> Smith wanted fame and forged the tablets.
And got hounded and shot for his troubles, as did his followers who got chased halfway across the continent. Why would they go through all the bother?
> What did Christ have to gain by dying ...
Assumign he did. Look at it this way: what woudl the apostles have to gain by making up the story of Christ? Aprt, that is, from fullfillment of prophesy and possibly finally linking all the Jews together into a political entity capable of throwing off the Romans...
> before death ordering his body removed from the tomb, an almost impossible feat to begin with?
What, exactly, was impossible about removing a body from an unguarded tomb (it was left unguraded for the first day or so)? Second: if the lack of remains prove something, then what it proves is that a LOT of people in history and mythology were borne up bodily into the heavens.
Actually the Church should give the same response Uri Geller had for the Amazing Randy when Randy tried to de-bunk him by saying prove you're a psychic. Geller said I don't have to prove anything, you have to prove I'm not.
Given that the apostles were *not* spreading their message amongst the Jews, but amongst Gentiles, this argument doesn't wash at all...
the infowarrior
It was not unguarded. It was guarded by an elite Roman military unit.
I find it curious that Joseph Smith, Muhammed, David Koresh, etc were all polygamists.
This is what Judas believed and why he betrayed Jesus
Jesus said to love your enemy. He also said render unto Ceasar what is Ceasar's. Jesus never mentioned anything about overthrowing the Romans.
(it was left unguraded for the first day or so)?
It was not left unguarded as Caiaphas requested from the Roman governor that it be guarded so Jesus'disciples could not remove the body and claiming he came back to life and thus fulfilling the prophecy.