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Part 4
Even if a Master Designer (God) did create the universe
and life on earth, how can we possibly know who this God is?
The world’s religions are sometimes worlds apart in their description
of the nature of God, and they each make varying
and contrasting claims regarding many other issues as well.
Where one religion says that Jesus is still dead, for instance,
another religion says that He has risen from the dead. Such
contradictions between various religions and belief-systems mean that not all religions can be true at once.[] Jesus cannot be both dead and alive at the same time. So how are we to
ever find the truth in such a blizzard of conflicting claims?
To determine the tenability of any one particular religion
or belief-system, we must test it in areas that it can be
tested in. We must examine its claims concerning matters of
history and science. Suppose some of these claims failed to
withstand objective scrutiny; suppose they proved to be false
or contradicted other known facts — this would tend to lessen
the credibility of a particular belief-system. On the other hand,
suppose these claims were instead corroborated by history and
archaeology and other such disciplines; suppose they successfully
withstood objective scrutiny — this would tend to
strengthen the authority and credibility of the religion.
In this way, the Bible holds its ground. The Bible is indeed
surprising in some of its scientific accuracy and detail.
Some biblical statements even appear to reveal an exceptional
knowledge of scientific matters. Under close examination, the
Bible has not been seen to make any false scientific statements.
Often the Bible is accused of containing so many obvious
discrepancies that it would be foolish to trust it. Yet, while
certain passages may at first appear contradictory (as can the
testimonies of any two honest witnesses in one legal trial),
further investigation commonly shows otherwise.
In fact, the excessive skepticism shown toward the Bible
by certain schools of thought has been progressively discredited.
Concerning matters of history, for instance, discovery
after discovery has established the accuracy of numerous details.
Archaeologists are increasingly discovering that their finds
are affirming the historical accuracy of the Bible, corroborating
key portions of events.
Unlike the various accounts of many mystic religions,
the Bible’s New Testament narratives describe Jesus as a man
of flesh and blood who traveled to actual geographic locations and interacted with known historical persons. In itself, the historicity
of Jesus has been firmly established by scholars as an
indisputable fact.
Likewise, compared with other ancient documents, the
New Testament is unprecedented in its historicity. Concedes
the Encyclopedia Britannica, “Compared with other ancient
manuscripts, the text of the New Testament is dependable
and consistent.” In fact, when it comes to checking and cross
checking the readings of the New Testament, it stands as the
most historically attested work of the ancient world.
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