[Buddha-l] it's not about belief

[Erik Hoogcarspel]

Richard P. Hayes schreef:

>On Thu, 2006-01-05 at 18:02 -0500, Stanley J. Ziobro II wrote:
>
>  
>
>>The issue, as I've understood it, is that a priest in Viterbo Italy is not
>>required to appear in court to attest to the existence of Jesus.  In the
>>article where this was related the Gospels were deemed unworthy of
>>consideration as a viable source for Jesus' existence, because they are
>>scriptures for a faith community.
>>    
>>
>
>That seems a perfectly reasonable conclusion in a court of law,
>especially in a country that has become very secular, as Italy has done.
>Why allow the gospels as evidence and not various gnostic writings? Why
>believe the gospels rather than the Qur'an, which says that Jesus was
>married and was never crucified? It is in the nature of all evidence
>that it becomes stronger if it is corroborated by independent accounts.
>Accounts independent of the gospels not only fail to corroborate what is
>said there, but some accounts actually contradict what is said there. As
>the Buddha said to the Kalamas, "when accounts contradict one another,
>the only reasonable response is doubt."
>  
>
And yet one has to swear on the Bible to speak the truth and nothing 
but...? :-(

Erik


www.xs4all.nl/~jehms