
This is a simple question to answer, because the answer is agreed on by virtually everyone with any knowledge of the evidence: Yes. But that hasn't stopped some popular atheists from spreading nonsense.

There are multiple non-Christian sources who confirm Jesus was real from within 100 years of his death.

- Flavius Josephus ([Antiquities 20:22](https://ccel.org/j/josephus/works/ant-20.htm); [Antiquities 18:63](https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0146%3Abook%3D18%3Asection%3D63)—often disputed)
- Tacitus ([Annuls](https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0078%3Abook%3D15%3Achapter%3D44))
- Suetonius ([Lives of the Caesars, Claudius 25](https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0132%3Alife%3Dcl.%3Achapter%3D25)—see footnote 5)

Neither Tacitus nor Suetonius had a positive view of Christians. Nevertheless, denying certain basic facts about Jesus clearly would have been unreasonable. It would be like a Democrat denying that Donald Trump exists—it would be too ridiculous. Thus, he is mentioned as a real person who was executed by crucifixion but whose followers believed “a most mischievous superstition” (that he rose from the dead).

In conclusion, if people who were no friends of Christians and lived not long after Jesus said matter-of-factly that He was real, there is no reason to doubt it.


Did Jesus Exist?

## Why Does God Tolerate Evil?

The traditional argument against God allowing evil goes like this: If God is all good, he could not tolerate any evil. If God is all powerful, he could stop all evil. Therefore, God must not be all good, or he must not be all powerful.

This argument is obviously mistaken. If there are free beings—us—are you seriously suggesting that God ought to destroy us the second we do anything evil? Or is he lacking in power because he does not? He would be justified in doing so, but giving flawed people a chance at redemption seems a far better option to me, since I prefer mercy. The only question, then, is how much mercy and patience should be shown, and I submit to you that God knows better than you or I, so we ought to be accepting and patient.

## Why Is There So Much Natural Suffering?

The biblical explanation is that God cursed both us and the Earth when the first man, Adam, disobeyed. Since Adam was made to rule over all the land and all animals, is it a surprise that when he rebelled against God (all disobedience is rebellion), all of nature was cursed? We also know from the Bible that Satan has great authority until Jesus returns, and he causes much evil. The Christian hope is not in solving all the world's problems now, but in redemption through Jesus Christ and the eternal life in paradise which is promised.

For more, [read on...](/articles/how-could-a-perfect-god-allow-evil)



How Could a Perfect God Allow Evil?

## Is a God Logically Possible?

### He Had No Beginning

If it is unreasonable to think of God as having no beginning, it is unreasonable to think of matter as having no beginning, yet something must have had no beginning. Read [Is the Universe Eternal?](/articles/is-the-universe-eternal) to find out why.

### What Is He Made of?

What exactly is God's essence? How can it be described technically? Well, what is the essence of energy? Both are unknown, but we know that God has a mind, and minds exist. We know that He has power, and power exists. Clearly, he is not made of physical objects, but there is no logical reason to believe that physical objects are the only way things can exist. In fact, our conscious experience is something intangible that yet exists. It has very different properties to matter—personal properties.

The mental effort I put into solving a hard problem does not have length or weight. Even if you knew what chemicals were involved in my brain during that experience, that would do nothing to explain what the actual experience of putting the effort in was like. 

### Are Miracles Possible?

The biggest miracle I can think of is the creation of the Universe, and since there is much evidence for an intelligent, all-powerful being creating all that we see, miracles of any other sort are certainly possible. It should not be surprising that God can raise the dead if he created the sun, moon, stars, and every living being.

Commonly, miracles are denied with circular reasoning, as it is in vogue to think that only physical stuff exists, which is a belief often called naturalism. The naturalist apparently does not believe in science or math, since neither is actually physical stuff. Unhindered by reason though, he says that miracles cannot happen because God is not real, and God is not real because only the physical world exists.

## How God Is Known

1. **Reason and understanding:** God explains the brilliant design of everything we see. Nothing else can. There are several sound arguments for God’s existence, as explained in [Proofs of God's Existence](/articles/proofs-of-gods-existence).
1. **Witnessing a miracle or direct revelation:** We have to be careful with spiritual experiences, but sometimes they are from God himself.
1. **The testimonies of others:** Incredible things have happened to many people. You might find a trustworthy person with a miraculous story who you can talk to, or you might find compelling evidence for something that happened thousands of miles away in the past.

## Resources

### 📚 Books

- _The Case for Christ_ by Lee Strobel.
- _Cold Case Christianity_ by J. Warner Wallace.
- _Mere Christianity_ by C. S. Lewis.
- _I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist_ by Frank Turek and Normal Geisler.

### 🎙️ Podcasts and Videos

- [Are Miracles Really Possible? Really?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNn0FLkjyc4) by Cross Examined.
- [The True Story of ‘Breakthrough’](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj1eNOpiLwQ) by Inside Edition.






Is God Real?


It is common to say that Jesus was a great moral teacher, yet this
view can only be held by those who can recall little of what he
said. Take this example:

> "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one."
>
> _John 10:27–30_

He promises eternal life and says that he is "greater than
all" by being one with the Father (God). These are the words of a
lunatic, a liar, or the true Son of God. As C. S. Lewis put it, for Jesus to have believed what he said and been wrong, he would have to
be as mad as "the man who says he is a poached egg." Him lying
would mean that billions of people have hoped in vain for eternal
life, and many lost their lives and much of their enjoyment because they followed his commands.

> "If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, 'Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die."
>
> _1 Corinthians 15:32_

If you read the words of Jesus and those he gave authority (his
apostles) in the New Testament, you will find that he appeared to be neither a liar nor a fool. Therefore, you might consider trusting him. We always have incomplete knowledge; it really is that simple.


Jesus—Moral Teacher or Son of God?

## The Good News

Christians believe that God created all things and existed before them, that the Bible is God's word, and that before he made us, he already knew our kind would do wrong. But he had a plan: Being perfect, no evil can go unpunished by him, so he would send his son, who would live perfectly, to die in our place: the willing death of an innocent in place of the punishment of all. And that son rose from the dead and is seated at the right hand of God. Therefore all men can be clean from their sins and dwell with God in paradise forever, if they turn from their evil ways and trust in Jesus.

## LGBTQIA+

*Do Christians hate gays? Are they intolerant?*

Christians believe sexual acts between two men or two women are evil, like cheating on a spouse. This is a very common view in many societies and is obvious to children, who naturally ridicule gays. It is just unpopular to say that it is wrong presently. Like all sinners, they must renounce their lifestyles in order to follow Christ.

## Slavery

Slavery is also bad, and the Old Testament did not “support slavery.” The Law of Moses did permit slavery to some extent, but it also permitted divorce. These laws were for Israelites to follow until Jesus came, not descriptions of perfect conduct.

Christians were not uniquely slave owners, but they did uniquely spur the freeing of them the world over at their own expense. Read [The British Empire's Role In Ending Slavery Worldwide](https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/Britains-Role-Ending-Slavery-Worldwide/).

## Women

The Christian view of women is very far from cruel. They were created in the image of God and were made to have dominion over all other things in the world, like men. They will inherit eternal life in a glorious new creation if they are found in Jesus Christ.

Our feminist culture might insist that having men rank above women ever is horrible, but we all know better than that really. Hence, husbands do have authority over their wives, and both have authority over the children. This is a sensible order of things.

Women are also not permitted to teach men in church, though many modern churches allow this, disobeying the Bible due to pressure from our feminist culture.

What Do Christians Believe?


If you do not believe that miracles are possible, then I suggest you read [Proofs of God's Existence](/articles/proofs-of-gods-existence) and [Supernatural Events](/articles/supernatural-events), where you will find links to more thorough articles and videos for further investigation. If you understand that miracles are possible, then read on.

## Prophecy

The number of prophecies Jesus fulfilled is astounding, one of which is that many gentiles (non-Jews) would turn to God because of Him. Think of it: supposedly, God is only an idea invented by a small people in the Middle East, yet it was predicted that after the death and resurrection of the savior sent by God, many all over the Earth would turn to God.

Supporting the legitimacy of the prophecies is that Jews who deny Jesus are very confident that the Jewish Bible was around long before Jesus. Their acknowledgment of him being a miracle worker is also excellent proof (they say he used witchcraft).

## The Minimal Facts Case

### The Agreed Upon Historical Facts

1. Jesus lived on Earth.
2. He was known to be a miracle worker.
3. He was definitely crucified.
4. His tomb was empty three days later.
5. Jesus's followers were convinced they saw the risen Jesus.
6. His followers were willing to suffer and die for their belief that Jesus was proven the Son of God by the resurrection.
7. The unbelieving brother of Jesus then believed he saw the risen Jesus.
8. Saul, who was imprisoning and voting for the execution of Christians, then believed he saw the risen Jesus.

### The Argument

The best explanation for these facts is that Jesus really rose from the dead. Why else would a notable unbeliever (His brother) and an enemy of the church (Saul, or Paul) have both converted and claimed to have seen the risen Lord? Why would the disciples proclaim a recently killed "criminal" as Lord, to their own peril, if they knew it was a lie?

### Links

- [The Ultimate Guide to Old Testament Prophecies Jesus Christ Fulfilled](https://www.preaching.com/articles/the-ultimate-guide-to-old-testament-prophecies-jesus-christ-fulfilled/)
- [Really Specific Prophecy Jesus Fulfilled on the Cross! Amazing!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eq8oaOix3rs&t=3242s)


What Is the Evidence for the Resurrection?


## False Christianity

There are people who call themselves Christian who believe many different things—often whatever suits them. Fortunately, they almost always say the Bible is ultimately correct, so you can just read it for yourself and learn. It will require a lot of effort and reading it multiple times, but you can get there.

Dishonest or ignorant atheists will often act as though Mormons, Christians, and Catholics are not meaningfully different. When lumping all these groups together, they point to something false about, say, the Mormons, and then act as though that disproves the Christians' beliefs, since both groups call themselves Christians.

In reality, there are legitimate reasons for believing the Bible to be the true word of God, and the reliability of the text is exceptional. Therefore, when some new cult comes along, like Mormonism, and rewrites and reinterprets scriptures, it is not difficult for a sensible, knowledgeable person to distinguish between this religion and the truth.

## Other Religions Using the Name Christian

- Roman Catholicism (Catholics)
- Mormonism (Mormons; Latter Day Saints of Jesus Christ)
- Jehovah's Witnesses
- Seventh Day Adventists
- Christian Universalists
- Christian Science

## Denominations

Denominations are labels for groups of Christians that generally agree with each other on certain topics. For example, those in the Baptist denomination (Baptists) do not believe in infant baptism and are generally fairly conservative.

You may hear that there are tens of thousands of denominations, but this simply is not true. A quick search on the Internet will show you the main few in your country.

Importantly, even churches in denominations that are normally faithful to the teachings of the Bible may go astray. It is up to each Christian to think for himself or herself.


Why All the Different Types of Christian?


Christians believe that God created all things and existed before them, that the Bible is God's word, and that before He made us, He already knew our kind would rebel. But he had a plan: being perfect, no evil can go unpunished by Him, so He would send His Son, who would live perfectly, to die in our place: the willing death of an innocent in place of the punishment of all. Therefore all men can be clean from their sins and dwell with God in paradise forever, if they believe in God's Son and follow Him.
