BEYOND ANY REASONABLE DOUBT
The chain of judicially acceptable evidence stretches back through your family. Each link is a ‘current fact’ witnessed and averred to before the
court in live testimony. That of each (unassimilated) Jew - that he heard certain words from his father. This is acceptable human testimony - ‘my father [teacher] told me that his father had told him that his father had told him … …’ We sceptically dissect this soon.
That ‘current’ fact’ is only that claim – ‘my father told me …’. But you heard him. In each generation the same applied and created a judicial precedent. Now, agreed, your grandfather’s statement to your father may not have happened – perhaps Dad is telling you a white lie – but your father’s words to you did happen. You could be a delusionist. But when all orthodox Jews have the same delusion that their parents made that statement – you have evidential certainty – conjoined by precedent. That fact has been true for 140 generations. No generation lied because each heard his father. The chain is judicially certain. Tracing this back, the root claim of Sinai itself has full judicial probity.
Further, the Yemenite Jews, the Samarian enemies of the Jews, archaeology, documentation going back 2500 years – all prove practices’ existence some 3000 years. Of course, this all proves only the age of Judaism.
So what of the truth of the supernatural Revelation before a whole people simultaneously, each witnessing the others, testifying to the Book and Laws given at that time? Surely that is impossible to contemplate. The first generation of rebellious kids must have screamed in protest. But they went from tent to tent and everyone said they had seen the same thing. What could they do?? Were all the old folks hallucinating on magic mushrooms, crazy, bewitched, brain-washed? We go through every possible scam and show it could not have worked.
No religion has such an insane claim – yet we are still here. Everyone has tried to prove it a myth. A narrative of one person having a private revelation with no witnesses is easy. Scores of faiths and billions of followers prove its success. Yet amongst 50,000 presumed religions in the past 4000 years, only one has survived with our crazy, unbelievable story. You actually exist as a perhaps begrudging Jew. How did that happen? Chance? Luck?
It just happened. Jews are crafty and got lucky. Nobody stole their story because it was so impossible.
Precisely. It is a 50,000 to 1 chance that we could survive. That is impossibility in terms of the Law of Probability. The universe is inexplicable. Life on earth is inexplicable. You are inexplicable. Judaism’s survival is inexplicable as a religion claiming a witnessed, historical beginning. All this jus’ happened? Is all this natural? Do we find any other chain like this? It seems super strange. Or even super-natural.
Sit down and try to invent a new religion with the same basic tools as Judaism. Invent a mass, witnessed event – that a blue dragon appeared to all your friends and relatives on April 1st 2020. Invent a book the dragon dropped. Invent a mass of practices – never heard of previously which all your family have all been following.
No, we aren’t!!. Only your shrink will believe you.
All world faiths start with a narrative – but only one witness – the spiritual leader. The astonishingly successful, admirable Mormons started as late as 1830 like this – except the revelation was from an angel and the book written by its founder copying an original which disappeared. But the revelation was to one man alone – not an entire people.
Surely many would love to invent a tale like ours. It is simply impossible. Inexplicable. Super……..
Bubela, you’re a miracle.
