"What are the odds . . .?"?

You hear people make the claim, quite often, that the Bible or some other religious holy text is more than likely true - because people wouldn't take the time to propagate such a lie. "Who would die for a lie?" they say (Strobel?). Who would worship a man that REALLY didn't do anything special? Why would people go through all the trouble of making up these stories? etc.

But isn't that EXACTLY what all religious people believe of every other religion?

Sure, no one would take the time to make up stories about Jesus, or to spread his message and worship him if he hadn't really done all those things in the Bible . . . . but people will do it of Muhammad, or Buddha, Krishna, Mithras, Greek oracles, pharaohs, etc etc etc etc. People die for Allah all the time, does this put Islam nearer to the position of "truth?" Of course not.

There are countless Gods and Goddesses, as there are many many religions.

The religious believe EVERY other religion, and every other God and Goddess created in history is simply man-made. Stories. Lies. Yet, their religion is the sole exception. It is incredibly unreasonable.

As Christopher Hitchens said (in a debate I believe with his brother): "What are the odds that God created man, when stacked against the odds that man created God?"

The religious MUST admit that man has created thousands and thousands of Gods, written loads and loads of false doctrine and creeds . . . they have to. Obviously.

Yet, it's somehow unreasonable for others to think the same is true of their religion?

No people would possibly go through the trouble of making up the Bible. But people will go through the trouble of making up the Qu'ran, the Book of Mormon, the Necronomicon, the Enuma Elish, the Vedas, the Bhagavad Gita . . . etc.

It's just . . . dumb.