[vladimir998]

“Mmm... we’ll never know the truth, but you have to look at what you know about Paul and leave out what religion he stands for, because that is clouding your vision.”

Your prejudice against religion apparently is clouding YOUR vision. My vision isn’t clouded at all. I am merely taking the man at his word until evidence to the contrary is presented. You have failed to present ANY evidence whatsoever. Not a single scrap of evidence. Nothing. You, however, apparently are assuming you know why he did everything he did with not a single scrap of evidence to back it up.

“Here’s a mental exercise:”

No “mental exercise” is needed when you have the actual writings by and about St. Paul. You have NO EVIDENCE. Your “mental exercises” are not evidence. They are merely an aid to bolster your sad prejudice.

[A_perfect_lady]

Your evidence seems to be the writing of Paul. He wrote God spoke to him, so you decide that of course that must be true. After all, he SAID so. Do you accept Mohammed's similar claim based on similar evidence? No, of course not. Do you think Bernadette Soubirous was visited by the Virgin Mary? Probably not. Do you believe all the saints of the Catholic faith who claim Jesus has spoken to them? If you're Catholic, you might, if not, probably not. Do you believe Joseph Smith Jr, founder of the Latter Day Saints?

Seriously, what is YOUR evidence other than a book put together by the Catholic church (there's a trustworthy organization), half of whose pages are of extremely uncertain origin, full of 2000 year old promises that have not been kept?