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From: christian@topaz.UUCP
Newsgroups: mod.religion.christian
Subject: Questions on Christianity
Message-ID: <8763@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU>
Date: Fri, 30-Jan-87 05:44:10 EST
Article-I.D.: topaz.8763
Posted: Fri Jan 30 05:44:10 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 31-Jan-87 06:03:12 EST
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	Recently here at U.C. San Diego, we've been attacked
by fundamentalists.  First Brother Jed & family, and now a
guy named Cliffe.  All this has got me thinking, and I've got
several major questions on Christianity which could use some
rational answers.

	Among those beliefs crucial to Christianity few are of
greater importance than the Resurrection.  Paul went so far as
to allege that the very foundation of Christianity rests upon
its occurance.  
		"And if Christ be not risen, then our preaching
		 vain and your faith is also vain."
				---I Cor. 15:14

	Yet why should the Resurrection itself be of such importance??
Elijah raised a child from the dead (I Kings 17:17,21-22); Samuel said
to Saul, "Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up?" (I Sam. 28:7,
11,15);Elisha raised the dead son of a Shunamite (2 Kings 4:32,34-35);
a dead man being lowered into a grave revived when he touched the
bones of Elisha (2 Kings 13:21); Moses and Elijah revived at the time
of the Transfiguration (Luke 9:28,30); the saints arose at the time of
Jesus' death (Matt. 27:52-53); Jairus' daughter rose from the dead
(Matt. 9:18,23-25); the widow Nain's son rose from the dead (Luke
7:11-15); and Lazarus rose from the dead (John 11:34).  All of these
people ascended from death and all did so before Jesus.  So why 
attribute so much importance to the event?  By the time Jesus rose
from the dead, this had become a rather common occurrance.  Moreover,
people not only rose before Jesus, but after him as well.  Peter raised
Tabitha and Paul raised Eutychus.  Some Christians argue that except
for Jesus, all of the above-mentioned people eventually died again.
But Paul says that its the resurrection, per se, that matters; not
the fact that Jesus never died again.

	A second major difficulty associated with the Resurrection lies
in the contradictory accounts in the four gospels of what occurred.
The following is just a sample of SOME of the major disagreements 
surrounding the events connected with the resurrection.
	
	A) At what time in the morning did the women visit the tomb?
	   At the rising of the sun (Mark 16:2) vs. when it was
	   still dark (John  20:1).
   	B) Who came? Mary Magdalene alone (John 20:1) vs. Mary 
	   Magdalene and the other Mary (Matt. 28:1) vs. Mary Mag-
	   dalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome (Mark 16:1)
	   vs. Mary MMagdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James and
	   other women.  (Luke 24:10)

      	C) Was the tomb opened or closed when they arrived?
	   Open (Luke 24:2) vs. cclosed (Matt. 28:1-2)
	
	D) Whom did they see at the tomb?  The angel (Matt. 28:2)
	   vs. a young man (Mark 16:5) vs. two men (Luke 24:4) vs>
	   two angels (John 20:11-12).
	
	E) Were these men or angels inside or outside the tomb?
	   Outside (Matt. 28:2) vs. inside (Mark 16:5,Luke 23:3-4,
	   John 20:11-12).

	F) Were they standing or sitting?  Standing (Luke 24:4)
	   vs. sitting (Matt. 28:2,Mark 16:5,John 20:12).
	
	G) Did Mary Magdalene know Jesus when he first appeared to
	   her?  Yes she did (Matt. 28:9) vs. no she did not (John 20:14).

	If the stories were consistent, one could write one long,
continuous narrative, incorporating all the four versions without fear
of divergencies. But this has never been done without adding, altering
or omitting key verses.

	Apologists often submit the witnesses-at-an-auto-accident
argument, which is quite irrelevant because two diametrically opposed
and mutually exclusive versions of the same event can not be simul-
taneously true.  One or the other is false.  Moreover, witnesses at
auto acccidents, unlike gospel writers, are not claiming inerrancy.

	And lastly, others participated in even more momentous events.
Adam was never born to begin with (Gen. 1:27); he came into the world
as a full-grown adult.  Enocch (Gen. 5:22-24) and Elijah (2 Kings 2:11)
never died.  The latter went straight to Heaven.

	In fact, what did Jesus ever do that had not already been
accomplished?  He rose from the dead, but only after others.  He
perfomed miracles, but so had others.  He raised people from the dead,
but so had Old Testament prophets.  He healed, but so had others.
What then, did Jesus DO that was different, that had not already been
done?  In blunt language, "What makes him stand out from the crowd?"
Assertions alone prove nothing.  Anyone can claim to be a savior or
messiah, and throughout history, thousands have!

	"Eli, lama sabachthani?"--'My God, my God, why hast Thou
				   fosaken me."  (Matt. 27:46)

	How could Jesus be the savior of all mankind when he couldn't
even save himself?  These aren't the words of a man who went to the
cross willingly to die for our sins.  They are the words of a man
who could think of a thousand places he'd rather be.  During the
Last Supper, he also showed fear of his imminent death!  This is the
savior?   

	Comments, anyone?

				Vasu Murty
				(HASA)
				ln63wmp, sdcc7
				UC San Diego