by jimwalton » Mon Sep 26, 2016 2:25 pm
The arguments for the logic of theism and those for the deity of Christ are different discussions. The cosmological, analogical, fine-tuning, teleological, etc. etc. (there are about 10 of them) are arguments for God that are far stronger than anything any atheist has ever posited (that I have come across, in any case, but I am reading a book by Kai Nielsen at present. Didn't come to the meat yet.) I've listened to Christopher Hitchens on youtube and am quite disappointed that he doesn't seem to have anything. Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Richard Carrier—have yet to hear the substance that competes with theism.
The arguments regarding Jesus' deity are based in the arguments for theism and, of course, have roots in the reliability of the Gospel accounts, since that's the only place the story of Jesus is recorded. Assuming that we have established the reasonable possibility of theism (which we, of course, have not discussed yet) and the reliability and authority of the biblical account (ditto), the demonstration for the deity of Jesus is as follows:
1. His life follows the fulfillment of hundreds of prophecies, which is not only statistically improbable, but impossible, as so many elements were outside of his control.
2. No one less than the creator of the universe could walk on water, heal the blind with a spoken word, reproduce bread from a few loaves, or rise from the earth into heaven.
3. No one less than the creator of the universe could rise from the dead by his own indwelling power.
4. No one less than the creator of the universe has the authority or capability to forgive sins.
That should get us started.
The arguments for the logic of theism and those for the deity of Christ are different discussions. The cosmological, analogical, fine-tuning, teleological, etc. etc. (there are about 10 of them) are arguments for God that are far stronger than anything any atheist has ever posited (that I have come across, in any case, but I am reading a book by Kai Nielsen at present. Didn't come to the meat yet.) I've listened to Christopher Hitchens on youtube and am quite disappointed that he doesn't seem to have anything. Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Richard Carrier—have yet to hear the substance that competes with theism.
The arguments regarding Jesus' deity are based in the arguments for theism and, of course, have roots in the reliability of the Gospel accounts, since that's the only place the story of Jesus is recorded. Assuming that we have established the reasonable possibility of theism (which we, of course, have not discussed yet) and the reliability and authority of the biblical account (ditto), the demonstration for the deity of Jesus is as follows:
1. His life follows the fulfillment of hundreds of prophecies, which is not only statistically improbable, but impossible, as so many elements were outside of his control.
2. No one less than the creator of the universe could walk on water, heal the blind with a spoken word, reproduce bread from a few loaves, or rise from the earth into heaven.
3. No one less than the creator of the universe could rise from the dead by his own indwelling power.
4. No one less than the creator of the universe has the authority or capability to forgive sins.
That should get us started.