OK – so why am I here? Why bother with a website at all really? There are plenty of apologists probably able to do a better job than I. The problem I have, and have had all my life is cognitive dissonance, or my inability to hold to multiple conflicting views. Honestly, I am not sure how others do it because it drives me crazy every day. It is on the topic of the cross and Christianity, however, that I suffer the most angst. How does one explain the Cross?
Let’s start with Jesus of Nazareth. Did he live? Some argue that he didn’t live at all, others that he “probably” did but wasn’t divine (just thought he was I guess). They make some pretty good arguments (to me anyway) but what brought me to belief in the divinity of Christ was a statistical exercise. Suppose he wasn’t God, just some guy who thought he was. Consider this:
- In three short years this nobody carpenter was able to create a movement out of literally nothing and despite bitter persecution that lasted generations. Contrast that with Muhammad somewhat of a noble as I understand, who preached for something like 23 years, often at the point of a sword, or Socrates, a war hero, or Confucius, royalty. They all had long careers and at least some notoriety from the very beginning and none died the death of a criminal. Clearly the odds are very much against the nobody carpenter compared to the others unless He had something they didn’t. I would argue it was His divinity. But wait there’s more.
- Nowhere in any history I have read is there another instance of a conversion anywhere comparable to that of Saul of Tarsus. Here was a guy who was a chief persecutor or Christians only to end up as their foremost apologist overnight.
- How is it that dozens, maybe hundreds of believers suffered torture and death instead of recant a lie? Under ordinary circumstances I would expect that the odds someone would undergo torment and death to protect a lying carpenter and a bunch of flunky fisherman would be close to zero. Now raise that to the hundredth power.
- Assuming the crucifixion story is true for the sake of argument, how come nobody ever came up with a body? All it would have taken to blow Christianity out of the water would have been the body of Jesus. He was guarded by Roman soldiers, a big rock rolled in front of his tomb. Again, what are the odds a bunch of cowed fisherman could have pulled off the heist of the century?
- Jesus appears to have met a number of Biblical prophecies. You might argue some of them but we are talking a few among hundreds. Again, what are the odds?
- There are claims of like a bazillion miracles attributed to Jesus and various saints. When was the last time anybody claimed to have been healed by Confucius? I know there are probably plenty of explanations for some of them, but all of them?
Now back to the statistical exercise. In statistics, we consider our alternate hypothesis (Jesus is God) and our null hypothesis (Jesus was just some guy with an oversized ego). In calculating the probability of the null hypothesis, I find it to be effectively zero, hence the null hypothesis is rejected and the alternative hypothesis is the one I accept. He just couldn’t accomplish all that He did and NOT be God. That doesn’t even account for all the miracles, the resurrection, etc., etc.
But dang it! Jesus also talks about Genesis a lot. Standard creationist, or Young Earth theory is, as far as I can tell, little more than wishful thinking pretending to be science. As in Duck Soup, I keep hearing in the back of mind, listing to their explanations: “Who ya gonna believe? Me or your own eyes.
I believe my own eyes. But I am willing to concede that perhaps they don’t see properly.
That’s why I started this blog.
