Chapter 7, The Divinity of Christ, THE HANDBOOK OF CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS
Chapter seven of this book lamely sets out to prove that Jesus was God.
It says that he claimed to be God and that he forgave sins which only God could
do. Being written by two Roman Catholics they believe no such thing for they
hold that God gave his power to forgive sins to priests and priests are not God.
It says Jesus made claims that only God could make like, “I am the resurrection
and the life”. But Jesus claimed to be the saviour. If God gave him the power to
save then Jesus could make such claims without being God.
We are also told that Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter though in Judaism only
God could do that for names were believed to be given by God. But Jesus never
said he changed Peter’s name on his own authority but did all he did by the
power and authority of God. God could have told Jesus to make Simon a Peter.
Also we are told that Jesus had total contempt for Jewish beliefs that were
unsupported by scripture. The superstition that only God could change a name
would certainly have been one of those. And Jesus didn’t say he accepted it and
not all did. How dare this book presume that he did accept it!
Page 154 dishonestly argues that the incarnation, God becoming a man, is
possible. What right has anybody who believes that Jesus was fully God and fully
man two separate natures in one person to say that the incarnation is possible?
He cannot know when it is like a contradiction. If it is a paradox then how do
we know if it is a paradox or a contradiction?
Page 162 of the Handbook of Christian Apologetics boasts that the gospels have
survived all attacks. But that is only their opinion and it is only insolent
fundamentalist twisting and lying and ignorance that is behind belief in the
gospels. Unbiased scholars who open their eyes do not believe in the gospels.
The Church manipulated politics to get where it is today so it has the upper
hand when it comes to influencing people and making sure they are fed plenty of
selective evidence.
Then the lie is told that the only explanation for Jesus’ trial and execution
was his claim to be God! The man was viewed as a Messiah for Heaven’s sake and a
threat to Rome and so he was not trusted and had to be destroyed. If his claim
had been the reason he was killed then why do the gospels not make that clear?
If he had been up for execution for claiming to be God we would not be reading
that the Jews could find nothing in him to justify killing him. Claiming to be
God was blasphemy under the law and deserved stoning to death.
Handbook of Christian Apologetics Says
Jesus called himself the Son of God meaning he was the same kind and the same as
God
Reason Says
Jesus never indicated that he meant anything like that by the title Son of God
Handbook of Christian Apologetics Says
I don’t have the right to forgive your sins against others but God does. Jesus
forgave sins so Jesus was God.
Reason says:
It seems to be thought that because God makes all things they are his and to
hurt a creature of his is to offend him so you have to go to him for
forgiveness. But I cannot apologise to God because I hurt Ben for God is not
Ben. I can apologise for damaging someone God made but that is different. I am
not apologising to God as if God was Ben. Jesus said that if you harm one of
his brethren you are harming Jesus personally. It is the same as hurting Jesus.
Jesus also said that we must love God totally and our neighbour as ourselves
next meaning that the worst part about hurting a baby or another person is
hurting God. This doctrine is total insanity. It is a lie intended to obstruct
the realisation that there must be some sins or part of many sins that is none
of God’s business.
Handbook of Christian Apologetics Says
Everybody reading the gospels agree that Jesus was trustworthy
Reason replies:
Lie. The argument is so bad that even most theologians prefer to hold that most
of what was written about Jesus in the gospels came from the imagination of the
Church. The handbook writers mean that if you don’t see Jesus as trustworthy
from reading the gospels then you are a bad person and cannot see it or you are
a freak. Every error and false statement hurts and insults. And religion is evil
because it refuses to change certain ideas.
Handbook of Christian Apologetics Says
The apostles didn’t invent the claim that Jesus was God for what did it do for
them, it only brought them martyrdom
Reason replies:
You believe that Joseph Smith the Mormon founder who was persecuted for
“translating” the Book of Mormon brought the book forth fraudulently and this
book says that the Bible you depend on to defend the divinity of Christ has had
parts taken away and altered and is unreliable.
Handbook of Christian Apologetics Says
If the divinity of Jesus was a myth, then it is
impossible to explain how it was believed in when the eyewitnesses to Jesus were
still alive?
Reason replies:
The prophet hood of Joseph Smith the Mormon founder was a
myth and we can prove the first believers accepted the myth. We cannot prove
that the apostles believed that Jesus was God soon after he died or ascended
into heaven or whatever
Handbook of Christian Apologetics Says
Jesus had no motive to lie for it only brought him
persecution and finally death
Reason replies:
That Jesus wasn’t stoned for claiming to be God proves
that he never made this claim for the Jews didn’t tolerate that. And he was
crucified because of jealousy according to the gospels. Even if Jesus never
claimed to be God, there were plenty of other reasons for the Jews to want him
dead. And the gospels never said he was crucified for claiming to be God. Even
if they did he wasn’t specifically crucified for that – there were other things
he was put to death for.
Handbook of Christian Apologetics Says
Jesus didn’t claim to be God in the guru sense for he never taught the doctrines
of the gurus and he taught a moral God unlike the amoral god of the gurus and
taught everlasting punishment which contradicts the gurus
Reason replies:
The guru even when he claims to be God claims he has to
journey to learn the truth about what this means and what life is all about.
Jesus mightn’t have got very far on the journey. Jesus never said exactly what
he meant by God only that God was Father and a spirit and all-powerful and good.
And Jesus said God has made Hell for sinners to go to at death and from it they
cannot get out. If you can condone that you can condone anything and should be
amoral to be consistent.
Handbook of Christian Apologetics Says
No Jew could claim to be God
Reason replies:
That is like saying no Jew could have believed in the
Kabballah – a form of Jewish magic and occultism that contradicted the Torah.
And the John gospel has Jesus quoting the Jewish Bible where it said ye are gods
to shut up the Jews accusing him of blasphemy and of making himself to be God.
He could have thought a Jew could claim to be God but he gave no hint that he
claimed to be God. He didn’t say the Jews were right about him.
Jesus accused the Jews of hatred of God and blasphemy when they said Jesus did
exorcisms by demonic power. If a Jew could do that then why couldn’t a Jew claim
to be God?
Handbook of Christian Apologetics Says
The gospels are not written in the style of myth but
eyewitness reporting
Reason replies:
We know the stories of the Old Testament were myths and
the gospel writers made sure they copied the traits and characteristics of these
stories. They are not written in the style of silly pagan myths but in the
fairly restrained and distinctive style of Jewish myths
Handbook of Christian Apologetics Says
Lots of references to the Bible are given to show that
Jesus claimed to be God and was believed to be God
Reason replies:
Though at least they show that Jesus was divine in a symbolic honorific way but
not in reality, it is stretching things a bit to think they speak of Jesus being
God himself! Verses that deny Jesus was God are ignored. A man called Jesus good
teacher and Jesus said don’t call me good for nobody is good only God. The
Church makes out he was only rejecting the flattery of being called good by a
false man. Nothing in the text indicates flattery so that is out. The Church
must ask, “Did he tell the man then that it was okay to flatter God?” Jesus
denied he was God or even as good as God. The simplest interpretation is that
Jesus didn't want to be called good or perfect. Fancy interpretations of
anything are contrived and useless.
