Similarity of Mormons and Atheists

[Sandyman]

While I am not an atheist, these do not seem like very deep questions to me.

1) we have only the word of whoever wrote the Gospels that the disciples saw a resurrected Jesus, and three of the Gospels are synoptic - i.e., they clearly derive from a single common source. As such, there are really only three sources who claim Christ was resurrected in the Bible. (A) whoever is the original source for the synoptic gospels, and we don't know who that was. (B) the Gospel of John, probably written by John the apostle (though it never says so). (C) Paul's letters. And Paul didn't see the resurrected Jesus except in vision. Therefore, your numerous "disciples who saw Jesus" drop down to two people (the unnamed synoptic source and John), and I can claim that they were either mistaken or trying to deceive.

2) I agree that the existence of Nature proves a Divine Source. Like I said before, I'm not an atheist, and so this is obvious. But it doesn't demonstrate that this Divine Source is any friend to man.

[Faithful]

They are not meant to be deep questions but foundational for life in Christ. Though really is anything deeper than Christ?

There is nothing to suggest three of the gospels come from a common source as there are many differences yet all in agreement. They are so well multiply corroborated and early. Luke worked with Paul and Paul with Mark and Peter to name just a few of the workers for the Church mentioned in Scripture. Second generation Apostles who knew Peter and John comment on their testimony too, e.g. Polycarp an Clement of Rome. Paul even spent time with John. Luke wrote Acts and said it was part two of his former work. He writes about Paul but makes no mention of his death so Acts was written about 55 AD since Paul died in the Neronian persecutions around 65 AD. Luke was written before Acts so that places Luke around 45 AD. Luke took from Mark in part so that places Mark around 35 AD just two years after the cross. Basically, all the books of the NT were written before the Neronian persecutions except for Revelation which was written by John around 95 AD.

You want some grand conspiracy, but Mark really is Mark, Luke really is Luke, Paul really is Paul, John really is John, Peter really is Peter and Matthew really is Matthew. The burden is on you to show otherwise. None other would qualify to write these books than these individuals who were either original eyewitnesses or close friends.

All the books of the NT either directly or indirectly touch upon the resurrection. It's a non-issue.

As for John he places himself at the cross in John and later in his epistles said He saw Jesus resurrected. What more do you want?

Paul is very important because he said he spent 15 days with Peter, and also with John and James on more than one occasion who saw Jesus resurrected. Are you calling Paul a liar? He willingly died not only for his eyewitness testimony (others were present with him in broad daylight who experienced the same light and heard the same voice as they all fell to the ground as recorded by Paul, Luke and Peter) but the testimony given to him by John, James and Peter having seen Jesus alive together in various group settings.

Since all these individuals (except for John who was imprisoned) went to their deaths for their testimony and people don't willingly die for what they know is a lie, then you know they didn't lie. They truly believed it. But group hallucinations are impossible.

Your problem is your lack of logic. But why are you so illogical when faced with the best proof you could ever ask for? It is because there is a hostility within you that wants another way than the what God provides. That's why you are a Mormon and not a Christian.

Of course the Divine Source is a friend of man and friend of sinners who died on the cross for the sins of the world. There are several good reasons for saying so: 1) Jesus' death to atone for sins and resurrection to give eternal life are proven; 2) God made us in His image; 3) He walked among us; 4) He promises to return to reign with His overcomers; and 5) spend eternity in the New City with the elect. "The tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God" (Rev. 21.3).

The reason you are not saved and going to Hell is because you are a Mormon. In other words, you reject the one true God who is uncreated, One Being in 3 Persons. You are very much like an atheist because you believe in infinite regress as taught in Mormonism but throw a supernatural element into it. The truth of your mistaken assumption is there is one uncreated Creator. That's it. There are no gods before God or after God or beside God. He alone is from everlasting. This is proven by nature. So you disagree with Romans 1.20 which says nature proves the uncreated Creator.