Christ’s resurrection is the central event of Christianity, a fundamental truth that must be reaffirmed with vigor at all times, as to deny it in different ways, as has been attempted and continues to be attempted, or to transform it into a merely spiritual event is to make our faith vain. If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and . . . faith is in vain.(1)The Jesus coming-back-from-the-dead story is Christianity’s
Pope Benedict XVI
most important myth. You might think they would have their
story straight, especially since they had years to rehearse it
before writing the Bible. But if you think so, you are wrong.
Take this multiple choice quiz about the Jesus rising story:
1. What time of day was an empty tomb found? A. While it was still dark (John 20:1)
B. Very early in the morning (Luke 24:1)
C. At dawn (Matthew 28:1)
D. After sunrise (Mark 16:2)
E. All of the above
2. Who first went to Jesus’ tomb? A. Mary Magdalene (John 20:1)
B. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (Matthew 28:1)
C. Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome (Mark 16:1)
D. Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Joanna and the others with them (Luke 24:10)
E. All of the above
3. Did the woman or women meet anyone at the tomb? A. Yes, a young man dressed in white was already sitting in the tomb (Mark 16:5)
B. Yes, two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning were not there initially but quickly appeared (Luke 24:4)
C. Yes, an angel who rolled away a stone from the tomb entrance and some guards who were standing there (Matthew 28:2-4)
D. Not at first, but later that day two angels appeared inside the tomb and talked to Mary Magdalene (John 20:12)
E. All of the above
4. To whom did Jesus speak first? A. Two disciples (Luke 24:13)
B. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (Matthew 28:9)
C. To Mary Magdalene alone (Mark 16:9)
D. In the presence of two angels, to Mary Magdalene, who first thought Jesus was a gardener (John 20:14-15)
E. All of the above
5. How long did Jesus hang around before heading up to heaven? A. Only one day (Mark 16:19, Luke 24:51)
B. An unspecified period of time, but at least long enough for his disciples to get to Galilee (probably several days walk)(Matthew 28:16)
C. More than a week (John 20:26, 21:1-25)
D. Forty days (Acts 1:3)
E. All of the above
My guess is that you answered “all of the above” to each. That
means either you are a cynic, a Bible scholar, or you figured
the citations next to each answer means that I read the Bible
passages and reported the answers accurately. The correct
answer is “all of the above.”
It is difficult to believe that almost one-third of Americans
(2) think the Bible is the inerrant word of God when the story
tellers cannot even keep their most important story straight.
If the “testimony” of the Bible were presented in court, the
case would be dismissed for lack of reliable evidence. Religion
requires faith because it lacks facts. The great mystery is why
so many people let these poorly constructed ancient myths
dictate their modern behavior.
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1. “Pope Benedict on the Resurrection,” Catholic Online, May 1,
2006, (sub-quotation marks omitted),
http://www.catholic.org/featured/headline.php?ID=3246
2. “One-Third of Americans Believe the Bible is Literally
True,” Gallup News Service, May 25, 2007,
http://www.gallup.com/poll/27682/onethird-americans-believe-bible-literally-true.aspx
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Are you trying to imply that there may be some people who DON'T think the Bible is literally true?
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