… A Data-Driven Case for Christ

There are many powerful arguments for God’s existence, such as the observation that the universe is fine-tuned for life, St. Thomas Aquinas’s Five Ways (Wikipedia), the existence of objective human morality as demonstrated by C.S. Lewis (Amazon), and many more. But where is the evidence that God = Christ?

Resurrection of Christ

The Resurrection: God's Supreme Act of Love shows that Christ, whose existence and crucifixion are historically attested by non-Christian sources, gained followers who witnessed and interacted with his risen form and willingly faced martyrdom after recording their testimony in the Gospels. Christ's tomb was empty, and his body was never found. Alternative theories, such as the stolen body hypothesis or the hallucination hypothesis, are neither supported by the circumstances nor satisfactorily explain the constellation of evidence in favor of the resurrection.

Divinity of the Eucharist

Before his own road to crucifixion, Christ told his followers during the Last Supper that the bread and wine were his body and blood, driving home the point that he was the sacrificial lamb in a new Passover. While the "transubstantiation" of the bread and wine into Christ's body and blood is normally invisible, Eucharistic Miracles: God Under the Microscope describes five instances where the substances physically transformed into human cardiac muscle and blood. These phenomena were studied by reputable forensic scientists, universities, and independent labs in Poland, Italy, Mexico, and the US. The linked article provides 1) excerpts from and links to lab reports, including detailed analyses and microscope imagery; 2) interviews with the scientists involved; and 3) other materials for your own exploration, including contact information for the living scientists and the Google Maps locations where you can see the physical Eucharistic hosts in person.

Blessed Virgin Mary

While Christ was dying on the cross, he told his disciple John, in the presence of Mary, the mother of Jesus, "Behold, your mother," suggesting that Mary is the protective mother of John and the rest of mankind. Countless Marian apparitions, where Mary has appeared to people throughout the centuries, have provided a recurring reminder of this motherhood along with warnings for people to amend their lives and follow the Gospel. Our Lady of Fátima: Queen of the Heavens is one such example, where the Virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children, communicated messages urging prayer and sacrifice, and promised a miracle so that "all will believe," indicating the day, hour, and location in advance. As the article shows, the Miracle of the Sun was witnessed and attested by many spectators, including atheists and anti-Catholic journalists, and dramatic healings occurred afterward, along with medical attestations from many doctors across Portugal.

Existence of the Devil

In the Gospels, Christ performed many exorcisms and empowered his disciples to drive out demons in his name. Christians, especially officially appointed exorcists in the Catholic Church, have performed countless exorcisms over the millennia. Speak of the Devil: Darkness Brought to Light compiles witness testimony from exorcists and non-exorcists (including a psychiatrist who performs psychiatric evaluations) that universally attest to the supernatural character of the diagnosed demonic possessions. The described phenomena include secret knowledge, aversion to sacred objects (even in blind tests), and superhuman strength.

Three Portuguese children saw the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fátima, who announced months in advance a miracle witnessed by ~70,000 spectators.