You're not a sinner.

Drop it (religion) and you will be free. Heaven does not exist. Quit wasting your time with fairy tales and imaginary friends and put your efforts into the here and now.

[JoltinJoe]

Catman, are you aware St. Paul never met jesus?

I'm wouldn't be so sure that's true (I'm assuming you are discounting Paul's encounter with the Risen Christ on the road to Damascus -- an encounter which changed the world forever).

Paul was considered a brilliant young Pharisee who was under the training of the members of the Sanhedrin which (if Jesus existed) would have charged Jesus with blasphemy. Therefore, it is conceivable that Paul might have met, or at least encountered or experienced Jesus, during Jesus' physical life.

Paul lived during the period of time that Jesus of Nazareth is said to have lived. No doubt, Paul is an historical figure ... and he expressed no doubts over the historical existence of Jesus of Nazareth.

One wonders why a brilliant Pharisee, who lived during the times during which Jesus is said to have lived, would have converted and followed Jesus, if Jesus never existed. It seems to me that Paul must have known that Jesus truly lived. It also seems to me that Paul would have most certainly known if Jesus was an historical myth.

[mass fan]

For your sake, and countless others, I wish we were kidding, but for those of us who believe the day can't come soon enough. Romans14 vs 11

Then why dont you kill yourself?

The good Lord brought me in, and the good lord will take me out.

[catamount man]

St.Paul is only enforcing what the prophet Isaiah was speaking to the Jewish nation, this time to Christians. We will ALL meet Jesus Christ one day face to face.

Catman, are you aware St. Paul never met jesus?

Catman, your religion is wrong on so many things. What makes you think they were right about jesus?

How much anxiety do you harbor that can be traced back to your religion? You're not a sinner.

Drop it (religion) and you will be free. Heaven does not exist. Quit wasting your time with fairy tales and imaginary friends and put your efforts into the here and now.

Based on the experiences in my life, I will continue down the road I have chosen of my own free will. May the God of all ages bless you and keep you.

[D1B]

Catman, are you aware St. Paul never met jesus?

I'm wouldn't be so sure that's true (I'm assuming you are discounting Paul's encounter with the Risen Christ on the road to Damascus -- an encounter which changed the world forever).

Paul was considered a brilliant young Pharisee who was under the training of the members of the Sanhedrin which (if Jesus existed) would have charged Jesus with blasphemy. Therefore, it is conceivable that Paul might have met, or at least encountered or experienced Jesus, during Jesus' physical life.

Paul lived during the period of time that Jesus of Nazareth is said to have lived. No doubt, Paul is an historical figure ... and he expressed no doubts over the historical existence of Jesus of Nazareth.

One wonders why a brilliant Pharisee, who lived during the times during which Jesus is said to have lived, would have converted and followed Jesus, if Jesus never existed. It seems to me that Paul must have known that Jesus truly lived. It also seems to me that Paul would have most certainly known if Jesus was an historical myth.

Great, Paul never met jesus and was nowhere near Judea during his "ministries",and it's highly probable that none of true authors of the gospels met him. All were written in greek, anonymously, haphazzardly recorded from aramic oral tradition from about 30 to hundreds of years after his alleged death and all contain massive inconsistencies. For instance, according to most serious NT scholars, in the first gospel, attributed to Mark, the resurrection story was absent only to be added later, some say 300 years later. Prudent scholars typically place more credibility on the original document. So I will disregard Paul's meeting with the risen jesus.

[D1B]

Catman, are you aware St. Paul never met jesus?

Catman, your religion is wrong on so many things. What makes you think they were right about jesus?

How much anxiety do you harbor that can be traced back to your religion? You're not a sinner.

Drop it (religion) and you will be free. Heaven does not exist. Quit wasting your time with fairy tales and imaginary friends and put your efforts into the here and now.

Based on the experiences in my life, I will continue down the road I have chosen of my own free will. May the God of all ages bless you and keep you.

Did you really choose that road?

[Cap'n Cat]

Catman, are you aware St. Paul never met jesus?

Catman, your religion is wrong on so many things. What makes you think they were right about jesus?

How much anxiety do you harbor that can be traced back to your religion? You're not a sinner.

Drop it (religion) and you will be free. Heaven does not exist. Quit wasting your time with fairy tales and imaginary friends and put your efforts into the here and now.

Based on the experiences in my life, I will continue down the road I have chosen of my own free will. May the God of all ages bless you and keep you.

Catter, buddy, you were forced into that crap.

I'm doing something completely different for my two sons and it will make all the difference in the world. They are not raised in a religious household. They are told, however, to respect religious people and, should they choose to be religious someday, their mother and I want them to make an intelligent choice on religion or non-belief based on true experience and reason when they have an opportunity to maturely digest it, something D1B and I were denied.

My youngest is a true non-believer at 8. My oldest, 11, played his trombone at a Catholic church for a school concert recently and says he wants to be a Catholic. "Why?", I asked. His reply: "The church smelled real good."

He's got a monumentally better reason than anyone, even, and especially, you and people like you.

Think about it.

[houndawg]

You personally cannot prove or disprove that. Moving on.

Yeah and the proof you use is no more sound than what is used to prove Zeus and Thor. You've just been conditioned by centuries of forced indoctrination, fear and intellectual cowardice.

Jesus did not exist. His "teachings" were not original either.

Basically he was (is) a recycled Egyptian sun-god myth. The planet has seen hundreds of religions with gods that die and are reborn. It's entirely possible that somebody was putting their own twist on the standard riff and it just happened to get legs. There were literally hundreds of "messiahs" running around the mid-east in those days.

[JoltinJoe]

I'm wouldn't be so sure that's true (I'm assuming you are discounting Paul's encounter with the Risen Christ on the road to Damascus -- an encounter which changed the world forever).

Paul was considered a brilliant young Pharisee who was under the training of the members of the Sanhedrin which (if Jesus existed) would have charged Jesus with blasphemy. Therefore, it is conceivable that Paul might have met, or at least encountered or experienced Jesus, during Jesus' physical life.

Paul lived during the period of time that Jesus of Nazareth is said to have lived. No doubt, Paul is an historical figure ... and he expressed no doubts over the historical existence of Jesus of Nazareth.

One wonders why a brilliant Pharisee, who lived during the times during which Jesus is said to have lived, would have converted and followed Jesus, if Jesus never existed. It seems to me that Paul must have known that Jesus truly lived. It also seems to me that Paul would have most certainly known if Jesus was an historical myth.

Great, Paul never met jesus and was nowhere near Judea during his "ministries",and it's highly probable that none of true authors of the gospels met him. All were written in greek, anonymously, haphazzardly recorded from aramic oral tradition from about 30 to hundreds of years after his alleged death and all contain massive inconsistencies. For instance, according to most serious NT scholars, in the first gospel, attributed to Mark, the resurrection story was absent only to be added later, some say 300 years later. Prudent scholars typically place more credibility on the original document. So I will disregard Paul's meeting with the risen jesus.

You are a wealth of misinformation.

Jeff, scholars believe the original text of Mark concluded at Mark 16:8, and that the rest of Chapter 16 was added later. It is not true, however, that the "resurrection story was absent." Here is a translation of the original text of Mark 16:1-8. As you can see, the original text made the claim of the resurrection:

When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go and anoint him.
2
Very early when the sun had risen, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb.
3
They were saying to one another, "Who will roll back the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?"
4
When they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back; it was very large.
5
On entering the tomb they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe, and they were utterly amazed.
6
He said to them, "Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Behold the place where they laid him.
7
But go and tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you.'"
8
Then they went out and fled from the tomb, seized with trembling and bewilderment. They said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.


As for your comments about Paul being "nowhere near Judea" during Jesus' life, Paul was a Jew and a Roman citizen by virtue of his birth in Tarsus. Paul was a Pharisee and the son of a Pharisee. Paul studied under the guidance of Gamaliel, who was an influential member of the Sanhedrin at the time of Jesus. So how could Paul have studied under Gameliel, if he was not near Judea at that time? Paul must have concluded his studies in Jerusalem.

[catamount man]

D1B and Cap'n,

I went to an altar at the age of 12 and YES, asked Jesus Christ to come into my heart and be my Lord and Savior. You don't know me and you don't know my life so quit acting like you 2 speak for any and everybody on this board that doesn't agree with you. I am not ashamed to admit I believe the life of Jesus, I am not ashamed to admit that I am a flawed human and that I need him every day in my life, I am not ashamed to bow my head in prayer in thanksgiving for my blessings, even my meals, heck I do this when I am in sports bars eating a meal and having a beer.

I am thankful to have 2 God fearing parents who told me the grand ole stories of the Bible and who have lived the Christian life as an example for me. I am thankful that even though I still love to drink beer, I don't drink as much as I used to, I am thankful to God that I am not addicted to strip joints anymore like I used to be, I am thankful that Jesus loves me when I clearly don't deserve it. I don't know where in life you guys decided to proclaim that there is no God and I don't frankly care but your smug attitudes towards those who try to live lifes of faith GET MORE THAN OLD. It's funny at first, agreeing to disagree, but after a while you guys are like a broken record. WE GET IT. YOU DENY GOD, YOU HATE GOD and everything that is associated with Him. FINE. It's your life, but if you're living like he doesn't exist, YOU BETTER BE RIGHT.

I am done with you 2.

[Cap'n Cat]

Great, Paul never met jesus and was nowhere near Judea during his "ministries",and it's highly probable that none of true authors of the gospels met him. All were written in greek, anonymously, haphazzardly recorded from aramic oral tradition from about 30 to hundreds of years after his alleged death and all contain massive inconsistencies. For instance, according to most serious NT scholars, in the first gospel, attributed to Mark, the resurrection story was absent only to be added later, some say 300 years later. Prudent scholars typically place more credibility on the original document. So I will disregard Paul's meeting with the risen jesus.

You are a wealth of misinformation.

Jeff, scholars believe the original text of Mark concluded at Mark 16:8, and that the rest of Chapter 16 was added later. It is not true, however, that the "resurrection story was absent." Here is a translation of the original text of Mark 16:1-8. As you can see, the original text made the claim of the resurrection:

When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go and anoint him.
2
Very early when the sun had risen, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb.
3
They were saying to one another, "Who will roll back the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?"
4
When they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back; it was very large.
5
On entering the tomb they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe, and they were utterly amazed.
6
He said to them, "Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Behold the place where they laid him.
7
But go and tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you.'"
8
Then they went out and fled from the tomb, seized with trembling and bewilderment. They said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.


As for your comments about Paul being "nowhere near Judea" during Jesus' life, Paul was a Jew and a Roman citizen by virtue of his birth in Tarsus. Paul was a Pharisee and the son of a Pharisee. Paul studied under the guidance of Gamaliel, who was an influential member of the Sanhedrin at the time of Jesus. So how could Paul have studied under Gameliel, if he was not near Judea at that time? Paul must have concluded his studies in Jerusalem.

The Bible is a wealth of misinformation, Joe, written hundreds of years after Christ bought the farm. Get with it.

[dbackjon]

Can't we all just agree that regardless of what we believe, that Fred Phelps is a big ol piece of shit?

[Cap'n Cat]

D1B and Cap'n,

I went to an altar at the age of 12 and YES, asked Jesus Christ to come into my heart and be my Lord and Savior. You don't know me and you don't know my life so quit acting like you 2 speak for any and everybody on this board that doesn't agree with you. I am not ashamed to admit I believe the life of Jesus, I am not ashamed to admit that I am a flawed human and that I need him every day in my life, I am not ashamed to bow my head in prayer in thanksgiving for my blessings, even my meals, heck I do this when I am in sports bars eating a meal and having a beer.

I am thankful to have 2 God fearing parents who told me the grand ole stories of the Bible and who have lived the Christian life as an example for me. I am thankful that even though I still love to drink beer, I don't drink as much as I used to, I am thankful to God that I am not addicted to strip joints anymore like I used to be, I am thankful that Jesus loves me when I clearly don't deserve it. I don't know where in life you guys decided to proclaim that there is no God and I don't frankly care but your smug attitudes towards those who try to live lifes of faith GET MORE THAN OLD. It's funny at first, agreeing to disagree, but after a while you guys are like a broken record. WE GET IT. YOU DENY GOD, YOU HATE GOD and everything that is associated with Him. FINE. It's your life, but if you're living like he doesn't exist, YOU BETTER BE RIGHT.

I am done with you 2.

Hey, Catter, the broken record shiat is the province of the religious. I don't care if you live or die, much as you are about us. Just telling you like it is, Mort. And, re your conversion, twelve or not, you still had an ecclesiastical gun to your head via some Jesus dolt.

When one person suffers from a delusion it is called insanity. When many people suffer from a delusion, it is called religion (Robert Pirsig).

[HI54UNI]

Can't we all just agree that regardless of what we believe, that Fred Phelps is a big ol piece of shit?

That's insulting to pieces of shit everywhere. Words cannot describe what a worthless piece of human debris he is.

[JoltinJoe]

Can't we all just agree that regardless of what we believe, that Fred Phelps is a big ol piece of shit?

Fred Phelps is a scary windbag. My wife and I used to live in Nyack, NY. The scariest thing I ever saw was when Phelps and his gang came to Nyack to damn the entire town because of the homosexual presence in the town.

[JoltinJoe]

You are a wealth of misinformation.

Jeff, scholars believe the original text of Mark concluded at Mark 16:8, and that the rest of Chapter 16 was added later. It is not true, however, that the "resurrection story was absent." Here is a translation of the original text of Mark 16:1-8. As you can see, the original text made the claim of the resurrection:

When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go and anoint him.
2
Very early when the sun had risen, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb.
3
They were saying to one another, "Who will roll back the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?"
4
When they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back; it was very large.
5
On entering the tomb they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe, and they were utterly amazed.
6
He said to them, "Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Behold the place where they laid him.
7
But go and tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you.'"
8
Then they went out and fled from the tomb, seized with trembling and bewilderment. They said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.


As for your comments about Paul being "nowhere near Judea" during Jesus' life, Paul was a Jew and a Roman citizen by virtue of his birth in Tarsus. Paul was a Pharisee and the son of a Pharisee. Paul studied under the guidance of Gamaliel, who was an influential member of the Sanhedrin at the time of Jesus. So how could Paul have studied under Gameliel, if he was not near Judea at that time? Paul must have concluded his studies in Jerusalem.

The Bible is a wealth of misinformation, Joe, written hundreds of years after Christ bought the farm. Get with it.

I'm not interested in getting in a theological debate here, Cap. I have limited my comments to statements of historical fact: Paul may well have encountered Jesus; and that the original text of Mark made the claim of the Resurrection.

Besides, I don't have to argue faith with you. I know you are going to come back to Jesus some day.

[D1B]

Great, Paul never met jesus and was nowhere near Judea during his "ministries",and it's highly probable that none of true authors of the gospels met him. All were written in greek, anonymously, haphazzardly recorded from aramic oral tradition from about 30 to hundreds of years after his alleged death and all contain massive inconsistencies. For instance, according to most serious NT scholars, in the first gospel, attributed to Mark, the resurrection story was absent only to be added later, some say 300 years later. Prudent scholars typically place more credibility on the original document. So I will disregard Paul's meeting with the risen jesus.

You are a wealth of misinformation.

Jeff, scholars believe the original text of Mark concluded at Mark 16:8, and that the rest of Chapter 16 was added later. It is not true, however, that the "resurrection story was absent." Here is a translation of the original text of Mark 16:1-8. As you can see, the original text made the claim of the resurrection:

When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go and anoint him.
2
Very early when the sun had risen, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb.
3
They were saying to one another, "Who will roll back the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?"
4
When they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back; it was very large.
5
On entering the tomb they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe, and they were utterly amazed.
6
He said to them, "Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Behold the place where they laid him.
7
But go and tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you.'"
8
Then they went out and fled from the tomb, seized with trembling and bewilderment. They said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.


As for your comments about Paul being "nowhere near Judea" during Jesus' life, Paul was a Jew and a Roman citizen by virtue of his birth in Tarsus. Paul was a Pharisee and the son of a Pharisee. Paul studied under the guidance of Gamaliel, who was an influential member of the Sanhedrin at the time of Jesus. So how could Paul have studied under Gameliel, if he was not near Judea at that time? Paul must have concluded his studies in Jerusalem.

Joe are you a fan of Paul?

Care to include your sources for the above? I'm interested in reading them.

Joe, be careful with your wording - the gospels were not written by, but were attributed to Matt, Mark.... It's the gospel according to Mark. Again, these stories were originally written in Greek and translated from aramic oral history decades to centuries after the alleged death of jesus, then copied, recopied, retranslated, and re written many times. Thousands of versions of exist.

If this, the bible, fits your standard for proof, good luck to you.

Yeah, I guess all those scholars must have missed the part about where Paul "studied" Joe they looked at the Paul's writings, or better yet, those attributed to him. Paul never met jesus, and if the gospels are to be a reliable source of jesus' life info, Paul didn't really know him well either.

[D1B]

D1B and Cap'n,

I went to an altar at the age of 12 and YES, asked Jesus Christ to come into my heart and be my Lord and Savior. You don't know me and you don't know my life so quit acting like you 2 speak for any and everybody on this board that doesn't agree with you. I am not ashamed to admit I believe the life of Jesus, I am not ashamed to admit that I am a flawed human and that I need him every day in my life, I am not ashamed to bow my head in prayer in thanksgiving for my blessings, even my meals, heck I do this when I am in sports bars eating a meal and having a beer.

I am thankful to have 2 God fearing parents who told me the grand ole stories of the Bible and who have lived the Christian life as an example for me. I am thankful that even though I still love to drink beer, I don't drink as much as I used to, I am thankful to God that I am not addicted to strip joints anymore like I used to be, I am thankful that Jesus loves me when I clearly don't deserve it. I don't know where in life you guys decided to proclaim that there is no God and I don't frankly care but your smug attitudes towards those who try to live lifes of faith GET MORE THAN OLD. It's funny at first, agreeing to disagree, but after a while you guys are like a broken record. WE GET IT. YOU DENY GOD, YOU HATE GOD and everything that is associated with Him. FINE. It's your life, but if you're living like he doesn't exist, YOU BETTER BE RIGHT.

I am done with you 2.

Can't hate sumpin that doesn't exist, Catman.

"People don't believe the little lies, they only believe big lies" Adolf Hitler

[JoltinJoe]

You are a wealth of misinformation.

Jeff, scholars believe the original text of Mark concluded at Mark 16:8, and that the rest of Chapter 16 was added later. It is not true, however, that the "resurrection story was absent." Here is a translation of the original text of Mark 16:1-8. As you can see, the original text made the claim of the resurrection:

When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go and anoint him.
2
Very early when the sun had risen, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb.
3
They were saying to one another, "Who will roll back the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?"
4
When they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back; it was very large.
5
On entering the tomb they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe, and they were utterly amazed.
6
He said to them, "Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Behold the place where they laid him.
7
But go and tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you.'"
8
Then they went out and fled from the tomb, seized with trembling and bewilderment. They said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.


As for your comments about Paul being "nowhere near Judea" during Jesus' life, Paul was a Jew and a Roman citizen by virtue of his birth in Tarsus. Paul was a Pharisee and the son of a Pharisee. Paul studied under the guidance of Gamaliel, who was an influential member of the Sanhedrin at the time of Jesus. So how could Paul have studied under Gameliel, if he was not near Judea at that time? Paul must have concluded his studies in Jerusalem.

Joe are you a fan of Paul?

Care to include your sources for the above? I'm interested in reading them.

Joe, be careful with your wording - the gospels were not written by, but were attributed to Matt, Mark.... It's the gospel according to Mark. Again, these stories were originally written in Greek and translated from aramic oral history decades to centuries after the alleged death of jesus, then copied, recopied, retranslated, and re written many times. Thousands of versions of exist.

If this, the bible, fits your standard for proof, good luck to you.

Yeah, I guess all those scholars must have missed the part about where Paul "studied" Joe they looked at the Paul's writings, or better yet, those attributed to him. Paul never met jesus, and if the gospels are to be a reliable source of jesus' life info, Paul didn't really know him well either.

Where did I say that the Gospel of Mark was written by Mark himself? When I'm referring to "Mark," I'm referring to the Gospel, not the person.

That aside, at Acts 22:3, Paul himself declares that he was born in Tarsus, but "was brought up in this city" and studied "at the foot of Gamaliel" -- Gamaliel being a significant figure in the First Century Sanhedrin. There are other references in Paul's actual writings in which he says that he was a Pharisee and also the son of a Pharisee.

Thus, while it is impossible to say that Paul met Jesus was Jesus was alive, it seems Paul was actually in Judea at the time of Jesus. That suggests to me that Paul must have known that Jesus truly lived and existed, and probably had some exposure to Jesus.

[Cap'n Cat]

Joe,
I am Jesus. Whaddaya thinka that?

[D1B]

Joe are you a fan of Paul?

Care to include your sources for the above? I'm interested in reading them.

Joe, be careful with your wording - the gospels were not written by, but were attributed to Matt, Mark.... It's the gospel according to Mark. Again, these stories were originally written in Greek and translated from aramic oral history decades to centuries after the alleged death of jesus, then copied, recopied, retranslated, and re written many times. Thousands of versions of exist.

If this, the bible, fits your standard for proof, good luck to you.

Yeah, I guess all those scholars must have missed the part about where Paul "studied" Joe they looked at the Paul's writings, or better yet, those attributed to him. Paul never met jesus, and if the gospels are to be a reliable source of jesus' life info, Paul didn't really know him well either.

Where did I say that the Gospel of Mark was written by Mark himself? When I'm referring to "Mark," I'm referring to the Gospel, not the person.

That aside, at Acts 22:3, Paul himself declares that he was born in Tarsus, but "was brought up in this city" and studied "at the foot of Gamaliel" -- Gamaliel being a significant figure in the First Century Sanhedrin. There are other references in Paul's actual writings in which he says that he was a Pharisee and also the son of a Pharisee.

Thus, while it is impossible to say that Paul met Jesus was Jesus was alive, it seems Paul was actually in Judea at the time of Jesus. That suggests to me that Paul must have known that Jesus truly lived and existed, and probably had some exposure to Jesus.

Again, scholars believe Paul never met jesus because his depiction of him is vastly different than the gospels and contains very few of what we would call defining characteristics and moments, like the virgin birth.

As far as sources, I'm more interested in the original Mark and subsequent additions. Where did you find the original text?

[D1B]

The Pauline Epistles do not know the life of Jesus described in the Gospels:

No mention of Jesus' parents, his virgin birth, or place of birth
No period given for when Jesus' lived on earth
No mention of John the Baptist or Judas
No mention of the miracles that Jesus is said to have performed

Paul was a politician. His "church" differed in almost all major respects to that we know of the mythical jesus.

A man name jesus was but one of numerous troublemakers who advocated the apocalypse and a reversal of society - the meek will overpower the wealthy. This got him and numerous others in deep shit with the governement and they killed him, like they did with countless other self proclaimed messiahs at the time.

Men, interested in power, bought the primitive "Jesus/Horus/you name the god" screen play and through the eons and continuing to this day, wrote and rewrote the bible countless times to further the interests of church and power, NOT to preserve the teachings/ministries of jesus.

A glaring example of the culmination of their work is the mighty and wealthy catholic church, the ridiculous adaptation of mormons/LDS and the corporate mega churches of America - all operated not on gospel principles but by a beaurocracy that rivals the most governments.

Take a look at the LDS headquarters in Salt Lake City or the Vatican - Is this really what jesus envisioned?

[Benne]

Where can I get one of those, the world is going to end, calendars? Why is now so special? Christians are certainly in a better place compared to 2000 years ago. People are probably dying at a much slower pace. What's changed that some think it's going to end tomorrow.

Some christians seem to want this Childish Vindictive god to rescue god-fearing folk while the rest of the world is punished in an almost I-Told-You-So approach. Unless you are Mayan, give me one good reason that you feel the end is near.

[Ibanez]

Yeah and the proof you use is no more sound than what is used to prove Zeus and Thor. You've just been conditioned by centuries of forced indoctrination, fear and intellectual cowardice.

Jesus did not exist. His "teachings" were not original either.

Basically he was (is) a recycled Egyptian sun-god myth. The planet has seen hundreds of religions with gods that die and are reborn. It's entirely possible that somebody was putting their own twist on the standard riff and it just happened to get legs. There were literally hundreds of "messiahs" running around the mid-east in those days.

The Messiah the Jews wanted was a military savior, not someone like Jesus. There are many fallacies like Mary being a virgin(so much so that the early meaning of virgin was simply a young girl).