if jesus didnt rise from the dead or even exist....

[Iamnotafraid]

like some say, then what would the point have been for people to die as martyrs, e.g. the apostles, the apostolic fathers, etc.

it seems that if christ was whisked away from the tomb and then proclaimed as risen from the dead then why would those apostles that did it give their lives for a lie?

thinking out loud…

Lots of people are willing to die for a lie.

The fact that people are willing to die, for something they believe is true, but cannot actually be proven true, does not make that belief true.

 

[Iamnotafraid]

Good point.

The reason I am a Christian is because of the apostles and disciples total and unwavering testimony and belief in the Resurrection of Jesus, even to the extent of suffering horrible persecutions, tortures and death, and the conviction by which they convinced thousands of other converts to accept the same.

For your sake, I hope you never learn about the unwavering dedication of some Buddhists practice of self immolation.

Judging by the comments on this thread, it appears that an extreme action of sacrifice, is somehow proof that ones faith is truth.

sscnet.ucla.edu/history/undergrad/pat/Journal2004/Slosberg.pdf

“In Mahayana Buddhism the ancient Lotus Sutra remains one of the holiest texts. In chapter twenty-three, the bodhisattva Medicine King makes the offering of his own body to the Buddha by performing various acts of self-mutilation, including burning his body:”

 

[Joe_Kelley]

Note that the original meaning of martyr is witness; they gave their life as witness to the truth of their belief.

 

[Gottle_of_Geer]

We’d be stuffed.

Jesus did exist and he came for a reason, and better off speculating on the Truth. Otherwise you’ve entered Satan’s playground, then you’d start to speculate if he didn’t exist, and that is what he’d love for men to do.

Believe, know the Truth in your heart, keep grooving forward with Christ and one day we shall meet in Heaven hopefully.

Want to speculate on something, why do I always burn my caramel sauce?

Because you prepare the wrong amount or the wrong consistency, or give it too long ? (Is caramel sauce any good as stuffing ?)​

 

[JJ59]

Lots of people are willing to die for a lie.

The fact that people are willing to die, for something they believe is true, but cannot actually be proven true, does not make that belief true.

We’re talking here about the disciples that were with Jesus his whole life, and then were martyred, sometimes brutally.

Yes, some people will die for a lie they believe is true. But no one will die for a lie they know is false. Some skeptics say they stole the corpse from the tomb, or invented the resurrection story. In any case, they would have known if Jesus was dead or resurrected. Later on, they died for it. The skeptical view doesn’t fit, if you have any common sense.

Back then, often if you denounced Christianity before being killed you would be set free, and Jesus’ disciples didn’t budge.

 

[MarysGirls]

My only problem with this statement is that all the times of his recorded life and beyond, Jesus has had more supporters for his tough situations than I have for situations I have gone through. It just does not make any sense to say that he was despised and rejected of men when clearly he never was compared to most people in the world. How unfair to think that there have been others, little children (who are innocent as well), who have had to face excruciating situations with NO ONE to lean on.

That is sad… But you see, because Jesus came no one must ever be alone, with no one to lean on. And whipped and beaten, standing before Pilate and the crowd, Jesus had no one to lean on either. All of His friends and supporters had deserted Him. The crowd that had once called, “Hosanna!” now called “Crucify Him!” At that point, Jesus had no one. (It makes me want to cry just thinking about it…)