A Scholar's Revelation: Bart Ehrman's Reasons for Not Being a Christian | The Rational Roundtable

Jul 23, 2023

Who Was the Real Pontius Pilate? | The Man Who Killed Christ | Timeline

Apr 3, 2021 | Throughout history, Pontius Pilate has been portrayed as a weak ruler-the man who allowed Jesus Christ to be crucified at the demand of the Jews. But this documentary portrays a very different Pilate, one who had his own motives for allowing Jesus' fate.

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Marketing the Messiah | Christianity | Documentary | Bible | Jesus | Faith | New Testament | God

Apr 27, 2021 | Marketing the Messiah - How much do you really know about how Christianity got started? Whether you are a Christian, atheist, or member of another faith, it's impossible to ignore the impact that Christianity has had on Western civilization.

Jesus, Christianity, and Homosexuality

MARK ALEXANDER – ESSAY: Christians make such a big thing about homosexuality and often, if not usually, try to deny a homosexual’s right to love and be loved. Christians always cite Biblical teachings for their aversion to homosexual love. Fact is, however, that Christian teachings, as we all know, should be based on Jesus Christ’s teachings. In truth, however, Jesus Christ uttered not a single word condemning homosexuality; he said absolutely nothing about it.

For a Christian to condemn homosexuality, he/she must look back to Leviticus in the Old Testament, to Genesis, and to Sodom and Gomorrah–hence the use of the word ‘sodomy’—and to Paul’s letter to the Romans.

Regarding Leviticus, if we were to follow the proscriptions in that book in the Old Testament, one of the books which forms the basis of Jewish law, we would be forbidden from doing many things. Leviticus proscribes tattoos, the eating of shellfish (bottom feeders in the oceans, hence they eat all the crud that falls to the bottom of the oceans rendering them unclean), and it proscribes many other things besides. Isn’t it strange how Christians cherry-pick the things that they dislike and which do not pertain to their own lifestyles and then conveniently ignore the rest of the proscriptions?

Further, the Bible proscribes men and women from sleeping together and making love/having sex before marriage. It is surely an abomination unto God. But how many straight people do you know that abide by this Biblical proscription? Most straight people I have known in my life have almost invariably slept with their husbands/wives before marriage. So why the big deal about two men or two women loving and sleeping with each other? What’s sauce for the goose is also sauce for the gander. Such hypocrisy!

However, I should like to add one very important fact about Jesus’s silence on homosexuality. Jesus lived in Palestine. At that time, Palestine was part of the Roman Empire. And the harsh reality about the Roman society at that time is this: Homosexuality was rife in the Roman Empire. It was commonplace for upper class Romans to surround themselves with pretty, young boys. Apparently, it was a status symbol, and they would often be paraded openly in Roman society, too. So that makes it even harder to understand why Jesus did not utter even one single word about this behaviour. Surely, if Jesus had thought it was such a sinful activity in the eyes of God, he would have said plenty against it.

What Paul had to say on the matter interests me far, far less. Paul, previously Saul of Tarsus, was a convert to Christianity. (In actual fact, it wasn’t even called Christianity in those days.) We all know the nature of converts, or reformed people, anyway.

In any case, Christian teachings should be based on the teachings of Jesus Christ, not on the teachings of Paul. It is what Jesus thought that is important, not what Paul taught.

Isn’t it high time that we in the West came to terms with the fact that homosexuals, just as heterosexuals, deserve an opportunity in life to pursue their own happiness? We all, gay or straight, deserve to be able to love another and be loved by another. It is time to stop making heavy weather of this. Furthermore, for believers, if it is truly unacceptable to God, then God will sort it out on the Day of Judgment. It is not for man to play God.

© Mark Alexander
All Rights Reserved

Seth Andrews: Jesus & John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation | The Thinking Atheist

Sep 28, 2021 Dr. Kristin Du Mez is a Christian, yet she is also taking to task America's hard leanings into white Christian Nationalism and authoritarian "God warrior" narratives. Join us for a compelling discussion about her new book.

Genesis, White Jesus, and Debating the Resurrection (with Dr. Bart Ehrman)

Mar 29, 2022 Dr. Bart Ehrman is a New Testament scholar, author, and educator. In advance of his upcoming debate with apologist Dr. Mike Licona, he joins us to talk about the Bible, Christ, and the April 9th online debate: "Did the Resurrection of Jesus Really Happen?"

The Passion of the Christ (2004): Crucifixion Scene

Dec 12, 2019 • Depicts the final twelve hours in the life of Jesus of Nazareth, on the day of his crucifixion in Jerusalem.

Genesis, White Jesus, and Debating the Resurrection (with Dr. Bart Ehrman)

Mar 29, 2022 • Dr. Bart Ehrman is a New Testament scholar, author, and educator. In advance of his upcoming debate with apologist Dr. Mike Licona, he joins us to talk about the Bible, Christ, and the April 9th online debate: "Did the Resurrection of Jesus Really Happen?"

Could This Be the Real Tomb of Christ? | Jesus' Lost Tomb | Timeline

Jul 28, 2018 • The Lost Tomb of Jesus is a documentary which makes a case that the 2,000-year-old "Tomb of the Ten Ossuaries" belonged to the family of Jesus of Nazareth.

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Is Jesus Christ Just a Myth? | Pagan Christ | Timeline

Jul 25, 2020 • There are 2.1 billion Christians on the planet—roughly one third of the entire human population. At the heart of their religion is the New Testament and the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. To Christianity, the written word is the glue that binds the faith of its followers. So, what if it could be proven that Jesus never existed? What if there was evidence that every word of the New Testament—the cornerstone of Christianity—is based on myth and metaphor? The Pagan Christ investigates these very questions. | Views on YouTube: 1,045,052

The Missing Years of Jesus | National Geographic

Could This Be the Location of Jesus' Tomb? | Secrets of The Cross | Timeline

In 1980, an ancient tomb was uncovered in Jerusalem. Inside were bones dating back to the first century. Could it be the resting place of Christ?

Controversial and compelling, Secrets of The Cross pushes aside centuries of tradition to expose fascinating secrets at the heart of the Christian story.

Why Jews Don't Accept Jesus as the Messiah

Rabbi Eliezer Sneiderman discusses the various reasons why Jews don’t accept Jesus as the Messiah.

Who Was the Real Jesus Christ (Biblical Documentary) | Timeline

After the death of Jesus, his followers split into two factions. They held radically different views about their leader – his identity, his message and his vision of the future. One of those factions flourished under the guiding genius of St Paul – and eventually wrote its version of the story in the Gospels of the New Testament. The other faction withered and died away, leaving behind no written records. But what if the losers in this power struggle had written their version of the story? The Real Jesus Christ reconstructs that lost biography of Jesus: an alternative version of his life as it would have been told by those who lost the battle for the succession, but who knew him better than anyone else – his closest followers and his family.

The Village in Syria Where They Speak Jesus' Tongue

Aramaic (2008): In a village in the Syrian countryside, Muslims and Christians live side-by-side and keeping the language of Christ, Aramaic, alive.

Did Jesus Die On Cross? | BBC Four Documentary

The Real Jesus Christ | Biblical Documentary | Timeline

After the death of Jesus, his followers split into two factions. They held radically different views about their leader – his identity, his message and his vision of the future. One of those factions flourished under the guiding genius of St Paul – and eventually wrote its version of the story in the Gospels of the New Testament. The other faction withered and died away, leaving behind no written records. But what if the losers in this power struggle had written their version of the story? The Real Jesus Christ reconstructs that lost biography of Jesus: an alternative version of his life as it would have been told by those who lost the battle for the succession, but who knew him better than anyone else – his closest followers and his family.

How Jesus Became God - An Interview With Bart Ehrman

An interview excerpt with author, New Testament scholar, and Professor of Religious Studies Bart D. Ehrman.

Misquoting Jesus

Best-selling author and New Testament scholar Bart Ehrman picks apart the Gospels that made him a disbeliever and discusses problems with "The Da Vinci Code." Ehrman gave the 2006 Luther H. Harshbarger Lecture in Religious Studies at Penn State.

The Real Jesus Christ | Biblical Documentary | Timeline

After the death of Jesus, his followers split into two factions. They held radically different views about their leader – his identity, his message and his vision of the future. One of those factions flourished under the guiding genius of St Paul – and eventually wrote its version of the story in the Gospels of the New Testament. The other faction withered and died away, leaving behind no written records. But what if the losers in this power struggle had written their version of the story? The Real Jesus Christ reconstructs that lost biography of Jesus: an alternative version of his life as it would have been told by those who lost the battle for the succession, but who knew him better than anyone else – his closest followers and his family.