Imagine your reaction if your neighbor told you the following story:
Did you know that the spirit of my deceased grandfather, George, lives in my heart, communicates with me in a silent voice on a daily basis, performs supernatural magic tricks for me, gives me counsel and advice on major decisions in my life, and, provides the most amazing feelings of peace, serenity, and security?
Oh, and I forgot to mention, my grand father created the universe!
You would undoubtedly assume that your neighbor is certifiably nuts! And you would be correct. Yet millions of evangelical Christians, all over the world, believe that the spirit of another man, a man who lived 2,000 years ago, lives in their “heart”. And these people believe that this belief is consistent with rational thinking!
My goodness! What a massive delusion!
What evangelical Christians need to realize is that the very “real” perceptions and feelings which they have about their invisible “special friend” Jesus is not one bit different from the belief of a small child that he has an invisible “special friend” named Bob.
You are living in a delusional world, my evangelical Christian friend. The “voice” you hear speaking to you is no other than YOU…your internal monologue. I challenge you to prove me wrong!
Come out of your delusion, evangelical Christians. Come into the light of reason, science, and rational thinking.
End of post.
Escaping Christian Fundamentalism 
re: “Yet millions of evangelical Christians, all over the world, believe that the spirit of another man, a man who lived 2,000 years ago, lives in their “heart”.”
We’ve covered this ground before, in that thread on Ehrman’s blog, where you made a total fool of yourself talking to Licona.
Christians don’t believe that “the spirit of another man… lives in their heart”. They believe that the spirit of God, the Creator of the Universe – which was the same spirit in Jesus – lives in their heart.
All you’re doing, Gary, is to show off the fallacious theology that you yourself must have once held dear – and, which is totally wrong.
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The fact that evangelical Christians believe that Jesus was more than just a “man” is the very point of this post!
To believe that Jesus, a first century peasant, was the creator of the universe is just as nutty as believing that your grandfather, George, is the creator of the universe.
And, belief in the bodily resurrection of Jesus is just as nutty as: Believing that your grandfather George was resurrected from the dead three days after his public burial by an ancient Canaanite deity named Yahweh and that after his “resurrection”, Grandpa George flew off into outer space where at this very moment, he sits on a golden throne, in a golden city, at the edge of the universe, where he reigns as Lord and Master of the Cosmos!!!
Both beliefs are CRAZY!!!
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Here are the questions an evangelical such as Mike Licona and FT bond should be asked to point out their delusional thinking:
Q: Was Jesus of Nazareth fully human?
A: Yes.
Q: Was Jesus of Nazareth of the male gender?
A: Yes.
Q: Do you believe that Jesus lives in your heart?
A: Most will say yes (probably not FT bond)
Q: If you believe that Jesus lives in your heart, does he live in your heart in a body or as a spirit?
A: As a spirit.
Q: So, therefore you believe that the spirit of a first century male human (a man) lives in your heart, correct?
A: No. God lives in my heart!
Let’s start over…
Q: Do you believe that Jesus was fully human?
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Q: According to Trinitarian Christian belief, all human beings are composed of a body and a spirit, correct?
A (by a Trinitarian Christian): Correct.
Q: So if Jesus was human just as we are human, Jesus had a spirit, correct?
A: Yes, Jesus had a spirit but his spirit was perfect unlike our spirit which is stained by sin.
Q: But, to be clear, Jesus the man had a spirit, correct?
A: Yes, Jesus the man had a spirit but he was also fully God the Creator at the same time.
Q: Got it. But you agree that Jesus the man had a spirit?
A: Yes.
Q: Did Jesus’ the man’s spirit cease to exist when he died?
A: No. Jesus’ spirit is eternal.
Q: Did Jesus’ the man’s spirit cease to exist when Jesus’ body was resurrected and transformed into a heavenly body?
A: No, Jesus’ spirit continued to exist but his body was no longer bound by human constraints.
Q: But did the spirit of Jesus change?
A: No, the spirit of Jesus is eternal and according to the Bible is unchanging.
Conclusion: Evangelical Trinitarians believe that the spirit of a human being (a man) lives inside their bodies and this spirit has existed forever and has never changed.
Period.
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Mike Licona should be called on the carpet by his evangelical university employer and his church for publicly denying the presence of the spirit of Jesus (of Nazareth) within him! He betrayed his faith. Shame on him for equivocating.
Jesus must be rolling over in his grave!
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Copied word for word from Bart Ehrman’s blog:
Gary December 3, 2019
Dear Dr. Licona:
—You believe the Bible is (in a vague, general fashion) inerrant because you believe it to be the inspired Word of God.
—You believe the Bible to be the inspired Word of God because you believe there is good evidence for the historical claim that Jesus of Nazareth was resurrected from the dead in the first century.
—You believe that Jesus of Nazareth was resurrected from the dead in the first century, in part, because you believe that his spirit lives inside your body, “testifying” in some non-audible fashion, that you are his child.
Is that rational thinking, Dr. Licona?
With all due respect for your obvious intelligence and your reputation as a kind and generous human being, why should anyone take your research related to Jesus of Nazareth seriously?
Mike Licona December 3, 2019
Gary: I really find it difficult to communicate with you sometimes because you not once but often read things into what I say that aren’t there. In fact, I think you are the only one on this blog interacting with me who is doing this. It is not true that I believe Jesus was raised from the dead in part because I believe his Spirit lives inside my body “testifying” in some non-audile fashion, that I’m his child.
Respectfully, I think you have a tendency to project your stereotypes of Christians onto me.
Source: https://ehrmanblog.org/is-the-bible-inerrant-guest-post-by-mike-licona/
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Let’s look at Licona’s own words (from your own quote from Ehrman’s blog):
Gary: Is it true that since you were ten years old (the age of your conversion to Christianity), you have believed that the spirit (ghost) of an executed first century man (Jesus of Nazareth) lives inside your body and communicates with you in some fashion, “testifying” to you that the bodily resurrection of Jesus is an historical fact?”—
Mike Licona: Gary: I will answer your “ONE question on this post.” I think I’ve been clear in past posts. But so there is no doubt to be had, here is my “straight answer (yes or no) to this ONE question”: No.
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So you do not perceive the presence of Jesus’ spirit within you, FT?
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Romans 8
9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life[d] because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of[e] his Spirit who lives in you. 12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.[f] And by him we cry, “Abba,[g] Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
Gary: The overwhelming majority of evangelical Christians believe this passage literally. They believe that the spirit of the resurrected Jesus, who is God and man at the same time, lives inside of their bodies. Mike Licona denied he believes this passage literally, therefore, his position is at odds with almost every evangelical pastor, church, and Bible college on the planet. He needs to be called out on it.
Note that the above passage talks about “Christ” living in you while also talking about “the Spirit of God” living in you. This is Trinitarian mumbo jumbo (invented most likely in the delusional mind of Paul). Bottom line, “Christ in you” is where evangelicals get the idea that the spirit of Jesus of Nazareth (the resurrected man/god) lives inside of them.
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Do you perceive the presence of Jesus’ spirit within you, FT?
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I’m still waiting for “Dead Atheist” (aka FT BOND) to respond to this question. This is the question I should have asked Mike Licona. There isn’t any wiggle room. (That is why FT doesn’t want to answer it!)
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He never does when he’s cornered. He’ll be back when he has another non-sequitur to offer.
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I have banned the rude Mr. FT Bond multiple times but he changes his IP address each time and then posts another comment. So instead of trying to ban him, I will simply delete any comment he makes in which he engages in personal insults or does not stay on topic.
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The Jesus Myth was debunked a long time ago. It’s time to move on!
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Do you perceive the presence of Jesus’ spirit within you, FT?
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If all True Christians have God’s spirit within them, why do they come to different conclusions about him? Why don’t they all agree on how to interpret his Word? Why don’t they believe the same doctrines (34,000 Christian denominations/sects and counting)? Why don’t know how he wants to be worshipped? Why do they have such different views about issues they say matter to him? Why don’t they agree on what these issues actually are? Why does each sect think they are right and every other sect is wrong? In short, why does God direct them to believe in such diverse and frequently mutually exclusive ways if he’s the same God who inhabits all of them?
The logical conclusion is he isn’t and doesn’t. It’s all make believe; fallibly human from start to finish.
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Fundamentalists would respond to this point: “We” are the only ones listening to the Holy Spirit (Jesus). Everyone else is either ignoring the Spirit or not real Christians.
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They would. And more liberal Christians would say evangelicals are extremists who don’t really understand God’s compassion while Catholics would say both of these interpretations are wrong; God’s spirit is manifest in the Church of Rome… and on and on. The Holy Spirit is just another term for confirmation bias.
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