What can we say about the impossible survival of the Jews?
Now, logically, the explanation of the ‘miracle’ of survival, 99.99786% against the odds, can, of course, be called ‘inexplicable’ – but not supernatural.
Why bring in Middle-earth?
The Plane Crash Example
If a person survives a plane crash and is found unscathed – Vesna Vulović a flight attendant on a Douglas DC-9 that exploded over Czechoslovakia – this is an impossibly small chance but it happened in 1972.
The atheist states that this proves the ‘impossible’ can happen and so-called miracles are simply this. It is just ‘inexplicable’ in probability how this happened.
What would he say if prior to the journey someone had approached the man and on CCTV warned of the crash and said that he would pray for him and he alone would survive.
The atheist would simply shake his head and say that that prior warning also was an incredibly small chance but it happened. Certainly more inexplicable, but no proof of anything!
Escalating the Hypothetical
What if the seer had described exactly how he would be found and where? What if he had looked exactly like the survivor’s long dead grandpa? What if …?
A truly faithful atheist would not be moved from his faith in atheism. His whole lifestyle depends on it!
But any objective observer might start feeling a little uncomfortable.
Judaism’s Intertwined Evidence
Yet, things get worse. An imaginary plane crash would be an isolated event.
Judaism has a mass of intertwined events each with inevitable secular archaeological, historical, documentary and sociological evidence. All these details were recorded in writing 3000 years ago.
This forces the honest intellect to re-examine all the ‘inexplicable’ details.
Thus our inexplicable survival is arguably more than simply a single infinitesimal chance with no consequences.
And the independent evidence from non-Jewish sources to support the case sharpens the improbability and inexplicability problem.
But things become even more intriguing and, perhaps, worrying. We shall very soon call new witnesses before the court. Modern prejudice has hidden them from you.
Multiple Layers of Inexplicability
We must not forget that we have a chain of other exponential inexplicabilities to cope with.
The greatest modern minds – Feynman, Hawking, Penrose – have pronounced that the initiation of the universe is proven to be inexplicable, the beginning of Life is inexplicable and the complexity Life is inexplicable.
And now you are inexplicable as a Jew.
This is inexplicability to the power of four. Now that is … inexplicable.
Not only ‘Why?’ but ‘How?’ are we here?
The Nature of the Evidence
And note that the crux of the matter is not whether or not Judaism can be proven absolutely. It is rather what should one do with the evidence as presented.
It is this that we are really discussing. We are not searching for absolute proof. We are looking for such evidence as is admissible and beyond any reasonable doubt.
We are collecting it, weighing it up and debating whether it is sufficient to influence attitudes and behaviour. We are gathering information to inform decisions.
This is even though 90% of us at present simply have decided to ignore everything in this book.
Yes, our evidence is beyond ‘reasonable’ doubt only – not more. It is not beyond ‘any shadow’ of a doubt.
However, all criminal cases are decided on just this basis – beyond any reasonable doubt – as we learn much later in the breathlessly absorbing cases of Dangerous Dan and Megan the Witch.
The Comfort Zone Dilemma
If we wish to remain within our comfort zone, we must squeeze our eyes shut and decide to ignore all such judicially acceptable evidence and gracefully evaporate as Jews.
We must observe the inexplicably inexplicable inexplicability of the inexplicableness and decide that it is perfectly justifiable to ignore it.
Yes, one can join the ostrich. But remember he will never fly.
Are Four Levels Supernatural?
Are four levels of inexplicability not supernatural?
Let us now together go one step further – the quintessentially important step. Can we move from inexplicable to supernatural in cold logic, even if the supernatural is deemed outside human logic.
Testing The Doubts
First, about what could we be wrong? All the figures add up.
Perhaps the Jews do not exist? Go on, investigate. Give yourself a good pinch. Did you feel it? Then, we still have a problem.
Perhaps this is all a nightmare? Go on, investigate. Give yourself another pinch. Did you feel it? Then, we still have a problem.
OK, Descartes was right about solipsism and you dreamt the pinch. We do not exist. But if the world does not exist outside your mind then how come your mind exists? [And he was pretty crazy.]
So, if we do exist – how was the world initiated? How were we initiated? How are you there with a label on you ‘Jew?
Personal Odds and Occam’s Razor
Now concentrate on that concept. Your odds of holding this book as a Jew are 1 in 49999. It is therefore nearly 50000 times more likely that you do not exist as a Jew.
But you are still holding this book as a Jew. Take another (OK, gentle) pinch.
The only real problem is your ‘personal experience syndrome’ as discussed. You did not stand at Sinai and neither did anyone whom you know – so it did not happen.
You are not going to rely on an ancestor – even linked to you by that golden unbroken family chain proven later.
But take a step back. In this sort of debate, the best answer must be the simplest – the most likely to be the truth.
‘Occam’s razor’ was invented in 13th century by William of Oakham. This is now the universally-accepted rule of philosophy that the simplest, least contrived answer is the correct one.
This ‘razor’ should be used to cut away all irrelevancies and assumptions. Whether an answer is ‘likely’ or not, inexplicable, within our experience, even against any expectation is irrelevant.
Your cynicism is irrelevant if merely a personal reaction to protect your lifestyle. Nobody is suggesting that you personally stood a Sinai and, yes, we are threatening your cheese MacBurger.
Logical Possibilities
The only remaining possibilities in logic and harsh reality now face you. You can try to cling to the insistence that not knowing any answer absolutely does not allow any suggestion of the supernatural.
But the problem with this is the overpowering evidence in logic, probability and from our empirical experience combined with our truly inexplicable set of inexplicabilities.
Even a cynic cannot hide from the reality of how pragmatic decisions are made in his everyday life. He is very rarely 100% certain about any decision.
In real life we weigh up the odds, the factors, the arguments. Should he take up soccer or baseball, the harp or contrabassoon, drink Coke or Pepsi, dig Nike or Gucci … But he was never 100% certain about anything.
The Impossible Survival Of The Jews
Judaism’s evidence is emphatically 99.99% on the side that we must not exist and absolutely not as Jews. The truth is not that we simply do not know the answer.
The honest problem is that – we are impossible. Our survival is not natural. It is super natural.
There has to be a limit on relying on the inexplicable. Frankly, it becomes unintelligent, illogical and downright dishonest at a certain point.
You have not quite reached that point perhaps, so I am not throwing insults at you – right now.
Thus, pragmatically, in real life terms, our narrative and the Torah seem not to be myths. They cannot be dismissed or ignored.
The judicial decision is that, in pure logic, you descend from a people who have survived in a supernatural manner having experienced the supernatural. This has been nearly always hidden for three millennia – except at Sinai.
Impossibility Points to the Supernatural
Yes, of course, merely being ‘impossible’ does not absolutely prove anything. Yes, in theory, you are merely inexplicable and defy every logical explanation.
But we live in a real world. When combined with all the other evidence, we have beyond any reasonable doubt only one explanation – however inconvenient and embarrassing.
People do not blithely leap out of tenth floor windows because there is only a 0.00214% of surviving. If those are the odds, they fix iron bars to the window because they obviously want to follow the 99.998% ‘certainty’.
Your other life decisions have similarly been entirely based on what a reasonable person might decide on the information available.
But you (or your parents) have chosen to ignore Judaism even though you are 99.998% ‘certain’ of being wrong. It is only 0.00214% likely to be correct so to do. You, or your forebears, have leapt into the void – probably unwittingly.
The Question of Freedom and Choices
However, now that you are somewhat informed, dare I please ask whether your ‘freedom’ and enjoyment of innocent gratifications – is so powerful as to blind you to reason?
Perhaps, quite reasonably, you may shrug and still say, ‘OK, so I am a Jew. Yep, it is only a 0.002% chance. But it happened. And then??’
But, again, please do be aware that with Judaism you are relying on a 0.002% chance of it not being true and ignoring the 99.998% certainty based on the Law of Probability of it being true – and all this without even covering yet the most ancient and basic evidence – the Sinai Argument – which we shall shortly discuss.
With respect, is it reasonable to ignore such a heritage and limply join the great and final decline and fall of the Caucasian middle-classes?
There seems simply no alternative. Sorry. We do know the answer. Dare I suggest 90% of Jews are kidding themselves.
The Court’s Logical Finding
Think about that for a long moment. The overwhelming odds against our existence force the court to find that the only logical, if uncomfortable, resolution is that the Torah is ….. true.
The entire narrative is true including the supernatural parts. Period. If that which is impossible in ‘nature’ happens – then the ‘super-natural’ has happened. Period.
I genuinely believe that in all rationality and intellectual integrity, to rely on a 0.00214% chance that Judaism is merely a myth is well beyond reasonable behaviour.
Again, in no other walk of life would you do this, would you ignore the 99.99788% odds.
Everyday Risk Analogies
Here is a free, first class air ticket – but you are told that there is a 99.99788% chance that this plane will crash. Welcome aboard! What would you say? ‘Keep the ticket. Not a chance!’
Here is a free iced beer – but you are told that there is a 99.99788% chance that it is poisoned. Cheers! What would you say? ‘Keep it. Drink it yourself! Not a chance!’
Yet, here on offer is a drink, drugs, coke-style, Nike, Gucci, smartphone controlled, shallow life. It has an utterly selfish personal agenda which you tacitly condone and perhaps even partially take part in – commercialised paganism.
We all see – and you see around you – that there is a 99.99788% chance of ending up with a bitter, dissatisfied existence, broken relationships, a lonely old age, depression etc. etc. like most of your clade.
And what do 90% of young Jews say? ‘Great! I take the chance, though it is only 0.00214% likely to be the right choice. It’ll be great fun!’
The Assimilated Life Choice
OK, OK. You are living a clean, reasonably virtuous existence. So, less dramatically – Here is a rather pleasant, comfortable, assimilated cosy life – gym, health foods, Beethoven, baseball, honest earning – doing ‘good’ like everyone else – but it is 99.99788% certain that it the wrong empty choice – a wasted single chance to live.
You see from all around you that you also will look back wondering, ‘Was that all that it was about?’
And what do 90% of Jews say? ‘Great! I take the chance, even though it is only 0.00214% likely to be the right choice.’
Huh!??
And please, again, think about that very quietly, very slowly.
Unemotional Reflection
Yet even after any consideration you will probably still counter by saying again, ‘No. The odds of the Judaism surviving are equal to impossibility, I agree. But, it jus’ happened! The impossible does happen! It must have done. It is merely a tiny bit very, very inexplicable.’
Sorry, I cannot see that as the honest, intelligent and logical response.
Unemotionally unpick the threads we have woven and think about that very, very quietly, and very, very, very slowly. I am sorry but it really is true. There is no alternative.
A Practical Life Decision
Remember, and remember well, that we are not discussing a theoretical problem. We are asking on what basis should one decide to change his life?
I have just shown you 99% proof and you may still decide to grab inertia. Are you reasonable in being content to be like 8 billion other human beings attempting at best to live a ‘valuable life’ amidst emptiness on a dead planet?
In every other decision in life you would not entertain even hesitation. Without using emotional blackmail, it is a cold fact that we are talking of your single life.
Addressing Common Objections
And, yes, ‘If there is a Maker how could He do this to us? What about the Holocaust? What about Jewish business men? What about …?’ These are fully dealt with later – and actually are completely irrelevant.
First, let us prove that Sinai happened, that there is the Creator – and then, perhaps, we can start complaining.
If you simply again counter by saying ‘Just read the cleverest men alive – read atheists’ works – everyone agrees the Torah is a scam’. Well, then, you wasted your money and time on this book… but I understand your problem because …
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