Stump the Christian?

[Randy Carson]

You can stomp your feet all you want demanding proof. If I (and 2.2 billion others) want to believe the 1900+ year old content of the NT, I don't see why we are being unreasonable. I think for the belief to be unreasonable, you would have to prove that it is not what it claims to be. Are you denying that the first century Christians did not believe the way they said they did (and history shows the results)? I think the burden of proof does shift when there is no good reason not to believe the testimony of so many people.

Ah yes, the appeal to popularity.  However, we all know that a significant percentage of those 2.2 billion are pretty sure that you have it wrong to some degree or another.  The eight million Jehovah's Witnesses are absolutely certain that you other 1.192 billion are wrong enough to incur god's wrath, and they're using the Bible to "prove" it.  There are thousands of denominations and splinter groups and individuals who have interpretations of the Bible that contradict your interpretation on many points, with some being a complete opposite.

But please, tell us again about what "it claims to be."  Your interpretation is almost certain to be at odds with even a few of the handful of Christians who visit this forum, but you think that the burden of proof is on the non-believers.

I agree with you about the appeal to popularity as a PROOF. However, it does tell us something about human nature.

For example, if one of your best friends told you about an online game that he discovered, would you check it out?

If 2.2 billion people downloaded a new app onto their smartphones, would you check it out?

If xx billion people believe that a god exists, would you check it out?

Finally, doctrinal distinctions between various Christian denominations does not take away from the fact that Orthodox Christians (and let's be clear that Mormons and others are NOT Christians in the traditional sense of the word despite their claims to the contrary) agree that Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after His death on a cross.

Pointing to disagreements among Christians is like saying that a few players for the New England Patriots have disagreements among themselves over which of their passing plays is best in a third and long situation. That doesn't prevent them from winning the Super Bowl.