I was going to put this into words, but Wayne Jackson has already done it in a far better fashion than I can. His article is short and sweet.
Referring to the historical records of Jesus’ life and the New Testament accounts of the Gospel in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; Wayne Jackson presents the question,
“How do skeptics address these historical records? Generally speaking, they assert that the New Testament writers fabricated the accounts. The writers knew that Jesus did not do these things; they simply invented the stories.
Will this charge stand up in the light of logical inquiry? Let us think about it for a moment.
Logically speaking, either there is existence after death or there is not…”
This is an exert from the middle of this article “A Problem No Skeptic Can Explain”. Click here to read this concise article.
The Breath of God 
Could atheism be held to your standards, Joe? What if it was scrutinized by the same standards? I dare say that evolution and all the other theories for the non-existence of God could be found to be as equally fallible if not more so under your standards.
Who is a liar?
Atheism is simply the lack of belief in god, and many get to atheism because of their skepticism of religion and their acknowledgment that nothing can be known to 100% certainty. All knowledge is tentative and subject to revision, that is the crux of skepticism. Religions tend not to hold up to the scrutiny of skeptics.
Regarding the existence of God, confident disbelief (atheism) excludes doubting (skepticism). How could an atheist be skeptical about the existence of God? I just don’t see any gray area between atheist and skeptic.
Everyone of those leaders are liars. What events would they have to misinterpreted?
I can’t be a skeptic and an atheist?
“Let’s ignore that line and go on them being wrong. I would like to know one example of some people who made up a story together, believed it, were wrong, and were not liars or mentally disabled. This would have to be the case for the writers of the New Testament.”
Ever hear of David Koresh, Joseph Smith, Heavensgate? Also, how do we know that they were not mentally ill? Why must they have “made up a story together”? They simply could have been deluded or misinterpreted actual events.
Matt,
For your statement to be true, you would have to say, “The gospels can be taken to be accurate, since they do not contradict each other in any areas, were written by witnesses and there are independent records which backup the statements made in said writings.”
There’s not one alleged contradiction that has not been answered thoroughly. See apologeticspress.org concerning most of such “contradictions”.
Jens,
I think you know that your arguments can go both ways regarding the origin of the Universe and the human conscience. You would add Christianity and many others would add atheism to the long list of fictions too. Considering groupthink, it supports the idea of strong leadership lying and/or allowing lies whether regarding religion or not. So, are the writers beliefs the result of a leadership and expectations influencing that group to lie to themselves unto believing lies including that lie that lying leads to Hell? You decide. On another point that the Jews being a highly cohesive group, why were they be divided concerning the Messiah-ship of Jesus?
You have a very basic understanding of Christianity to suppose that Hell is the motivation of the Christian Faith though it is usually the motivation of many new converts and immature Christians. Hell is a motivation along with Heaven, but the greatest motivator is love. I think you’re probably thinking that is #$@%&* or in other words, stupid or foolish, but the mature Christian acts upon love while believing that Father God is love and has given them not only spiritual life and a body, but also a gift of eternal life.
I know Hell is a stumbling block for skeptics and agnostics, but it’s understood by Christians as much as eternal life in Heaven being a gift. Christians don’t fully understand why God would give such a gift of Heaven for eternity. God is overly generous beyond our comprehension of His love and the understanding of His love is beyond our complete understanding (Deut. 29:29). If anyone could completely understand God, then they would be God in mind, which might be the equivalent. Even for the person who has suffered the most injustice, eternity in Heaven is more than generous. The gift of Heaven is beyond comprehension, and that is the same with the concept of eternal Hell. The Bible says that spiritual death is earned (Romans 5:12, 6:23) and people receive their just levels of punishment (Luke 12:40-49). But, is Hell just? What is just? We want to say that eternity in Hell is not just, but we know the mind of the Creator much than less we fully know the whole Universe. Understanding the mind of God is to include understanding complete justice as a fundamental characteristic of God. In the same way as Heaven and the giving of eternal life is incomprehensible, so is Hell being earned is as incomprehensible. There goes a post.
The gospels can not be taken to be accurate, since they contradict each other in a few areas, were not written by independent witnesses and there are no independent records which backup the statements made in said writings.
Joe,
I was hoping that some skeptic would propose an answer to these things, though you don’t sound too much like a skeptic, but more like an “atheist”. Anyways, your thoughts under the 2nd quote are right and the same can be said of everyone ever to exist. Reading back over the article there was no attack upon your beliefs on that point. The point is that people who really believe in liars going to Hell try not to lie and especially do not invent great lies and base their whole belief system on them and then for the rest of their life and maybe unto death.
Regarding your comments under the 1st and 3rd quotes, I see a contradiction that needs clarifying. The 3rd comment is that the skeptic’s assertion is “not that they lied” while under 1st you say, “People seem to have a much easier time lying to themselves, than lying to others.”
Let’s ignore that line and go on them being wrong. I would like to know one example of some people who made up a story together, believed it, were wrong, and were not liars or mentally disabled. This would have to be the case for the writers of the New Testament.
Joe,
Excellent post. I doubt I could have said it better. Your blog is now officially listed in my Google Reader.
Just to add something. People are wrong about what they see all the time. Witness accounts of crimes and even very banal instances are extremely misleading because of this. Our perception is flawed in many ways, as optical illusions and other tricks attest. Our brain fills in the gaps with what it hopes is the truth, and is often wrong.
Yeti, Nessi, UFO’s, Black Helicopters, ghosts…
Would you then say that these hold equal weight with Christianity. They each have volumes of written testimony, often by very intelligent and knowledgeable people, to their existence and no certifiable proof that the fantastical claims happened.
Take a look at some of the things groupthink can do psychologically, or the converse being the Bystander effect. They are more prevelent in highly cohesive groups, which the Jews were. We are hardwired in odd ways and being in groups and being excited about a possible religious revelation would easily create a snowball effect. I’m not saying the apostles lied or misled for any nefarious purpose, but a decent argument can be made that it is possible that they thought they saw things that did not actually occur.
I’m always amazed that people feel they need a threat of eternal damnation over their head to entice them to do the right thing by others. Isn’t the feeling of doing the right thing by someone else enough of a positive reinforcement? On the negative side alienation is a powerful tool to keep people doing the right thing, but people wield that fear internally much more powerfully than any external God could most of the time. Witness how much power a strict teacher has over the students throwing spitballs in the back of the class. Most often the spitball to strictness ratio is inverse, whether the teacher realizes it or not.
“Generally speaking, they assert that the New Testament writers fabricated the accounts. The writers knew that Jesus did not do these things; they simply invented the stories.”
Or they believed them, but were wrong. People seem to have a much easier time lying to themselves, than lying to others.
“If, however, one believes that he will be held accountable for his earthly conduct in eternity, he will be more inclined to act in a morally responsible way in this life.”
This is an unfounded assertion that theists love to state without evidence. We are held accountable for our earthly conduct on earth, by ourselves and others. That is enough for this atheist to lead a moral life. No evidence is ever presented to support the supposed immorality of atheists.
“Now, reflect upon the implications of this principle in light of the charge that the New Testament writers lied about the events in the life of Christ.”
The assertion is not that they lied, but that they were wrong. Whether they believed it or not is highly irrelevant to its truth or lack thereof.
So really there is no problem to explain here.