No wait... I'm a butterfly. That's better. No... I'm Batman, that's it! I can claim to be anything. It doesn't matter if what I say can even be backed up, I can say it and people will believe it.
You see, there's people out there who need a Batman. They have been looking for a Batman, even if they didn't realize it. Society has failed them by not providing a Batman for them. The times that Batman has been presented to them, the Batman didn't seem right. Perhaps the people telling about Batman weren't perfect. Perhaps they didn't live up to the standards of Batman that they said others should live up to. Maybe when they told of Batman, the ones listening decided that Batman should be a little different than described, or even written about, so they made a Batman up in their own mind. "Oh, to only have a Batman that would be like that!" they would say. So, along comes one who claims to be Batman. Rapture indeed!
The claims don't have to make intellectual sense, just fit a felt need. The bones found by Cameron seemed to justify our doubts. "See, we were right all along. Here's the proof." The man from Puerto Rico claiming to be the Second Coming of Jesus is not judgmental. "Surely, Christ would be that way." they think. The problem is that we create an ideal in minds that fit our desires, but are not based on anything but our feelings. The wonderful thing about God is that He has been verified intellectually so many times that it makes our head spin. "Examples?" you ask..
- Look at creation. If there is a painting, there must be a painter. If there is a book, there must be an author. If there is a creation, well...
- Previously unknown cities and events written about in the Bible that were scoffed at have been found over and over again, thereby giving more credibility to the Scriptures as accurate writings.
- The fact that Jesus body was not still in the tomb, although disputed today, was not disputed in Biblical times, even by those who did not believe that He was the Christ.
- Intellectually, there is NO way to claim that something does not exist. In order to verify that belief, an entire search of time and space would have to be conducted, from looking under every grain of said at the bottom of the ocean to behind ever planet and star that exist. Oh, and throughout all time as well. [The side note to this is that there is no such thing as an atheist. Agnostics, maybe; but not atheists. They would have to know with 100% accuracy {see note above} that they were correct.]
There's more, but you get the point...
1 comment:
Oh, my head was spinning all through this post, a whirlwind of nostalgia and long-awaited intellectual stimulation from my years as a young religion major!
...like, 3 months ago...
Anyway, I saw the Jesus: Part 2 special on Dateline, or whatever show that was. Intersesting indeed. What's strange is that deep down, I really don't believe this guy is a con artist. I think he believes in what he's doing... He's just a mite confused.
I enjoyed your examples, because it sent me back into student mode, analyzing the theological statements you suggest by using these examples, and I racked my brain to remember who is credited with originally proposing those arguments. Thank you, my brain needed a little exercise.
On an unrelated note, Cale and his girlfriend are now helping in our youth group. We decided after youth last night that we would like to offer you our most sincere apologies for being rude, obnoxious, and cocky. For talking when you were trying to teach us, for trying to be funny when we were SO NOT. And, since they're not here to do so and they might not ever anyway, I'm sorry Chad and Travis broke your little ice skating decoration at the Christmas party. We honor you, our most excellent and revered youth pastor.
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