How could an intelligent person possibly believe in Jesus? We've got 15 reasons. Click on the image below and explore. We hope you enjoy it!
Other Smart People Do. Among the worlds smartest and most influential people are those who believe in Jesus. Faith is no barrier for intelligence, as illustrated by the enormous list of way-too-smart people that believed in Jesus. 65.4% of Nobel prize winners between the years of 1900-2000 identified themselves as Christian. From ocket scientists to biochemists, believers have proven themselves to be just as intelligent as the rest.
Jesus Likes Science. Zoology was the first occupation. (see Genesis) The formation and incubation of modern science began with believers in Jesus in the mid 1500s. The Christian passion for truth drove the early scientists, who were mostly theologians, to seek natural knowledge. Jesus is not scared of truth, and if Jesus is true then science will eventually point to him.
His Life Was Predicted. There were 353 precise predictions documented about the coming arrival and life of Jesus. Most were not clearly understood until after Jesus’ life. It was clear enough, however, that the Jewish people had been expecting his arrival for centuries.
The Disciples Were Convinced. The disciples believed that Jesus had risen from the dead, along with performing about a zillion other miracles. Scholars agree that the disciples found the tomb empty on the third day. Either they were all crazy, all deceived, or all right. One thing is for sure, they were convinced.
The Eye Witnesses Were Willing To Die. If the eyewitnesses had made the story up, they would not have sacrificed their lives to prove that the story wasn’t fiction. Eleven of the 12 disciples were murdered in ridiculously brutal ways for their faith. All they would have had to do was shut up about it, but instead they were hanged, beheaded, boiled in oil, stabbed, stoned, crucified, beaten to death, to prove the story was true. Now that’s tenacity.
Historical Method Is a Trusted Process. Not only were the disciples convinced, but virtually all modern scholars of antiquity agree that Jesus existed, and most Biblical scholars and classical historians see the theories of his non-existence as effectively refuted.
You’re betting your Life, you might as well play the odds. All humans are betting their lives on a wager, that God does or does not exist. The consequences of not believing if it turns out to be true, are far greater than if one believes and it turns out to be false. Therefore a rational person should live as if God exists and seek to believe in him. Mathematically speaking, it’s the safest bet.
He can’t just be a good moral teacher. He is either a crazy man, a compulsive liar, or he’s Divine. His teachings did not leave the option “Only a great teacher” open to us. If he’s a liar or a lunatic, his moral teaching is not to be trusted. However, his moral teaching has proven itself, so we are left with one option. Logically he must be Lord.
It's Effectiveness. The story of Jesus has proven to be unstoppable, as demonstrated by its growth throughout the world, constant cultural relevance, and intense personal acceptance. It overtook the Roman empire, and today 2.1 billion people, or about a third of the world identify themselves as Christians.
Mythology Takes Time. Mythology takes time to develop. Jesus could not have gone from historical figure to folklore in the amount of time between his death, and the first writings of the Gospels. It would have been immediately rejected. Imagine someone trying to honestly claim that George Washington was a Ghost Hunter… Although it might make a fun Quentin Tarantino film!
He was accepted by his peers. The most scrutinizing audience would be the contemporaneous observers of Jesus’ life. However, his story was accepted as truth, by a large portion of that contemporaneous audience. Not only did a huge number of eye witnesses believe he was Divine but the story is not refuted by ancient sources.
He provided an adequate cosmology. “Why are we here,” you might ask. The teachings of Jesus provide an adequate explanation for the purpose for the existence of mankind and the universe. Theoretical Particle physicists are still trying to develop the theory of everything, but billions of people around the world have found Jesus’ explanation adequate.
Faith in Jesus is good medicine. The belief in a loving benevolent Savior is a favorable perception that has measurable psychological, and emotional benefits regardless of his actual existence.
His moral teaching works. In societies where Jesus’ teaching are applied properly they have been proven to enhance human rights, improve education, elicit gender equality, increase the value placed on children, and break down class inequality.
He performed Miracles to Back his Claims. The claims he made about himself were so audacious, he would have had to prove his authority by supernatural means. Luckily he did. Even those who were against him recognized that there was something supernatural going on. His opponents described him as a miracle worker, or a sorcerer. you can bet if there was any way for them to claim that jesus did not perform miracles, his opponents would have. It was too obvious. It was too well known. The populace was too well aware of his miraculous actions for his opponents to deny it. Multiple eye witnesses accounts verify that he performed supernatural acts, exercised demons, and rose from the dead.
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