The way we are taught in middle school science class to see if something is true is to say is it repeatable? That is can it be reproduced again and again with the same results? And if it can, then it must be true. Any good scientist if he wants to make it into the Journal of Scientific American and be published ( with honor) knows this. He would not even attempt a lie, a falsity because he knows he could have his life's works de-bunked. And this has happened to those who have tried to cut corners! Remember back few years when fussion was supposedly accomplished in a rather simple experiment, but could not be reproduced again by others? In 1989 Martin Fleischmann (then one of the world's leading electrochemists) and Stanley Pons reported that their apparatus had produced anomalous heat ("excess heat"), of a magnitude they asserted would defy explanation except in terms of nuclear processes.[1] They further reported measuring small amounts of nuclear reaction byproducts, including neutrons and tritium.[2] The small tabletop experiment involved electrolysis of heavy water on the surface of apalladium (Pd) electrode.[3] The reported results received wide media attention,[3] and raised hopes of a cheap and abundant source of energy.[4]
Many scientists tried to replicate the experiment with the few details available. Hopes fell with the large number of negative replications, the withdrawal of many positive replications, the discovery of flaws and sources of experimental error in the original experiment, and finally the discovery that Fleischmann and Pons had not actually detected nuclear reaction byproducts.[5] By late 1989, most scientists considered cold fusion claims dead,[6][7] and cold fusion subsequently gained a reputation as pathological science.[8][
So if we apply this same methodology to say Christianity and Jesus....what do we find? Did in fact Jesus die? Yes we have record, but no body, bones etc. Did he have witnesses? Yes, many say they saw him alive again after his death on the cross. Can we believe it? We choose to or not too, based upon what....reasonable and logical thinking that others have and we also have proven it true or not. I would not continue to believe in something like as those scientists that proved failure, if something were not reasonable and true. So, can we reproduce today the same things the Apostles did when they first believed the resurrection of Christ? And if so, was there in fact a Holy Spirit, (though invisible) that was receivable in a tangible way so as to recognize that it would have to be of origin of another place ( as Christ's stated fact that he was not of this world). Paul the Apostle of Christ and a missionary to the Gentiles would have us believe so. Here was a man trained from his youth and taught of from the very best minds of his day to believe in and refute any lie of his day concerning false doctrine or blasphemy of and concerning his God. What happend to him?He was changed.......Here was a man eating the best "meat" of his day but was forced to reject it or "spit out the bones" so to speak, and start anew in a belief that he was wrong all along and had persecuted the ones who chose to believe in a God (Jesus)( he was the one they were waiting for) who had indeed come to earth to share good news about a kingdom to be had here and now. A spiritual one. One that was reproducable again and again by the same methods, observeable by those with eyes to see. Or those who were no longer closed to facts played out in front of them.
Let's take for instance the reproduceable nature of the Holy Spirit.....Can it be received? Yes, according to scripture with the laying on of hands and prayer. Did it happen? On Pentecost it made those who gathered to hear Peter hear each one in his own accord hear the same thing though many different nationalities were present. How they said was this possible? By the infilling nature of what Jesus talked about during his earthly ministry. He told those who followed him to wait for the comforter. (Spirit) that was to be poured out. And it was. When Paul traveled on his missionary journeys he met those who believed but had not yet received the Spirit.(Acts 19:2 ) and he layed hands on them and they also received. Simon a sorcerer was once a follower because he saw the many signs the Apostles performed which were obviously visible in nature but was rebuked by Paul because he missed the truth to what was happening. Money could not purchase the Holy Spirit. So in the self same way we observe, define, propose a hypothesis, gather evidence, reject or retain the information found and develop it further to see if truth is there. Same as science. Paul was no slacker in logical thinking. Remember he met the most intelligent minds of his day, in Athens...intellectuals who were heavy hitters and who tried repeatedly to debunk his preaching. Festus to whom Paul appeared to before being handed over to Caesar accused him of being mad (" much learning has made you mad.") Festus replied in as much to say would you convert me? Paul said, I would have everyone be as me. Why not? Giving up, murder, persecution, slander, and imprisoning others for the sake of belief in a God, what's wrong with that? Absolutely nothing. So we all choose in some way or another when we hear of impossible things of a faith nature. We must be like a Paul, re-think and reason with what God has indeed given us, a mind to sort through the mud, and eat the meat.....spit out the bones!
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