I can imagine a conversation between atheists Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins ~ and the apostle Peter. The atheists would attack Christianity ‘by’ attacking the Bible. They’d start out with their blistering critique of the New Testament and its “contradictions” and “it was written by anonymous authors decades after the described events.”
And they’d point out all of the atrocities carried out in the name of religion throughout history, and mainly and especially Christian atrocities.
But ~ the foundation of Christianity is not a combination of 27 different historical manuscripts that were later bound together with the Hebrew Scriptures into a single volume well over 300 years after the described historical events contained in the New Testament.
Let’s hear how the apostle Peter might respond ~ Men, I’m certainly familiar with the history of my people the ancient Israelites, and I’ve never questioned it because of how I was raised. But men, none of that ~ nothing you’ve said has anything to do with ‘my’ decision to follow Jesus. You men reference the inadequacy of my reasoning, so let me explain ‘my’ reasoning ~ I only have one reason. When Jesus was arrested, I ran ~ and when asked if I knew Him, I lied. And when the Romans crucified Him, he died. And at that time, I was like you men ~ I had no faith.
I didn’t know what to believe. I had no reason to believe, because I didn’t know what to believe. I’d just spent 3 years of my life following a false prophet, and now I had a price on my head. And then Jesus came, and there He was ~ very much alive. Men, arguing with anything you’ve said is irrelevant because…and let me clarify one thing…‘my’ reason for believing isn’t something that I’ve heard or read or had read to me.
I believe what I believe because of what I saw...I watched Jesus die, I know exactly where He was buried, but God raised Him ~ and I saw Him, and I saw Him more than once. That’s the reason...that’s the only reason...for ‘my’ hope.
