Jesus: Why I believe He was a failure.

The inverse is also true. If you start with the belief that God does exist, the discussion is nonsensical.Just like if you start with the belief that God AND other deities exist -or- if you start with the belief that God doesn't exist but that other deities do.

How is that claim any more valid than the same claim in a thousand other religions?Practically every religion on Earth has a "Well, you better believe this story or one day you'll be sorry! Now please give me money and follow my rules" statement just like that one.

Here's a test for you:Go to any book store. Go to the Sci-fi/Fantasy section. Pick out any book with a sword or dragon on the front and read it. Odds are pretty damn good that that book is going to contain a prophecy which will, within the pages of that book, be fulfilled.Does that mean that Lomax the North Raider is the son of God? Or does it mean that when the authors get to write both the prophecy and the history they can make everything match up as they see fit?

Okay, grab EVERY book from any given series with multiple authors. "Dragonlance" or whatever else is out there (honestly haven't checked out sci-fi/fant in a long time) and you'll see the EXACT same thing.A unified world, recurring characters with magical powers, prophecies, etc.

Spock and Kirk getting it on. Not canon, yet oddly about half of the fan fiction.

Of course it's not relevant for me. It's fiction.It's relevant for you because you want it to be. Just like Harry Potter is relevant for hundreds of thousands of kids. Doesn't change the fact that it's fiction.If you want to say: "Hey, the philosophies set out in these books are good and I want to live by them." that's fine.The problem is that people on your side of the debate aren't saying that. What they are saying is this: "Hey, this book is fact and therefore people who are NOT members of my religion ALSO have to obey these rules." And that, buddy, is bullcrap.

Here's the problem. 2nd Jesus ALREADY came and went.There was another figure known to religion. Here are some of the things he did:- Walked on water
- Raised a dead man named Alazarus
- Cured the blind
- Cured the diseased
- Died, went to Hell and was raised back up
- Died on a cross along with two other men
- Was born to a virgin, signified by a star
- His birth was heralded by servants of the almighty, as he was the son of the almighty
- He was known as the sheppard of menSound familiar?If I told you this man is from 500 AD, wouldn't you say that he was the 2nd coming? Or is he a work of fiction? If he's a work of fiction, how do you know Jesus is real and he is false and not the other way around?