I started reading this discussion believing that Yeshua (Jesus) was who he said he was, son of man , prophet, rabbi (teacher), savior. And that Paul was a fraud corrupting Jesus' teachings and directing people through the wide gate down the broad path to destruction. Jesus' purported friends accepting and promoting Paul's teachings do great damage. Paul and Jesus cannot be reconciled. Without Paul the "Christain" church would never have been able to justify its atrocities and power over the secular affairs of government. I'm still where I was in my original beliefs but I don't blame non believers for not accepting the Jesus represented here.
Hastings,
Consider this. Of the Canonical writings, best we can tell, those of Paul were written first. The Gospels can later, the simplest version with the most geographical and cultural mistakes, and simplest Jesus, Mark came first, followed by the later, more embellished versions.
By this measure, the "authentic" writing of "Paul" are more foundations to Christianity then the Gospels.
We also have later forgeries attributed to "Paul" which attempted to "correct: some of "Paul's" earlier writing, such as he egalitarian views of women.
And yes, there's much between the two versions of Christianity that cannot be reconciled. Paul was way more Gnostic than most Modern Christians realize.
You didn't use logic or reason to get into this opinion, I cannot use logic or reason to get you out of it.
You cannot over estimate the unimportance of nearly everything. John Maxwell
