Is Christianity Fact or Fiction

I like to provoke thought that is why I am asking this question Is Christianity Fact or Fiction.
The main reason that we would say that it is fact is when we read the bible it tells of the historical side to Judaism and Christianity, when we read the new testament which teaches that Jesus Christ the son of God came and died on the cross for our sins. Is this a good enough reason to believe? We are told that Adam and Eve were confronted by Satan in the garden of Eden and they ate from the forbidden tree in the garden and therefore sin entered the world, after all we see a very fallen world around us today.
On the other hand The main reason that we would say fiction is could the bible be just a book that someone has written to get us to conform and to discipline our lives. Maybe there is no God or Jesus, no Heaven or Hell.
I would like to hear what folks have to say on the subject, I have a belief if anyone wishes to guess which belief I have feel free to say.

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ElwoodBlues · M

There are surviving Roman documents written by the ancient Roman historian Tacitus mentioning Christ and his execution by Pontius Pilate. Of course that doesn't establish divinity, but it is independent confirmation of Jesus Christ as a real person in recorded history.

Wikipedia sez:

There are two interesting points of vocabulary in the passage. First, Tacitus may have used the word "Chrestians" (Chrestianos) for Christians, but then speaks of "Christ" (Christus) as the origin of that name. Second, he calls Pilate a "procurator", even though other sources indicate that he had the title "prefect". Scholars have proposed various hypotheses to explain these peculiarities.

The scholarly consensus is that Tacitus's reference to the execution of Jesus by Pontius Pilate is both authentic, and of historical value as an independent Roman source.[5][6][7] However, Tacitus does not reveal the source of his information. There are several hypotheses as to what sources he may have used.

walabby · M

@ElwoodBlues Tacitus wrote about Christians in "Annals", around the year 115AD. Someone named Yeshua was undoubtedly executed for sedition by Rome in the preceding century. Tacitus wrote about this some 80 years after the presumed event.

ElwoodBlues · M

@walabby Yes, I'm not claiming Tacitus was a firsthand source. Tacitus wrote about it roughly 80 years after, and Tacitus wrote that Yeshua was executed by Pontius Pilate. The pair of names gives it much more validity. Many Romans were great writers and documentors. so it's likely Tacitus based Annals on sources available in 110AD that have since disappeared.

Pliny the Younger wrote about "Christians" in a letter from around 112AD.

Wikipedia sez:

Pliny states that he gives Christians multiple chances to affirm they are innocent and if they refuse three times, they are executed. Pliny states that his investigations have revealed nothing on the Christians' part but harmless practices and "depraved, excessive superstition." However, Pliny seems concerned about the rapid spread of their practices and views Christian gatherings as a potential starting point for sedition

walabby · M

@ElwoodBlues It's interesting that there are no non Jewish references to Jesus or Christianity in the first century.