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From: lab@qubix.UUCP (Larry Bickford)
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Is the jury biased?
Message-ID: <269@qubix.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 23-May-83 21:23:54 EDT
Article-I.D.: qubix.269
Posted: Mon May 23 21:23:54 1983
Date-Received: Wed, 25-May-83 03:22:12 EDT
Lines: 55

A couple of brief replies, then on to a challenge which has been issued and
re-issued with no one daring to touch.

To Dave Wright: "I'd like to see an end to a small but vocal Christian minority
out there trying to ram their religions down the throats of American school-
children." Reply: I'd like to see an end to the use of humanism (it IS a
religion) as the basis of educational, judicial, and other decisions.

To Don Ellis and Dave: "Public" schools should be an extension of the home, not
the state. Too many parents have abdicated their responsibilities and treated
the school essentially as a baby-sitter. They are reaping what they have sown.

To Tim Maroney: "I don't intend to let any slave-master ... supercede my will
for my life." Remember those words at the Judgment. "The 'not mine but thine'
bit is the utterance of a slave who desires no freedom." Read Romans 6 to find
out who has real freedom. "Humans are not so unworthy to choose for ourselves
as you portray us." History indicates otherwise.

To Chuck: Regarding the idea the only those "in terminal need of something to
hang onto" turn to Christ, how many counter-examples would you like? Perhaps J.
McDowell, who was far from being strung out; he accepted Jesus when he saw the
evidence that demanded a verdict. (Hey, *he* opened the door ...)

Every other week for about two months now, I have asked publicly for anyone who
can refute the Resurrection. NOT ONE RESPONSE! All the things Jesus and His
followers said and did is NOTHING without the Resurrection. STILL NO RESPONSE!
You want something to separate Christianity from everything else? Here it is!
Most religions base themselves on untestable claims. Christianity stands or
falls on a HISTORICAL event, one that occurred in known time and space, one
that can be tested -- the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
And I mean DEAD dead - no operating-table resuscitation. He was executed, a
spear was poked far enough into him to cause blood to pour out, He was wrapped
in cloths saturated with 100 pounds of ointment (effectively forming a body
case), a huge stone (check the Greek) was rolled against the mouth of the tomb,
a Roman guard guarded it to make sure the body wasn't stolen (did you get my
mail, Hutch?) -- and He was later seen alive, walking, and talking!

Paul reports that there were over 500 eyewitnesses to the resurrected Christ.
In a court of law, 500 eyewitnesses to an event occurring in time and space
makes a solid case.  And remember, Paul was writing this (I Corinthians 15) to
people who were saying there was no resurrection. The evidence he provided for
those skeptics is still valid today. If you don't accept it, it isn't because
the evidence is biased - it's because YOU are.

Quit sidestepping the central issue. Either disprove the Resurrection in the
face of the evidence, or prepare yourselves for Acts 17:30,31 :

"And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men
everywhere to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will
JUDGE the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he
hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD."

					Tired of the smokescreens,
					Larry Bickford
					{decvax,ucbvax}!decwrl!qubix!lab