To Atheists, Is There Any One Question...?

Question

About the Bible or Christianity, which if suitably answered, would lead you to seriously consider the claims of Christ? What is it?

If there is no one or two questions, then when you question Christians about their beliefs is it because you just want to be argumentative rather then because of a genuine interest in finding truth?

The resurrection is the very thing which Josh McDowell focused on to discredit before he became a Christian. His book on evidence for Christianity, "More Than A Carpenter" has over 10 million copies in print worldwide and I highly recommend it.

Just a few months ago a massive formal debate went on in MySpace concerning the Resurrection. Here are some of David's posts, the debater making the case for the Resurrection:

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=44855814&blogID=89389475&Mytoken=9D976155-09B9-4680-AEA8A181AC46A0A21510413328
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=44855814&blogID=93422638&Mytoken=9D976155-09B9-4680-AEA8A181AC46A0A21510413328
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=44855814&blogID=96681682&Mytoken=9D976155-09B9-4680-AEA8A181AC46A0A21510413328

As McDowell points out in his book, the scientific method can't prove historical events, because it relies on repeating the event where someone questioning the fact is present. In cases of historical events, what's needed is legal-historical proof. The scientific method can no more prove Martin Luther King was a civil right leader then it can prove Jesus lived. We must use the 3 legal-historical proof tests of bibliographical evidence, external evidence, and internal evidence, as McDowell also goes into. The bibliographical test, measuring the reliability of the copies we have of the original autographs as well as the time interval separating the original and extant copy, we see how much proof there is for the Bible. The Iliad is 2nd in manuscript authority with 643 reliable manuscripts... The New Testament alone has over 20,000 that are 99.5% word for word accurate to each other.
Answerer 25:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/?qid=100606040303

That last was in reference to the proving it's not fiction comment.

The Resurrection is one of the most well-documented events in history. Along with the Gospel writers as eyewitnesses, outside sources supporting Jesus' life and death included writings by Tacitus, Suetonius, Josephus, Thallus, Lucian, Pliny the Younger, the Talmud, Valentius, Clement, Ignatius, Justin Martyr, Saturninus, Polycarps, and Quadratus.

All but one of the apostles died horrible deaths for Jesus, as well as later apostles like Matthias, Paul, and Barnabas. The apostles often appealed to common knowledge about Jesus. Plus there's the evidence of fulfilled prophecy about the crucifixion as found in Psalms 22 before crucifixion was even invented as well as the price Jesus would be betrayed for and that it would be used to buy a Potter's field (Zechariah 11:12-13)

Again, McDowell's paperback is very good on the subject.

Bibliographical proof does not determine how factual a document is. It measures whether the document has been accurately preserved as to its original autographs (first documents). What bibliographical proof shows about the Iliad is that the copies we have of it are reliable in regards to what the originals were, we can be sure we have accurately preserved copies. Likewise with the Bible, bibliographical proof shows the accusations that the Bible and New Testament have been changed or altered are absurd.

Once having determined through bibliographical proof that what we're looking at is the same as the original document, we can then determine the validity and reliability of said document. That is the job of internal and external evidence, the other 2 tests. All 3 are applied to the Bible by Josh McDowell in his book "More Than a Carpenter", an easily obtainable $5 paperback with over 10 million copies in print worldwide.

No, to be perfectly honest there is no evidence that could make me renounce Christianity. It's not simply a matter of having seen so much evidence that I'm already fully persuaded... It's also a matter of what for me is a fully realistic and everyday personal relationship with the God I have come to intimately know through faith in Jesus Christ.

Answer 1

answers are not the problem, proof is, if you show proof that say jesus was ressurected then i would be inclined to convert. I think this is the case for most atheists and agnostics but i feel that no matter how much evidence exists disproving christianity you will not accept the truth (like if the existence of sentient aliens was proven beyond a doubt, would YOU give up christianity? or would you try to find some obscure passage in the bible that could be metaphorically interpreted to say god created aliens too?)

Answer 2

It is discovered via who you ask. Your thought was published in a e-newsletter via utilizing Sam Harris known as "Letter To A Christian Nation". He thinks very similar to you that Atheist is a word as a way to must now not exist. If you ask a brand new Atheist, they're going to will let you recognize Atheist method one particularly practical aspect and not anything else. The obstacle is they are lying. They're re-inventing truth. Truely, dictionaries disagree at the definition. So if a few New Atheist comes along and tells you it handiest method one practical aspect, who is mendacity? Dictionaries or the brand new Atheist? Atheist is a phrase invented in 5th century B.C. Greece. It was used to convict Socrates. He refused to good identified the Greek gods as helpful of compliment. For this motive, they killed him. I will link you to a exceptional e book at the discipline. It was once as soon as written through a individual who was striking jointly a dictionary of religious terms in 1922. "Atheism In Pagan Antiquity".

Answer 3

No, I've read your bible. Judging from the responses to most of my questions, a lot of Christians have not. I ask my questions to expose the truths in the bible, that is, it is a doomsday cult that has become a threat to the survival of the human race, now that we have weapons that can deliver Armageddon.

But I ask you this. What question would you like me to ask you that could possibly make me change my mind?

Answer 4

Wait, you mentioned the Iliad. The Iliad is almost as reliable as the Bible, so that means that we have the same evidence for the existence of Zeus etc. as we do for Jesus.

Answer 5

if you could prove it was no more than a fictional tale, cos' anyone has the ability to put pen to paper and write a book (ok, except for those of you with writers block), if they take the time to put their mind to it,

i can believe a book where the author is available to justify his comments and to prove beyond all reasonable doubt why he/she says what he/she says,

but this is supposedly a book thats over 2000 years old, so how can you do it, no author around, wheres your god to answer then if he's so powerful and as you put it...omni-present...,

nowhere to be found, i wonder why that is...

Answer 6

u have to try generalising ur questiom. after all ppl who follow faiths other than christiany arent extinct. but no comments there though coz im an atheist myself. and incase u dint know, an atheist questions the presence of an unknown god altogether and not just jesus or christianity or any religion in particular..

Answer 7

Finding the true truth..

Answer 8

i don't understand your question. can you explain in more details?

Answer 9

is it question?