1. A Case for Christianity
James Fodor, March 2014

2. My Argument It is probable that a creator God exists
If it is probable that a creator God exists, then it is likely that Christianity is true
Therefore, it is likely that Christianity is true and naturalism is false
Valid argument (modus ponens)

3. My Argument 0. Inference to the best explanation is valid
It is probable that a creator God exists
If it is probable that a creator God exists, then it is likely that Christianity is true
Therefore, it is likely that Christianity is true and naturalism is false
Valid argument (modus ponens)

4. 0. Inference to Best Explanation
If a theory explains some phenomena much better than alternatives, we have reason to believe that theory is ‘true’
Example: electromagnetism very successful, so electrons probably exist
Example: footprints provides evidence for existence of intruder
If theism explains what naturalism cannot, there is reason to accept theism

5. My Argument 0. Inference to the best explanation is valid
It is probable that a creator God exists
If it is probable that a creator God exists, then it is likely that Christianity is true
Therefore, it is likely that Christianity is true and naturalism is false
Valid argument (modus ponens)

6. 1. The Cosmological Argument
The universe is contingent
Principle of sufficient reason: contingent things require a cause/explanation
Naturalism cannot explain the ultimate origin of the universe
Theism provides such an explanation
Therefore (from IBE), it is likely that theism is true

7. a) Contingency Contingent: ‘could have been different’
Most facts are contingent: e.g. time of this debate, that water is H2O
Maths and logic are necessary: must necessarily be the case that = 2
The universe is contingent – it could have been different, or not existed at all

8. Rebuttal: Universe is Necessary
“The Universe is necessary, so needs no cause”
Everything in the universe is contingent – seems odd the totality would not be
The universe just is the total collection of things in the universe
God is not in the universe, so doesn’t apply

9. b) Principle of Sufficient Reason
Any contingent state of affairs must have a reason for why it is that way
Example: what caused the coin to land tails? Why is grass green?
Rejecting this principle leads to nonsensical notions – things happen ‘just because’
It could have been either way, so what made it turn out that way?
Also underpins all scientific inquiry

10. Rebuttal: Quantum Mechanics
“Quantum Mechanics shows that things can happen without cause (two slit experiment)”
Not necessarily – depends on your interpretation (e.g. Bohm vs Copenhagen)
In QM outcomes may be uncaused, but probabilities are not
Merely alter principle of sufficient reason, not reject it

11. c) The Failure of Naturalism
Big Bang Theory does not explain the origin of the universe, only early development
Other theories (e.g. Lawrence Krauss ‘A Universe from Nothing’) only explain by appealing to other contingent facts
This leads to infinite regress
Cannot offer an ultimate explanation

12. Rebuttal: Uncaused Universe
“The Universe came from nothing/caused itself”
Naturalistic explanations operate through physical laws and events
But physical laws and events did not exist ‘before’ the universe
Any materialist explanation will suffer this problem

13. d) God as an Explanation
Theism states that an intelligent agent created the universe
Properties of this creator: powerful, purposive, self-sufficient, non-material
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” – Gen 1:1
God was the ‘prime mover’; “who created God” is not a sensible objection
God is an agent; doesn’t need physical laws or events like naturalism does

14. Rebuttal: Minds are Complex
“A being able to create the universe would be immensely complex, so explains nothing”
This is true only if one assumes materialism
Theism posits a simple, non-material God
God doesn’t have internal parts or complex mechanisms that require explanation
God is an agent with ‘free will’
No a priori reason to suppose physical explanations are better than mental ones

15. Comparative Explanatory Power
Theism naturally explains why the universe is suitable for life – God made it that way deliberately
Naturalism cannot explain this fact
Chance? Overwhelmingly unlikely given the number of possibilities
Multiverses? Unproven and unparsimonious

16. 1. The Cosmological Argument
The universe is contingent
Principle of sufficient reason: contingent things require a cause/explanation
Naturalism cannot explain the ultimate origin of the universe
Theism provides such an explanation
Therefore (from IBE), it is likely that theism is true

17. My Basic Approach 0. Inference to the best explanation is valid
It is probable that a creator God exists
If it is probable that a creator God exists, then it is likely that Christianity is true
Therefore, it is likely that Christianity is true and naturalism is false
Valid argument (modus ponens)

18. 2. The Resurrection of Jesus
Certain facts about the Resurrection of Jesus are widely agreed on by historians
These facts cannot be explained through any naturalistic means
If God exists, then Christianity can provide an explanation for these facts
Therefore, if God exists, then Christianity is likely to be true

19. a) The Minimal Facts As discussed by Robert: Jesus was crucified
Various disciples claimed to see Jesus after his death
The disciples suffered considerable persecution for their claims
Sudden conversion of Paul from persecutor to Christian evangelist

20. b) Naturalistic Explanations
Most common is mass hallucination
Problem is that there is no such thing!
Hallucination is an individual phenomenon
Given expectation and group influences, people can interpret ambiguous stimuli in particular (miraculous) ways
However, these effects cannot lead to an actual mass hallucination

21. b) Naturalistic Explanations
Another explanation is fraud or conspiracy
This is difficult to reconcile with the fact of persecution
Also does not fit many details, like the notion of a bodily resurrected Messiah or women finding the empty tomb
Like most conspiracy theories, collapses under its own implausibility

22. Rebuttal: Other Religions
“All religions have their own miracle claims, so we know that groups of people can claim to see things that aren’t real”
Need to look at the details of the claims
Resurrection accounts are far superior to those of other religions
Some examples…

23. Comparison with Islam
The Quran contains essentially no accounts of historical miracles
‘The Quran itself’ is the miracle, but not objectively verifiable
Hadith contains some miracles, but not written until two centuries later

24. Comparison with Buddism
Nothing written about Buddha until centuries after he lived
Modern claims of miraculous statues, etc can be explained by expectancy and other natural phenomena
A man rising from the dead cannot be so explained

25. Comparison with Virgin Mary
Many cases of large groups reporting to see visions of the Virgin Mary
Can be explained as expectation effects, ambiguous stimuli, crowd reinforcement, memory biases, etc
Meeting a person who died is very different to seeing a vision in the sky or in a window

26. Back from the Dead
Very rare to have contemporary sightings of a person back from the dead
Elvis, Anastasia, and Hitler allegedly sighted after death, but not by anyone who actually knew them
A few odd claims in other religions, but not well documented
Other accounts are mythological (e.g. Horus, Dionysus), not historical accounts

27. The Resurrection Challenge
Multiple accounts (Synoptic Gospels, John’s Gospel, Paul’s Epistles)
Written within years or decades of event
Accounts are historically grounded
Clearly tell of unambiguously supernatural occurrence
Multiple witnesses on many occasions
Challenge naturalists to find any comparable instances of this in history!

28. c) Christianity as an Explanation
If God exists, supernatural explanation is plausible
Christianity naturally explains all facts: God raised Jesus, risen Jesus appeared to his disciples, then appeared to Paul
No implausible assumptions needed (e.g. identical twin!)

29. 2. The Resurrection of Jesus
Certain facts about the Resurrection of Jesus are widely agreed on by historians
These facts cannot be explained through any naturalistic means
If God exists, then Christianity can provide an explanation for these facts
Therefore, if God exists, then Christianity is likely to be true