Closer to Reality: Some More Theology About Jesus.

That Resurrection (and others) 1

The Accidental Metaphysician clearly believes in the resurrection of Jesus as well as the resurrection of all true believers.

Okay, let's assume for the sake of argument that the resurrection of Jesus was an historical fact.

Jesus apparently looked much the same (and none the worse for wear) post resurrection as pre resurrection. Therefore, what about the pre and post appearance regarding the resurrection of:

A fetus that dies in the womb?

An infant that dies at childbirth?

A child who dies in an accident at five years of age?

A 90 year old with extremely severe dementia?

A quadriplegic?

A thalidomide victim?

What about someone vaporized at ground zero Hiroshima?

Do they all resurrect to whatever age and appearance Jesus was when he fell off his perch? Younger - say 21? Older - say 50? No change? Sound of mind? Sound of body? Isn't this whole resurrection business total nonsense? But then we don't want facts or the truth to get in the way of a good Biblical tall tale now, do we?

That Resurrection (and others) 2

Of course the Accidental Metaphysician took issue with me on the above, but the real issue was that he sidestepped my questions! Now, let's try again. Let's resurrect the Accidental Metaphysician (or put yourself in his shoes). When the Accidental Metaphysician gets resurrected, will he be resurrected exactly as he was at his time of death? Might the Accidental Metaphysician not prefer to be resurrected when he was younger and at his prime? But what does that mean? Physically prime? Mentally prime? Prime in terms of the knowledge gained and stored away? You (and I include here the Accidental Metaphysician) have put a lot of time, effort and energy into making you what you are yet you keep changing and ageing. There must have been a point in time when you were at your most optimal peak in one sense or other. Is it that you which will get resurrected? Surely you have a preference regarding what you, of all the variations of you that has existed, will get resurrected.

Regarding logic (a favorite subject of the Accidental Metaphysician), I can start with the assumption that there was a resurrection (as in the paragraph above) in order to show that such a concept is illogical and therefore can't happen. I can start with the assumption that there is a spherical cube in order to show that a spherical cube is really illogical and therefore that a spherical cube can't happen to exist in reality. This is what is known in the trade as logic!

That Resurrection (and others) 3

The Accidental Metaphysician eventually came to admit that he wasn’t sure about the answers to my scenarios. IMHO that was a cop-out answer if ever there was one. Why shouldn’t he be sure? He was the one who believes in the resurrection of the body. Surely he was basing that belief on some data as to what actually happens. I mean he has a personal stake in this worldview. He must have researched this and thought long and hard about the issue. Of course perhaps he don't have answers because my scenarios make no sense in his resurrection worldview.

So let's go back to the case of the infant who dies just a couple of days after its birth. These things do happen. The infant has had no time to develop a database of knowledge, memories, personality, etc. Its physiology is hardly complete. What is it's resurrection to be? As a 21 year old complete with the essence and body it would have had had it lived to be 21? Some other age? It surely wouldn't wander or crawl around heaven as a few day old infant without any ability to do anything or communicate. Based on this scenario, I conclude this whole resurrection scenario is nonsense. I rather suspect the Accidental Metaphysician logically knows it is nonsense too, just that he refuses to back down and admit it!

Historical Fiction?

Okay, so if ‘Jesus said” and the resurrection are nonsense, what about the rest of those Biblical texts, Biblical events and Biblical characters? Are they historical fact or historical fiction?

So can anyone show me the grave of Moses (or any other Biblical figure for that matter; anyone else starting with Adam and Eve; Cain and Abel; Noah and Methuselah; Joseph, Abraham, David, Ezekiel, Daniel, Jonah, Joshua or Solomon, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John as well as the alleged 12 Disciples, and so on and on). Show me where the Garden of Eden was. Show me Noah's Ark. Show me the Ark of the Covenant and/or the stone tablets carved with the Ten Commandments. Show me the remains of Sodom and Gomorrah. True believers are telling me that 200,000 people wandered all over the wilderness for 40 years and yet there is not a single archaeological trace of their comings and goings. Pull the other leg! Do you realize that there's enough pieces of the 'true cross' that exist that could rebuild Noah's Ark.? Why was Jericho already in ruins - as verified by archaeology - when the alleged 'battle' of Jericho took place? Where's the remains of the Tower of Babel? Why can't the Bible name the pharaoh of the Exodus? It would have been such an easy and the logical thing to do - name names, it's important. Why in fact is there absolutely not a shred of independent archaeological or even Egyptian documentation that the Exodus ever happened? In fact even as to which mountain is THE Mt. Sinai so cited in Exodus is still very much an open question.

In conclusion here, that's why belief in God, belief in Jesus, belief in the Bible and Biblical texts are all a matter of pure "faith", not a matter of "evidence" because there is no actual "evidence" far less actual proof.