Countering the Resurrection Argument (Full Version)

(Note: What follows is a transcription of the video)

What if I told you that I believed that god raised Jesus from the dead, but that I did not believe that Jesus was the son of god, and denied that belief in his death and resurrection was the path to salvation and eternal life in reconciliation with the one true god, Yahweh.

That would just sound crazy. 

Right?

I want you to think about why that sounds crazy. It’s not hard to find an answer: Because we assume that miracles are evidence for the truth of the philosophical and theological teachings of the miracle worker. 

This assumption goes unstated when apologists use the argument for the resurrection, but it is absolutely central to the argument. The principle is even endorsed in the bible in 1 Kings 18:

Countering the Resurrection Argument (Short Version)

(Note what follows is a transcript of the video)

What if I told you that I believed that god raised Jesus from the dead, but that I did not believe that Jesus was the son of god, and denied that belief in his death and resurrection was the path to salvation and eternal life in reconciliation with the one true god, Yahweh.

That would just sound crazy. 

Right?

I want you to think about why that sounds crazy. It’s not hard to find an answer: Because we assume that miracles are evidence for the truth of the philosophical and theological teachings of the miracle worker. 

This assumption goes unstated when apologists use the argument for the resurrection, but it is absolutely central to the argument. 

Book Review - Conversations With My Inner Atheist by Randal Rauser

 

Noted Christian theologian and apologist Randal Rauser has a new book with a rather provocative title: Conversations With My Inner Atheist. I've seen his snippets of promotion on Twitter and while Randal and I have gone back and forth (sometimes testily) on topics for literally years, I have to admit that I like the guy. 

In fact I don't just have a positive disposition towards him, he's helped me become a better atheist. This isn't to damn a Christian apologist with faint praise, it's that I've learned a lot about doing philosophy, various stances on a host of issues, a thing or two about the nature of the debate about gods existence, philosophy of religion, and how one should best defend ones views.

Given that, I felt a little indebted to the guy and so I wanted to read his new book and give it an honest review.  I've done this with plenty of his works in the past and he's got a good track record, even if I end up disagreeing with his conclusions. 

Spoiler Alert: Randal doesn't disappoint. Let me tell you why.