Elvis Presley and the Apostles

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GOODGUY
Pascal, the French philosopher writes: "The allegation that the apostles
never existed or were imposters is quite absurd." Writer, professor and
Christian activist Paul Little asks, "Are these men, who helped transform
the moral structure of society, cosummate liars or deluded madmen? These
alternatives are harder to believe than the ressurection, and there is no
shred of evidence to support them." 

TILL
So Goodguy can quote writers who believe as he does? What a surprise! One
of them is the same "philosopher" who formulated the absurdity now known as
Pascal's wager, and the other is a "writer, professor, and Christian
activist." What a surprise that a Christian activist would believe in the
historicity of the apostles! As I have said many times before, there is no
religious belief so absurd that one cannot find someone who agrees with it.
I can cite sources who question Goodguy's position in this matter. Would
that impress him? I doubt it, yet he thinks that I should swoon over the
opinion of Pascal and Paul Little in this dispute about the apostles.
Goodguy would have helped his case if he had cited reasons why Pascal
thought that it was absurd to allege that the apostles never existed and
reasons why Paul Little believes as he does. But Goodguy didn't do that, so
there is really nothing for me to reply to here. 
A point of clarification is in order, however. I have not asserted that the
apostles did NOT exist. I have merely asked for reliable, disinterested
historical sources that would establish their historicity as reasonably as
the historicity of Columbus or Napoleon has been established. If my
position in this matter is so ridiculous, why can't Goodguy just produce
the disinterested sources to confirm his position? I suppose that he thinks
ranting about how "uneducated" I am is a satisfactory substitute for
reasonable evidence. 

GOODGUY
Im sure I could find some wierdo that wrote a book that says that Elvis
lives. In the same respect I couldnt denounce all the evidence I could find
against Elvis' existence. With any study at all you will realize that your
claim that the apostles did not exist is absolutely absurd. 

TILL
Is Goodguy seriously comparing the historicity of Elvis Presley to the
historicity of the apostles? If so, this only underscores his inability to
reason logically in a matter like this. Elvis Presley's wife and daughter
are still alive to attest to this man's existence, not to mention
thousands, probably even millions, of newspapers, magazines, records,
movies, video tapes, etc. still in existence that provide undeniable
evidence that a person known as Elvis Presley did at one time exist. Now
let Goodguy please produce a newspaper contemporary to the apostles that
made references to them and the manner of their deaths? What about
magazines? Records? Video tapes? If Goodguy is going to analogize, he
should at least make the analogy reasonable. This one deserves no further
comment. 

GOODGUY
As for your "conflicting" apostle stories, where are you getting them? 

TILL
Oh, they were scattered all through the Christian world (but unfortunately
not through the disinterested secular world). When I discuss Goodguy's list
of the apostles below, I will identify the sources of the traditions and
point out the absurdities in them. Most of them have their roots in
religious lore that Goodguy will in general reject unless he is a faithful
Roman Catholic. 

GOODGUY
Muslims, Christians, Jews, atheists, agnostics, and probably even
exceptionally intelligent monkeys alike agree on the apostles existence and
methods of martyrdom. (those who have researched it that is) 

TILL
They do? Well, most Muslims, Christians, Jews, atheists, agnostics, and
exceptionally intelligent monkeys have probably never taken the time to
study this issue, and so they have merely accepted what is passed around as
"historical fact" when there is really no reliable evidence to support it.
Anyway, let's wait and see how much truth is in this shoot-from-the-hip
assertion that Goodguy has made. Of course, since he has chosen to write me
off as an "uneducated" ignoramus who isn't worth his time, we probably
won't be seeing any effort from him to respond to the material I am posting
on this subject. So what else is new? On the Errancy list, we have seen
inerrantists make assertions and then cut and run so many times that we
can't even remember all of their names. 

Farrell Till
Skepticism, Inc.
jftill@midwest.net 

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