How Not to Defend Jesus' Resurrection (with William Lane Craig)

William Lane Craig's Reasonable Faith ministry's "Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?" animated video series is a perfect example of how NOT to defend the resurrection of Jesus, particularly to a skeptic or non-believer. In this video, I point out why simple appeals to "for the bible tells me so" doesn't get anyone anywhere in an intellectual or historical discussion.
Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?
Part 1 • Did Jesus Rise from th...
Part 2 • Did Jesus Rise from th...
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[@theunholyhorseman7139]

At the age of 8, I asked a couple of questions in Sunday School about some inconsistencies between the gospels concerning the resurrection. After SS was over, I was singled out and taken into an empty room by a big, red-faced deacon who (not roughly, but firmly) pushed me against a wall, bent down to get in my face and said, "You believe what we TELL you to believe and stop asking stupid questions!" Nobody would talk to me at all about the Easter zombie invasion. . . . Well done, Paulogia!!

[@tkat6442]

You were actually asking not stupid, but intelligent questions. What was not so intelligent was the reptilian brain response you got!

[@maingun07]

Was never a christian, but I hear similar stories from all over, especially when the person is young. "Believe what we say because we said so!" God needs better salesmen.

[@okiedokie9228]

Same here Rob around 10 asked to many questions and was removed from SS class then was told my questions were basically dumb.

[@pdoylemi]

I was in a slightly better situation as a Catholic, but my difficult questions lead, in the end, to what George Carlin dubbed, "Heavy Mystery Time". I think that was what started to erode my faith, though I was not aware of it. This adult, this so-called authority on god a the spiritual could be stumped by an eight year old.

[@fkknsikk]

You too? They proceeded to try to "lay hands on me" in front of the congregation as a result of my questioning and because I was taught about stranger danger in school I screamed loudly and told them not to touch me. I was pronounced to be most certainly possessed by some sort of demon and was permanently banned from church along with my extended family. Religion is... something else.

[@lnsflare1]

For what I received I pass onto you as of first importance that Spider-Man saved New York according to Marvel... He appeared to Mary Jane, and then to an onlooking crowd, and then to an entire subway car without his mask, and finally he appeared to Harry Osborn.

[@HolyKoolaid]

Fantastic video. I've been wanting to cover this topic for a while, too. It's nuts that they always overlook legend as a possibility.

[@Paulogia]

Thank you, sir. Maybe we can blame C.S. Lewis?

[@danhoff4401]

I agree. It's intentional to not acknowledge the evolution of religion as a possible explanation for their own belief system. Liar lunatic or lord presents a false trichotomy that in my opinion precludes the obvious answer.

[@calonstanni]

awwww Koolaid You're EVERYWHERE, just like GOD! 😁

[@tompatterson1548]

@@Paulogia I’m surprised a man best known as a fantasy author would discount bits of a story being made up.

[@tompatterson1548]

@@Kastled5 he wrote more than just Narnia?

[@rev68]

If there's ever a shot at getting any of my fundamental christian family to think critically for even a second, it will be because of a video like this. Thanks Paul.

[@Paulogia]

Then I hope they see it and start to think. All my best.

[@williamprice3486]

If there’s a shot at getting cynics to question whether this video uses critical thinking for a second, it will be because they’ve actually researched real scholarly material on the resurrection.

[@edgepixel8467]

@@williamprice3486 Like what?

[@TorianTammas]

@@williamprice3486 You mean Christian apologetics, right?

[@chikkipop]

@@williamprice3486 *"Cynics?"*

[@KainaX122]

For the Bible tells me so *jingle plays*

[@imjessietr29]

I'm not going to get it out of my head :)

[@bdf2718]

Every time the jingle played I looked for the ice cream van.

[@doranku]

Ding 🔔

[@adm0iii]

ding-ding DING-ding Ding-Ding-Ding!

[@richunixunix3313]

I hope your being sarcastic

[@nathanjora7627]

Funny how every time I hear Craig's argument, they are laid in always the same fashion, but every time I hear rebuttal to his arguments, they are always different yet accurate. He is so wrong on so many levels that his adversaries can all say something different about how wrong he is without ever having their arguments overlap. Wonderful, isn't it ?

[@mbnall]

Your channel is just brilliant. Calm, respectful, witty, well-researched, and it just feels grounded in a way that many of my other favorite atheist channels do not. I really love your work!

[@philipcervenjak2493]

"Jewish laws prohibited moving a corpse after it was interred..." You know what else is prohibited by law? Rising from the dead, except this is prohibited by the LAWS OF NATURE.

[@tkat6442]

Well stated! Isn't it amazing that the laws of nature seem to be regarded as less binding, less absolute, than a man-made legal law, to the point of regarding something as totally impossible to have happened when it contradicts the man-made law.

[@philipcervenjak2493]

@@tkat6442 It is certainly amazing, because I know what it's like to think this way. I used to be a Christian and I spent about 3 years trying to rationalise my beliefs, in exactly the same way Dr. Craig does. What I finally realised after all those years is that if God expects us to perform these mental gymnastics in order to gain salvation, then God isn't being reasonable with us.

[@tkat6442]

@@philipcervenjak2493 I too spent too many years thinking that way. I know people who were brought up without religion (lucky, lucky people), and they go through life not giving it a thought. They don't believe, and they have thought it through and know why they don't believe and are not likely to fall for any foolish arguments, but it doesn't hold the same angst for them that it does with people like us who used to believe and have seen through it. They hardly think of it; it's never far from my mind. They're indifferent to it; I'm outraged by it.

[@chrishamberg8028]

These statements are not supported by science. This is just some bizarre and misguided philosophy of ethics.

[@chrishamberg8028]

@@tkat6442 Neither you nor the OP know anything about the laws of nature.

[@SamuelGunnestad]

Why did Frodo go to Mordor if Gandalf wasn't real? Explain that!

[@steveswangler6373]

Samuel Gunnestad because he was tired of his uncle Bilbo going on and on about his magic ring. also t he ring was driving his uncle insane so he needed to destroy it. he also felt pent in in the Shire and felt he needed an adventure to keep from losing his own mind. :)

[@losttribe3001]

Fuck off with this stupid and old LOTR comparison. The TRUE comparison is that Rand al’Thor is the Dragon Reborn, you HEATHEN!!! 😉

[@SenecaRapson]

@@losttribe3001 Christ metaphor as a Christ metaphor? Metaphor-ception.

[@losttribe3001]

Seneca Rapson Always look for the spinning dreidel!! 😂😂😂

[@TheRobdarling]

Because faith, dude.

[@theghost2683]

I very much enjoyed the "Bible told me so " music.

[@Brickerbrack]

I thought a really persistent ice cream van had pulled up outside...

[@BigHeretic]

@@Brickerbrack Reminds me of Eric Morcambe upon seeing an Ambulance zoom by : "He won't sell many cones like that!"

[@johnjamele]

It sounds like the first few words of "Windy"- "Everyone knows its..."

[@avesatanae]

Are you insane?

[@JohnMorris-ge6hq]

Loved it too.

[@Kevin_Williamson]

That "Bible Tells Me So" jingle will be stuck in my head all day.

[@M15TRR3CT4NGL]

I love the "early morning joggers" analogy to the women at the tomb. Perfect.

[@9tailjeza]

funny how he says “if people made it up, they would put males as witnesses...” which is exactly what is in the book of john

[@lt.danslegs9737]

A pureflix ad before this video. Classic! 👊😎

[@fmcevoy1]

I've seen those before. KZbin's algorithm needs some work.

[@KirstenMarie_MS3]

I got that one too. Lol.

[@maingun07]

Three undeniable facts that Anakin Skywalker turned to the Dark Side: 1) Anakin defended Palpatine from Master Jedi Windu. It is well established that Anakin intervened in the attempted arrest of Palpatine and cut off Windu's arm thereby enabling Palpatine to kill him. There are no credible theories as to how Palpatine survived a dual with multiple Jedi in his own office. 2) Anakin killed younglings in the Jedi Temple. There are holo tapes from the Jedi temple recording Anakin mercilessly executing unsuspecting younglings. 3) Anakin fought Master Jedi Kenobi. Anakin's arms and legs were cut off and he was subsequently horribly burned as a direct result of a duel with Kenobi. His life was saved by Palpatine. All scholars agree that this is why Darth Vader never appears without his armor covering his entire body. These three facts conclusively prove that Anakin Skywalker turned to the Dark Side and became Darth Vader. Or it was just a fucking movie.

[@fred_derf]

_Or it was just a fucking movie._ -- *HERETIC!*

[@LPNurja]

After my uncle died, my aunt told us she felt he was with her when she was alone at home and she could hear his voice. Maybe she should've started a religion 🤷🏻‍♂️ As always a really good and comprehensive video

[@ChaseBlackmoon]

I actually can believe that, but the Bible? Just parts of the Old Testament for me.

[@TheUglyGnome]

0:36 "My hopes were high for some quality scholarship and arguments" LOL!

[@Ugly_German_Truths]

"Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different outcomes" is the definition of insanity (or ballet practice... nah, definitely insanity :D No way Paul can go onto the tips of his toes!)

[@09EvoX]

I know, right! Let's call it rhetoric ;)

[@bilalhussein9730]

Better than Sean Carroll: kzbin.info/www/bejne/farIYot7ZdCJgLs. Dishonest ginger and a third rate scientist that rejects Allah's Prophet (peace be upon him). Quotes a 'quantum eternity theorem' that by definition doesn't apply to our universe as evidence against prophet Al-Ghazali 's illuminated reasoning.

[@alexwilli]

20:00 I will say this, once I made the conscious decision to apply the same standards of evidence, skepticism and critical thinking to religious claims as I apply to claims in all other areas, videos like William Lane Craig's really accelerated my exit from Christianity. Once you realized that the absolute best arguments that the brightest minds in Christian apologetics are able to muster are full of fallacious reasoning, blatant dishonesty and tactics to evade answering the questions that really matter, it doesn't take long to understand that the religion is nothing but smoke and mirrors.

[@erict.watson2460]

_the_ religion or more than one?

[@alexwilli]

@@erict.watson2460 religions in general but, in the last sentence, I was specifically referring to "the" specific religion that any apologist is advocating for. For instance WLC is advocating for Christianity, even when he is making general deistic logical arguments.

[@PrometheanRising]

It is also worth noting that the arguments don't really change even when they are thoroughly refuted. There are reasons for that, and none of them reflect well on them.

[@alexwilli]

@@PrometheanRising exactly right.

[@tanjavankessel2548]

It’s a bit scary to see how many people accept everything in the bible as absolute truth. Even more scary when you find out they’re trying to get religion back in school

[@fred_derf]

+Tanja Van Kessel, writes _"It’s a bit scary to see how many people accept everything in the bible as absolute truth."_ What I find scarier is that most of those people have no idea what is actually in the bible.

[@imjessietr29]

@@fred_derf It's my experience that the most idolatrous know the least about what it actually says. I call them "Chick Tract" Christians: those who can only repeat the most commonly quoted verses from the Tracts or from pastors and never actually read the thing themselves.

[@fred_derf]

@@imjessietr29, referring to christians who don't know what's in the bible writes _"I call them "Chick Tract" Christians:"_ Sounds about right.

[@fredericchristie3472]

"Absolute truth" except for creationism, Genesis, the literality of the zombie horde, etc. WLC is one of those Christians who cherry-picks what parts of the Bible are literal and what aren't with absolutely no hermeneutic justification that isn't totally ad hoc. It's nice that that makes him not a science denialist, but it is really hypocritical.

[@tanjavankessel2548]

Frederic Christie He’s a very eloquent speaker but that doesn’t change the fact that there is zero proof that christianity is true.

[@ian_b]

I remember my Dad hallucinated his mother appearing a number of times after her death. Being a bit of a woo believer, he considered the apparitions to be genuine manifestations. My parents had just separated as well, so he was under significant stress. Interestingly (or not, whatever), the hallucinations (or visits, if you like) stopped after he lost his temper at "her" and told her to leave him alone. The human mind is kind of weird.

[@sajadtorkamani9399]

Brilliant. I am currently looking into the resurrection so highly appreciate this video. Thank you so much for the time you put into this :)

[@brendarua01]

Differing is why there are 35,000+ denominations out there. What a hoot!

[@khakiwolf4146]

"Here are my facts and evidence that what is written in the bible is true. Number one... in the bible, ..."

[@reasonablespeculation3893]

The Bible asserts various extraordinary claims, some of them contradictory..... But, No attempt is made to prove anything.

[@Poe397]

Reasonable Speculation,..Are you truly that ignorant? Every christian science believer and apologist on earth spend every waking moment trying to claim everything in the "Wholly Fable" is true and proven.

[@reasonablespeculation3893]

Poe397 ..I said the Bible makes claims, but makes "no attempt to prove anything"... Is there some mathematical, evidentiary, or experimental proof in the Bible that would pass the scrutiny of the Scientific Method?? … If so, please allay my alleged ignorance.

[@Poe397]

@@reasonablespeculation3893 Books are not living breathing entities and are therefore unable to, in and of themselves prove anything but the fact it is intended to be taken as proven truth and idiots accept that pretty much makes your statement null and void.

[@Roedygr]

It is so ridiculous referring to events in a book of acknowledged fables as "facts".

[@CaseAgainstFaith1]

And of course, while the video is correct that those 4 hypotheses (swoon, mass halicinations, etc) are unlikely, they are still more likely than the Christian hypothesis.

[@CaseAgainstFaith1]

@@fosgnosis6336 Because something that is possible, even if unlikely, is still more likely than the impossible. Very simple actually.

[@CaseAgainstFaith1]

@@fosgnosis6336 When I use the words possible or impossible, I mean naturalistically. It is naturalistically impossible for someone to return from the dead, at least as far as we know. But, you are proposing a supernatural agent. Supernatural is just another word for magic. So, you are wanting to use magic as an explanation. And while I don't think I can say magic doesn't exist, the ability to determine the probability of some magical explanation is impossible to determine. So a natural explanation, even if unlikely, is by definition more probable because you can't even determine the probability of magic. You see, once you allow use of magic as an explanation, you don't get to just accept magic you like and not accept magic you don't like. If you were in a courtroom and the defendant in a murder change said that the evidence against him was faked by Satan, ie., magic, you'd have to let him go. You can't prove him wrong. You can't prove Satan didn't do it. And you can't reject it as preposterous magic because you ALREADY ACCEPT PREPOSTEROUS MAGIC. A God that kills himself and resurrects himself in order to change his own rules. LOL! Any idiot not indoctrinated in your BS can see its obvious mythology. Obviously.

[@TorianTammas]

@@CaseAgainstFaith1 You are very kind, to give them so much credibility, but we have not to assume that Harry Potter or Alice in Wonderland are anything more but stories. The same is true for Jesus stories. We have here fiction, walking over water, turning water into wine, multiplying food are all fictional elements we find in other fictional stories, but even if not a story has to actually be proven bit for bit to see if it holds any non fictional element at all

[@PrometheanRising]

All of the arguments taken collectively, even (or maybe especially) if regarded as accurate, just serve as a bundled together version of the Argument from Ignorance.

[@StannisHarlock]

The apostles were so completely convinced that all 12 of them were overshadowed in historical Christian importance by a guy who never walked with Jesus at all.

[@tommcdonald4014]

Thanks, Paul, this was a very useful and compelling dissection of the Minimal Facts argument and another reason to think WLC wrote a book once and is just recycling it now just as he does with his debates. I'll be using your analysis in the future. Sidenote, as a second-generation displaced Scot I approve of Reasonable Faith's bold choice to use a Scottish narrator in its video. Warms the cockles of my exiled heart, it does!

[@tonydarcy1606]

Possibly from the Hebrides, certainly not Glasgow or Edinburgh.

[@tonydarcy1606]

Beam me up Scotty.

[@tommcdonald4014]

That would be wonderful. My people come from the West Highlands, the area around Skye.

[@PurpleRhymesWithOrange]

"One time, I got so wasted, I passed out and three days later I woke up in a cave!" -- Jesus

[@MrDalisclock]

Having your blood be wine will do that to a man

[@johnwescott1500]

That narrator is no true Scotsman.

[@BigHeretic]

*John Wescott* Nicely put, never mind the words, not even the accent had any merit.

[@joemcghee2364]

The narrator gave me the impression he had seen a poll which cited the Scottish accent as being widely trusted and decided to have a go at it.

[@magnuspeacock5857]

@@joemcghee2364 that is not a scottish accent. Trust me, I'm Scottish.

[@joemcghee2364]

@@magnuspeacock5857 I'm well aware of that , being a Scot also .My comment was that he was making a poor attempt at a Scottish accent .

[@TheRobdarling]

@@joemcghee2364 I thought it was Irish. But then I am a west coast American so all those Europeans sound the same.../s

[@zerkzy842]

If you could reason with fundamentals there wouldn’t be any

[@edgarmatzinger9742]

And, of course, the comment section has been disabled as they know they're spreading false information. Great jingle "For the bible says"! 🤣🤣🤣

[@Paulogia]

Yeah, can't let the faithful see any dissent.

[@JohnMorris-ge6hq]

They believe it the false nonsense. Think about sir, if you believed in the Noah's Ark story then the Resurrection story is child's play.

[@edgarmatzinger9742]

@@JohnMorris-ge6hq True!

[@Jadinandrews]

Comments are disabled inside church as well.

[@timeshark8727]

Its actually not very hard to make people believe that they see something that isn't really there. We played around with that sort of thing in psychology class where we made people on the street believe that they saw things like snakes or birds in a tree when there weren't actually any snakes or birds to be seen.

[@timeshark8727]

@itsasin1969 The things we did in class utilized the "herd mentality" sort of thinking. When 2 or more people say something, especially if some of them are authority figures, then others are very willing to accept it in order to fit in. It even can go to the point where they will believe that they see something which isn't there.

[@SeanFisher]

"Frankly, irresponsible." Sums up WLC's whole career.

[@darrylelam256]

Lying for Jesus, it's what you got to do.

[@adm0iii]

It's what Jesus would do.

[@ShannonQ]

My stupid phone ran a software update! At least now we know I don't get these links ahead of time

[@chezeus1672]

pff, i got no notification again. damn you shannon!

[@goatgod2009]

For the Shannon told me so.

[@caydencayuga7876]

Seems like damage control.

[@redeemedone8553]

I watched your thing on Christian psychologist. You're so bothered that they don't get the accreditation do normal channels. I just wonder why you are so sold on psychiatrist thet do go through normal channels. Considering that one in six every American are on drugs to deal with life, mostly antidepressants. With this sudden onslaught psychiatry... things just seem to be getting worse. People trying to kill themselves at a higher rate then ever. It seems that you are in favor of a failing system. It seems at the process is what's important to you and not the outcome.

[@mazingdaddid]

I got my notification when I woke up this morning.

[@leverton275]

Amazing work Paul as always!! You are truly setting a new standard for quality level research and video production

[@1970Phoenix]

It is difficult to accept that WLC's decision to rebut positions that no one holds, and remain silent regarding the position which is almost universally held by skeptics (the "Legend" Hypothesis) was simply an oversight. I believe it was an intentionally dishonest strategy. It's not unlike a creationist declaring victory after debunking some "Dreamtime" myths from Australian Aboriginal culture, while remaining silent regarding the science of Biological Evolution.

[@Paulogia]

Agree.

[@JohnSmith-fz1ih]

I’ve watched plenty of WLC and consider it impossible for him not to be dishonest. When he’s told to his face by an expert in the relevant field that an argument he’s using is wrong and totally misrepresents what all science and the consensus of experts think he ignores it and uses the same false argument in his next debate.

[@TorianTammas]

@@JohnSmith-fz1ih WLC reuses his refuted claims over and over like he is an old videotape.

[@DutchJoan]

Love your music and the jingle of "for the bible tells me so". And again the amount of research, the enjoyable visuals. But I hate the deliberate deceit by apologists, the misinformation by certain exegetes, and the incapability of many christians to get past "for the bible tells me so".

[@sorenjensen3863]

"Why is Craig being dishonest?" Because hes an apologist...

[@nicolasandre9886]

To be more precise, because he is a religious apologist. I bet I can become a perfectly honest tiramisu apologist.

[@davidmonteith-hodge901]

Craig is an apologist - dishonesty is his primary stock in trade.

[@MasterCedar]

@@nicolasandre9886 To be even more precise because he is a religious apologist and just like God he needs your MONEY.

[@LindeeLove]

Because he's in very very deep with Christianity. It is his career, community, and family and accepting reality would make his entire world crumble.

[@charlesatty]

Cause it's his job like a waste water worker.

[@alanwitmer442]

This is soo good of a refutation. Especially since WLC in his treatise is merely recycling apologetics that have been around, well, long before I was a Christian boy and bought into them. One thing Paulogia doesn't add, and which would have made his explanatory power even stronger, is the fact that dying and rising heroes were among the most popular legends of the day. Indeed, not only were the early Christians DIVERGING from Jewish thought, but they clearly were mimicking greek Homeric tradition in their own oral tradition. Paulogia - very very well done! I'm sharing this!

[@i6s1]

"The Jews had no concept of the Messiah who would be executed by his enemies, much less come back to life. The only resurrection the Jews believed in was the universal resurrection on the Judgement Day." And that right there is a pretty good hint that this Jesus guy wasn't the messiah predicted Jewish prophets.

[@houghton841]

@@kranichkrone Which probably comes from the older Docetic belief that Jesus wasn't a full human, having a semi-divine nature, so didn't need to eat, sleep and couldn't die. This in turn probably comes from a Greek Platonic background or from Zoroastianism. The Quran explains that he just "appeared" to die, appear is docein in Greek = Docetism. It pops up in the Quran despite that books insisting that Jesus wasn't in any sense diving, just a human prophet. So it's yet another example of religions riffing on earlier ideas without understanding the implications of doing so.

[@taylore.4304]

I really enjoy your videos, @Paulogia! I am on a jounrey of looking into evidence for/against the resurrection, and your videos are a valuable resource for me!

[@Paulogia]

What are the most interesting things you're learning?

[@DJH316007]

Comments are disabled for this video. Because why would he want to be corrected.

[@MojoPin1983]

You can listen to Part One of WLC’s response to this video, here: www.reasonablefaith.org/media/reasonable-faith-podcast/a-youtube-response-to-the-resurrection-part-one/

[@fee8255]

MojoPin1983 no thanks bub!

[@TorianTammas]

@@MojoPin1983 Yes WLC wants to make more money from the sheeps. So he has to pretend his false claims are just misunderstood.

[@z0rrofan9]

There is an interesting theory that Jesus was creating a synthesis of Judaism and Greek mystery schools with levels of knowledge you had to pass through to advance in the organization. Some of the Nag Hammadi scrolls indicate this may have been a fusion effort contemporary to the time. With the incursion of Greek culture into Jewish culture, it does make some sense.

[@CharlesHuckelbery]

Good video thanks for sharing it with us

[@sqlblindman]

Impressively thorough. One of your best videos. Thanks.

[@gilmontaubam]

Man, I really wish they'd come with new arguments. Because all they do is recycling the same tired, debunked arguments all over again.

[@tommcdonald4014]

Yes, and since this is William Lane Craig's ministry it is clear that they've taken his constant, often verbatim, recycling of arguments to its pinnacle here.

[@CaseAgainstFaith1]

Dr SleepingEyes 1. They literally cannot. They literally don’t have anything else. 2. Apologetics is not really for convincing skeptics. It is to give comfort to the faithful. And for that, the same old shit keeps working.

[@BigHeretic]

Yes, I know it's wrong but I was expecting more! Certainly not so many _"for the Bible tells me so's"_ jingle!!

[@joehinman1026]

Waiting for atheists to grow some brains so you stop ironing the great arguments you leave not answered.

[@julianerikson4191]

@@joehinman1026 LOL Please, Comedy hour was actually a few hours ago, bud.

[@JohnnyDrivebye]

*A man walks down the street He says why am I soft in the middle now Why am I soft in the middle The rest of my life is so hard I need a photo-opportunity I want a shot at redemption Don't want to end up a cartoon In a cartoon graveyard*

[@tommcdonald4014]

Bonedigger Bonedigger Dogs in the moonlight Far away from my well-lit door Mr. Beerbelly Beerbelly Get these mutts away from me You know I don't find this stuff amusing anymore :-)

[@pauligrossinoz]

🎼 If you'll be my bodyguard, I could be your long - lost pal 🎶 🎼 I can call you Betty, and Betty when you call me _you can call me Al_ 🎶 🎼 _You can call me Al_ 🎶

[@JohnDlugosz]

When I was walking down the stair, I met a man who wasn't there. He wasn't there again today -- I wish that man would go away.

[@paulwettstein7071]

@@pauligrossinoz I always thought it was Eddie.....

[@tkat6442]

@@JohnDlugosz Hughes Mearns!

[@KeithCooper-Albuquerque]

Thanks Paul! This is another excellent video, and we all love your content sir!

[@Paulogia]

Thank you, Keith.

[@OzymandiasRamsesII]

Your vids just keep getting better and better. Great work. Cheers, - Ozy

[@Paulogia]

That means much from you. Thank you!

[@gaynomadic]

Brilliant, as usual, Paul. You had me laughing out loud on the third point regarding the illegality of moving the body. "You can't have been robbed, Mrs Jones because it's against the law." Lol. I really dislike William Lane Craig because he uses the technique of passing off myth and alleged facts as if they were actually established facts, in a sort of sleight-of-hand. He is actually dishonest. I find him quite slimy.

[@JamesRichardWiley]

Craig is a word salad master. His words sound intelligent but there is no evidence to back them up. Just faith. Notice that Craig irritates some listeners and delight others. The faithers vs the thinkers.

[@gaynomadic]

@@JamesRichardWiley I agree for the most part with what you say, James, but to me his words often do not even sound intelligent. In debates with atheists he often begins by saying such things as "if atheism is true" .... etc. It's as if he does not even know that atheism has nothing to do with "being true." Atheism is simply a position that does not accept that a god exists. He talks about it as though it's an assertion that there is no god. He also argues very badly, very often, for example, stating over and over that the Kalam cosmological argument is sound, despite having it having been demonstrated over and over again to him that the Kalam gets nowhere near to proving a god exists, let alone the god he believes in. It's as if he's incredibly dumb, and just hopes no one has heard his arguments before. Every time I've watched him debate he will use the same tired old crappy arguments that were very soundly refuted in earlier debates, but he has not even bothered to address the refutation. He often preaches in the course of a debate. I think he's one of the worst theists of all.

[@PrometheanRising]

@@gaynomadic yep. It is funny how so many of the most prominent apologists fail to learn anything from their debates. When someone gets their argument smashed and they just keep trotting it out rather than at least attempting to reform it, it is clear evidence that something is not on the level.

[@gaynomadic]

@@PrometheanRising Faith over-rules science, reason, and knowledge for the brainwashed

[@Bill_Bo]

If Jesus did not rise from the dead then he is not God and if he did then he isn't dead so there is no payment for sin which is supposedly the reason he died in the first place, to pay himself for the sin he invented.

[@oscargordon]

Yeah, he spent a couple of unpleasant hours on the cross and was up wandering just fine a couple of days later, so not much of a sacrifice.

[@TorianTammas]

The most interesting question is for whom? Why could some scheme to "forgive" not being performed any other way?

[@arnerrvik7586]

Exellent analysis. I like the little gingle. Informative, and time saving:-) Thanks!

[@ericsbuds]

im mad i never saw your vids til now. your stuff is really good!!

[@dan7478]

Gotta mention Dr Richard Carrier here... five years after its publication, I've still yet to see a half-decent rebuttal to 'On The Historicity Of Jesus'... it's an extremely compelling argument, and I'm disappointed that it hasn't been more closely scrutinised by the atheist community.

[@MDHilgersom]

Not to mention his talks about his book afterwards. I think scientists don't care and the religious are not interested in attacking his arguments.

[@dan7478]

@@MDHilgersom Sure... and I can understand why Christians would avoid engaging with the argument and they've tended to simply ignore it... but I can't figure out why it hasn't been considered more closely by skeptics. Is it too extreme a paradigm shift for people to even wrap their heads around?? Do even atheists find some comfort deep down in assuming there was at least 'a guy called Jesus'? I really don't know... but I'm still waiting for a convincing argument against The Doherty Thesis as expounded by Carrier... had plenty of ad-hominems, straw-men, a-priori dismissals and deferrals to the 'authority' of someone like Bart Ehrman with no further investigation... but I haven't seen one comprehensive rebuttal of the arguments in his treatise. I find it infuriating... if there's a good reason to reject Christ Myth Theory, I wanna hear it. Been searching for a long time and still nothing.

[@JosephKeenanisme]

Yeppers, would need to see at least on contemporary account of this jesus guy. Not going to take it that he was a real person or based on a real person "on faith". The same credibility is not given to that of any other mythical figure such as Merlin, Hercules, or such.... there is more "proof" of the Buddha being based on a real person but that is highly contested even with a boat load more evidence than anything surrounding that of a middle eastern zombie.

[@dan7478]

@Bayonne Blasphemer Shout out also to Dr Robert Price and Dr Hector Avalos... two more PhDs who don't believe in a historical Jesus... ... for a community who can readily accept that the gospels and epistles are weak historical sources full of contradiction, fraud, embellishment and impossible nonsense... it's strange that people (like Bart Ehrman) can't take that small extra step and consider whether the entire story is indeed fabricated.

[@andrewsuryali8540]

@@dan7478 This is a common misconception. Mythicists don't actually make one assertion but two: 1. That the Jesus we know is mythical, 2. That therefore the historical Jesus doesn't exist. Most scholars, including Ehrman, agree with the first assertion but find the second logically dishonest. It's the A leads to B jump in rationale that scholars object to precisely because it's the same kind of misapplication of logic that THIS VIDEO is criticizing. Most scholars of the New Testament who aren't religious don't make assertions either way. They either don't think the historicity of Jesus matters or agree with the general consensus that there PROBABLY was a historical preacher named Jesus who said some of the things in the gospel who got crucified for one reason or another by the Romans around 30 CE. Some of them, like Ehrman, have pet theories regarding the latter, which is why they can be pretty rabid in defending the historicity of Jesus. This is problematic because they then make the same unsupported logical leaps mythicists make. What I'm saying is that the Ehrman vs. Carrier debate masks the basic problem that both are making the same kind of dishonest leap of logic. So what is the balanced stance? 1. Jesus as we know him is a myth. That is the global scholarly consensus that no one questions. 2. There may or may not have been an actual Jewish preacher named Jesus who was crucified around 30 CE, but this historical Jesus bears little resemblance to the mythical Jesus worshipped as God today. 3. The gospel narrative is unreliable and may be entirely made up. This is also not debated at all in scholarly circles. Now, in all the debates about the historicity of Jesus what is often forgotten is that the gospels record many things he supposedly said, and that many of these sayings don't agree with the Christian views of their mythical Jesus. Sure many of the sayings could have been made up. Yet BECAUSE they were made up SOMEONE must have come up with the sayings to begin with. These did not come out of thin air. Some mythicists have claimed that these sayings were modified from Old Testament quotes, but that has long been proven to be false. A more honest analysis shows that many of the sayings are actually derived from the sayings of Hillel, the progenitor of the Pharisaic movement. However, others clearly go against Pharisaic teachings, while others still show agreement with the apocalyptic ideology of the writers of the Dead Sea Scrolls. This indicates that historical people living in the era of Jesus' supposed ministry must have come up with these sayings, because it has been shown again and again (especially by scholars of Rabbinic Judaism) that all four gospel writers are completely ignorant of actual Jewish theology and exegesis in their own time, much less the time of Jesus. The gospel writers could not have made up the sayings themselves. This means that a historical "Jesus" must have existed, either in the form of an itinerant preacher with radical views based on a mishmash of ideologies from other Jewish sects of his age, or a number of people whose sayings and deeds were amalgamated into a single character. This is the problem mythicists are unwilling to address when they make their thesis on the Jesus myth. Unlike mystery religions and pagan cults that have no need for theology, Christianity started out purely theological like every other Jewish sect, and theological cults NEED real-life theologians for the cult to exist in the first place. There must have been a historical "Jesus" for Christianity to exist. He's not the Jesus we know today, but "he" must have lived in the time period attributed to "his" ministry for the teachings passed down in the gospels to exist.

[@BushcraftingBogan]

My favorite part is when he couldn’t even build a straw man. “Here’s the most ‘popular’ arguments...” Followed by, “Nobody uses this anymore”. The so called “evidence” was laughably pathetic and made more so by the jingle emphasizing the circular reasoning.

[@Captain2012]

Hilarious video. Love watching them. Keep up the good work

[@DarkRanger1975]

Very nice video Paul.

[@Paulogia]

Thanks, David.

[@gregcampwriter]

Or Jesus can be regarded as a character in some novels, as can the disciples. If we're going to speculate, it's altogether possible that Paul--the first century one--invented the whole thing.

[@TheRobdarling]

It's altogether possible Paul is made up too.

[@Kilmoran]

6 independent sources... In the Bible... So a collection of directly related sources.

[@TorianTammas]

Of whom everyone sounds like they copied from each other some content while they invented other content or even changed copied content. They surely did not even try to write the same story. They had 5 different Jesuses at least.

[@Kilmoran]

@@TorianTammas And yet it is infallible some how... Hehe

[@MIKIVELES369]

Superb work Paul!

[@JiveDadson]

The argument begins with the assumption that there was a historical Jesus, which is highly dubious.

[@exilfromsanity]

Reasonable Faith is an oxymoron.

[@coletrickle1775]

Reasonable faith is no longer faith.

[@ratamacue0320]

Not an oxymoron; self-contradictory.

[@exilfromsanity]

@@ratamacue0320 From Merriam Webster online; Definition of oxymoron : a combination of contradictory or incongruous words (such as cruel kindness) broadly : something (such as a concept) that is made up of contradictory or incongruous elements

[@ratamacue0320]

@@exilfromsanity you're missing the "a concept" part. As I understand it, an oxymoron is two normally contradictory words which are put together to create a new meaning, e.g. "same difference" is an oxymoron meaning "same thing".

[@josueolivas6109]

@@coletrickle1775well acutally reasonable faith according to mans way not gods way is no longer faith if thats what you meant i just like being more accurate

[@jwfelde]

Misrepresenting your sources, especially altering the language of a supposed quotation without any indication, as WLC has done, is a cardinal sin in scholarship. Totally shameless

[@mythosboy]

Brilliant video. Wish I had more time for specifics. Otherwise, simply brilliant.

[@stubdo16]

When i was at school (loosely Church of England) I had a Jehovah's Witness friend who was excused from assembly so he wouldn't have to say the Lord's Prayer or sing hymns. I never understood why as he sounded more religious than the rest of us. I asked him why he was not a Christian and he said that one of the reasons was that the angel would not have appeared to the shepherds in winter as it would have been too cold. I was too dumbfounded to continue the conversation. Mind you, it was just as logical as the supernatural Christian stories we were told and bewildering parables.

[@sbushido5547]

That "for the bible tells me so" sound effect is the stuff of nightmares. I just don't understand how they think that saying _'skeptics can't explain these """""facts""""" that I haven't even demonstrated are factual'_ is even remotely compelling. I'd get it if stuff like this was just to reassure those who already believe, but people like Craig use these arguments in debates with people who *_don't_* believe.

[@John_W]

Skeptics can't explain how Athena sprang room the forehead of Zeus... Must be true.

[@condorboss3339]

That sound effect made me think of a slot machine when you have a 2 credit win.

[@metademetra]

As far as I’m concerned, it’s clickbait.

[@TorianTammas]

@@John_W Foreheads exists so must the story be true Halleluah!

[@fred_derf]

I would think the first question that must be asked should be "is jesus a singular historic person?" because if he wasn't then the question of resurrection is moot.

[@MojoPin1983]

Yes, he was. We have four, early, independent biographies on his life, as well as various extra-Biblical sources. In fact, we have more evidence for the life of Jesus than virtually any historical figure of antiquity.

[@fred_derf]

@@MojoPin1983, writes _"We have four, early, independent biographies on his life,"_ You have four heavily dependent "biographies" on his life that were written decades after his supposed death, decades where the stories were passed on orally. Four "biographies" that disagree on many key points of his life. _"as well as various extra-Biblical sources."_ The only extra-biblical sources you have were written decades after his supposed death and were reports on the beliefs of the "new" christian religion. _"In fact, we have more evidence for the life of Jesus than virtually any historical figure of antiquity."_ That's laughably wrong, we have actual coins (physical coins) with the likenesses of various Cesars on them. We have hieroglyph records of Egyptian Kings written while the Kings were alive. We have no contemporary records of jesus's existence at all. FFS we have contemporary reports of Pontius Pilate, reports that don't include any mention of crucifying a itinerant Jewish Rabbi who came back to life three days later.

[@MojoPin1983]

@Fred Derf Most ancient biographies are written well after the death of the person they are about. For instance, our earliest biographies of Alexander The Great’s life were written by Arrian and Plutarch *400* years after his death, yet they are still widely regarded as reliable sources. Contrast that with the gospels and Paul’s letters, which were written during the lifetimes of the eyewitnesses. The discrepancies in the gospel accounts only arise in secondary details, which don’t make or break their authenticity, nor affect the core of these biographies. They all agree on the central and crucial aspect: Jesus’ bodily resurrection. That’s the preeminent event that they all affirm. “The only extra-biblical sources you have were written decades after his supposed death and were reports on the beliefs of the "new" christian religion.” Why are you favouring extra-Biblical accounts over the gospels and Paul’s letters? “In fact, we have more evidence for the life of Jesus than virtually any historical figure of antiquity." Let me rephrase that:I meant with respect to a historical narrative of writings. Are you honestly denying Jesus’ death by Roman crucifixion? This isn’t even a contested issue among contemporary New Testament scholars and ancient historians. We have, early, multiple, independent biographies that record this, not to mention Paul’s citation of said event. There are four historical facts which must be explained by any adequate historical hypothesis. Virtually all ancient historians and New Testament scholars (Christian, Jewish and secular) affirm the following: ‪*4 Established Facts About the Historical Jesus Affirmed by the Majority of Ancient Historians and New Testament Scholars:*‬ ‪*The Resurrection of Jesus:*‬ www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/popular-writings/jesus-of-nazareth/the-resurrection-of-jesus/ *Is There Historical Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus? The Craig-Ehrman Debate:* www.reasonablefaith.org/media/debates/is-there-historical-evidence-for-the-resurrection-of-jesus-the-craig-ehrman/ ‪*Fact #‬1:* *After his crucifixion, Jesus was buried in a tomb by a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin named, Joseph of Arimathea. The death of Jesus Christ on the cross is one of the most solid facts of history.* *Fact #2: On the Sunday following the crucifixion, Jesus' tomb was found empty by a group of his women followers.* *Fact #3: On multiple occasions and under various circumstances, different individuals and groups of people experienced appearances of Jesus alive from the dead. This a fact which is universally acknowledged today by New Testament scholars.* *Fact #4: The original disciples believed that Jesus was risen from the dead, despite their having every predisposition to the contrary.*

[@fred_derf]

@@MojoPin1983, writes _"The death of Jesus Christ on the cross is one of the most solid facts of history."_ You can say that all you want, and so can your "New Testament Scholars" who all believe the bible is the 'inerrant word of god' but that doesn't make it true.

[@MojoPin1983]

@Fred Derf With respect, boy, you’re out of touch with this area of study. Who says that all New Testament scholars believe that the Bible is the inerrant word of God? Moreover, you seem to think that they’re all Christians; which betrays your ignorance. Many of them are secular. Additionally, Biblical inerrancy has nothing to do with what we’re talking about; it’s not even a doctrine that many Christians hold. One doesn’t even have to view the New Testament documents (namely, the gospels and Paul’s letters) as being divinely inspired, rather, one can examine them as merely Greco Roman documents handed down to us in the first century. It is on this basis that ancient historians and New Testament scholars have determined what I mentioned. Virtually all experts in those disciplines agree on the minimal facts pertaining to the historical Jesus. Your denial of Jesus’ crucifixion makes you an outlier, at odds with *mainstream* academia on this event. It is one of the most solid facts of ancient history. In fact, it is the Quran’s denial of said event, along with its single authorship - six centuries after the fact - that make it (the Quran) historically indefensible.

[@matthewalan59]

Excellent work. Honest. Intelligent. Informative. Thank you.

[@jacobovs]

Honestly the best video you have ever done. Outstanding!

[@Paulogia]

Thank you, Shal! spread the word...

[@martifingers]

This is a model of intelligent, well informed careful rational critique that is inspiringly open minded. We are in your debt.

[@LHPottery]

Overall, Craig does what so many Christians do: They beg the question. They want to use the Bible to prove the Bible.

[@Keira_Blackstone]

I couldn't remember which of your videos had the hilarious cascade of endless 'for the bible tells me so' but I finally found it again :)

[@biekgiek]

Paul, thank you for your thorough examination and refutation of Craig's claims.

[@tiffsaver]

The Bible is not an historical document, it is not the "perfect, unassailable word of God," and it is not to be taken literally. It is merely a compendium of ancient folktales and myths, written by over 40 different authors, over hundreds of years, and in translated in over 700 languages, finally translated into Latin and Greek at the Council of Nicea in ancient Rome, as ordered by Emperor Constantine. As an ex-Christian, I began to question the wild "Bible Stories" early in life, and after realizing that at least 99% of the fairytales in it are simply time-told morality lessons, I began to equally question the literal existence of a "Messiah." Although the concept of a "Christ" is undeniably a beautiful one (as with most Bible stories), I defer to the ancient Eqyptians' description of their OWN demi-god in the person of Horus," who was born to a woman named "Meri" through a virgin birth, discovered being born in a cave by three wisemen following a star, was spiritually ahead of his time, performed miracles, including walking on water, then was eventually killed by his enemies, then rose from the dead, three days later. Additionally, there was no record of Horus' life "between the ages of 12 and 30," EXACTLY like the Christians' precise Biblical description of Jesus' early life. Btw, simply REPLACE the first three letters of 'Horus' with the letters, "Jes," *and what do you have??*

[@rationalsceptic7634]

Actually,Dawkins won't ever debate,Bill as Richard doesn't debate Cranks who lie for a living!!

[@billkeon880]

Excellent video as usual. Nice deltoids too Paul. Upright barbell rows or side felt raises?

[@newsystembad]

Paul, I gotta ask: what's the music you use for your title card here? I love Irish/Celtic music, and this sounds right up my alley.

[@guygil]

Re Mat 27, if the zombies came out of their graves and went into Jerusalem....what did they do then? Did they go back to their graves? If so, when? Why? Are they still there? When they appeared to many people, what did those people do? How did they react to meeting zombies? Or were these just ordinary events for the time, like bringing people back from the dead, walking on water, transfiguration etc?

[@matbroomfield]

WLC is another professional liar. His day has been and gone. He's scurried back to the darker corners where he doesn't have to deal with challenges any more.

[@MojoPin1983]

Here is Part One of Craig’s response to this video: www.reasonablefaith.org/media/reasonable-faith-podcast/a-youtube-response-to-the-resurrection-part-one/

[@TorianTammas]

@@MojoPin1983 This is the second or third time you post this are you working for WLC or just a fan?

[@vCoralSandsv]

Damn it, the jingle is gonna be stuck in my head

[@jb888888888]

That 1 Corinthians quote also says "it says in the scripture" it isn't an independent source.

[@mnamhie]

Good job, Paul. You just tore WLC a new bunghole. I can’t decide whether he is stubbornly dishonest or simply obtuse but his refusal to see the gaping holes in his arguments, even after illumination, erodes any confidence one may have in his intellect. As we evolve as a species and our scientific disciplines cast significant doubt on the stories and myths of old, is it any wonder that those counted amongst believers is dwindling year after year? Not only that, but where is their influence and power? I mean dunamis power. Those who proclaim to be filled with the Holy Spirit are instead weak and ineffectual. Simply more evidence that their fairytales are untrue.

[@zippoboyshaneshank8954]

I'm really getting sick of this weak sauce argument! It would seem like all the texts we have, we're based on the oral tradition of the religion. It's like saying The Big Bad Wolf is real, based on all the different versions of the story that have been written down.

[@TorianTammas]

Yes and evidence for it is red riding hood and the grandmother. Not to mention that the grandmother's house is a real place a house in any wood.

[@SuperRand13]

Holy Shit! I've just been getting into Paulogia's videos and this William Lane Craig video was literally regurgitated by the preacher at the Easter service I attended this year. (i'm Atheist but go to avoid conflict with family).

[@thomdavis4142]

Love the jingle and remember it well.

[@Marconius6]

I always hope for some new apologetics... and am always disappointed.

[@GIJoker1173]

First I beat Shannon Q😁

[@Autists-Guide]

Me too

[@diaryofamadpanda3123]

Lol, my day is coming!

[@GIJoker1173]

Kevin McDougall you’re right she is the reigning champ though

[@Falcodrin]

Her phone was updating

[@dlnich]

Nicely done...

[@ratamacue0320]

Excellent.

[@Eagle93Writer]

WLC is still a thing? oO

[@Ugly_German_Truths]

like nuclear waste and cockroaches, yeah. Similarly not likely to go away anytime soon, even if he should croak it today...

[@z0rrofan9]

To be honest, I have only heard of him through atheist response videos. I barely knew he ever was a thing.

[@craiglee7993]

I think since we have ZERO proof of this Jesus and we know the bible is a story book why do we debate this topic? To me first prove Jesus is real and then we can talk about the subject of the resurrection its such silly shit all of it.

[@fred_derf]

Do you know what would be compelling evidence that jesus was a real person? Contemporary reports of his life, wake me if anyone ever finds any.

[@adm0iii]

I saw him! He was on The Walking Dead!

[@fred_derf]

@itsasin1969, writes _"Not too long ago people like us never had the balls to say that out loud."_ Not too long ago they would kill you for saying that. In fact in some parts of the world they'll kill you for saying that (i.e. their religion is not true) now.

[@thinboxdictator6720]

first 10 seconds of video and joking already :D great stuff :D

[@renevelation6586]

I love the "for the Bible tells me so" jingle ; )

[@m9frank]

The bodies of many holy people raised to life episode is all the proof I need to understand the bible is nonsense.

[@lbeschrich]

Mud Skipper where can I find that?

[@pauligrossinoz]

@Leah Eschrich - that's from the first gospel : *Matthew 27 : 51 - 53* _And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;_ _And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,_ _And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many._ In the technical parlance, those verses are called: Fuk'n _bullshit._ Even William Lane Craig calls that Biblical claim a "metaphor"! 😂😂😂😂

[@lbeschrich]

Paul Gross haha! Thanks for the information. I can’t believe I used to believe this crap🙈

[@m9frank]

@@lbeschrich Matthew 27:52-53

[@LogicAndReason2025]

In the end, it's all a game to avoid the most glaring problem of the story; it's f-in ridiculous.

[@thanksyahweh8777]

The "For the Bible Tells Me So" jingle is the funniest thing I've heard this month so far xD

[@BlueBrainMountainStream]

I do love that jingle......

[@illithidinfidel2464]

He lost me at "fact" #1.

[@vgrof2315]

WLC has been exposed time and again as a liar. Isn't it time for him to be completely ignored? He should finally put a sock in it

[@hakureikura9052]

ah, but pray tell, my friend. whose socks are we putting in WLC's mouth? do you know someone with sever athlete's foot?

[@the_kraken6549]

I love the “for the bible tells me so” jingle.

[@LucasMidkiff]

Thank you Paul for all you do for us.

[@Paulogia]

my pleasure, LucasMidkiff