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View Full Version : Why Mary Mother of Jesus does not Qualify as a Group Hallucination



AlwaysLoved
03-26-2014, 02:37 PM
The reason I don't consider the gathering of people seeing Mary alive from the dead, because it was far off in the distance so they could not see up and close if it was really her. Remember the disciples did not realize it was Jesus at first after His resurrection because he was far off in the distance. The point there is we should not accept any claim off in the distance, only up close and personal.

On page 105 of The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus (2004), Gary R. Habermas said a delusion is a "false belief held with conviction that it is true in spite of evidence that invalidates the truth."

You could say since everyone who has died is still asleep waiting to be resurrected then someone who claims someone saw someone alive who had died would be a "delusion" of belief.

A hallucination is a "false perception of something that is not there."

Those who say what they claimed to be Mary off in the distance would not be a hallucination because hallucinations are up close and personal, but an illusion...

is a "distorted perception of something that is there." So there could have been some objective reference but it was misperceived as being Mary. So group hallucinations still remain impossible.

"Put succinctly: An illusion is a distorted perception. A hallucination is a false perception. A delusion is a false belief."

That's why and group hallucination as visions fail as an argument for the Apostles in various group settings.

I suppose that's why Gary says nobody has been able to come up with a viable naturalistic explanation the past 2000 years for the first Apostles seeing, talking to even touching Jesus.