Was the story literal and reasonably accurate about the crucifixion and the burial of Jesus? If so, then he died and was put in a tomb. Then what happened? All four gospels tell the story of Jesus appearing and disappearing. Jesus says to touch him and see that he has flesh and bone and is not a ghost.
I do not care whaty the gospels say. I have come to the conclusion that there was no bodily resurrection and that these were just stories men told.
Not literal? The writers went from reporting the facts as they saw them about the death and burial? But then made up a metaphorical resurrection story?
What reason do you have to believe that the gospel writers were reporting the facts as they saw them? What reason do you have to believe that the gospel writers made up the resurrection story, intending it to be metaphorical? The upshot is that we just do not KNOW why it was written as it was, so you can either choose to believe that Jesus rose from the dead or you can choose NOT to believe it. Such a belief would have to be based upon faith because there is no proof. For Christians to claim that the gospel stories are proof is laughable at best. The only thing they are proof of is that men can write stories, but a story is not proof that anything in the story is true. People believe what they WANT to believe, no matter how ridiculous it is. They also believe that people will rise from their graves en masse when Jesus comes floating down from the sky. Maybe if I had been raised a Christian I would believe that too, I don't know.
If it didn't happen, if Jesus didn't rise from the dead, then Christians are the biggest religious frauds ever.
Wrong. Christians are not frauds at all, they were simply duped by the Church who taught these beliefs, so I see them as victims. I view the bodily resurrection of Jesus as the biggest scam that was ever perpetrated and hoisted upon innocent people.
But, Baha'is aren't saying that. Baha'is do believe the resurrection story... just not as an actual, literal, historical event.
No, Baha'is do not believe that Jesus ever rose from the dead thus we believe it was a fictional story. The fact that the story had some metaphorical meaning does not mean we believe Jesus ever rose from the grave.
That all four writers got "inspired" by God to write a profound metaphorical story about Jesus? And the true meaning is that the followers were feeling down for three days then got off their butts are starting teaching about the love and goodness that Jesus spoke about? Sorry, Abdul Baha's explanation isn't all the good. Do you really believe it? He is supposed to be infallible isn't he?
I am not saying that is
the only meaning the stories might have and Abdu'l-Baha did not say it is the only meaning either. It is just
one possible meaning. NO, Abdu'l-Baha was not infallible.
I still go with... if it didn't really happen, then it was passed on oral traditions that finally got written down. And each writer tells it slightly differently. But there had to be several people still alive that could have denied or confirmed it? Yet, the early Church confirmed it. They say Jesus rose from the dead and they and others saw him or knew people who had. But do we trust any of them? I find it hard to trust them when in the gospels it says a bunch of "saints" came out of their graves and walked around Jerusalem. Baha'is say, can't be literally true so let's give it a symbolic meaning? I say... probably all mystical embellishments to make Jesus and God bigger and more powerful than all the other "false" gods of the Greeks and Romans. But, I still say... if it didn't really happen, then it is myth.
I fully agree with you, it was a myth, so you are preaching to the choir. I sure wish there was a way to lay this to rest, to prove Jesus never rose, but there is no way to prove that unless archaeologists discovered His bones and could prove they were His, but how could they ever do that?
