A new movie about Jesus is drawing outrage because it claims Mary was raped and Jesus came from this pregnancy. It seems to me that outrage is an appropriate response. As soon as the story appeared, some people asked us how we'd respond to it. Well, we'll see what evidence the movie conjures up. Right now it's a mere assertion and Christians have to resist the impulse to feel the burden of proof for every silly claim made. The appropriate response right now is a Columbo questions, Why would you believe a thing like that? What's your evidence? Let them give the reasons once should believe this.
Of course, it's obvious they're not going to come up with anything substantive. It'll be mere speculation and storytelling. And here's another tactic: Bedtime Story. Just because someone can tell a story, doesn't mean it has any rational basis. And that's the best thing to point out. Stack up their "evidence" against the Biblical evidence for Jesus' life.
Here's one more tactic: Rhodes Scholar.
As William Doehring explains in the Examiner, the film is based on the work of prominent Biblical theologians such as Rudolf Bultman and Raymond Brown, and the members of the Jesus Seminar, a group of biblical scholars whose research focuses on constructing an accurate portrait of the historical Jesus, one who was more ethicist and radical prophet than Son of God.
The Jesus Seminar is hardly a group of scholars who objectively evaluate the evidence. They've been exposed long ago as a group largely with no real expertise and a presupposition against the Biblical claims. Just because "scholars" are cited doesn't mean we should believe them. Sometimes it's more important why a "scholar" believes something than what he believes. And that's certainly the case with the Jesus Seminar. They don't have any evidence, but mere supposition.
Christians don't always have to bear the burden of proof. Be the skeptic sometimes and let the others making the crazy claims explain them. Ask for the evidence for this movie's claims. There won't be any.
Why would they need evidence for a work of fiction presented as a work of fiction?
RonH
Posted by: RonH | July 11, 2012 at 04:28 AM
The Jesus Seminar is hardly a group of scholars who objectively evaluate the evidence. They've been exposed long ago as a group largely with no real expertise and a presupposition against the Biblical claims.
I'd be careful about attacking the credentials and credibility of people associated with the Jesus Seminar on the grounds Melinda cites. Those at STR are not clearly more objective when weighing evidence. Have they expertise in the academic disciplines of ancient history or biblical scholarship? Like most of us, probably not. Equally clear is the fact that their conclusions (and the conclusions of some of the scholars they admire, e.g. Craig, Moreland, et al) concerning the Bible are very often predetermined by heavy-handed and highly uncertain presuppositions about the Bible peculiar to a narrow segment of the population (e.g. inerrancy). In the contest of lack of expertise and abundance of highly disputable presuppositions about Scripture, STR might in in general be winning when compared to the Jesus Seminar. At least it's not clear that they are not. Perhaps, therefore, another tactic should be recommended, namely to be careful not to fall on your own petard.
That is not to say that we should be forbidden from discussing issues concerning which we lack expertise. That would be stupid. It is also not to shame anyone at STR for not having expertise in biblical scholarship or history (most of us do not; I do not). It is just to say that, when discussing matters concerning which we ourselves are at best neophytes, it is probably not prudent to start railing against our interlocutor for his or her lack of credentials while we, though quite sciolistic ourselves, pronounce dogmatically on the matter with the voice of the verdict in order to uphold and defend uncertain and sectarian religious dogmas that we cherish deeply. Finally, none of this is to say anything at all about whether Jesus' conception was due to a rape, a topic for which (as far as I know) we have a dearth of data to guide us, despite the overweening and amusing confidence of parties on both sides.
Posted by: Malebranche | July 11, 2012 at 07:18 AM
How unspeakably vile these people are!
And yet Christians will not be rampaging in the streets, rioting, and murdering the filmmakers over it.
Posted by: Mo | July 11, 2012 at 05:27 PM
To M and M - Mel (if I may be so informal) bulls eye! Forget about crazy claims and move on... just a Dan Brown wanna-be hoping for the next cash cow... we will see but I think even a secular public isn't going to buy this crass and baseless nonsense. Mal, you must have had fun writing that one - interesting viewpoint and some humour... A "dearth of data" indeed! Cheers folks.
Posted by: JustChatting | July 13, 2012 at 07:22 PM