Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: kriz@skat.usc.edu (Dennis Kriz) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: The missing body/Empty tomb Message-ID: Date: 28 Apr 91 22:37:48 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA Lines: 26 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu Did Christ rise from the dead? I believe he did. Did he have to? I believe so. If Christ did not rise from the dead, then the rest of the Gospels would have simply been a a set of chronologies of "a great human teacher" But Christians have from day one said that Christ was the Son of God. Does that "prove" anything? No. Basically the non-Christian is confronted with either becoming a Christian, or dismissing the Christians as being a bunch of crazies. I will say that given the nature of the Passion, the human spirit does not want to let the story end there. But that is perhaps the point. If the Gospels ended with Christ dieing on the cross, where would the "Good News" be? The Good News is that Christ rose from the dead. It is the ultimate happy ending. It breaks all the bonds of human cynicism and despair. We are saved. Lord, by your Cross and Resurrection, You have set us free. You are the Saviour of the world. dennis kriz@skat.usc.edu