One common objection to the credibility of Christ’s Resurrection traces back to the 18th-century Scottish thinker David Hume. Though many who repeat this argument today likely know nothing of Hume himself.
The objection goes like this: Christ’s Resurrection could not have happened because all human experience confirms that the dead do not rise. Corpses remain where they are laid, decomposing quietly. Every subsequent death reinforces this truth. Therefore, when we hear claims that defy humanity’s universal experience, it is far more reasonable to dismiss them as lies, hallucinations, or anything other than a refutation of that experience.
Why does this argument fail? For many reasons, one of which I will illustrate with an analogy. Consider the scientific program SETI, which searches for extraterrestrial signals. Most SETI enthusiasts are atheists who readily accept Hume’s argument against miracles.
But what if SETI actually detected a signal from aliens? Following Hume’s logic, we would have to say: All human experience shows that “alien contact” has only ever involved the mentally ill, attention-seekers, or outright fraudsters. Humanity’s entire history of “alien signals” is a record of psychosis, hoaxes, or, at best, sincere delusions. Stories abound of flying saucers abducting people, conducting experiments, or whisking them away to Alpha Centauri. The internet teems with tales of reptilian horrors in one constellation and Hollywood-perfect blondes in another. Yet we know these are laughable fantasies. No credible evidence of aliens exists—so says humanity’s reliable experience. Thus, if SETI announced a genuine extraterrestrial signal, we ought to dismiss it outright. By this logic, SETI itself is pointless and should be shut down. After all, alien signals cannot exist because they have never existed.
But here, SETI proponents would object. Of course past experience shows no confirmed alien contact—that’s precisely why a verified signal would be a turning point in human history! Such a discovery would revolutionize our understanding of the cosmos and our place within it. It would be a unique, world-shattering event, anticipated with profound excitement.
In other words, despite humanity’s history of false alarms and hoaxes, SETI advocates insist we should take a confirmed signal seriously. Why? Because experience is not static. Just because something hasn’t happened before doesn’t mean it never will. We must not reject new data simply because it conflicts with past experience; instead, we expand our understanding to include what we learn.
This same reasoning applies to the Resurrection. Yes, all human experience confirms that death is final—the dead stay dead. But that is exactly why Christ’s Resurrection is a cosmic, world-shattering event. It upends not only our understanding of reality but also the lives of all who respond to it with repentance and faith.
We might choose to ignore this revelation, clinging to a worldview unbroken by inconvenient truths. But let us name this refusal for what it is: fear of change, not intellectual rigor. The claim that “Christ did not rise because resurrection is impossible” stems from closed-mindedness, not irrefutable logic.
To an atheist, alien signals fit neatly into their worldview, while Christ’s Resurrection does not. But again, we must not reject evidence simply because it contradicts prior assumptions. Instead, we allow new truths to reshape our understanding.
Translated by The Catalogue of Good Deeds
Source: https://foma.ru/voskresenie-hrista-i-signalyi-iz-kosmosa.html
