Happy Easter to all Christians , pagans , and apostites. Today this day you were forgiven your sinful ways. Humble yourselves before our God and savior Jesus Christ.
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Since you put it that way, I don’t know about that but I might cook some ham 
Happy Easter!
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Happy Easter.
John 1
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.
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-I’m a bit old for sinful ways, but I guess thoughtcrimes count (now, when I was younger…).
-Why should I humble myself before your god? Why not somebody else’s god? (Don’t feel much like humbling myself before anyone, actually: “rather die on my feet than live on my knees” and all that.)
-You notice I don’t address the people just saying “Happy Easter”, quoting the Bible, or saying “He is risen/He is risen indeed”, but since you feel specifically entitled to admonish people like me, I feel invited to reply.
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Oh come on man, Jesus gave up his weekend for your sins! 
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It was a pretty rough weekend.
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'By his wounds we are healed’, like an ancient version of the Taiwan Tattoo antics.
The 7 is kind of a modern-day temple I guess
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I think a parody bible is there for the taking. Although on second thoughts Monty python did that already. Damn…
The restaurant booking was especially difficult: table for 26 please! But you are only 13 people? Yes but we all got to sit on the same side.
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I didn’t know Connor Mgreggor was here
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Back on topic at hand.
From one priest who offers 9 points about Jesus’ Resurrection:
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Jesus really died.
The Romans knew how to crucify people and they were good at it. A half dead Jesus who escaped crucifixion wouldn’t inspire confidence in any believers. The resurrection must be more than this or it would have died in history. -
The tomb was empty.
There were prescribed burial customs that Jewish people followed. The body would be washed and anointed with myrrh, aloes, and perfumes (often with 100 pounds or so). The body is then placed in a tomb for about a year. Afterwards the bones are collected, put in an ossuary, and then buried. Jesus’ death was following this custom. The women went to the tomb after the sabbath so that they could complete the burial ritual. When the women and the disciples arrived and found the large stone rolled back, they didn’t know what to think.
Was the body stolen? The claim that the body was stolen by the disciples while soldiers fell asleep doesn’t make sense. It was a capital offense for soldiers to fall asleep at their post. Plus, if the soldiers were asleep, how would they know the body was stolen? The tomb was empty and the body was gone. The disciples were in no state to steal it and make up a story. -
The disciples would not have made up the story.
The disciples were defeated, fearful, and hiding. They were not willing to risk their own lives to fight through roman soldiers and Jewish guards to “roll back a large stone” and steal a dead body. What would be the purpose for doing that if they knew he was dead? If Jesus were dead, then he would have been delusional, a liar, or a false prophet. The disciples would have moved on and considered their hopes dashed. But they didn’t do that. Instead, they boldly proclaimed Jesus as risen from the dead and went to their deaths to affirm that reality. It only makes sense that they would have done this if Jesus rose from the dead, strengthened their conviction that he was the Messiah, and gave them the hope of salvation. -
No contrary evidence was produced.
If Jesus didn’t really rise, the opponents of Christianity would have produced the evidence of the dead body or the tomb to stop the spread of Christianity. For that matter, if their “testimonies” didn’t jibe, enemies of Christianity would have exposed the errors. The disciples were appealing to a “common knowledge” when they spoke of Jesus’ resurrection. It appears that even non-Christians didn’t outright deny the resurrection. The earliest anti-Christian apologists didn’t suggest that there was a dead body, Jesus didn’t rise, or that the story was made up even though this would have been the easiest way to disprove the resurrection and end Christianity in its earliest stages. -
Roman historians give historical recognition.
There wasn’t a lot written about Jesus by Roman historians, but for a Jewish religious figure that should be expected. Comparatively speaking, more was written about Jesus than most other historical figures who were not generals or rulers. What was written tends to confirm many of the details in the Gospels including Jesus, his death, Pilate, the growth of the Church, and the claim that he rose from the dead. Tacitus, Josephus, Suetonius, and Pliny the Younger are historians that mention Jesus. Although this doesn’t prove that Jesus rose from the dead, it does counter the argument some made that Jesus never existed and the story was invented by later believers and situate him firmly in the historical record. Any event can be "doubted away” but it is not reasonable to do that to Jesus for any true student of history. -
The details are different than what would be made up.
Many details are not predictable. For example, women were the first to see and proclaim his resurrection even though women weren’t believed to be credible witnesses during that time. If someone were to make up the story, men would be the first witnesses. The headpiece is folded up neatly and laid to the side. That would not be something someone would do if they were stealing the body, and it isn’t something someone would add to a description if it weren’t true. Jesus isn’t recognized at first by people who saw him. There are many details about his resurrection that differ from what a made up story would contain. -
The way Jesus appeared after rising from the dead.
The Gospels are emphatic that Jesus rose body and soul. Jesus ate in front of the disciples, Jesus says he is “not a ghost”, the wounds are present. At the same time, Jesus is not constrained to the materialistic three-dimensional world. He can appear and disappear and walk through closed doors like he did in the upper room. If people were to make up Jesus’ resurrection, they would not have done it in this manner. -
Credible witnesses.
Credible witnesses in Jesus’ time and in the ancient world were considered an important “proof”. For ancients, this would be considered better evidence than an empty tomb. That’s why giving false testimony was considered so scandalous. Think about someone you absolutely trust. If they tell you something with conviction, do you believe them? I wouldn’t believe a mentally ill stranger, but I would believe my parents. Many credible witnesses saw the risen Jesus when they had no personal gain to be realized from doing so. In fact, there were hundreds. St. Paul mentions Jesus appearing to over 500 people on one occasion, many of them still living (1 Corinthians 15:6). This implies that people can verify the story with the hundreds of still living witnesses. Obviously the witnesses were not an isolated incidents, but many saw and experienced the risen Jesus which adds to the credibility to the event. -
Conversions:
The great number of conversions that happened after Jesus’ resurrection gives testimony to the fulfillment of the prophecies and truth of Jesus’ mission. The prophets spoke of a time when the Messiah would bring the multitudes to God in his restored kingdom. The subsequent history after the resurrection points back to its reality.
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This is better in the Theism vs Athiesm thread- keep this one for short celebratory messages
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I think we were past that in the OP already.
It’s really hard to understand how this would make sense except as an act by people. An all powerful God surely could ensure the success of his grand cosmic plan without relying on the vagaries of history.
This thread exists as proof in Jesus’ - and indeed @crusher’s - eternal forgiveness. Can you imagine the aggro that would go down if the bible bashers posted insensitive jokes all over the holiest day of the Atheist’s calendar.
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What day is that Again, look back at the OP. The whole thing could have been different.
Happy Easter. It’s a beautiful religious tradition that’s set in such a specific way that forced the priests to study physics to predict when future Easter will fall on. It pretty much gave us modern science.
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