... I have presented sites like the one below to give rational reasons to believe it happened.
http://www.leaderu.com/everystudent/easter/articles/josh2.html
Your linked source
Evidence for the Resurrection by Josh McDowell, is a heap of infantile absurdities. It gives few sources or citations, just silly non-sequitur statements. Like this:
Gamaliel, who was a member of the Jewish high court, the Sanhedrin, put forth the suggestion that the rise of the Christian movement was God's doing; he could not have done that if the tomb were still occupied, or if the Sanhedrin knew the whereabouts of Christ's body.
What if Gamaliel had never heard any story about an empty tomb, and had no cause even to think about such a thing? This is a
Christian story. Before the Christians invented it and spread it, the only people who could have known about it, had it happened, were the Jews, Jesus' people; and the Jews were never convinced by the Jesus story. So the only possible witnesses say no.
Now, any honest author telling us that Gamaliel believed the Christian movement was God's doing, would quote Gamalel's words. Your link doesn't so I will. Acts 5:
30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross ... 33 When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. 34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law,who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. 35 Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36 Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37 After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38 Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”
What do these words mean? Leave preachers alone. Obviously, if their predictions come true, they're from God. If not, not. Theudas had made promises; they failed. So did those of Judas of Galilee. If Jesus' words fail, he's not from God either.
Jesus promised the speedy arrival of God's Kingdom. It's not here. He fails the Gamaliel test.
Anyway, Gamaliel couldn't have uttered these words as related in Acts. As pointed out in wiki
The difficulty is that the rising of Theudas is here given as before that of Judas of Galilee, which is itself dated to the time of the taxation (c. 6-7 AD). Josephus, on the other hand, says that Theudas was 45 or 46, which is after Gamaliel is speaking, and long after Judas the Galilean.
Recent commentators incline to the view that the author of Acts used Josephus as a source, and misread the Josephan passage. In any event, he got it wrong.
How can you simply accept these ridiculous and puerile apologetics, designed for the most uneducated and unquestioning believers, and offer them to informed readers?
