Evidence for the Resurrection

LeadershipU ^ | Josh McDowell

[CondoleezzaProtege]

For centuries many of the world's distinguished philosophers have assaulted Christianity as being irrational, superstitious and absurd. Many have chosen simply to ignore the central issue of the resurrection. Others have tried to explain it away through various theories. But the historical evidence just can't be discounted.

A student at the University of Uruguay said to me. "Professor McDowell, why can't you refute Christianity?"

"For a very simple reason," I answered. "I am not able to explain away an event in history--the resurrection of Jesus Christ."

After more than 700 hours of studying this subject, I have come to the conclusion that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is either one of the most wicked, vicious, heartless hoaxes ever foisted on the minds of human beings--or it is the most remarkable fact of history...

[freep_climate_skeptic]

Of course, when interviewed many people, it turns out, witnessed something very different from those next to them...and some even said they saw nothing at all!

This is exactly the point. When people hallucinate or fabricate they don't see or report the same thing. All of the apostles saw the same thing. So that rules out hallucination or imagination.

But just because some people are ready to lay down their lives form someone is no proof that that someone is what they believe he is! Look at what Jim Jones did!

The fact that the apostles laid down their lives is meant to refute the charge that they were liars. A liar hopes to profit from their misdeed. Clearly, martyrdom isn't profitable to a liar. Martyrdom shows their sincerity and lack of profit motive.

So given that the apostles' testimony is consistent we know it not to be a hallucination. Given the apostles' lives and works, we know them to be sincere, i.e., they're not lying.

That leaves us with the conclusion that they saw what they saw and it was so moving that they dedicated their lives to retelling what they saw even unto death. This is good reason to believe the authenticity of their testimony that Jesus Christ rose from the dead.

Thanks for making that reply because it clearly illustrates the misunderstandings that many people have about this line of reasoning in the many evidences for the truth of Christ's resurrection.

I hope that you and others can learn from that.

God bless you.

[kosta50]

Those are the words of Jesus Christ. Reject them at your own peril.

No, those are the words you believe are from Jesus Christ. In fact they are written by a man the Church decided to call "John" at the end of the 2nd century. Fact is, we don't know for sure whose words they are.