What Makes Christianity So Different?
In response to my last article on Mormonism, an old classmate of mine from high school messaged me with this question: “What makes you feel that Christianity is correct when many other religions share the same amount of evidence that they are true? (Almost none, if not none)”
I really appreciated him reaching out since he went on to assure me that his question came from a place of genuine curiosity and that he was not attempting to start an argument. We had a truly delightful dialogue and my friend said he would look into the evidence I gave him since he had some free time on his hands. This was one of the most enjoyable discussions about the evidence for Christianity I have experienced. In this article, I intend to answer this question more thoroughly than I was able to in Facebook messenger.
Let’s begin by narrowing down the playing field. In the words of apologist Jon McCray, “I believe that there are really good reasons to believe the true God must be eternal.” In a previous article, I explained briefly why an infinite number of gods creating more gods endlessly back into the past is philosophically bankrupt and utterly absurd. This conclusion leads me to reject Mormonism. It also leads me to reject any “created gods,” such as Thor, Zeus, Poseidon, Aphrodite, etc.
I also have good reason to believe that the universe is not eternal, but that it had a beginning. This point I have also established in a previous article, but just to summarize; with empirical evidence of the expansion of the universe, and Einstein’s theory of general relativity, three prominent cosmologists developed the Borde-Guth-Vilenkin Theorem, which states that a universe that is expanding cannot be past eternal. In the words of Alexander Vilenkin, “There is no escape; they (cosmologists) have to face the problem of a cosmic beginning.” This leads me to reject any ideas of god being one with the universe, such as pantheistic religions, as the universe also cannot create itself from nothing.
Now that we’ve disqualified most religious beliefs, let’s take a look at two of the only religions that are left besides Christianity: Islam, and Judaism.
We can strike out both of them with the evidence we have for the resurrection of Jesus, since both Judaism and Islam teach that Jesus never rose from the dead. We have multiple independent sources that attest to the facts that support the resurrection, and the resurrection itself.
First, we know that Jesus died as a result of being crucified, as it is recorded in five sources not including the gospels, namely: Josephus the Jewish-Roman historian, Tacitus who is called the greatest Roman historian, Lucian of Samosata the Greek satirist, Mara Bar Serapion the philosopher, and the Jewish Talmud.
Of the resurrection, we find records of Jesus closest followers, the disciples, claiming that they saw the risen Jesus and interacted with Him on more than one occasion, and went to their bloody deaths as martyrs for proclaiming His resurrection. One might say, “but the Muslims who flew planes into the world trade center believed that they would have virgins in heaven waiting for them and they died for that belief too.” This is correct, but the terrorists on 9/11 died for something they believed was true. The disciples weren’t simply told by their parents their whole lives that Jesus rose from the dead; they claimed to have actually seen it. Liars make terrible martyrs.
Perhaps more convincing is James the brother of Jesus. All the way up to His crucifixion, Jesus’ brothers didn’t believe that He was who He said He was. However, after Jesus appeared risen from the dead to His brother, James became a believer and even one of the leaders of the council of Jerusalem! (Acts 15) James also died for his belief in the resurrection of Jesus, which is also recorded by Josephus. What would it take to convince you that your brother rose from the dead? Probably more than a vision that no one else witnessed. James, however, was not alone in this experience.
Paul, formerly Saul, of Tarsus was a persecutor of the Christian church and even killed or imprisoned people for proclaiming Jesus’ resurrection. On his way to Damascus, he was met by the risen Jesus who proclaimed to Paul that He was indeed the Jesus whom he was persecuting and whose followers he was persecuting and killing. He proved Himself risen to Paul, who subsequently became one of the most influential proponents of the resurrection, despite his former efforts to put an end to the spread of Christianity. Paul wrote to the Corinthians a creed in chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians that goes, “...that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve.” Most scholars date this creed to within 5 years of the crucifixion, and some even believe that he received it from disciples at Jerusalem within 3 years of the crucifixion!
If that wasn’t enough, we also have record of the empty tomb where Jesus was buried. The Jewish Talmud, which would be considered a hostile source to Christianity, records that the disciples stole the body from the tomb, which would make the resurrection a ridiculous thing to suffer and die for if they had actually stolen the body, but in recording this, the Jews admit that there was in fact an empty tomb three days after the death of Jesus. If I told my college professor that my dog ate my homework, even though I lied, I still admitted, albeit indirectly, that my homework was unavailable for assessment. This is what historians call “enemy attestation,” which helps to establish historicity.
Another supporting fact about the empty tomb is that women are recorded as being the first witnesses of it. This would hurt the case for the empty tomb in first century Judea as women’s testimony is compared to that of a robber in legal value in Jewish sources from the time. However, it makes for good evidence of authenticity today by historical standards. This is what scholars refer to as the “criterion of embarrassment.”
At the end of all of the facts, Christianity is the only worldview left standing, and supported by evidence. Judaism has some of the same evidence from fulfilled prophecy as Christianity because they both share what Christians call the “Old Testament.” Such evidence is the destruction of Tyre, the capitol of the Phoenician empire in Ezekiel 26 which was prophesied 250 years before its total fulfillment by Alexander the Great in 332 B.C.. It is important to note that Christianity is the culmination of the Jewish religion, not the overthrowing or destruction of it.
Christians also have the inner witness of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:16). One is completely justified in believing the Holy Spirit in the absence of additional evidence. External evidence strengthens one’s faith and also serves to confirm that it is in fact the Holy Spirit testifying with their spirit rather than a demonic agent deceiving them, as I believe is the case in Mormonism, which thrives on what they used to call the “burning in the bosom,” which is essentially a feeling a Mormon experiences to assure them that their beliefs are justified. God has not asked us to believe without evidence. He has given us more than enough to trust in Him and His Word. The witness of the Holy Spirit is a form of evidence: although it is rather subjective and is therefore useful for the recipient of such an experience to know that Christianity is true personally, but quite ineffective in convincing another that Christianity is true. We can know it is true and we can show it is true. Showing it to others is where external evidence comes in and plays an important role in evangelism.
Christianity boasts the greatest evidential and philosophical support of any worldview. Our faith is not blind as some claim (I’m talking about you, Aron Ra), but is based on truth, ultimate reality, and supported by facts and sound arguments. If you want to find the evidence for Christianity, you will find it. Not simply because it is there waiting for you, but because there is a loving God, passionately pursuing you.
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you...” -James 4:8
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” -Jeremiah 29:13
Recommended Resource:
Book: Reasonable Faith by William Lane Craig Book: On Guard by William Lane Craig
Book: Cold Case Christianity by J. Warner Wallace