The Resurrection: Historically Probable, Religiously Insignificant (Chapter 6)
The resurrection -- surely now we
dealing with a central tenet of Christianity?
OK -- So I disagree with almost
everybody on both sides of this question. Something happened. But it can’t be the cornerstone to our faith. It doesn’t
work. It just can’t bear that burden.
What do I mean?
Historically
Probable
First, examining the probable facts
from a historical perspective -- assuredly, after Jesus was crucified, something happened to turn around the defeated
and discouraged little group of disciples he left behind. The idea that they
made up this story of a resurrection, and then were willing to go out and die for it, simply doesn’t pass the credibility
test.
And if an empty tomb was not discovered
by the women, why would the male Gospel-writers have given them this key role? And
why would Matthew have to discredit a rumor that the tomb was empty because the disciples stole Jesus’ body? (Mt. 28:11-15.)
[For a more “scholarly”
analysis, including consideration of a couple of minimalist hypotheses, the see Appendix B -- “Did He Or Didn’t
He?”]
Religiously
Insignificant
But -- if God doesn’t go “zap,”
then the appearance of Jesus after his death doesn’t prove that he was chosen by God, or that we are “saved”
by this event.
A resurrection-type event can’t
prove that God can forgive our sins or grant us eternal life -- or even that God is interested in doing this. Even if the appearance of Jesus for only a few days after his death was evidence that he’d been granted
eternal life, that doesn’t mean God would do this for you and me.
Nor does this event prove that Jesus
was the chosen by God. The return to life of a dead person today would be very
curious, but we wouldn’t assume that this revivified person was chosen by God for anything. The world doesn’t work this way, and God doesn’t work this way.
Surely, as Christians, we can believe
that God will forgive us, and after our deaths will grant us union with God. But
if we believe that the God of the Universe is a loving God, then we can and should believe that God will forgive us whether
or not Jesus was raised from the dead. Either way, how could that change the
nature of God, or God’s relationship with us? And after all, didn’t
Jesus forgive people, before Easter?
[If your concern is the sacrifice
of an innocent Jesus to overcome our original sin -- I address this repugnant notion in Chapter 14.]
The Consequences
