# Is this story \[regarding meeting Jesus\] real? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 17, 2016, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-regarding-meeting-jesus-real/752437 "2016-04-17T03:32:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2016, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-regarding-meeting-jesus-real/752437/41 "2016-04-19T06:08:44Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > When faced with an account like this one, I consider that there are four possibilities: > > 1. It’s a fictitious account which the writer has made up. (This could be further divided into 1a: the writer expects or wants people to believe it really happened, and 1b: the writer expects or wants people to realize it’s fiction.) > > 2. It’s an account of something the writer _believes_ actually happened, but all or part of it is actually a hallucination, dream, or false memory, possibly brought on by drugs or mental illness. > > 3. It’s an account of something that actually happened but which has a mundane explanation. For example, it might have been staged by someone as a stunt or prank. > > 4. It’s an account of a genuine supernatural or otherworldly occurrence. > > I know that many of you rule out #4 _a priori_. I don’t rule it out, but it’s certainly not the first conclusion I leap to. In this case, my gut feeling is that it could be any of these but that the order of probability is the order I’ve listed them in. But since I have neither a way of knowing nor a need to know which it is, I’ll just shrug and reserve judgment. I don’t know how you got as low as only 4 possibilities. It could have been an alien pretending to be Jesus, for example. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2016, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-regarding-meeting-jesus-real/752437/42 "2016-04-19T06:50:02Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I don’t know how you got as low as only 4 possibilities. It could have been an alien pretending to be Jesus, for example. Well that would just be silly. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2016, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-regarding-meeting-jesus-real/752437/43 "2016-04-19T10:42:27Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > When faced with an account like this one, I consider that there are four possibilities: > > 1. It’s a fictitious account which the writer has made up. (This could be further divided into 1a: the writer expects or wants people to believe it really happened, and 1b: the writer expects or wants people to realize it’s fiction.) > > 2. It’s an account of something the writer _believes_ actually happened, but all or part of it is actually a hallucination, dream, or false memory, possibly brought on by drugs or mental illness. > > 3. It’s an account of something that actually happened but which has a mundane explanation. For example, it might have been staged by someone as a stunt or prank. > > 4. It’s an account of a genuine supernatural or otherworldly occurrence. > > I know that many of you rule out #4 _a priori_. I don’t rule it out, but it’s certainly not the first conclusion I leap to. In this case, my gut feeling is that it could be any of these but that the order of probability is the order I’ve listed them in. But since I have neither a way of knowing nor a need to know which it is, I’ll just shrug and reserve judgment. But you left off: 1. **The Matrix** was a documentary. Why? ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2016, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-regarding-meeting-jesus-real/752437/44 "2016-04-19T11:55:37Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally Posted by Urbanredneck View Post > Why should you just throw out any possibility? What if this truly was the son of God? Remember back in Jesus’s day many doubted who he was either and that was when he was right there performing miracles. > > Now I’m also skeptical but at the same time I am open to any and all possibilities. Many people have reported visitations with supernatural beings. Are they all crackpots? > > Thing is while you cannot prove this was real unless you find evidence of outright fraud you dont know it isnt either. > [@velomont](#): > > I have no doubt that it could be real. Out of 7 billion people on this planet I’m sure that any combination of scars can be found. Sorry Urbanredneck but was I wooshed there? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2016, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-regarding-meeting-jesus-real/752437/45 "2016-04-19T12:00:29Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I don’t know how you got as low as only 4 possibilities. It could have been an alien pretending to be Jesus, for example. Wouldn’t that fit under #4? An alien is otherworldly. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2016, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-regarding-meeting-jesus-real/752437/46 "2016-04-19T12:11:17Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Many people have reported visitations with supernatural beings. Are they all crackpots? Logical fallacy; Argumentum ad populum. And to answer your question, yes. ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2016, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-regarding-meeting-jesus-real/752437/47 "2016-04-19T13:10:39Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Now I’m also skeptical but at the same time I am open to any and all possibilities. Many people have reported visitations with supernatural beings. Are they all crackpots? Yep ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2016, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-regarding-meeting-jesus-real/752437/48 "2016-04-19T13:53:42Z")
What’s more likely? That the guy writing this story: [ol] [li]actually met the son of god.[/li][li]is a crackpot.[/li][/ol] I’m taking option 2 there, Sparky I guess option 3 could be that it actually was Matthew McConaughey, in which case I’ll say “Well, alright, alright, alright”. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2016, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-regarding-meeting-jesus-real/752437/49 "2016-04-19T14:52:02Z")
I can’t tell: Does the story take place in Portland, OR? If so, then 100% real. You meet the nicest people in that city and I would guess jesus is one of the nicest. OP: Don’t you agree? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2016, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-regarding-meeting-jesus-real/752437/50 "2016-04-19T15:18:29Z")
> [@protoboard](#): > > The details sound pretty convincing… That’s the mark of a good writer. Or a gullible reader. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2016, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-regarding-meeting-jesus-real/752437/51 "2016-04-19T17:13:43Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Wouldn’t that fit under #4? An alien is otherworldly. Well, or ‘staged as a prank’, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2016, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-regarding-meeting-jesus-real/752437/52 "2016-04-19T19:19:54Z")
**Mrs. FtG** once saw a clown doing chin-ups in our bedroom doorway. She was also starting a new med at the time. I’d believe her over the OP’s guy anytime. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2016, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-regarding-meeting-jesus-real/752437/53 "2016-04-19T21:02:43Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > When faced with an account like this one, I consider that there are four possibilities: > > 1. It’s a fictitious account which the writer has made up. (This could be further divided into 1a: the writer expects or wants people to believe it really happened, and 1b: the writer expects or wants people to realize it’s fiction.) > > 2. It’s an account of something the writer _believes_ actually happened, but all or part of it is actually a hallucination, dream, or false memory, possibly brought on by drugs or mental illness. > > 3. It’s an account of something that actually happened but which has a mundane explanation. For example, it might have been staged by someone as a stunt or prank. > > 4. It’s an account of a genuine supernatural or otherworldly occurrence. > > I know that many of you rule out #4 _a priori_. I don’t rule it out, but it’s certainly not the first conclusion I leap to. In this case, my gut feeling is that it could be any of these but that the order of probability is the order I’ve listed them in. But since I have neither a way of knowing nor a need to know which it is, I’ll just shrug and reserve judgment. Well, 2 doesn’t necessarily mean hallucination or major mental problem. Most likely something did actually happen, which has an easy mundane explanation, but was unusual enough to have the story told. As it was told and re-told the teller unconsciously changed/exaggerated it to be a better story and to be what he wanted to have happened. The teller now only remembers the improved story and believes that --now unexplainable – story is what actually happened. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-regarding-meeting-jesus-real/752437.md?page=2)