Five Arguments You Can Beat

So earlier this evening I came across this wonderful article from Beliefnet. Besides the fact that you should always spell out numbers under ten, the article was a complete mess.

Part of the reason why I do not like debating with those who hold religious beliefs is because they do not come into the argument with logic. Instead they manipulate sentences until they are too confusing to question any longer. With this article, they don’t even try to answer questions, but I will (and I’ll use sources). .

Here are Five Arguments You Can Beat:

1. Jesus Never Existed:

Their argument was that many scholars agree that Jesus existed. Without naming any historical texts that actually state without a doubt Jesus existed, they tried to prove that Jesus existed, but here’s the kicker. The article listed Bart Ehrman, as a scholarly source of Jesus’ existence, but in his bool Did Jesus Exist? he stated that the historical Jesus did not exist, and if he did,  he had virtually nothing to do with the founding of Christianity.

Now if your first source is already a shame, how can you expect to have a strong argument for your case? The thing is, most sources for his existence are not the most reliable, and it’s honestly just easier to think the Christ existed in some form or another, but even if Jesus did exist there are NO accounts made about him within the first CENTURY ("Jesus Outside the New Testament" Robert E. Van Voorst, 2000, p=8-9)

2. You Can’t Trust the Gospels:

This argument I find the most difficult to comprehend. Originally they state a source of a writer who claims the Gospels are eyewitness accounts, and then they state that if they weren’t it doesn’t matter (as if that is logical).

They state, and I quote,

“Suppose, he says, you were to read a newly written book about the JFK assassination. Even though the book itself may not have been written by someone who witnesses every moment, we don’t automatically assume that the information has been corrupted and has lost its reliability. The same applies to the Gospels.”

The fact is JFK was assassinated in in 1963. That’s 51 years ago. The gospels weren’t written until at least 70 years after the death of Jesus. On top of that we have photos, videos, hundreds of eye witness accounts, police reports, news paper articles, you name it for sources. An accurate book can be written about JFK because we have CREDIBLE SOURCES. We do not have credible sources for the gospels. 

The Gospels can’t even pass a credible source test. You cannot easily identify a group or individual responsible for the content. The book has been translated and rewritten for certain uses, on top of that the different books disagree with each other, and if you don’t believe me look in that actual book. It can’t even agree on how many people were at his tomb the day he was resurrected. There are no external sources. It’s main purpose isn’t to provide facts, instead if provides opinions. It is clearly bias, and you could even state that is exists to sell a product: Christianity.

The fact is, no one is sure who wrote the Gospels (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/story/emergence.html). Many times the writings appear to be from people who are far more educated than the people the claim to be. And it does matter if they are a credible source. Christianity is constantly trying to change the rules and society based on the bible, but what how can it be responsible to accept doctrines that can’t even be proven to be 100% true?

3. The Crucifixion:

Their answer does not argue for the historical aspect of the crucifixion but the meaning behind it, saying that it is a simple of god’s love and forgiveness. They even quoted Jesus saying “Forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

This really isn’t even an argument. It’s really just a matter of opinion, but since I’m rebutting these I’ll bite.

1. All knowing, all loving god creates man.
2. All knowing, all loving god creates the tree of knowledge from right from wrong.
3. All knowing, all loving god, being all knowing, knows that Adam and Eve will fall for temptation.
4. All knowing, all loving god punishes his creations for something he created and knew would be abused.
5. All knowing, all loving god constantly punishes man for sins he allowed to exist.
6. Finally all knowing, all loving god decides to forgive his creations for the sins HE created, and KNEW they would fall for.

When I think about this I think about my dogs. I’m kind of like a god to them. They are smart, but I’m smarter. I provide for them, and they are gracious. The thing is, I know my dogs will fall for temptation. I know if I leave a bag of chocolate out they will eat every piece of chocolate, including the foil. I won’t let that happen. I know they will do it, but I would rather them be healthy and happy then suffering. I don’t want to try to teach them a lesson, because I know they won’t understand. God on the other hand seems to not care. He knows his creations will repeat their actions over and over again, instead he lets them suffer. Then in a last ditch effort he “kills” himself to prove his love. It’s completely irrational, and it is not loving.

4. The Miracles are Impossible:

Their answer: They wouldn’t be miracles if they weren’t impossible. This answer is completely stupid, so I’m not going to write a full response. If you need a rebuttal go back to question 2 and realize you can’t even know for sure that the miracles existed because the Gospels, and the rest of the bible isn’t a credible source.

5. Christians are Hated and Bigoted:

They say that you can’t accurately display Christians as bad for you know, the acts of Constantine, the Crusaders, or many modern day Radicals. It’s funny though, because these “radicals” are often the Christians who follow the bible the most. But here are some things the bible does say:

1 Samuel 15:3: “This is what the Lord Almighty says … ‘Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ 

Psalm 137

Jeremiah 19:9  ”And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they shall eat every one the flesh of his friend in the siege and straitness, wherewith their enemies, and they that seek their lives, shall straiten them.”

2 Kings 23-25: where god sent BEARS to eat children who were mocking a man.

And let’s not forget the 2 MILLION people god killed. If REAL Christians are not like the Crusaders, then REAL Christians are not even close to what their god is.

But of course it’s not a real argument unless it’s added in the Christians don’t necessarily have to argue with logic, they can argue with faith. 

That’s my problem, and that’s I don’t argue with believers. If faith comes before logic and proof there is a problem. 

I will pick stone hard facts any day, and I hope you will too.

Keep on Questioning,

Love,

Liana