American atheists Archives

Too Old for Fairy Tales?

Once again this year, the American Atheists have launched a Christmastime campaign baselessly claiming that Jesus is no more than a mythical character. This year’s campaign is placing billboards in the Bible belt, in the states of Tennessee and Arkansas. The ads show a young girl writing a letter to Santa, which says, “Dear Santa, All I want for Christmas is to skip church! I’m too old for fairy tales.”

The billboard speaks of Jesus as mythical, but no leading scholar, Christian or secular, believes Jesus didn’t exist. In fact, his life has influenced our planet more than any other person. [Read more…]

Do Christians Have to Rely on the Bible Alone to Prove Jesus’ Existence?

Another argument used by people who claim that Christ is only a myth is that secular historians make no mention of Jesus Christ. Their point is that if Jesus had really existed, he would have been written about by virtually all contemporary historians.

On the surface, that seems like a logical point to make. [Read more…]

How Can We Be Sure that Jesus Really Walked this Earth?

Despite overwhelming evidence, there are still those, such as some vocal atheist groups, who promote the idea that Jesus was no more than a myth. These groups typically target Christian holidays to compare Jesus to Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny, ignoring the fact that Jesus has been acknowledged by virtually every leading historian.

Do these doubters have a basis for their claims? What evidence is available and to what conclusion does it lead? [Read more…]

Is There Any Evidence that Jesus Existed?

Skeptics like Ellen Johnson [former President of American Atheists] cite the “lack of secular history” for Jesus as evidence that he didn’t exist.

Yet there is very little documentation for any person from the time of Christ. Most ancient historical documents have been destroyed through the centuries, by wars, fires, and pillaging, or simply through weathering and deterioration.

According to E. M. Blaiklock, who has catalogued most of the non-Christian writings of the Roman Empire, “practically nothing exists from the time of Christ”, even for great secular leaders such as Julius Caesar.¹ Yet no historian questions Caesar’s existence.

And since he wasn’t a great political or military leader, Darrell Bock notes, “It is amazing and significant that Jesus shows up at all in the sources we have.”²

So, who are these sources Bock mentions? Which early historians who wrote of Jesus did not have a Christian agenda? First of all, let’s look to Jesus’ enemies. [Read more…]

Is Jesus a Myth as Atheists Claim?

Earlier this month, The Christian Post reported that the American Atheists group had sponsored billboards in several states as a part of the group’s “You KNOW It’s a MYTH” campaign. The billboards display pictures of Jesus, Santa Claus and devil images and ask, “What myths do you see?”¹

The promotion of Jesus as a myth has long been a tactic of atheists. But what are the facts? [Read more…]