What If We Christians Are Deceived?

What if we Christians are deceived about Jesus? What if faith is an illusion? As I pointed out in Basic Assumptions About Certainty and Truth, there is no absolutely certain foundation on which a totally incontestable view of reality can be constructed. However, I along with many other apologists who have better credentials that I do, have presented a set of evidences we consider compelling. Christian belief is rational even if it cannot be proven absolutely.

Nevertheless, if we are deceived, are we, as the Apostle Paul put it, “of all men most to be pitied”?¹ In some cases when Christians experience ostracism by friends or family, or more serious forms of persecution, such as loss of a position, loss of home or possessions, or worse, physical violence, imprisonment, torture, or even death, it might seem pitiful if such suffering was the result of trusting in an illusion. The early Christians Paul was addressing did experience these situations, as many Christians in the Middle East and the Far East do today. Those who remain steadfast and persevere through those trials are an inspiration to those of us living in the West in relative freedom and safety. Their testimony echoes Paul’s words in his letter to the Philippians “. . .I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” (Phil 3:8)

We, who live in more stable circumstances, agree that following Christ is the best way to live our lives. If we are deceived, we have still lived with purpose, joy, and hope. We have experienced the support and love of the Christian community. Furthermore, our faith in Christ has hopefully made us better people, and, if we live according to the commands of Christ, perhaps we have even made our society and the world a better place².

However, if in death we are annihilated and no longer exist, we Christians will never know it. In this case, perhaps, fidelity to conviction may be regarded by some as a better way to live and even die, than to live without belief or without transcendent moral values.³ (See Transcendent Moral Values for more information.)

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Footnotes

¹”And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ” (I Corinthians 15:14 - 20)

²You may respond with cynicism to the claim that Christians make society better. After all, if 80% of evangelical Christians voted for Donald Trump—an immoral person whose policies have stoked hatred and division, caused needless death and suffering, and damaged our government and public institutions—your cynicism may seem justified. However, the media focuses on problems and the bad news while overlooking the common everyday acts of charity and kindness practiced by hundreds of thousands of individual Christians, churches, and Christian charities.

³I do have great respect for secular humanists who possess a high level of moral reasoning and live by ethical and altruistic principles apart from faith.

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