The Answer to Atheism: Part 3

The following article is part three of a six-part 

series written in response to Bertrand Russell's  

"Why I Am Not a Christian." 

For reference, I have included a link to his essay 

at the bottom of each article.

The next point I want to address are Mr. Russell's remarks concerning the character of Christ.

Here again, Mr. Russell specifically chose to quote passages out of context in an attempt to make Jesus look like a fool, and ignored all of the times Jesus’ words and actions are vindicated. (i.e. Jesus predicted his own death and resurrection multiple times in scripture, as well as the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem in A.D. 70)

Mr. Russell also failed to resolve the issue of the many miracles Jesus performed before thousands of eyewitnesses—many of whom were still living at the time the New Testament was written. (1 Corinthians 15:6)
Jesus healed the blind, the deaf and the mute; the lame, the lepers, and the paralyzed. He even raised a man from the dead after he had been buried for four days. There is no good explanation for these things aside from the miraculous.

Furthermore if the Bible's claims really were fabricated, then the multitude of eyewitnesses would have been able to discredit the New Testament the moment it was penned. It is impossible to claim that miraculous events have transpired in a region where literally anyone could come forward and refute the claims.

Simply put: Christianity would not have been able to spread like it did, where it did, when it did, if the events recorded in the New Testament didn't actually happen.

Additionally, Mr. Russell used the King James Version in his rebuttal of Christ; a translation which in my opinion is perhaps the hardest translation to understand; considering it is written in 17th century English. Granted the King James Bible is still a valid translation, and is in fact the mostly widely used translation in existence.

That being said, let’s look at the verses in question from the New Living Translation to see if their is any truth to Mr. Russell’s claims.

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.

“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.

“Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.”
~Matthew 7:1-6 New Living Translation (NLT)

From the context it is obvious that Jesus isn’t talking about a court of law; he’s talking about Christians judging people in a better-than-thou, self-righteous, and/or faultfinding way. So Mr. Russell's argument here is debunked.

Mr. Russell's second argument, claiming that Christ demands that his followers sell everything they own was also a misquote. Jesus was giving an answer  to a specific person, in a specific situation; not issuing a command to all Christians. 
Additionally, Jesus’ statement in Mathew 19:23-24 about how difficult it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God, is true. It is human nature to trust in our wealth, positions, and the security these things bring, instead of trusting in God. Thus “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!” This, however, is not a commandment to be poor, as Mr. Russell claimed.

“Someone came to Jesus with this question: ‘Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?’

“‘Why ask me about what is good?’ Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. But to answer your question—if you want to receive eternal life, keep the commandments.’

“‘Which ones?’the man asked.

“And Jesus replied: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

“‘I’ve obeyed all these commandments,’ the young man replied. ‘What else must I do?’

“Jesus told him, ‘If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’

“But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. I’ll say it again—it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!’

“The disciples were astounded. ‘Then who in the world can be saved?’ they asked.

“Jesus looked at them intently and said, ‘Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.’”
~Matthew 19:16-26 New Living Translation (NLT)

Mr. Russell’s next argument is also easily refutable.

“‘I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Kingdom of God.’

“About eight days later Jesus took Peter, John, and James up on a mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly, two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared and began talking with Jesus. They were glorious to see. And they were speaking about his exodus from this world, which was about to be fulfilled in Jerusalem.”
~Luke 9:27-32 New Living Translation (NLT)

In Luke 9:27, the Greek word for “kingdom” can also be translated to mean “royal splendor.” This, combined with the context of the following verses and their parallels in the synoptic gospels, leads us to the obvious conclusion that Jesus was referring to Peter, James and John—the three disciples who would witness his glory on the Mount of Transfiguration.

Likewise the supposed inconsistency in Matthew 10:23 is easily explained by the context of the chapter—Jesus sending out the twelve disciples—as well as by the first verse in Matthew 11, which reads: “When Jesus had finished giving these instructions to his twelve disciples, he went out to teach and preach in towns throughout the region.”

To put it simply: Jesus and the disciples split up. This means that when Jesus said that he would return, he was simply stating that he would return to the twelve disciples before they had reached all of the towns in Israel.

Mr. Russell's final argument against Christ is his comment about worry and the timing of Christ’s return. It’s the last verse in Matthew Chapter 6.

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

“Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!

“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

“And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”
~Matthew 6:19-34 New Living Translation (NLT)

As you can see, this passage is completely unrelated to Mr. Russell's argument about the timing of Christ’s return.

Likewise, Mr. Russell's other arguments about Christ’s character, judgment, and his harsh words to the Pharisees are also flawed, because they are based on the presupposition that a) Jesus did not exist (Which is an extremely flawed statement in and of itself, given the historical evidence to the contrary.) and b) if Jesus did exist, then he was not God.

However, if Jesus was God, as he claimed on numerous occasions, (John 10:30-31, Mark 14:60-62, etc.) then everything he said about judgment is also true, and does not go against his character. (Remember, Jesus made a whip and drove the vendors and money changers out of the Gentile Court of the temple in John 2:15-17. He was not a passive Mahatma Gandhi-like character, contrary to the popular stereotype.)

           

             Continued in: The Answer to Atheism: Part 4

             Why I Am Not A Christian (Reference Material)