Oh Bloss, please, do some research!! The list of popes goes back to 32 CE!! The Roman Catholic church was a fully functioning organization with its authority centered at Rome, as early as the middle of the 1st century. Granted the set up was slightly different at that stage as it was later that the Pope spoke for the whole church, prior to that things were decided by councils of Bishops such as at Nicea.
Slug is correct, with the time of the Gospels being written, but as she said this does not have to be an issue unless you are being literalist! Of couse the Church was not wholly responsible for the Dark Ages, but it did contribute in a large fashion.
You say my arguments are full of half truths. Where? The Gospels I quoted from are deemed reliable, even the Church is acknowledging the validity of the Nag Hammedi library. In fact, many denominations now included Gospel of Thomas the same as the other Gospels in the Bible.
I have not said I do not believe the Bible's historic value, because I do believe a lot is an accurate history of the Jewish people. But there are many inconsistencies in the NT that at best can be seen as error, at worst, outright lies.
Did you know that it has been proven there was NO census when Jesus was born? And even if there had of been, Nazareth would not have been affected as it was in Galilee, which at that time was not under Roman rule so its citizens would not have been required to partake of a Roman census. The Jewish historian Josephus wrote a very complete history of the Jews in Palestine. He does mention a census which was conducted in Judea in 6 CE. But this was only a local census, not one that would enable "all the world to be taxed".
According to Luke 1:5, Jesus was born when Herod was King of Judea. Luke 2:2 states that Jesus was born when Cyrenius/Quirinius was also governor of Syria. This has been shown to be an impossibility. The historical record shows that Herod was king from 37 until his death in 4/5 BCE. Quirinius was not governor of Syria at any time during this period. He came to power in 6 CE, a decade after Herod died.
The versions of Jesus birth vary as well. In Matthew 2:14, we are told that Joseph took Mary and Jesus to Egypt, yet in Luke 2:39, they went to Nazareth after Jesus' birth!!! Which is true? Also, in Mark they went home when Jesus was a few weeks old, yet in Matthew we are told he could be as old as 2, as this is the age Herod used in his command to kill all males in Bethlehem, based on what he had gleaned from the Magi/Wise men. Who incidentaly did not attend the birth!!
There are more inconsistencies, these are just a couple of glaring ones. So as you can see, far from being in astrology/Area 51/Elvis territory, I use the Bible itself to prove it's inaccuracy!!