Responding to Chris Martens’ letter (The NEWS, Jan. 7).
Yes, there is good evidence that Jesus was a historical person. No problem. Sometime about 30 years before the governorship of Pontius Pilate (26 to 36 AD), a male child of uncertain parentage was born and in the time of Pontius Pilate, put to death by crucifixion. There is some evidence, contaminated by a lot of magical thinking, that he was an extraordinary person.
Fine. The part I and millions of my fellow heathens find difficult to believe is that he was the son of man/God (I wish they would make up their minds) and that he was born to atone for my sins 2,000 years before I committed any of them.
So much for the historicity of Jesus. The rest of the Christian stuff is fluff. Interesting fluff for a history buff like me, but fluff nonetheless.
Michael ScottFrench Creek