Jesus is Not Thor

Why we can trust Jesus above other belief systems.

I recently read an article by a popular atheist on this site. She argues, by implication, that Christians have no more evidence to support their faith than other religions have to support their own beliefs. I have heard others who oppose the Christian faith make similar arguments, “What evidence do you have that your religion is true and others are false?”

Christianity certainly has doctrinal distinctions from other religions:

• Christianity teaches that grace is received through faith where other religions teach that we are rewarded or punished based on our goodness.
• Christians believe that humans are depraved and incapable of pleasing or obeying God on their own. Other religions believe their adherents are perfectly capable of living a moral life without divine intervention.
• Finally, Christianity is centered around a person and event, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, rather than a guiding philosophy or set of rules.

However, even if Christianity is considered a “more attractive” option among religions, that does not necessarily give it more credibility. Just because we would desire something to be true does not make it so. I believe an argument can be made for Christianity on the basis of other merits.

Authorship of Religious Texts

The story of how the Quran came to be goes something like this: a general seeking to compile the teachings of Mohammed sought to gather them into one collection in no particular order. Hundreds of documents that were written on wood, rocks, parchment, etc. were compiled from various sources and compiled into a single document. Then they burned the originals. I’ll repeat that.

Burned

the

originals.

At this time, some sects of Muslims made the accusation that the Quran had been altered.

Whether the original documents accurately reflected the words of Mohammed, or the final copy accurately reflected the originals cannot be confirmed.

Hindus do not have an agreed upon “authoritative” text, but the closest is the Bhagavad Gita. Nevertheless, there is no certainty about who wrote the text or even when it was written.

Buddhism is similar in not having a central text but most of the teachings have been passed down through oral tradition. The same could be said about the mythological gods like Thor and Poseidon; there are writings that represent the oral traditions but the authors are not claiming that these are first-hand accounts.

But the New Testament is different than this in that many of the authors are eyewitnesses to Jesus’ life. Consider the words of Peter and John.

“For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” ‭‭(2 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭16‬, ESV‬‬)

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life — the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us — ” (‭‭1 John‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭2,‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

This is why Luke begins his gospel with the following words.

“just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us,” (‭‭Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭2,‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

Reliability of the Messenger

Mohammed claimed to receive his message from Allah while alone in a cave. He heard voices after which he believed that he was either crazy or being deceived by a demon. It was a friend of his wife who first sought to convince him that he was a prophet. Though later tradition claims that Mohammed did miracles, the Quran itself denies this claim. (Q 29:50–51)

The original Buddha is believed to have received enlightenment after eating a bowl of rice while he was starving.

Joseph Smith (the founder of Mormonism) is believed to have seen golden plates with secret writing on them. He claims that he was able to read the plates with magic glasses, however an angel took the plates back away and the magic glasses were taken as well.

With Jesus, we see evidences of his authenticity throughout his ministry. John the Baptist announced Jesus’ coming before He came and affirmed his authenticity to Israel. Jesus fulfilled dozens of prophecies that were made centuries, even millenia, before his birth. He healed the blind, cast out demons, fed five thousand, and raised the dead. These are not stories that developed hundreds of years after Jesus’ life on earth, they are reported by eye witnesses to his life.

Mutliple Attestation

Unlike other religious leaders, Jesus is affirmed by multiple religions. The Quran mentions Jesus more than it mentions Mohammed and claims that He was a prophet born of a virgin. Buddhists affirm Jesus as a manifestation of Buddha. Bahá’í also affirms that Jesus was born of a virgin and a manifestation of God.

But if we look at Jesus’ own words, he claims that He is the only means of salvation.

On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:22–23)

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life…Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (John 3:16,18, ESV)

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6, ESV)

Impact on the World

There is no other person in human history that had a greater impact on the world than Jesus Christ, yet He had no political influence or even a significant following after his death. Yet within three centuries, the message that Jesus Christ had risen from the dead was so powerful, that the Roman Emperor changed the religion of the Empire.

Even today, millions of people (myself included) can speak of how Jesus has and continues to impact their life. The sick are still healed, addictions are overcome, broken marriages are restored, prayers are still answered through the power of Jesus Christ. If you don’t believe me, ask any faithful follower of Jesus that you know how they have seen Him work in their lives.

The Resurrection

While other religious leaders can claim they know the path to eternal life, only one conquered death. Mohammed and Buddha could not say with certainty what would happen to them after they died. Hindus can only hope they have lived a good enough life to reach nirvana. But Jesus proved his power to give eternal life by conquering death.

As stated above, this is not just a legend that developed hundreds of years after Jesus’ life on earth. It has been the central teaching of Christianity from its inception. The resurrection of Christ is affirmed by multiple eye witnesses who were willfully tortured and killed because they refused to preach any other message.

But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:19–20, ESV)

So, no, believing in Jesus is not the same as believing in Thor, or Buddha, or even Mohammed. Those guys, if all of them even existed, are long dead. But Jesus is alive and He is Lord.

Live for Jesus.