Is there any evidence for christianity ?

[r0kan]

I could be repeating some earlier discussions in this forum. please bear with me for that.

Is there really any evidence for jesus' ressurection ?

Generally christians point to bible for the evidence of jesus and christianity.

They say that the four gospels point to eye witness testomony of jesus' resurrection. But how true is this claim ?

There is absolutely no evidence to presume, what any of the four gospels or any other part of bible testifies, as eyewitness accounts. Still christians call this bible as the historical evidence.

Christians conveniently brush aside the contradicting accounts of the four gospels, even the contradicting accounts of ressurection part. When pointed out they say it is merely due to different ways those witnessing the events saw them.

What christians do not understand that the autheticity of bible itself can be questioned based on these contradictions. Since there are contradictions found in the very core part of bible, it can also be concluded that bible was written by several believing people over decades(if not centuries) through hearsay and oral traditions(and then passed on as real events) and hence such contradictions. Hence bible statements cannot be taken as reliable proof of ressurection or any such possibly bogus claims. Infact science dates the earliest gospel decades after the death of jesus.

Besides one has to consider the pre-existence of similar ressurection stories much before jesus was born. Osiris, Mithra etc. are all supposed to have ressurected as per the believers of those religions as well.

Hence there is every possibility for bible faking ressurection from these fairy tales.

Conclusion:
There is no evidence for ressurection and hence christianity is another fairy tale.

 

[spiritual_spy]

Conclusion:
There is no evidence for ressurection and hence christianity is another fairy tale.

Correct.

 

[Gustav]

sorry bud
heathens are not privy to such things
unless..........you accept the lord jesus christ as your saviour
it is then, and only then, will you be able to apprehend the evidence of god's almighty glory

 

[KennyJC]

Is there any evidence for christianity ?

Nope. But there is plenty of evidence to go against it.

Many fantastic claims are within the Bible. Many of which have since been proven to be lies/fiction, many more of these claims have been proven wrong by common sense. But people who believe in a sky fairy will tend not to pay much attention to common sense when it comes to religion... even though they have the ability to have common sense in other parts of their life. I guess they are just willfully blind, and faith requires that you are blind and ignorant.

 

[spiritual_spy]

you accept the lord jesus christ as your saviour
it is then, and only then, will you be able to apprehend the evidence of god's almighty glory

You mean corrupting your mind to the point were reason is thrown out the window? Sorry but if a heathen is some one with reason i will gladly be labeled as one.

 

[r0kan]

sorry bud
heathens are not privy to such things
unless..........you accept the lord jesus christ as your saviour
it is then, and only then, will you be able to apprehend the evidence of god's almighty glory

No thank you for your advise. I prefer to think.

 

[charles cure]

sorry bud
heathens are not privy to such things
unless..........you accept the lord jesus christ as your saviour
it is then, and only then, will you be able to apprehend the evidence of god's almighty glory

right, evidence in the form of delusion, and maybe if youre lucky, self-induced hallucination.

 

[Starman]

Is there really any evidence for jesus' ressurection ?

There is no evidence required for a Myth.

The problem is, people who consider, Myths to be true.

 

[zeeebratracks]

I hate how almost everyone on these boards [not everyone, mind you] put all Christians on the same intellectual level - absolute stupidity. There are some amazingly intelligent Christians out there. Sure their worldview shapes how the approach different subjects, theories, and values - but who's worldview doesn't? I guess I'm just saddened to hear how so many have forgotten about amazing Christian men like C.S. Lewis.

 

[Athelwulf]

sorry bud
heathens are not privy to such things
unless..........you accept the lord jesus christ as your saviour
it is then, and only then, will you be able to apprehend the evidence of god's almighty glory

What an oddly convenient explaination.

 

[Gustav]

ja
it expands into..."but have you truly accepted the lord?"

 

[r0kan]

ja
it expands into..."but have you truly accepted the lord?"

Why delude yourselves into accepting illusions ? Why jesus ? why not Osiris ? why not Mithra ? Why bible ? Why not Hellenistic scriptures (whatever that is) ?

Your lord is dead and was perhaps crucified on a stick 2000 years ago, if he existed at all. What kind of god is this who is so easily killed ? Rest about ressurection is all bunch of baloney created by plagiarizing Egyptian, Mithra stories and who knows what else ?

First provide evidence of your bible fables and then comes "true accpetance" for sane people.

 

[baumgarten]

This is slightly off-topic, but disregarding whether there is evidence for a second, does it really matter if the stories are true? They're stories. You don't have to believe them to believe in them. Many atheists and Christians alike, I think, put too much stock in the factuality of the accounts in the Bible.

 

[James R]

It seems that many people miss the point of the bible.

Sure, you can question the "miracles" in the bible, but that's not the point. The point of Jesus's teachings or philosophy was not about miracles - it was about being excellent to one another.

 

[§outh§tar]

It may be argued that 'Jesus' teachings actually make up a VERY small portion of the Bible, even if we are permitted to attribute the Synoptics (though they are mutually contradictory) to Him. I suspect you confuse Paul's theology with Jesus' teachings. And then there are also the teachings of James..

 

[James R]

The Old Testament is a copy of ancient Jewish texts, of course. It seems to me that the New Testament, if it has a point at all, aims to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

[§outh§tar]

James, the NT is split into sections. A great deal of the teaching in the new testament is made by Paul, who never met Jesus. Now you might respect his claim that he speaks on behalf of a man whom he never met, whom he never read about, and only knew through hearsay. But to most, ah, keen people, this sort of claim doesn't equate Paul's theology to Christ's own message.

I hope you are well aware that none of the writers of the New Testament books had EVER met Jesus and in fact, only knew of Him through hearsay (and, of course, 'divine revelation').

It seems to me that they could either be spreading the teachings of Jesus, the teachings of Jesus as they saw them ex post, or succumbing to Divine Inspiration. What do you think?

 

[James R]

It seems to me that they could either be spreading the teachings of Jesus, the teachings of Jesus as they saw them ex post, or succumbing to Divine Inspiration. What do you think?

I agree.

 

[ggazoo]

I've posted the following in other theads, but it applies here too. If you can accept the same logic to support one historical document, how can you reject the same logic when applied to Biblical documents?

In regards to the resurrection, it's hard to find evidence becuaes his body was never found. The Romans never found his body, either. There are secular references to the life and crucifixtion of Jesus, even among the Roman records.

The following is from gmau.org (http://www.gmau.org/ThinkingCaps/tcap33.htm):

"There have been hundreds of books written on the subject of the evidences of the divine inspiration of the Bible, and these evidences are many and varied. Most people today, unfortunately, have not read any of these books. Thus, many people tend to go along with the popular delusion that the Bible is full of mistakes and is no longer relevant to our modern world.

Nevertheless the Bible writers claimed repeatedly that they were transmitting the very Word of God, infallible and authoritative in the highest degree. This is an amazing thing for any writer to say, and if the forty or so men who wrote the Scriptures were wrong in these claims, then they must have been lying, or insane, or both.

But, on the other hand, if the greatest and most influential book of the ages, containing the most beautiful literature and the most perfect moral code ever devised, was written by deceiving fanatics, then what hope is there for ever finding meaning and purpose in this world?

If one will seriously investigate these Biblical evidences, he will find that their claims of divine inspiration (stated over 3,000 times, in various ways) were amply justified.

The evidence of fulfilled prophecy is just one case in point. Hundreds of Bible prophecies have been fulfilled, specifically and meticulously, often long after the prophetic writer had passed away.

For example, Daniel the prophet predicted in about 538 BC (Daniel 9:24-27) that Christ would come as Israel's promised Savior and Prince 483 years after the Persian emperor would give the Jews authority to rebuild Jerusalem, which was then in ruins. This was clearly and definitely fulfilled, hundreds of years later.

There are extensive prophecies dealing with individual nations and cities and with the course of history in general, all of which have been literally fulfilled. More than 300 prophecies were fulfilled by Christ Himself at His first coming. Other prophecies deal with the spread of Christianity, as well as various false religions, and many other subjects.

There is no other book, ancient or modern, like this. The vague, and usually erroneous, prophecies of people like Jeanne Dixon, Nostradamus, Edgar Cayce, and others like them are not in the same category at all, and neither are other religious books such as the Koran, the Confucian Analects, and similar religious writings. Only the Bible manifests this remarkable prophetic evidence, and it does so on such a tremendous scale as to render completely absurd any explanation other than divine revelation.

The historical accuracy of the Scriptures is likewise in a class by itself, far superior to the written records of Egypt, Assyria, and other early nations. Archeological confirmations of the Biblical record have been almost innumerable in the last century. Dr. Nelson Glueck, probably the greatest modern authority on Israeli archeology, has said:
"No archeological discovery has ever controverted a Biblical reference. Scores of archeological findings have been made which confirm in clear outline or in exact detail historical statements in the Bible. And, by the same token, proper evaluation of Biblical descriptions has often led to amazing discoveries."

Another striking evidence of divine inspiration is found in the fact that many of the principles of modern science were recorded as facts of nature in the Bible long before scientist confirmed them experimentally. A sampling of these would include:

• Roundness of the earth (Isaiah 40:22)
• Almost infinite extent of the sidereal universe (Isaiah 55:9)
• Law of conservation of mass and energy (II Peter 3:7)
• Hydrologic cycle (Ecclesiastes 1:7)
• Vast number of stars (Jeremiah 33:22)
• Law of increasing entropy (Psalm 102:25-27)
• Paramount importance of blood in life processes (Leviticus 17:11)
• Atmospheric circulation (Ecclesiastes 1:6)
• Gravitational field (Job 26:7)
• and many others.

These are not stated in the technical jargon of modern science, of course, but in terms of the basic world of man's everyday experience; nevertheless, they are completely in accord with the most modern scientific facts.

It is significant also that no real mistake has ever been demonstrated in the Bible -- in science, in history, or in any other subject. Many have been claimed, of course, but conservative Bible scholars have always been able to work out reasonable solutions to all such problems.

The remarkable structure of the Bible should also be stressed. Although it is a collection of 66 books, written by 40 or more different men over a period of 2,000 years, it is clearly one Book, with perfect unity and consistency throughout.

The individual writers, at the time of writing, had no idea that their message was eventually to be incorporated into such a Book, but each nevertheless fits perfectly into place and serves its own unique purpose as a component of the whole. Anyone who diligently studies the Bible will continually find remarkable structural and mathematical patterns woven throughout its fabric, with an intricacy and symmetry incapable of explanation by chance or collusion.

The one consistent theme of the Bible, developing in grandeur from Genesis to Revelation, is God's great work in the creation and redemption of all things, through His only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Bible is unique also in terms of its effect on individual men and on the history of nations. It is the all-time best seller, appealing both to hearts and minds, beloved by at least some in every race or nation or tribe to which it has gone, rich or poor, scholar or simple, king or commoner, men of literally every background and walk of life. No other book has ever held such universal appeal nor produced such lasting effects.

One final evidence that the Bible is true is found in the testimony of those who have believed it. Multitudes of people, past and present, have found from personal experience that its promises are true, its counsel is sound, its commands and restrictions are wise, and its wonderful message of salvation meets every need for both time and eternity.

You can do a google search and find an endless number of resources on the accuracy, validity, and/or trustworthiness of the bible."

 

[charles cure]

I hate how almost everyone on these boards [not everyone, mind you] put all Christians on the same intellectual level - absolute stupidity. There are some amazingly intelligent Christians out there. Sure their worldview shapes how the approach different subjects, theories, and values - but who's worldview doesn't? I guess I'm just saddened to hear how so many have forgotten about amazing Christian men like C.S. Lewis.

what exactly was so great about C.S. Lewis? i don't particularly think that he was an exceptional writer and i've read a lot of his stuff. he was basically a christian apologist masquerading as a thinking man. you can see it in everything he wrote.