Why do atheists...

In some cases, yes. But most of the first Christians (a.k.a. Messianic Jews), had been taught about Jesus long before He was born through the prophecies of OT prophets like Isaiah, Daniel, and others. Either way, it was indoctrination as you suggested.

 

If you haven't seen compelling evidence either way, doesn't the term "fairy tale" seem a bit extreme?

 

Some undoubtedly tried (see the Gnostic Gospels). That's why the New Testament gospels were comprised of those who were first-hand eyewitnesses, and whose accounts were in agreement.

 

Of course.

 

People perform acts of kindness all the time for their own ends. A person doesn't have to be completely selfless to show kindness to others, or to reap some benefit from it.

 

I became a Christian at 27. I did a good deed or two before that, and to this day I'm the only Christian in my family.

 

A baby is born without a belief system because he has such limited awareness. A stronger, more developed sense of awareness of one's surroundings, however, is sometimes enough of a catalyst to lead him or her to believe in a higher power.

 

Why? I agree that some -- maybe even most -- may have had selfish, even sinister motives, but I wouldn't say that's the case across the board. Many theologians I've read and spoken to have just as much a thirst for what is true as any science lab geek.

So does Mohammad. Honestly, that's the major reason behind my personal choice to pass over Mormonism and Islam -- both are largely based on the revelation(s) of a single man with little or no corroborating evidence. I think the same could be applied to Buddhism.

But Judaism and Christianity are somewhat set apart in that there are many corroborating experiences, testimonies, and even some scientific evidence that support their claims. The same cannot be said for most other belief systems, at least the ones I've studied anyway.

 

i'm talking origin, not study. you gotta keep in mind that i don't buy the litteral stories from the bible. instead, it seems to me that somebody made it up. i seriously doubt they just happen to make up the unknowable truth.

jesus is a bit similar. there were plenty of messiahs before him and probably a good number after, tho i think his legend probably killed the market. after the fact, jesus ends up being the one that is "true" because everybody agrees and writes it that way. maybe brian was the messiah and nobody noticed.

as opposed to moses?

not exactly. there's no doubt that there's history in the bible. but just because you can find the place doesn't mean the story is true. look at troy. supposedly there's a site that people think is troy. does that mean odyseus was a real guy and fought cyclops? or that achilles was truly only vulnerable in his heel -- afterall, how else did it get the name "achilles tendon"?

the story of mohamed and joseph smith are steeped in history as well. they existed, they visited places, things happened. finding other people referencing them doesn't really do much to validate their teachings, tho.