**TL;DR: Jesus was extremely intelligent and talented. He utilized skills and abilities to make people believe he could perform miracles and used these powers with the intention of doing good.** There is no doubt that Jesus existed and had a tremendous following. The reason for his following can be disputed. Were a man alive today who claimed to be able to walk on water, cure disease with his hands or resurrect himself he would surely be regarded as a trickster. There may well be some truths to the miracles that he performed however what is more likely is that he was a man who was well ahead of his time and was able to deceive people into believing the miracles that he performed. People to this day do not understand how David Blaine performs some of his tricks. He is not regarded as a Son of God. 2000 years ago he may well have been. There will always be those who are well ahead of their time whether that is successful marketers such as Steve Jobs or philosophers such as Socrates. Jesus was likely an anomaly for his time, able to use his intelligence to create a following and a religion out of his skills. It is admirable that Jesus utilized his superior intelligence and skills for some kind of philanthropic legacy. However, the wars and bloodshed undertaken in the name of Christianity (that is based around kindness and forgiveness), would surely have deterred Jesus from propagating these thoughts.

**If Jesus was a conman, you can’t deny he succeeded in pulling off the longest-running con in history. Props.** _DISCLAIMER_- I am not a religious person; it neither enriches nor impedes my life. With that being said, I found the prospect of analyzing both sides interesting; the side backed by a belief solely built upon faith, and the side that neatly assess the facts. If I was a part of a religious faction that revered Jesus as their savior, I would undoubtedly feel that he was not a conman. The Bible provides a detailed recounting of the [miracles](https://bibilium.com/miracles-of-jesus-37-chronological-order/) performed by Jesus, all of which had eyewitnesses present, so with this assumed acceptance, it would be discerned that there was no lying about his abilities nor were they an attempt to deceive others into believing a falsehood. Additionally, the miracles performed were all to the benefit of someone else, [never as a ploy for monetary gain](https://www.discoveronline.org.uk/courses/bible-courses/ten-questions-for-god/online-course/chapter-7-who-was-jesus/p4-was-jesus-a-con-artist/). However, one could argue that a perceived conman characteristic would be to perform miracles purely for the glory of gaining recognition. Let’s move on to analyzing the faith-free standpoint. [Jesus didn't write the Bible](https://www.rollitup.org/t/is-jesus-christ-the-biggest-con-artist-ever.349827/), therefore if these miracles never took place, then the root of the con would lay at the author's feet. By authoring the Bible, their lies would have a further reach, heightening the likelihood of establishing an immediate following, gaining not only the accolades that come with notoriety but money as well. Another possibility is that Jesus was just a regular guy, making performance art on the level of ‘miracle’ impossible, meaning he lied at some point, and most likely for self-serving purposes, making him very much a conman. Again, although I am not religious, I also have no ill will towards those who are/ are not and did not write this with the intention to disparage anyone's belief or lack thereof or to cause offense.