Jesus' Resurrection: Gary Habermas and Antony Flew
We don't have ANY examples of somebody being raised from the dead.I've listened to the "debate" but it wasn't a real scholarly debate. It was a webcast where Carr was a guest given an atheistic view of Easter. The man giving the Christian viewpoint was interesting. I think he did good a job defending the faith. All the people who called into the program were Christians also but instead of really interacting with Carr's points (which he summarized in his comments on my blog) they invited him to seek God for himself. I don't disagree. The thing that bothered me is the fact that each of his ideas and challenges can be answered and debunked. If these five points are Carr's reasons for denying the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, he doesn't have a leg to stand on. Make no mistake, Christianity believe that Jesus' resurrection was physical, tangible, and historical! It really happened. Carr's argument is that it didn't and he tries to use the Bible to prove it. Let's take his assertions in turn and see if it holds up.
Actually, I'm sure you could find an example of 10,000 people who all are certain they saw a touchdown that was all in their head....
Not one person in history has ever named himself as having seen a flesh-and-bone resurrected Jesus.
Paul says flat out that Jesus became a spirit.
And the early Christian converts he was writing to were scoffing at the whole idea of their god choosing to raise corpses.
I have a debate on the resurrection at Debate
We don't have ANY examples of somebody being raised from the dead.
Jesus...nuff said, but I'll dig deeper. Jesus resurrection is different than all the other times someone died in the Bible and came back to life. They all died later. Jesus never died again. Second, He said He was going to be betrayed, crucified, and resurrected...then He did it. On top of that the Old Testament says the same thing was going to happen to the Messiah and it happened to Jesus.
Actually, I'm sure you could find an example of 10,000 people who all are certain they saw a touchdown that was all in their head....
I'm assuming that Carr's trying to appeal to the theory that the Apostles and the first Christians only thought they saw Jesus as as some kind of shared vision. I can't believe that he even tried it. This has more than been shot down by the likes of William Lane Craig, Lee Strobel, and Gary Habermas. So I will use the same reasoning they use. There is no documented case where two or more people have the very same vision at the same time. You can't share a hallucination. This is a proven psychological fact!!!
Not one person in history has ever named himself as having seen a flesh-and-bone resurrected Jesus.
Peter Did.
"You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see. - Acts 3:14-16
"We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name." - Act 10:39-43
Paul says flat out that Jesus became a spirit
I don't think so. There is no way because Paul never wrote it.
And the early Christian converts he was writing to were scoffing at the whole idea of their god choosing to raise corpses.
Carr is right there were some early church members (not Christians) who did not entirely believe in the resurrection of the dead. Just like today. This is one of the reasons Paul had to write 1st Corinthians to se them strait. This wasn't the only thing they needed to be schooled on. Look at what Paul actually wrote:
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he "has put everything under his feet." Now when it says that "everything" has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? I die every day—I mean that, brothers—just as surely as I glory over you in Christ Jesus our Lord. If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised,
"Let us eat and drink,
for tomorrow we die." Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame. - 1 Corinthians 15: 20-34
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