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February 13 - March 3, 2025
The claim Jesus truly rose from the dead presents the following concern and objection: 1. This explanation requires a belief in the supernatural: that Jesus had the supernatural power to rise from the dead in the first place.
When it comes down to the claims about the resurrection, there are just two possibilities: Jesus either (A) rose from the dead or (B) He didn’t. It’s really that simple.
The Christian explanation for the resurrection involved a far less encumbered path.
It is logically consistent (if we simply allow for the existence of God in the first place). It is also superior to the other accounts (given it does not suffer from all the problems we see with the other explanations).
The conclusion that Jesus was resurrected (as reported in the Gospels) can be sensibly inferred from the available evidence. The resurrection is reasonable.
I used to think of faith as the opposite of reason.
faith is actually the opposite of unbelief, not reason.
As I began to read through the Bible as a skeptic, I came to understand that the biblical definition of faith is a well-placed and reasonable inference based on evidence.
it’s possible for reasonable people to examine the evidence and conclude that Christianity is true.
I often encounter devoted, committed Christians who are hesitant to embrace an evidential faith.
In many Christian circles, faith that requires evidential support is seen as weak and inferior.
Yet Jesus seemed to have a high regard for evidence.
after the resurrection, Jesus stayed with His disciples for an additional forty days and provided them with “many convincing proofs”
Jesus understood the role and value of evidence and the importance of developing an evidential faith. It’s time for all of us, as Christians, to develop a similarly reasonable faith.
Evidence typically falls into two broad categories.
Direct evidence is evidence that can prove something all by itself.
circumstantial evidence (also known as indirect evidence) does not prove something on its own, but points us in the right direction by proving something related to the question at hand.
The more pieces of consistent circumstantial evidence, the more reasonable the conclusion.
two common misperceptions about evidence.
First, there is no such thing as “hard evidence.”
the two categories that do exist in criminal trials: direct and indirect evidence.
Secondly, most people tend to think direct evidence is required to be certain about what happened.
Can the truth be proven beyond a reasonable doubt when all the evidence we have is ci...
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“Both direct and circumstantial evidence are acceptable types of evidence to prove or disprove the elements of a charge, including intent and mental state and acts necessary to a conviction, and neither is necessarily more reliable than the other. Neither is entitled to any greater weight than the other.” 4
The question of God’s existence might be compared to our murder investigation.
Similarly, we can look at the evidence in our world (and in the universe) and ask, “How reasonable is it this evidence can be interpreted in any way other than to confirm the existence of God?”
We live in a universe filled with characteristics (evidence) demanding an explanation. Let’s consider just a few of them:
A UNIVERSE WITH A BEGINNING
The vast majority of scientists continue to acknowledge the universe came into being from nothing at some point in the distant past.
if the universe “began to exist,” what “began” it?
an “uncaused first cause”
must exist outside of space, time, and matter (as nothing has ever been observed to cause itself to exist).
What could be uncaused and powerful enough to cause the universe? If the caused universe once was not, why is it here at all? As Gottfried Leibniz famously wrote, “W...
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We typically think of God as an eternal, all-powerful Being who exists outside of space, time, and matter. The evidence of the finite universe (a universe that has a beginning) points circumstantially to the existence of such a God.
An incredibly powerful, uncaused first cause outside of space, time, and matter appears necessary to bring our universe into existence.
A UNIVERSE WITH THE APPEARANCE OF DESIGN
Science has also helped us to understand the universe appears remarkably “fine-tuned” to support the existence of life.
There are several forces in the cosmos precisely calibrated to work together...
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Something like 100 or more
According to Stephen Hawking, “if the proton-neutron mass difference were not about twice the mass of the electron, one would not obtain the couple of hundred or so stable nucleides that make up the elements and are the basis of chemistry and biology.”
The forces in our universe, both small and large, appear fine-tuned to make life possible.
In addition to these cosmic and atomic forces, there are also specific conditions necessary f...
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the characteristics of a planet must be just so for life to be possible.
The path leading to life on earth seems narrow and difficult, yet the forces governing the universe (and our world) appear to have a goal in mind: the production of a universe in which carbon-based life can emerge.
The Anthropic Principle:
The fine-tuning of the universe is another important piece of circumstantial evidence pointing to the existence of an intentional, supernatural, powerful, and creative Being.
A UNIVERSE WITH COMPLEX LIFE
Scientists observe what they call the “appearance of design” in biological systems.
Even Richard ...
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concedes that biological systems often a...
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There are many examples of cellular biological machines possessing characteristics of “specified complexity” and bearing a striking resemblance to systems and structures designed by humans (intelligent agents). These characteristics lead many to the reasonable belief that unguided forces are simply insufficient to create such structures.
