[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-411944-105":59,"doc-detail-411944-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","jesus-symposium-goes-on-despite-disruptions-more-than-500-attend-international-conference","Jesus Symposium Goes on Despite Disruptions - More Than 500 Attend International Conference","","Report on an international symposium titled “Jesus in History and Myth,” sponsored by FREE INQUIRY, held at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor on April 19–20. More than 500 scholars and interested attendees from multiple states and countries participated despite attempted disruption. The program included 23 papers across sessions covering the historical Jesus, the Gospels, early church scholarship, apocryphal topics, and theological implications, including public debate among notable speakers.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":45,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/religion-spirituality/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/jesus-symposium-goes-on-despite-disruptions-more-than-500-attend-international-conference/411944/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/jesus-symposium-goes-on-despite-disruptions-more-than-500-attend-international-conference/411944.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"awa","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-17","2026-09-28",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":24},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"Where and when was the “Jesus in History and Myth” symposium held?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"It was held at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor on Friday and Saturday, April 19 and 20.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How many people attended and what was the symposium’s status despite disruptions?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"Over 500 biblical scholars, philosophers, and laypersons attended from 38 states and several foreign countries, and the symposium proceeded as scheduled despite efforts to disrupt it.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What was the new group formed during the conference, and what is its purpose?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"The Committee for the Scientific Examination of Religion (CSER) was formed. Its purpose is to submit religious claims to careful scientific and scholarly scrutiny using interdisciplinary research.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},411944,1791173263,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":44,"category_name":45,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":24,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":24,"language":139,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":143,"read_time":144},3985747858093,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_3d24733baf745e90a7e4bdd5f77d97b2","# Jesus Symposium Goes on Despite DisruptionsMore Than 500 Attend International Conference\n\n\"Jesus in History and Myth,\"an interna-tional symposium on Jesus and the Gospelssponsored by FREE INQUIRY,was held onFriday and Saturday,April 19 and 20,atthe University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.Over 500 biblical scholars,philosophers,andinterested laypersons from 38 states andseveral foreign countries attended the sym-posium,which proceeded as scheduleddespite the concerted efforts of a radicalgroup to disrupt it.Attendees heard 23papers,covering from diverse viewpoints the\"state of the art\"in modern scholarship onthe historical Jesus,the Gospels,and theearly church.  \nSession 1,chaired by R.Joseph Hoff-mann,associate professor of Biblical Studiesat the University of Michigan,dealt with\"Jesus in History.\"Five distinguished panel-ists presented viewpoints on the man Jesus,who modern scholarship suggests probablyexisted as an itinerant preacher in Palestineat the turn of the current era.ProfessorGeorge A.Wells of the University of Londondissented,presenting his view that sinceearliest Christianity preached Christ crucifiedalmost exclusively and the story of the manJesus appears to accrete only during the laterfirst and second centuries C.E.,it is notnecessary to assume that a historic Jesusexisted at all.Wells's thesis was the subjectof repeated controversy during the sym-posium.  \nSession II,\"Historical Problems,\"waschaired by Dr.Vern Bullough,Dean ofNatural Sciences at SUNY/Buffalo.Topicsincluded the Dead Sea Scrolls,the brothersof Jesus in the Gospe'and apocryphal litera-ture,the historian Josephus,and attempts  \n# The Secular Humanist Bulletin\n\nto reconstruct Jesus'attitude toward theJewish Law.A spirited exchange betweenJohn Allegro and David Noel Freedman,professor of Old Testament at the Universityof Michigan,highlighted this session.  \nA banquet at Ann Arbor's Campus Innfeatured Dr.Gerald Larue speaking on theexploitation of relics and holy places inJerusalem and throughout the Mediter-ranean world.Dr.Paul Kurtz,Editor ofFREE INQUIRY,announced the formation ofthe Committee for the Scientific Examina-tion of Religion(CSER)at this event.(Seerelated story.)  \nSession II,chaired by Dr.Larue,focused_on“The Apocryphal Jesus,theGospel Tradition,and the Development ofChristology.\"Topics included fictionaliza-tion in the Gospeis and the differencesbetween the four canonical Gospels,thedevelopment of salvation concepts inChristology,and the emergence of Christ asa partner in the creation of the world and amember of the Trinity.  \nSession IV,\"Theological and Philo-sophical Implications,\"chaired by Delos B.McKown,professor of philosophy atAuburn University,was a fast-moving dis-cussion of the consequences cf modern Jesusscholarship for traditional and liberal Chris-tian belief.This session and the subsequentopen discussion took the form of a virtualdebate between Dr.Antony Flew,Dr.VanHarvey(representing a rationalistic,non-theistic viewpoint),and Dr.John Hick,whoespoused the viewpoint of liberal Christian-ity.  \nSeveral attempts were made to disrupt(Continued on p.4)  \n\n| The Secular Humanist Bulletin is edited by Tom Franczyk and Tom Flynn aa supplement to FREE INQURY magazine by the Council for Democratie and Secular Humanism  \u003Cbr>(CODESH,Inc.)a non-profit corporation,3151 Bailey Avemue;Bufalo.NY 4215.Phone (716)834-2921.PaulKurtz,dior,and Andrea Szalanaki,mangng ditor.FREE  \u003Cbr>INQUIRY.Manuscripts,letters,and editorial inquiries should be addressed to:The Editors,Secular Humanist Bullerin,Box 5.Central Park Station,Buffalo,NY 14215.All  \u003Cbr>manuscripts should be accompanied by iwn copies and a stamped self-addressed envelope.   |\n| --- |\n\nNew Committee Founded toStudy Religion  \nOne particularly newsworthy event to emergefrom the University of Michigan conferencewas the formation of a new group,the Com-mittee for the Scientific Examination ofReligion(CSER).This committee,sponsoredby the Academy of Humanism,marks anexpansion of the Religio","cbCaijE6S5sxKuqO","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaijE6S5sxKuqO","pdf",1578732,"English","# Jesus Symposium Goes on Despite Disruptions\n## International Symposium Overview\n## Sessions and Key Debates\n## New Committee for Scientific Examination of Religion\n## Education Policy Notes","[{\"question\":\"Where and when was the “Jesus in History and Myth” symposium held?\",\"answer\":\"It was held at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor on Friday and Saturday, April 19 and 20.\"},{\"question\":\"How many people attended and what was the symposium’s status despite disruptions?\",\"answer\":\"Over 500 biblical scholars, philosophers, and laypersons attended from 38 states and several foreign countries, and the symposium proceeded as scheduled despite efforts to disrupt it.\"},{\"question\":\"What was the new group formed during the conference, and what is its purpose?\",\"answer\":\"The Committee for the Scientific Examination of Religion (CSER) was formed. Its purpose is to submit religious claims to careful scientific and scholarly scrutiny using interdisciplinary research.\"}]","Jesus Symposium Goes on Despite Disruptions - More Than 500 Attend International Conference | PDF",1790590072,13]