OpenTheo

Can Psychology Explain Away the Resurrection? A Licona Carrier Debate - Part 2

Risen Jesus — Mike Licona

Can Psychology Explain Away the Resurrection? A Licona Carrier Debate - Part 2

February 19, 2025
Risen Jesus
Risen JesusMike Licona

According to Dr. Richard Carrier, Christianity arose among individuals who, due to their schizotypal personalities, believed that their hallucinations of a risen Jesus were reality. In his view, this naturalistic explanation accounts well for the resurrection claims and is like the reported mass hallucinations in cults led by charismatic leaders. In a 2010 debate at Washburn University, Dr. Michael Licona challenged these assertions and presented a case for the historicity of Jesus’ resurrection.

Share

FacebookTwitterRedditCopy Link

Transcript

More From Risen Jesus

Interrogating Jesus - Veritas Forum Lecture at Texas A&M
Interrogating Jesus - Veritas Forum Lecture at Texas A&M
Risen Jesus
February 25, 2025
In this lecture at Texas A&M University, Dr. Licona discusses whether we can rationally believe in the resurrection of Jesus. He then engages with a p
Jesus' Bodily Resurrection - A Legendary Development Based on Hallucinations - Licona vs. Carrier - Part 1
Jesus' Bodily Resurrection - A Legendary Development Based on Hallucinations - Licona vs. Carrier - Part 1
Risen Jesus
March 5, 2025
In this episode, a 2004 debate between Mike Licona and Richard Carrier, Licona presents a case for the resurrection of Jesus based on three facts that
Jesus' Bodily Resurrection - A Legendary Development Based on Hallucinations - Licona vs. Carrier - Part 2
Jesus' Bodily Resurrection - A Legendary Development Based on Hallucinations - Licona vs. Carrier - Part 2
Risen Jesus
March 12, 2025
In this episode, a 2004 debate between Mike Licona and Richard Carrier, Licona presents a case for the resurrection of Jesus based on three facts that
Can Psychology Explain Away the Resurrection? A Licona Carrier Debate - Part 1
Can Psychology Explain Away the Resurrection? A Licona Carrier Debate - Part 1
Risen Jesus
February 12, 2025
According to Dr. Richard Carrier, Christianity arose among individuals who, due to their schizotypal personalities, believed that their hallucinations
Are Christian Claims Verifiable? Does It Matter?
Are Christian Claims Verifiable? Does It Matter?
Risen Jesus
February 5, 2025
In this episode of the Risen Jesus podcast, we join Dr. Michael Licona and Dr. Courtney Friesen as they discuss the verifiability of Christian claims
Can Historians Prove the Resurrection of Jesus?
Can Historians Prove the Resurrection of Jesus?
Risen Jesus
January 29, 2025
Where do miracles fit into historians’ examinations of the past? How do we define miracles? Is a miracle an event for which natural explanations are i
More From "Risen Jesus"

More on OpenTheo

Would You Say God’s Primary Object Is to Not Be Found?
Would You Say God’s Primary Object Is to Not Be Found?
#STRask
March 19, 2026
Questions about whether God’s primary object is to not be found, how one can say God doesn’t make mistakes if the percentage of Christians in the worl
Are You Accursed If You Tithe?
Are You Accursed If You Tithe?
#STRask
December 15, 2025
Questions about whether anyone who tithes is not a Christian and is accursed since Paul says that if you obey one part of the Mosaic Law you’re obliga
Why Is It Necessary to Believe Jesus Is God?
Why Is It Necessary to Believe Jesus Is God?
#STRask
February 19, 2026
Questions about why it’s necessary to believe Jesus is God, whether belief in the Trinity is required for salvation, and why one has to believe in the
What Is the Role of the Holy Spirit in Our Lives if He Doesn’t Give Us Instructions?
What Is the Role of the Holy Spirit in Our Lives if He Doesn’t Give Us Instructions?
#STRask
February 23, 2026
Questions about the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives, advice for someone who believes in God intellectually but struggles to understand how to hav
Who Wrote the Gospels? Michael Licona vs. Bart Ehrman - Part 1
Who Wrote the Gospels? Michael Licona vs. Bart Ehrman - Part 1
Risen Jesus
March 11, 2026
Did Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John write the gospels that bear their names? The texts themselves do not name them as the authors and were published and
Why Should We Pray If God Already Knows What’s Going to Happen?
Why Should We Pray If God Already Knows What’s Going to Happen?
#STRask
January 29, 2026
Questions about why we should pray if God already knows what’s going to happen, how the effectiveness of prayer is measured, and whether or not things
An Invitation to the 2026 Coram Deo Pastors Conference
An Invitation to the 2026 Coram Deo Pastors Conference
Life and Books and Everything
February 18, 2026
"I love being a pastor, and I love pastors, which is why I hope you will consider joining us at the Coram Deo Pastors Conference in 2026." —Kevin DeYo
Protestants and Catholics: What’s the Difference? With Chad Van Dixhoorn, Blair Smith, and Mark McDowell
Protestants and Catholics: What’s the Difference? With Chad Van Dixhoorn, Blair Smith, and Mark McDowell
Life and Books and Everything
November 26, 2025
How should Protestants think about the Catholic Mass? About the Eucharist? About the history and development of the papacy? In this panel discussion,
Who Wrote the Gospels? Michael Licona vs. Bart Ehrman - Part 2
Who Wrote the Gospels? Michael Licona vs. Bart Ehrman - Part 2
Risen Jesus
March 18, 2026
Did Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John write the gospels that bear their names? The texts themselves do not name them as the authors and were published and
Is This an Argument for Relativism?
Is This an Argument for Relativism?
#STRask
March 16, 2026
Questions about whether the fact that the truth about one’s age changes over time is an argument for relativism, and how to ground virtues like courag
Isn’t the Covenant in Scripture Explicitly with Israel and Not the Gentile Nations?
Isn’t the Covenant in Scripture Explicitly with Israel and Not the Gentile Nations?
#STRask
March 12, 2026
Questions about what gives modern Christians confidence that they’ve inherited the Jews’ covenant with God if Scripture explicitly says it was with Is
The Making of the American Mind with Matthew Spalding
The Making of the American Mind with Matthew Spalding
Life and Books and Everything
February 2, 2026
The United States is unique in how much attention it pays to its founding, its founders, and its founding documents. Arguably, the most famous and mos
Kingdom Priorities: Following the Teachings of Jesus
Kingdom Priorities: Following the Teachings of Jesus
Knight & Rose Show
February 14, 2026
Wintery Knight and Desert Rose discuss Jesus' teachings from the Gospels, emphasizing truth, evidence, self-denial, and forgiveness. They explore pass
How Would You Convince Someone That Evil Exists?
How Would You Convince Someone That Evil Exists?
#STRask
November 17, 2025
Questions about how to convince someone that evil exists, whether Charlie Kirk’s murder was part of God’s plan, whether that would mean the murderer d
Why Do We Say Someone Was Saved on a Particular Date If It Was Part of an Eternal Plan?
Why Do We Say Someone Was Saved on a Particular Date If It Was Part of an Eternal Plan?
#STRask
November 24, 2025
Questions about why we say someone was saved on a particular date if it was part of an eternal plan, the Roman Catholic view of the gospel vs. the Bib