Some people become Christians just because of the culture. But let's look back in history and see how it all started. The Jews had been persecuted for 700 years (Babylonians, Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, Romans). Some of these nations no longer exist but how did the Jews survive even when in captivity? They passed down their social heritage to each generation. These traditions made up the very fabric of their identity and they believed that if they didn't continue them with each generation that they would become extinct and be condemned by God.
So along comes a rabbi named Jesus and he teaches for 3 years and is persecuted by religious authorities to the point where they crucify him as someone cursed by God in their minds.
Around 40 Days later over 10,000 Jews are following him and claiming he is the initiator of a new way to find God. They are all willing to give up their social institutions and traditions and previous vows that they've been taught since childhood and were willing to accept being ostracized even by family members to follow this person. What could have possibly caused this dramatic following against all odds unless they actually saw someone come back from the dead? They would go on to live in poverty and life on the run under persecution for the rest of their lives. And yet it was all worth it because they found the Messiah. It's impossible for all of them to be under some kind of delusion and there was no corporate Church structure that was controlling them, so they all would have been better off maintaining the status quo. But many of them were willing to die for this newfound faith. Can you come up with any explanation, other than the resurrection, for this huge change in people's lives?
I think He's real.
