SHERMER ON POLITICALLY INCORRECT MONDAY NIGHT

On Monday night, December 11, I'll be on ABC's Politically Incorrect show
that comes on after Nightline in most markets. The subject is Jesus (it's
their Xmas show) and they want a skeptical perspective. I am going to argue
that outside of the New Testament there are almost no historical references
to Jesus (e.g., in A.D. 120 the Roman historian Tacitus makes reference to
"Christus" being persecuted by Pontius Pilate, but this could be anyone
claiming to be the Messiah, and there were several who made such claims,
such as Apollonius of Tyana), so it is entirely possible no such person even
lived; but, giving believers the benefit of the doubt, assuming someone
named Jesus lived, I shall argue (as I do in my book HOW WE BELIEVE) that he
filled the "Messiah Myth" figure of redemption from oppression (Jews oppressed by
the Roman government) and that the rest can be explained by principles from
social psychology and sociology (group mind, mass hysteria, the psychology
of cults becoming religions over time, etc.--Do you know the difference between

a religion and a cult? About a hundred years--think Joseph Smith and the
Mormons, who are already there, and L. Ron Hubbard and the Scientologists,
who are half way there). The other guests include Saturday Night Live
commedians Victoria Jackson and Julia Sweeney, and Christian singer Eron
Nevel (sp?). Apparently Jackson is a Bible-totting hard-core believer, as is

Nevel, whereas Sweeney, I'm told by the producers, is a big fan of Skeptic
magazine and my books. So, it should be a reasonably balanced show and,
hopefully, a lot of fun! Tune in.