Proof of the Resurrection ?

[whiffey]

In answering a light-hearted question elsewhere, I got thinking.

IF the resurrection of Christ were to be proven beyond all possible doubt, would this be a good thing or a bad thing ? For example the nullification of Islam, the removal of the essence of Faith.

[jno]

and perhaps the rewriting of the laws of physics and biology.

[Chipshopfat]

Er... no, it would just lead to loads more adverts which advertise resurrection when you die for a monthly fee of around �30, which as you can imagine would be very annoying.

Aside from that, yes it probably would lead to the rewriting of everything man has strived to learn.

(All in that order.)

[spaced]

it would be good, because we would know there is a heaven and life for us all after death

[jake-the-peg]

I'm confused as why you think such proof would nullify Islam.

Moslems already acknowlege Jesus as a prophet and there are plenty of other resurections, Lazarus of course and then you have Enoch (Idris in Islam) and Elijah (Ilyas in Islam) in the old testament being raised to heaven without suffering death.

I don't think such a proof would affect Islam much.

I also can hardly imagine what sort of proof (other than the "second coming") you could invisage.

Obviously you could imagine the reverse (wasn't there a novel surrounding the finding of Jesus' remains in a Jar?) not that I can imagine any proof of the reverse that many Christians would acknowlege.

After all Faith does imply the rejection of rational proof

[heathfield]

To paraphrase Douglas Adams (Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy)...

"I refuse to prove that I exist," says God, "for proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing."
"But," says Man, "the resurrection of Christ is a dead giveaway isn't it? It could not have happened without your intervention. It proves you exist, and so therefore, by your own arguments, you don't. QED."
"Oh dear," says God, "I hadn't thought of that," and promptly vanishes in a puff of logic

[whiffey]

Thanks everyone, no of course it will never happen, it would be a disaster. It just briefly seemed to be a good idea, but on reflection, no.

The second coming puzzles me. I can cope with In The Beginning God, and I can in a childlike way imagine God creating man because he was a bit lonely and wanted a bit of company. Free will because love not freely given is not love at all. So that's ongoing. However, if there is a second coming, and everything everywhere is suddenly put to rights, where's the challenge ? Does everybody and everything (assuming you are saved!) just merry along for eternity ?

[jake-the-peg]

But how can I have free will Whiffey if God knows everything about what will happen and what I will do?

[heathfield]

And if God / Allah is "all-merciful" then all of our sins will be forgiven - so why are we told there's a Hell?

[whiffey]

Ah ha jake - God knows, but you don't, which is what really matters. I have wondered if he gets a bit bored knowing everything. Something that fascinates me though is - does he ? We are told that man was created in the image of God. From this I assume we share certain things, like emotions. Again this is childlike and simplistic but it's as good reasoning as any other and actually makes sense to me.

Allah all merciful, maybe so, but some of his more fervent followers, definitely not ! A friend of mine witnessed a public beheading in Saudia Arabia. Nuff said.

[jake-the-peg]

We used to hang people cut them down whilst still alive, cut them open and pull them apart!

The Americans still electrocute them gas them and pump them full of poison.

I don't follow your logic on free will either.

It doesn't matter if I don't know. If God knows I may think I have a choice but in reality he knew from the first moment of creation that I would be born and every action of my life.

The inescapable logic is that if God exists he created the universe knowing all the inescapable pain and suffering that it would involve but did it anyway.

To justify that it must mean that mankind has a unique purpose that cannot be achieved without his existance, but that would mean that God actually needs man.

Or it could mean that God knew of the pain and suffering and just didn't care

[nancie]

im fed up of this hitchikers guide to the galaxy stuff..he aint a saint y'know..cor blimey!

[Tillyella]

There is no hell Heathfield, the teaching of the hellfire doctrine is just one of the things that the churches have got wrong. The word hell actually is taken from the Hebrew word sheol which simply means the common grave of mankind.

[pugwashjw]

Resurrection means ' a standing up'. It can only apply to a living fleshly body. After his death, Jesus was resurrected BACK TO EARTH, in a NEW body, and stayed another forty days,. Jesus' Father in heaven, Almighty God, did the resurrecting. Then Jesus was returned to heaven and his NEW body was never found., obviously disposed of by God to prevent it becoming an ICON of worship. The resurrection promised all of us at Revelation 20; 12,13 will be the same, when all who have ever died will be given NEW bodies of flesh, judged as to their reaction to God's new system, His Kingdom, [prayed for at Matthew 6; 9,10] and if they accept will enjoy a life without sickness or death [ Rev. 21;4] on a renewed earth, forever. Psalms 37; 9-12.

As to the 'nullification' of Islam. Any religion that does not consider Jesus as the son of God [ Islam does not] and any religion that regards Jesus as God himself [ which he clearly states in the Bible, he is NOT] will be unacceptable and sadly, suffer the consequences. Rev. 21;8.