Muslims and Mormons believe certain things that are rejected by the vast majority of religious and secular historians and archaeologists. Muslims blindly accept the Quran’s denial of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, while Mormons blindly believe in the mythical locations highlighted in The Book of Mormon. In other words, Muslims and Mormons are essentially living in fantasy land, as compared to the evidence-based faith of Christianity.
The Quran makes this claim about Jesus of Nazareth in Surah 4:157: “They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but another was made to resemble him to them.” This erroneous claim stands in stark contrast to the historical evidence.
Tacitus was born in 55 AD and is “widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars.” He wrote, “Christ, from whom the name of Christians originated, was put to death by the Roman governor Pontius Pilate” (Annals, 15:44).
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know.
“A secular source in the Roman Archives of history states: ‘Christ had been executed in Tiberius’ reign by the Govenor of Judea, Pontius Pilate.”
In addition, “the Jewish Talmud, a historical writing that is not biased towards Jesus, includes the historical event of Jesus’ death on the eve of the Passover.”
German biblical scholar Gerd Ludemann wrote, “Jesus’ death as a consequence of crucifixion is indisputable.”
The Apostle Peter wrote, “Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (1 Peter 3:18). And the Apostle John presented the Gospel in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.
The Apostle Paul wrote, “God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
While Muslims need to discover and accept the historical evidence for Christ’s crucifixion with all of its implications, Mormons need to learn that The Book of Mormon is not supported by archaeology or geography.
“Many discoveries have confirmed names, cities, geographic locations, dates, political leaders, and other incidental information mentioned by the biblical writers. Even some skeptics have been amazed by the accuracy of the biblical data … That assertion cannot be said for The Book of Mormon.”
Tal Davis provides the following evidence to show that nothing corroborates the archaeological and geographical claims in The Book of Mormon:
1. No Book of Mormon cities have been located.
2. No Book of Mormon names have been found in New World inscriptions.
3. No genuine inscriptions have been found in Hebrew.
4. No genuine inscriptions have been found in Egyptian or anything similar to Egyptian, which could correspond to Joseph Smith’s “Reformed Egyptian.”
5. No ancient copies of Book of Mormon scriptures have been found.
6. No mention of Book of Mormon people, nations, or places has been found.
7. No artifact of any kind that demonstrates The Book of Mormon is true has been found.
“The Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History for a number of years distributed a written statement denying The Book of Mormon is a valid guide for archaeological exploration.”
It is certainly unpleasant to learn that your religious book makes claims that contradict the historical and archaeological evidence. But if you go to your grave maintaining faith in a religion that contradicts the Gospel, as well as the historical and archaeological evidence, your immortal soul will be lost and you will be forced to pay for your sins throughout eternity (see Matthew 25:46). And there is nothing more unpleasant than spending eternity in Hell. Heaven and Hell are not fantasy lands but are real places where people will exist forever (see Daniel 12:2; Matthew 7:13-14; John 3:36; Revelation 20:11-15).
Thankfully, Christianity is an evidence-based faith. It is rooted in history and biblical prophecies, hundreds of which have already been fulfilled. You owe it to yourself to check out the overwhelming evidence: “55 Old Testament Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus.” If you currently adhere to a religious book other than the Bible, you won’t find even one fulfilled prophecy in that book, whereas Jesus Christ fulfilled over 350 biblical prophecies in His earthly ministry.
Canadian apologist Wesley Huff wrote, “What we call the Bible was put together over 1600 years, on 3 continents, by close to 40 different authors, in 3 different languages. Some of its writers were kings, others teachers, shepherds and fishermen.”
Pastor John Piper stated, “The remarkable fact is that most historical scholars today – liberal or conservative – believe that the Greek texts that we have in the New Testament are really what the authors wrote near the time when the events actually happened.”
You see, Christianity is rooted in fulfilled prophecies and is strongly supported by the historical and archaeological evidence. The death of the Messiah by crucifixion, along with the resurrection of Jesus Christ, are the two most well-attested events in ancient history. You will need to follow the evidence if you hope to escape fantasy land and meet “the only true God” (John 17:3).
Dan Delzell is the pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Papillion, Nebraska.
