In that story, why did God impose a famine?
What did [he] require of David before [he]'d lift the famine?
When David had fulfilled those requirements, and only then, did God indeed lift the famine?
Let me know if you can't work that out for yourself.
To the extent mentioned here >Does God live within atheists?<.
Science says what I say ─ that the only way the supernatural is known to exist is as concepts, notions, things imagined in individual brains. In other words, there's no satisfactory demonstration of its existence independently out...
You included.
How would you phrase this unanswered question?
Ahm, I respectfully demur. What's wrong with death? It's an intrinsic part of the life of all living things, so that we and they generally have reflexes, instinctive behaviors, to avoid it; but in the end we cease to be useful and we...
Marsupial justice?
But all you need in order to persuade me is evidence that's ─ well ─ persuasive.
And you appear to have none.
So it remains the case that the only way supernatural entities are known to exist is as concepts, notions, things imagined in individual brains.
I'd be hesitant to offer a view simply because Carrier said so, hence I'm sympathetic to the point you make.
To the best of my knowledge the matter was first raised by theologian Ted Weeden jr in 2003.
So it appears to me that Carrier is reporting on what Weeden found, including the 24 points...
Certain truth about the world external to the self, yes.
But you're well aware of the problem you have ─ a complete, total, longstanding lack of any demonstration of the supernatural in reality. Were it otherwise, we wouldn't be discussing it.
My point is that they're mental phenomena. They don't take place in the world external to the self.
Science explores and describes reality and finds no spirits there. Simple as that.
Then address your problem, which, as I said, is that the only manner in which supernatural entities are known...
Josephus' report is the model by which the author of Mark devised his scene ─ and therefore he didn't write Mark earlier than 75 CE when Wars became available.
That's a fair historiographical view of Mark,
Given there ever was such a conversation, which seems highly unlikely, the author of Mark had no way of knowing what was said. But that didn't stop him, of course.
As I said, given there ever was such a meeting at all, the author of Mark couldn't have known anything about what was said. But it...
There is not a single authenticated example of the supernatural in reality. There is no theory that I'm aware of as to how the supernatural actually might work in reality.
If I believed in miracles, danged certain I'd be advocating for programs to explore, describe and effect magic so that we...
Josephus (Wars 6 5:3) was reporting on the trial of a different Jesus, Jesus son of Ananias aka Jesus of Jerusalem. The author of Mark, as a comparison of the texts will show, didn't literally copy what Josephus wrote, but used Josephus' account as his model for his trial scene of Jesus with...
I gave you two clear dating points for Mark. They don't qualify as "baseless speculation", they qualify as evidence. Any historian would consider them as good evidence.
In reply, you've offered zero actual evidence for any earlier date for Mark.
It looks like 'baseless speculation' is more...
No. At the time each of Adam and Eve at the fruit, as the story makes clear, God had denied them knowledge of good and evil. Therefore each at that time was unable to form an intention to do wrong, hence incapable of sin.
I'm already familiar with the relevant parts of Josephus.
Try this >Richard Carrier on gMark parallel with Jesus ben Ananias - Biblical Criticism & History Forum - earlywritings.com<.
I agree it's fun, over cognac and cigars at the end of the evening, to speculate and muse on why anything exists, and who'll win the next Rose Bowl.
But science is the only discipline actually examining the evidence for clues to such puzzles. Religious solutions are all imaginary, and only lead...
In history, science, indeed all over the real world, the supernatural is not taken to be anything found in the world external to the self. Indeed, as you're aware, the only way it and its elements are known to exist is as concepts, notions, things imagined in individual brains.
And the evidence...