Tycho, although your point may be partially correct, scholars for the most part agree that John is the most reliable out of all the gospels...and almost has to be, given the differentiations. (Sorry, I typed quickly, and don't always include all the myriad details...except that scholars do believe John to be the most accurate.)
Here's from our discussion on the origin of the New Testament:
Heath, Origins of the New Testament:
(3) The four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) were composed during and after the revolt of AD 66-74, when Judaism effectively ceased to exist as an organized social, political and military force.
(4) Mark was composed during or immediately after the revolt (except for its treatment of the Resurrection, which is a later and spurious addition). Mark was not an original disciple, but he appears to have come from Jerusalem. He seems to have been a companion of St. Paul. His Gospel (as Clement of Alexandria states) was composed in Rome and addressed to a Greco-Roman audience. At the time it was written, the Jews were in open revolt and thousands were being crucified for rebellion against Rome. In order for his Gospel to survive, Mark had to present it in a way that was not anti-Rome. (He would have had to exonerate Rome from Jesus' death and not portray Jesus as a political figure.)
(5) Luke is dated at AD 80. Luke was a Greek doctor who composed his work for a high ranking Roman official at Caesarea, the Roman capital of Palestine.
(6) Matthew was composed in AD 85. More than half of it was derived directly from Mark's gospel, although it was originally prepared in Greek and reflects specific Greek characteristics. The author appears to be a Jew (possibly a refugee from Palestine). This is not the same as Jesus' disciple named "Matthew," who would have lived much earlier and likely would have known only Aramaic.
(7) The first three Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) are known as the "Synaptic Gospels," meaning that they see "eye to eye" or "with one eye." They are enough alike that it is believed they derived from the same source (either oral tradition or some documents subsequently lost).
(8) Nothing is known about the author of the Fourth Gospel (John). We don't even know if the author's name was John. Except for John the Baptist, it never mentions John, and its attribution to a man named "John" is due to later tradition. It was composed about 100AD around the Greek city of Ephesus.
(9) The fourth Gospel is quite distinctive. There is no nativity scene or description of Jesus' birth. The opening is also quite Gnostic in nature. Unlike the others (which are generally assumed to be second or third hand accounts primarily focused on Galilee), John dwells on Judea and Jerusalem around the end of Jesus' ministry. It also contains specific episodes and stories not in the others (such as the wedding at Cana, Nicodemus, and the like). Based on these types of factors, scholars generally agree that John is the most reliable and historically accurate of any of the Gospels. It draws more upon the traditions, first hand topographical knowledge prior to the 66AD revolt, and chronological framework that make it appear very authentic. (However, the scholars also agree that this Gospel also has been the subject to "doctoring, editing, expurgation and revision.")
Even from a legal standpoint, a witness is more reliable than a document purported to be taken from a document which is now missing (e.g. Document Q).
This is one reason I like to look at the Acts and writings of Paul too.
(But even relying on Paul, you are looking at a guy who was converted by an angelic visitation, which makes it funny to me when mainstream Christians criticize the LDS church for being founded in much the same way.)
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:32, Tue 04 Sept 2007.