Ed: "Regarding the willingness of Christians to sacrifice and even die for their religion, I don't dispute that, but I don't see it as evidence that god exists or that Jesus was his son. The faithful have been dying for their religions for a long time, and they still are, but belief isn't evidence. Or if it is, then perhaps someone could explain why Muslim suicide bombers, who are clearly believers, don't count as evidence of the validity of Islam...?
Ed, you are correct, the faithful within countless cults HAVE been more than willing to die for false religious beliefs. Yep, the deluded persons who commandered the 9-11 planes clearly willing to die for a lie - of Allah and the virgins awaiting them. But there is a VERY big difference between this and the writers of the Gospels - Jesus' disciples / later Apostles, the Apostle Paul. All but the Apostle John are known to have died terrible deaths for preaching a resurrected Jesus (of course, John preached it as well). And, these incredible people, who changed the world, are clearly no crazy men, as they all wrote or conveyed their accounts in a straight-forward, sober-minded accounts in their writings (which, by the way, did NOT focus on the miraculous - other than the Resurrection). So, great question: What is the difference between people dying for false cult beliefs and those of the Apostles? Because the Apostles ALL KNEW the truth. They either, as they ALL claimed, that they had physically encountered the resurrected Jesus, post-crucifixion, or they did not. But make no mistake, they KNEW the truth.
So, do such sober-minded, conscientious writers, KNOWING the truth, ALL go to their own terrible deaths - and certainly after knowing of what the Romans did to Jesus - do they pointlessly die for a huge lie - one they ALL KNEW to be a lie???!!! WHY? What is their motivation? Note the difference between those broken, terrified, immediately post-crucifixion disciples of Christ, all hiding out, their leader humiliated, tortured, agonizingly killed - knowing well the very same likely awaited themselves, certainly if they didn't stop with all their "Messiah nonsense." Yet, subsequently, they all quickly became exceptionally bold, preaching of the Resurrection immediately afterward. AND, they were quickly joined by large numbers of others, equally risking such a fate. So, the disciples did NOT die for a lie, because they undoubtedly KNEW THE Truth!!! There is no comparison with the loonies in the cults, or the 9-11 hijackers. Because unless they saw a resurrected Christ, they had absolutely NO motivation to risk the same fates as Jesus - and yet, the gladly did so. Else, what would have been their motivation for the risk, immense danger, and continuous persecution? What explains their initial great fear and sorrow, quickly turned to joy and incredible boldness? What explains all those others, also entrenched within 1,600 years of monotheistic teachings, who quickly embraced a man who claimed He was God, given the many horrific potential consequences? Were they ALL loonies, led by people who were crazy enough to perpetuate a lie that would potentially take them all to their own horrible fates - a lie the had to KNOW was a lie???!!! Ridiculous!
NO comparison, Ed, not a bit!
