Monday, April 16, 2012

Is Believing in the Resurrection Irrational?

Not if you were there. Not if you saw Jesus alive after His death, touched His side, watched Him eat, heard Him speak. Especially if you weren't the only one, and all the others agreed as to what had happened. Over 500 people saw Him at once after He had arisen. In that case, not believing it would be the irrational thing.

Yes, well, but we weren't there, were we? Were you there when they crucified my Lord? We were, as a matter of fact, but that's a mystical thing. We don't go into that with everybody. Obviously we weren't there in a historical sense.

Then to believe in the Resurrection, one has to rely upon the accounts of those who claim to have been eyewitnesses. And believing a lot of things people say might not be a problem, but resurrection from the dead? Come on.

Well, the disciples of Jesus were willing to seal their testimony with their blood, and almost all of them did. How about that?

Not so impressive, I was told recently. Muslims, after all, are also willing to die for what they regard as the truth.

Yes, but here's the difference. Many are willing to die for what they think is true, but if Jesus did not rise from the dead, then His disciples were willing to die for what they knew was false. How rational is it to think they all did that?

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