Doubts about Thomas

I'm thinking Thomas had at least a reasonable viewpoint.

Anyone can make an unlikely claim. And when they do there's three questions you can ask yourself. Actually, there's probably lots more. But three's a good number of things to remember.

1) Do I trust the person making this claim?
2) Is the claim reasonable?
3) Is there any reason why you'd want to make this up? eg some kind of extra authority or to make yourself sound impressive or make money?

Let's take an easy example. I went to college with David Cameron. Never spoke to him, of course - never even got to trash a restaurant in the Oxon countryside - but even so it's my one small claim to second-hand fame.

So you can ask these questions. I've given you a couple of possible answers to each question.

1) Do you trust the person making this claim?
(a) What? The pointy-hatted weirdo who claims to have spent a large chunk of last year in Thomas Hardy's Wessex? What do you reckon?
OR (b) Yes of course. She's a great and trusted spiritual leader.

2) Is the claim reasonable?
(a) David Cameron went to Oxford. The writer of this blog is clearly hiding a working-class background, and could never have got through the rigorous Oxford exams.
OR (b) I suppose so. Eileen seems to know something about barcodes, at any rate. Do they have an MA in barcodes?

3)  Is there any reason why you'd want to make this up? eg some kind of extra authority or to make yourself sound impressive or make money?
(a) No, it'd be a sad claim to make up.
OR (b) No, it'd be a sad claim to make even if it were true.

So if we apply these three questions to Thomas what do we get?

1) Do you trust the person making this claim? 

(a) Peter? Mr Big-shot who ran away when stuff got to hot?

OR (b) Yes, with my life.

2) Is the claim reasonable?

(a) No.

OR (b) Jesus claimed it would happen. But it's still pretty unlikely. So, on balance, no.

3)  Is there any reason why you'd want to make this up? eg some kind of extra authority or to make yourself sound impressive or make money?

(a) No. They must be mad.

OR (b) No. They must be raving mad.

So on the balance of my three-question method of checking an unlikely claim, I'm going to give Thomas a clean bill of health. No wonder Jesus wasn't annoyed with him. No "Oh ye of little faith" when Jesus turned up on what the disciples were already calling "Easter 2". Just "come and see, Thomas". So I'm going to give 10/10 to Thomas for a sensible attitude, and another 10/10 for changing his mind when presented with overwhelming evidence. I think they ought to make him a saint.