Mithrae wrote:
Conspiracy theories, in the '9/11 sceptic' or 'chemtrails' sense, have a few fairly obvious general characteristics:
1 > That the public in general is in some way deceived
2 > They necessarily require that large numbers of people who should be expected to reveal the truth to the public are instead colluding, or inexplicably and inexcusably ignorant of the truth
3 > The motives attributed behind the deception are vague, obscure, implausible or (at best) in conflict with more obvious and powerful motivators
4 > And above all, they make up for serious lack of evidence and any contrary evidence by appealing to collusion and cover-up
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But your definition does NOT match the Jesus myth theory -
"1 > That the public in general is in some way deceived"
Only IF you are a believer - were the public deceive that Moses was real ? Wsa that a conspiracy theory to convince people Moses existed ?
"2 > They necessarily require that large numbers of people who should be expected to reveal the truth to the public are instead colluding, or inexplicably and inexcusably ignorant of the truth"
The Jesus myth doesn't require thatr at all - just people who BELIEVED (wrongly.)
Is belief in Adam and Eve a conspiracy theory ?
Of course not.
"3 > The motives attributed behind the deception are vague, obscure, implausible or (at best) in conflict with more obvious and powerful motivators"
There was no deception about the Jesus myth.
Just people who BELIEVED (wrongly).
What were the vague, obscure, implausible motives and DECEPTION behind Moses being believed historical ?
Please explain the motives and the deception behind the conspiracy theory that Adam and Eve were historical.
"4 > And above all, they make up for serious lack of evidence and any contrary evidence by appealing to collusion and cover-up"
The Jesus myth theory has nothing to do with collusion or cover-up.
Any more than the Moses myth theory does.
Mithrae wrote:
I would say that based on those criteria the Jesus-myth theory as advanced by Richard Carrier for example is not a conspiracy theory.
Yes.
Most people use the term 'conspiracy theory' to mean :
"stuff I violently disagree with".
Early Christians abused each other's sects by accusing them of eating babies. Now believers abuse their critics as 'conspiracy theorists'.
Jubal