Sunday, December 13, 2009

A Challenge to JP

Here is a thought experiment for the likes of JP:

We know that you believe that the Torah was written by God.
Theoretically speaking, what evidence could you think of, that would prove to you, that the Torah, AS WE KNOW IT, was conceived of and written by men?

I ask myself the same question in reverse-- what would prove to me unequivocally that the Torah, as is, was written by God?

Proofs for me would be the at least one of the following:

1. God explicitly revealing himself nowadays, unequivocally, and telling us that he wrote it.

2. That nature would somehow transform itself, so that the "supernatural" miracles described in the Torah would be seen nowadays.

3. That we would be provided unequivocal evidence of life after death, soul, or whatever.

4. As an alternative to #3--that nature changed such that justice is preserved in this world.

(Notice that all of these things are conditions described by some commentators as Messianic times)

I purposely omit arguments from the documentary hypothesis, since theoretically a God would write the book however he wants-anachronisms and all. This thought experiment deals with the text as is.

What do you say, JP? What would convince you? Remember: the more spectacular the claim, the stronger the evidence must be.