What makes Christianity stand out

Another case for Christianity or as Paul calls it, the Way, could be made in how it stands out.  How does it stand out?  In some very interesting ways.  First we have a call to reason.  Isaiah 1:18 says, "Come and let us reason together, says the LORD.".  Not many religions call for reason, but for blind faith.

Reading the New Testament is like reading a giant philosophical argument.  Leaving out the Gospels and Revelation of course.   It is a collection of letters that settle doctrinal disputes and thus consequently a code of conduct.  It also provides incite into arguments against the Faith and answers them.  In Romans 9:19:

You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?" 

This is referring to the objection that if God's Will is carried out by all things then how could condemn anyone if they are ultimately carrying out His Will.  He answers this question in what first seems rather like blind faith in the next verse:

On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, "Why did you make me like this," will it? 

This is not blind faith, but a succinct response to hubris.  Too many arguments against God (I now speak of God generally.   A Deity that is not specifically tied to Christianity seeing as how when atheists argue against God they are making a sweeping argument not just one against the Judeo-Christian God.) are based in ignorance and hubris such as: problem of evil, ontological arguments, unnecessary, etc. This answer in Romans is a clever disarming of those arguments.

What is also different is that it invites us, indirectly, to test it's veracity.  Most books with historical roots does this, but few are life transforming in its claims.  The Bible is continuously verified by archeological discovery.  Some of the sites I have linked to in a previous post does a great job in exploring those finds.  Are all things verified?  No, but none have contradicted the Bible or it's core message: an Almighty Transcendental Being sacrificing Himself out of an intense Love and attempt to grab our attention.  The problems that do arise, creation account, the Deluge, Hebrew enslavement in Egypt, are hardly reason to believe that our Faith is in any way defeated.  That's just poor logic.  The objections are also disputable.  Guided evolution  (or another mechanism of Intelligent Design) could be argued as creationism, there may be evidence of a global or near global flood, and there is growing evidence of Hebrew enslavement in Eygpt.  You are welcome to look up the arguments or evidence of each.  Either way they are not even close to being core tenants of the Faith and the tenants that are deemed core have not been disproved or have been proved.

So, we have a monotheistic religion with rather fantastic claims, is part philosophical,  part historical, part prophetic, and part radical.  I will discuss the prophetic and radical claims in another post.  But we have this Faith that stands up and shouts, "Test me! Argue with me! See that I am the True Way!", and I invite you to do so.  I am always willing to discuss it.  I can steer you in the right direction if I am unable to answer your questions.  This is the most fulfilling decision you can make. I guarantee you that.   Once you let go of self and embrace the Spirit the feeling is indescribable relief.  I pray for you all.