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Notes -
It’s often forgotten that the original context for this argument wasn’t targeted at atheists, but cultural Christians inclined to Jesusism, and viewing Jesus as a moral teacher rather than a divine figure:
You should notice that his point has a lot in common with the ‘slave morality’ point that following the moral dictates is incredibly foolish if there’s no eternal reward: give away all your possessions? Deny yourself? Be martyred? Such lunacy!
So he’s trying to tell people who believe in Jesus’ morals but not Christianity that Jesus’ morals only make sense if Christianity is true, Jesus was divine with a divine message of rewards for those who follow him. Otherwise, it’s total lunacy, or a complete lie.
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