The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is a central belief of Christianity. Christians hold that Jesus died for their sins and was resurrected on the third day, thus paving the way for eternal life for believers. However, atheists do not share this belief. In this article, we will explore the reasons why atheists do not believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and why Christians do.
To start, it is important to note that atheism is a lack of belief in gods or supernatural beings. This means that atheists do not accept the existence of a divine being, including Jesus Christ. For atheists, the idea of a God who created the universe, controls it, and intervenes in human affairs is a mere myth, and as such, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ holds no significance for them.
Furthermore, atheists reject the notion of an afterlife, which is a key component of Christian belief. Christians believe that the resurrection of Jesus Christ was a sign of eternal life, and that those who believe in him will also be resurrected and have eternal life. Atheists, however, do not believe in an afterlife and thus see the resurrection of Jesus as a fictional story, rather than a historical event.
Additionally, atheists tend to be skeptical of supernatural events and miraculous claims. The idea that a man could rise from the dead is seen as implausible, as it defies the laws of physics and goes against our understanding of biology. As such, atheists are more likely to see the resurrection of Jesus as a legend or myth rather than a factual event.
Moreover, many atheists argue that the story of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ has been embellished and distorted over time. The New Testament, which is the primary source of information about Jesus, was written decades after his death by people who did not personally witness the events they were describing. Furthermore, the texts were written in a different cultural and historical context, which makes it difficult to interpret them accurately.
Some atheists also point out that there are discrepancies in the various accounts of the death and resurrection of Jesus in the New Testament. For example, the four gospels provide different details about the timing and sequence of events, and some events are only mentioned in one gospel. This leads some atheists to question the accuracy of the accounts and to view them as unreliable.
On the other hand, Christians believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as a historical event and a cornerstone of their faith. For Christians, the resurrection of Jesus is a central doctrine that confirms his divinity and the truth of his teachings. They believe that Jesus died for the sins of humanity, and that his resurrection provides hope for eternal life.
Christians base their belief in the resurrection of Jesus on several pieces of evidence. Firstly, the empty tomb of Jesus is seen as evidence of his resurrection. According to the New Testament, after Jesus was crucified, his body was placed in a tomb. Three days later, the tomb was found empty, and Jesus appeared to his disciples. Christians believe that the empty tomb is proof that Jesus was resurrected and that his physical body had been transformed into a glorified body.
Secondly, Christians point to the eyewitness accounts of the resurrection. According to the New Testament, Jesus appeared to his disciples and many other people after his death, including the apostle Paul. These eyewitness accounts are seen as reliable evidence of the resurrection.
Thirdly, Christians argue that the resurrection of Jesus is a unique event that cannot be explained by natural causes. They see it as a miracle that is beyond human understanding, and as evidence of the divine nature of Jesus.
Lastly, Christians believe that the resurrection of Jesus is supported by the transformed lives of his followers. According to the New Testament, the disciples of Jesus were transformed from fearful and dispirited individuals to bold and courageous advocates of his message after witnessing his resurrection. This is seen as further proof of the transformative power of Jesus and the truth of his teachings. In conclusion, the reasons why atheists do not believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are rooted in their lack of belief in a divine being, their skepticism of supernatural events, and their doubts about the reliability of the accounts of Jesus in the New Testament.
Christians, on the other hand, believe in the resurrection of Jesus based on their faith, eyewitness accounts, and evidence of a transformed life in Jesus’ followers.
References:
• Baggini, J. (2003). Atheism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press.
• Dawkins, R. (2006). The God Delusion. Houghton Mifflin.
• McGrath, A. (2006). Christianity: An Introduction. Wiley-Blackwell.
• Metzger, B. M., & Coogan, M. D. (1993). The Oxford Companion to the Bible. Oxford University Press.
Links:
• “Atheism” (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy): https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/atheism-agnosticism/
• “The New Testament” (BibleGateway.com): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+1&version=NIV
• “Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus” (GotQuestions.org): https://www.gotquestions.org/evidence-resurrection.html
• “The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach” (Gary Habermas): https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1129&context=lts_fac_pubs
Tags: #atheism #Christianity #resurrection #JesusChrist #NewTestament #eyewitness #miracle #transformedlife #divinity #faith #afterlife #skepticism #myth #legend #reliability #accuracy #historical #evidence #emptytomb #apostlePaul #transformation #hope
Temple Ministries 
Fine summary – atheists base their skepticism on evidence and common sense, while Christians base their beliefs on nonsense.
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Considering that there is no evidence for your jesus at all, no reason to think this character lived or died. Add this fact to the fact that christians can’t even agree about what this character said, wants, did, etc. and you have a problem.
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Everyone has there own personal interpretation upon the life of Christ.
My own view is that the symbolism, in scripture and in Christian images conveys a spiritual awakening and it is my belief that Jesus went through this awakening 2000 years ago, and died spiritually.
The 3 wise men in bible have to be coming from the far east with ideas from Hinduism and Buddhism as bethlehem is in the middle east.
Therefore you can apply far Eastern spiritual understanding to certain texts and images within Christianity.
These 3 wise men are following a star, so there is an element of esotericism or astrology within Christianity.
If we study Hinduism we come across this idea of energy centres, 7 to be exact.
There are 7 days of the week, seven solfegio tones etc.
Each energy centre is assigned an element.
Water represents the sacral, which it is said to be where our creative and sexual desire comes from.
If we look at the image of Christ walking on water, we may deduce that from a Hindu perspective this means that he is one celibate, above the sacral, his sexual and creative desires, 2. If he is not in the sacral and above it this means he is in what hindus call the solar plexus, which is associated with the heart organ and the element of fire.
Luke 3:16, Matthew 3:11, states that Christ will come to baptise us with the Holy Spirit and fire.
The Holy spirit is symbolized as a dove on fire or a bird in flames, this same idea is seen in mythology with the phoenix.
The idea of the Holy Spirit is everywhere, from faith to mythology, its representative of a spiritual awakening, particularly the awakening of the solar plexus.
The book of Mosiah in the book of Mormon describes how we will be overcome with guilt when God comes with his fire.
Mosiah chapter 2, verse 38.
Scriptural texts are commenting upon a spiritual awakening and the death of the ego as we ascend spiritually, moving forward in light, love, hope and faith and not listening to our lower nature, which is a fire consumed with lower desires.
Christ’s death and resurrection is symbolic of a spiritual death we must all go through to rid ourselves of selfish thinking, rhe ego and Satan.
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No, I have nothing whatsoever to do with the symbolism of the death of someone 2000 years ago in a faraway land, or any of the imaginary beings or numerology inventions associated with established cults.
My “ lower desires” are part of the bounty of being alive. They make for good times.
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Yes, each Christian invents what they want, just as you have.
No need for wise men coming from anywhere at all since they are fictional. Stars don’t move or lead, so your claims about that fail too. Christians of course can’t agree on their claims about the star being literal, being an astrological claim etc.
7 is a common “magic number” so you can draw all sorts of random analogies from many religions. Again, you simply make things up. The same holds with fire, water, birds, etc.
Alas, no guilt and no god. You sem to be unable to decide which bit of nonsense to claim is literal and which is some spiritual bit of nonsense.
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What you mean stars don’t move? People follow the North Star, they know this is the northern part of our galaxy, just like people follow the sun, knowing that it rises in the east and sets in the west.
There’s nothing fanciful or extraordinary about three wise men, not too difficult to believe there were and are wise men and the Bible is simply a text commenting on this.
I making mythological claims to show that the same imagery is present no Matter where you look.
It doesn’t matter whether you look from a biblical, mythological , Far Eastern point of view, the same imagery presents itself.
Something with wings will come to bring fire, whether it a dove, a Phoenix, a dragon etc.
Now since we don’t believe that this creature actually exist, we must come to the realisation that this imagery is representative of something internal or what some call spiritual.
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stars don’t move and what is called the “northern star” isn’t fixed and wont’ be the northern star always. The star, polaris, appears north on the earth. it is not in the “northern” part of our galaxy.
You seem to be very ignorant in basic science.
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There are enduring dumb things to all this Christian nonsense – like a stupid cross being used as the default photo background for atheism here at WordPress..
Don’t believers get it? We’re tired of endless stupidity about religion, especially where it doesn’t belong.
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