[Moneyguy1]

How did this morph into a political thread? Does everything have to orbit around "us vs them" politics?

Hugh, I think you have a grasp. The Gnostics are responsible for a number of alternative gospels..The Gospel of Peter, the Gospel of Mary (Magdelene) and a few others I cannot recall at the moment. All were written over one hundred years after the biblical events happened. AS far as the four primary Gospels, they too are pieced together and some scholars claim that at least one of them is based primarily on one of the other three. It is too darn late to do deep research. If it were not for some Jewish and Roman historians of the time, there would be little verifiable proof that Christ even existed. That is part of religion...basing faith on events and recollections that require faith in order to be a true believer.