Broad meadows

One of the slogans of the day in America is that diversity is a strength. It kind of sounds like it has an iron sharpens iron feel to it, but that diversity is meant to be in what our various strengths are, not in what constitutes truth or what we should commonly value as a species. Humanity, for all its flaws, is an incredible jewel in the physical universe. The varieties of disciplines and sources of knowledge are abundant.

In my many years of reading the Bible and discussing or reading about the various things people believe, one thing over time jumped out: all false things have an Achilles heel, something that makes them forever untrue. Not just a matter of opinion, but something that is verifiable. But before I begin, I offer a word of caution that I have learned from my life.

Two men who threatened to take my life and then attacked presumably with the intent to do so passed away before the age of forty of heart attacks. Multiple companies that made up lies to fire me or plotted to take my job no longer exist, companies that had been in business for decades. Two different men who attacked me out of sheer petulance broke their hands striking me. Those are a few examples. There are more. I know I’m going into an area that might provoke a violent response. My God has shown in a myriad of ways that He is always there. I have left it for God to deal with those who mean me harm and he has never slumbered or waited long to deal with them. I’ve always been a lightning rod for asking hard questions, pointing out contradictions and ultimately by pointing to Jesus Christ and the word of God. If He does hand me over, it is His right when He purchased me by the blood of His Son. Woe to the one who strikes the blow.

A recent video that I had seen of a Muslim in America say that, “Islam is the true religion.” Had I been standing there, the exchange probably would have started like this:

”So truth is important to you, then?” I might say.

”Of course, this is why all must submit Allah.” He might reply.

“So if you found out it wasn’t true, you would convert?” I might say.

”But it is true. . . “ and on it would go.

The fatal flaw of Islam is and will always be that he, Muhammad, is making testimonial claims he clearly wasn’t alive to see that stand in opposition to what is written by those who were there. Jesus was either crucified or he wasn’t. It can’t be both. One has eyewitnesses (Read 1 Corinthians 15:1-11), the other is an assertion made by a man that lived 600 years after the events he is testifying about. Below is a copy of a parable I wrote earlier that points out the fallacy.

The Criminal: A parable.

A long time ago, there was a man who was a notorious criminal. His crimes had many witnesses, but he continued to elude the authorities. One day, he committed a crime that had five hundred witnesses. He was eventually captured and put on trial. He was convicted and sentenced to death, which was carried out quickly. The judge in the case thought that the case was so important that he had the details of the trial and the subsequent sentence made as public as possible by having the transcript translated into all of the known languages.

Many years later, long after everyone of that time had died, another man came along who said that he heard from some one that the man was not a criminal and was never put to death. Still others even later than his time said the man didn’t exist at all.

Who would you believe and why?

Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them —yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed. 1 Corinthians 15:1-11.